18,880 research outputs found

    'It Depends on the Students Themselves': Independent Language Learning at an Indonesian State School

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    There is continuing interest in the notion of learner autonomy, both as an effective means and valid goal of a language learning curriculum. However, the concept is recognised as emanating from Western tertiary educational contexts and as open to question in different sociocultural settings. This paper reports on a study of language learning attitudes and activity among adolescents in provincial Indonesia, during their first year in junior high school. Combining questionnaire, interview and classroom observation data, the study found that even younger learners are already learning English independently of their teacher's prescriptions, both inside the classroom and outside formal school. Their openness to the increasing learning opportunities in the local environment is often not recognised in local curricula, however, which instead impose a rigid diet of language items transmitted by teachers and their textbooks and assessed in national exams. In this local context, it seems that the promotion of appropriate forms of learner autonomy is essential if the majority of school pupils are not to be frustrated in their struggle to learn English

    Extending the Research on 1:1 Technology Integration in Middle Schools: A Call for Using Institutional Theory in Educational Technology Research

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    In this essay, we argue institutional lenses are a vital but largely missing part of understanding how 1:1 technology programs can effect change in teaching and learning in middle schools. Indeed, while current research highlights the positive effects technology integration efforts, and 1:1 programs in particular, have on student learning and engagement, much has focused on the knowledge, skills, and beliefs of individuals or groups of actors. There is less research considering how the institutional context may impact teacher and administrator behavior regarding these and other technology-focused efforts thus limiting our ability to fully support schools and teachers in these efforts. We conclude by calling on researchers to use institutional theory to further understand and support implementation efforts and enhance outcomes for schools, teachers, and students alike

    Origin of intermittent accretion-powered X-ray oscillations in neutron stars with millisecond spin periods

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    We have shown previously that many of the properties of persistent accretion-powered millisecond pulsars can be understood if their X-ray emitting areas are near their spin axes and move as the accretion rate and structure of the inner disk vary. Here we show that this "nearly aligned moving spot model" may also explain the intermittent accretion-powered pulsations that have been detected in three weakly magnetic accreting neutron stars. We show that movement of the emitting area from very close to the spin axis to about 10 degrees away can increase the fractional rms amplitude from less than about 0.5 percent, which is usually undetectable with current instruments, to a few percent, which is easily detectable. The second harmonic of the spin frequency usually would not be detected, in agreement with observations. The model produces intermittently detectable oscillations for a range of emitting area sizes and beaming patterns, stellar masses and radii, and viewing directions. Intermittent oscillations are more likely in stars that are more compact. In addition to explaining the sudden appearance of accretion-powered millisecond oscillations in some neutron stars with millisecond spin periods, the model explains why accretion-powered millisecond oscillations are relatively rare and predicts that the persistent accretion-powered millisecond oscillations of other stars may become undetectable for brief intervals. It suggests why millisecond oscillations are frequently detected during the X-ray bursts of some neutron stars but not others and suggests mechanisms that could explain the occasional temporal association of intermittent accretion-powered oscillations with thermonuclear X-ray bursts.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure; includes additional discussion and updated references; accepted for publication in ApJ

    Integration effects of underwing forward- and rearward-mounted separate-flow, flow-through nacelles on a high-wing transport

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    An experimental investigation was conducted in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel at free-stream Mach numbers from 0.70 to 0.82 and angles of attack from -2.5 to 4.0 degrees to determine the integration effects of pylon-mounted underwing forward and rearward separate-flow, flow-through nacelles on a high-wing transonic transport configuration. The results showed that the installed drag of the nacelle/pylon in the rearward location was slightly less than that of the nacelle/pylon in the forward location. This reduction was due to the reduction in calculated skin friction of the nacelle/pylon configuration. In all cases the combined value of form, wave, and interference drag was excessively high. However, the configuration with the nacelle/pylon in a rearward location produced an increase in lift over that of the basic wing-body configuration

    Rapid X-Ray Variability of Neutron Stars in Low-Mass Binary Systems

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    The dramatic discovery with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer satellite of remarkably coherent ∼\sim300--1200 Hz oscillations in the X-ray brightness of some sixteen neutron stars in low-mass binary systems has spurred theoretical modeling of these oscillations and investigation of their implications for the neutron stars and accretion flows in these systems. High-frequency oscillations are observed both during thermonuclear X-ray bursts and during intervals of accretion-powered emission and appear to be a characteristic feature of disk-accreting neutron stars with weak magnetic fields. In this review we focus on the high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) seen in the accretion-powered emission. We first summarize the key properties of these kilohertz QPOs and then describe briefly the models that have been proposed to explain them. The existing evidence strongly favors beat-frequency models. We mention several of the difficulties encountered in applying the magnetospheric beat-frequency model to the kilohertz QPOs. The most fully developed and successful model is the sonic-point beat-frequency model. We describe the work on this model in some detail. We then discuss observations that could help to distinguish between models. We conclude by noting some of the ways in which study of the kilohertz QPOs may advance our understanding of dense matter and strong gravitational fields.Comment: 10 pages LaTeX including six figures, uses espcrc2.sty (included), invited talk at "The Active X-Ray Sky", eds. L. Scarsi, H. Bradt, P. Giommi, and F. Fior

    Two-dimensional Stokes flow driven by elliptical paddles

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    A fast and accurate numerical technique is developed for solving the biharmonic equation in a multiply connected domain, in two dimensions. We apply the technique to the computation of slow viscous flow (Stokes flow) driven by multiple stirring rods. Previously, the technique has been restricted to stirring rods of circular cross section; we show here how the prior method fails for noncircular rods and how it may be adapted to accommodate general rod cross sections, provided only that for each there exists a conformal mapping to a circle. Corresponding simulations of the flow are described, and their stirring properties and energy requirements are discussed briefly. In particular the method allows an accurate calculation of the flow when flat paddles are used to stir a fluid chaotically

    A framework for the forensic investigation of unstructured email relationship data

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    Our continued reliance on email communications ensures that it remains a major source of evidence during a digital investigation. Emails comprise both structured and unstructured data. Structured data provides qualitative information to the forensics examiner and is typically viewed through existing tools. Unstructured data is more complex as it comprises information associated with social networks, such as relationships within the network, identification of key actors and power relations, and there are currently no standardised tools for its forensic analysis. Moreover, email investigations may involve many hundreds of actors and thousands of messages. This paper posits a framework for the forensic investigation of email data. In particular, it focuses on the triage and analysis of unstructured data to identify key actors and relationships within an email network. This paper demonstrates the applicability of the approach by applying relevant stages of the framework to the Enron email corpus. The paper illustrates the advantage of triaging this data to identify (and discount) actors and potential sources of further evidence. It then applies social network analysis techniques to key actors within the data set. This paper posits that visualisation of unstructured data can greatly aid the examiner in their analysis of evidence discovered during an investigation
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