bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE PROGRESSIVE UTILIZATION THEORY (PROUT): ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC AND SPIRITUAL MODEL FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL
Authors: Maheshvarananda Dada , Branch Mariah
Published: March 2010

To envision our future, it is vitally important to ask: what kind of world do we want? Prout (the Progressive Utilization Theory) is a socioeconomic alternative model that promotes the welfare and development of every person, physically, mentally, and spiritually. This article provides a brief introduction to some of the economic and social concepts of Prout, including guaranteeing minimum necessities to all, the right to jobs, a three‐tiered economy, including small‐scale private enterprises, cooperatives, and large‐scale publicly owned key industries, food sovereignty, sustainable agriculture, proper utilization of natural and human resources, and economic democracy. Prout promotes an ecological and spiritual perspective that is universal and nondogmatic. Prout's holistic model provides an overarching framework to effectively measure and compare policies for the greater good of all people, as well as the planet.
ARGENTINE WORKER COOPERATIVES IN CIVIL SOCIETY: A CHALLENGE TO CAPITAL–LABOR RELATIONS
Authors: Ranis Peter
Published: March 2010

The worker‐recuperated enterprise and worker cooperative movements in Argentina raise fundamental theoretical and practical questions that not only implicate the Argentine political economy but also redound on workers confronted with outsourcing, downsizing, and arbitrary decisions by owners and managers of capitalist enterprises. The Argentine workers so engaged represent a dramatic confrontation between the rights of private property and the labor rights of the working class faced with unemployment and poverty. These examples of worker autonomy have demonstrated significant departures in terms of social formations. By their capacity to form alliances with progressive legal, community, political, and labor forces available to them, they represent an alternative path to economic development that is predicated on worker solidarity and democracy in the workplace. These conflictual visions of civil society are contested in the legal‐constitutional, political‐institutional, and ideological‐cultural arenas.
FACTORY OCCUPATIONS IN ONTARIO, CANADA: REBUILDING INFRASTRUCTURES OF RESISTANCE
Authors: Shantz Jeffrey
Published: March 2010

This article discusses recent developments, including occupations and radical workers centers in the context of rank‐and‐file resistance and alternative organizing, and emerging challenges to union bureaucracies, in the current period in Canada's industrial heartland. Occupations provide a possibly crucial turning point in the working‐class response to capitalist economic crisis and in the formation and structure of working‐class organizing and struggle. In order to properly understand the development of occupations it is important to look at the present context of their emergence. This means situating occupations within the limiting practices of legal union structures. It also means, crucially, looking at the erosion of working‐class infrastructures of resistance, those institutions and spaces that have sustained struggles of the working classes and the oppressed, and situating occupations as part of broader attempts to renew those infrastructures. Infrastructures of resistance help people and communities to develop the capacities to sustain human struggles over time and place. They provide a basis for self‐directing these struggles strategically. They also allow for the crucial connection between local and immediate struggles and campaigns and broader and more thoroughgoing projects of contesting existing social structures. The article includes a discussion of attempts to (re)build infrastructures of resistance in Windsor, Ontario.
Companion stars of Type Ia supernovae and single low-mass white dwarfs
Authors: Wang B. , Han Z.
Published: March 2010

Recent investigations of the white dwarf (WD) + main-sequence (MS) channel of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) imply that this channel may be the main contribution to the old population (≳1Gyr) of SNe Ia. In the WD + MS channel, the WD could accrete material from a main-sequence or a slightly evolved star until it reaches the Chandrasekhar mass limit. The companions in this channel would survive after SN explosion and show distinguishing properties. In this Letter, based on SN Ia production regions of the WD + MS channel and three formation channels of WD + MS systems, we performed a detailed binary population synthesis study to obtain the properties of the surviving companions. The properties can be verified by future observations. We find that the surviving companions of the old SNe Ia have a low mass, which provides a possible way to explain the formation of the population of single low-mass WDs (<0.45M⊙).
Unfolding the hierarchy of voids
Authors: Aragon-Calvo M. A. , van de Weygaert R. , Araya-Melo P. A. , Platen E. , Szalay A. S.
Published: March 2010

We present a framework for the hierarchical identification and characterization of voids based on the Watershed Void Finder. The Hierarchical Void Finder is based on a generalization of the scale space of a density field invoked in order to trace the hierarchical nature and structure of cosmological voids. At each level of the hierarchy, the watershed transform is used to identify the voids at that particular scale. By identifying the overlapping regions between watershed basins in adjacent levels, the hierarchical void tree is constructed. Applications on a hierarchical Voronoi model and on a set of cosmological simulations illustrate its potential.
COMPARING 3‐POINT VERSUS 9‐POINT JUST‐ABOUT‐RIGHT SCALES FOR DETERMINING THE OPTIMUM CONCENTRATION OF SWEETNESS IN A BEVERAGE
Authors: LÓPEZ OSORNIO M.M. , HOUGH G.
Published: March 2010

Just‐about‐right (JAR) scales are often used in research and development of food products. One of their uses is determining the optimum level of an ingredient. The purpose of this work was to compare the use of a 3‐point JAR scale analyzing the data using survival analysis statistics with a 9‐point JAR scale followed by linear regression analysis. It was also of interest to determine if a concentration range effect exists when determining the optimum concentration using a 3‐point JAR scale. Three different concentration ranges were used to determine the optimum level of sucrose in orange juices. The optimum concentrations obtained by both the 3‐point and 9‐point JAR scales were affected by concentration ranges. The optimum sucrose concentrations were 8.2% for the 9‐point scale and 13.1% for the 3‐point scale. A second experiment showed that 70% of the subjects preferred the 13.1% sample over the 8.2% sample. The 3‐point JAR scale combined with interval censoring statistics provided a more reliable optimum concentration level than the 9‐point JAR scale method.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The optimum concentration obtained using the 3‐point Just‐about‐right (JAR) scale was more accurate then the value obtained from the 9‐point JAR scale in the sense that it was closest to values in commercialized beverages and was preferred in a direct comparison. Thus the 3‐point JAR scale followed by interval censoring statistics is a method to be pursued when measuring the optimum level of a food ingredient. This article also provides data confirming a concentration range effect when measuring the optimum concentration of a food ingredient. This range effect was present when using the 3‐point JAR scale and the 9‐point JAR scale. The use of multiple concentration ranges is a way to account for this effect.
Using a Cloud to Replenish Parched Groundwater Modeling Efforts
Authors: Hunt Randall J. , Luchette Joseph , Schreuder Willem A. , Rumbaugh James O. , Doherty John , Tonkin Matthew J. , Rumbaugh Douglas B.
Published: March 2010

Groundwater models can be improved by introduction of additional parameter flexibility and simultaneous use of soft‐knowledge. However, these sophisticated approaches have high computational requirements. Cloud computing provides unprecedented access to computing power via the Internet to facilitate the use of these techniques. A modeler can create, launch, and terminate “virtual” computers as needed, paying by the hour, and save machine images for future use. Such cost‐effective and flexible computing power empowers groundwater modelers to routinely perform model calibration and uncertainty analysis in ways not previously possible.
Effects of increasing days of exposure to prepartum diets on the concentration of certain blood metabolites in dairy cows
Authors: DeGaris PJ , Lean IJ , Rabiee AR , Stevenson MA
Published: March 2010

Objective To evaluate the effect of the number of days exposure to a prepartum transition diet on mineral, energy and protein metabolism in dairy cows.

Design A prospective cohort study.

Procedures The prepartum transition diet consisted of ryegrass pasture, cereal hay, grain, grain by‐product, protein meals, BioChlor®, rumen modifiers, minerals and vitamins and contained 13.9% crude protein, 10.0 MJ metabolisable energy/kg and a dietary cation anion difference of −35 meq/kg dry matter. Forty cows were bled bi‐weekly from their introduction to the prepartum transition diet until day 35 of lactation. Blood samples were submitted for estimation of a range of metabolites. Cubic smoothed splines were fitted to scatterplots of metabolite concentration as a function of day relative to calving and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Linear regression modelling determined the effect of days exposed, age, body condition score (BSC) and calving day on AUC.

Results The prepartum AUC of blood phosphorus and beta‐hydroxybutyrate increased and the AUC of blood calcium and cholesterol decreased with increasing days exposed to the diet. The postpartum AUC of beta‐hydroxybutyrate and non‐esterified fatty acids decreased with increasing days exposed but increased with days exposed × age and days exposed × BCS, respectively. The AUC of other metabolites did not vary significantly with number of days exposed.

Conclusions Increasing exposure to the prepartum diet significantly altered the AUC of blood metabolites associated with mineral, energy and protein metabolism in ways consistent with improvements in production and reproduction previously reported and the result suggests links between energy, protein and skeletal metabolism.
Venous Thromboembolic Disease in Congestive Heart Failure
Authors: Dean Steven M. , Abraham William
Published: March 2010

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a medical condition associated with a relatively high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Without thromboprophylaxis, venographically proven deep vein thrombosis occurs in 10% to 22% of hospitalized patients with CHF. Although the elevated VTE risk associated with CHF has been attributed to a variety of abnormalities in the context of Virchow’s triad, newer information suggests that an associated chronic inflammatory state may be culpable. Both traditional VTE risk factors and cardiac‐specific risk factors further increase the risk of VTE in patients with CHF. Severe left ventricular dysfunction, clinical instability (New York Heart Association class III–IV), young age, and/or right ventricular dysfunction appear to enhance the VTE risk associated with CHF. Grade IA pharmacologic thromboprophylactic recommendations for the hospitalized CHF patient include low molecular weight–heparin, fondaparinux, and low‐dose unfractionated heparin. Regrettably, a variance in societal guidelines on the importance of VTE in hospitalized CHF patients may lead to underutilization of thromboprophylaxis. Congest Heart Fail. 2010;16:164–169. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evidence‐Based Medication Adherence in Hispanic Patients With Systolic Heart Failure in a Disease Management Program
Authors: Hebert Kathy , Beltran Julieta , Tamariz Leonardo , Julian Elyse , Dias Andre , Trahan Pat , Arcement Lee
Published: March 2010

The Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority in the United States, yet there is a paucity of data regarding patient follow‐up in heart failure disease management programs (HFDMPs) and evidence‐based medication adherence. The purpose of this study is to measure the compliance of evidence‐based medication use, specifically measuring angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and β‐blockers (BBs) in the Hispanic population, and compare these data to the white and black population. The authors conducted a cross‐sectional study of 561 patients enrolled in an HFDMP at Jackson Medical Hospital in Miami, Florida. At the first visit, 82% of Hispanic, 75% of white, and 79% of black patients were taking ACEIs/ARBs, but only 21% of Hispanic, 35% of white, and 32% of black patients were taking target doses. Hispanic patients are as compliant with ACEI/ARB and BB regimens as are the white and black populations in HFDMPs in a setting of similar socioeconomic features. Congest Heart Fail. 2010;16:175–180. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Development of the Solution Building Inventory
Authors: Smock Sara A. , McCollum Eric E. , Stevenson Michelle L.
Published: March 2010

Throughout the past 70 years, a great deal of research conducted on defining and testing problem‐solving skills has led toward solution‐focused practices and philosophies. As a result, some literature exists illustrating the efficacy of solution‐focused practices. However, no published research exists on the factors that contribute to solution building. This study tested for components of solution building while creating a solution building inventory. Results from a factor analysis failed to find specific factors within solution building; thus solution building appears to be a unidimensional concept. Implications for using the solution building inventory are discussed.
Reducing threats to species: threat reversibility and links to industry
Authors: Prugh Laura R. , Sinclair Anthony R.E. , Hodges Karen E. , Jacob Aerin L. , Wilcove David S.
Published: March 2010

Threats to species’ persistence are typically mitigated via lengthy and costly recovery planning processes that are implemented only after species are at risk of extinction. To reduce overall threats and minimize risks to species not yet imperiled, a proactive and broad‐scale framework is needed. Using data on threats to imperiled species in Canada to illustrate our approach, we link threats to industries causing the harm, thus providing regulators with quantitative data that can be used directly in cost‐benefit and risk analyses to broadly reduce threat levels. We then show how ranking the ease of threat abatement and reversal assists prioritization by identifying threats that are easiest to mitigate as well as threats that are possible to abate but nearly impossible to reverse. This new framework increases the usefulness of widely available threat data for preventative conservation and species recovery.
Impact of iris pigment and pupil size in ultraviolet radiation cataract in rat
Authors: Löfgren Stefan , Michael Ralph , Söderberg Per G.
Published: March 2010

Purpose:  To investigate the effect of iris pigment and pupil size in ultraviolet radiation (UVR)‐induced cataract.

Methods:  Brown‐Norway rats (pigmented) and Fischer‐344 rats (non‐pigmented) were unilaterally exposed in vivo to 5 kJ/m2 UVR. Each strain was split into two groups, each receiving either mydriatic (tropicamide) or miotic (pilocarpine) eye‐drops. One week after exposure, the degree of ocular inflammation and damage in the anterior segment was determined. The lenses were extracted, photographed and the degree of forward light scattering (cataract) was quantified.

Results:  The cataract types differed between the two strains. All Fischer rats developed macroscopically identifiable UVR cataract while only 41% of Brown‐Norway rats did so. All groups except the miotic Brown‐Norway developed significant light scattering. The Fischer rats developed 3–4‐fold more lens light scattering than the Brown‐Norway rats. The miotic Fischer group exhibited significantly more light scattering than the mydriatic Fischer group. There was no significant difference in light scattering between the two Brown‐Norway groups. There was a correlation between ocular inflammation and degree of light scattering, with Brown‐Norway rats exhibiting less inflammation and lens light scattering.

Conclusions:  Pigmented rats develop less UVR cataract and less ocular inflammation than non‐pigmented rats. Pupil size plays a smaller role in UVR cataract development in pigmented rats than in non‐pigmented. The role of UVR‐induced ocular inflammation in cataract development is still ambiguous.
Fc γ R IIIB polymorphisms: their association with clinical manifestations and autoantibodies in SLE patients from Western India
Authors: PRADHAN Vandana , DESHPANDE Neha , NADKARNI Anita , PATWARDHAN Manisha , SURVE Prathamesh , GHOSH Kanjaksha
Published: March 2010

Background:  Receptors for the Fc fragment of immunoglobulin G (Fc γ Rs) represent the link between the humoral and cellular immune responses. Polymorphisms of Fc γ R, mainly IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB have been identified as genetic factors influencing susceptibility to disease or disease course of a prototype autoimmune disease like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Fc γ alleles may be associated with inefficient removal of apoptotic cells or antigens and hence may be associated with higher risk of SLE.

Objective:  This study was designed to look for Fc γ RIIIB polymorphisms of three different alleles, NA1, NA2 and SH in SLE patients and to correlate the distribution of Fc γ RIIIB genotypes with clinical presentation and autoantibody profile.

Material and methods:  Eighty SLE patients along with eighty normal individuals were studied. Fc γ RIIIB polymorphism was tested by allele‐specific primer amplification.

Results:  The percentage distribution of NA1/NA1, NA1/NA2 and NA2/NA2 was 22.5%, 40% and 37.5%, respectively, among the normal population; and among SLE patients it was 25%, 40% and 35%, respectively. The percentage distribution of SH allele was 68.8% among the normal population, while in SLE patients it was 60%. No statistical difference was found in the distribution of Fc γ R IIIB genotypes in patients of lupus nephritis and SLE without nephritis (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:  Among SLE patients studied, NA2 was the prominent allele. It was commonly associated with clinical manifestations such as skin rash, arthritis, hematological and immunological disorders. This suggests that the primary involvement of Fc γ R IIIB NA2 allele is more likely involved with disease susceptibility of SLE.
Managed Floating in Australia*
Authors: Leu Shawn Chen‐Yu
Published: March 2010

This paper evaluates the level of managed floating and the exchange rate policy in Australia during the officially floating period from 1984 to 2004. We construct index measures of exchange market pressure and foreign exchange intervention using a small open economy monetary model. The estimation uses the Johansen cointegration method as the structural macroeconomic model is assumed to represent long‐run equilibrium relationships. We find that the RBA mainly implemented leaning‐against‐the‐wind exchange rate policy that aimed at guiding the exchange rate back to the equilibrium value while reducing the variability of the dynamic adjustment path.
Natural Resource Diversity and Democracy*
Authors: Smart Mike
Published: March 2010

The well‐known link between oil and autocracy is an example of a more general phenomenon. I introduce a non‐commodity‐specific predictor of autocracy based on the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of a country’s natural resource exports. It performs no worse than the export share of oil, and better than the export share of primary commodities in explaining observed levels of democratisation. Empirical evidence is presented for a causal chain from diversity of natural resources and educational attainment to democratisation, and from democratisation to per capita GDP.
State Oversight Models for Australian Local Government*
Authors: Dollery Brian , O’Keefe Sue , Crase Lin
Published: March 2010

All Australian local government systems operate under sweeping legislative powers of their respective state government agencies, which has extensive implications for the manner in which local councils conduct their affairs. Thus the existence, functions, powers and structures of local authorities depend entirely on the whim of state and territory governments. Despite the overwhelming importance of the oversight role of state government agencies in Australian local government, this question has been virtually ignored by scholars of Australian local government. In an exploratory effort to remedy this neglect, this paper draws on the international literature on the oversight role of state government agencies to develop a tentative quadrilateral typology of local government oversight models potentially applicable to Australian local government.
Effect of hemolysis on canine kaolin‐activated thromboelastography values and ADVIA 2120 platelet activation indices
Authors: Bauer Natali B. , Eralp Oya , Moritz Andreas
Published: March 2010

Background: The impact of hemolysis on thromboelastography (TEG) and platelet activation indices has not been evaluated.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of hemolysis induced mechanically (HM) and hemolysis induced by freezing (HF) on TEG, platelet counts (PLT), and platelet activation indicators.

Methods: Blood from 17 dogs was divided into the following samples: controls, HM, and HF. HM was induced by 20 repetitions of expulsion of blood through a 23 g needle. Freezing was at −80°C, followed by warming to 37° and dilution with equal parts room temperature blood at 22°C. TEG variables that were examined included reaction time (R), coagulation time (K), angle (α), maximum amplitude (MA), and clot rigidity (G). Platelet indices were measured with the ADVIA 2120 hematology analyzer.

Results: Hematocrit (HCT) (mean±SD) for controls, HM, and HF were 0.41±0.02, 0.39±0.03, and 0.25±0.02 L/L, respectively, consistent with decreases in HCT of 4.8% (HM) and 39.0% (HF). HM resulted in decreased R (2.5±0.9 minutes compared with 5.2±1.9 minutes for controls; P<0.001), and HF resulted in increased K (15.2±8.6 minutes compared with 5.3±4.0 minutes in controls; P<0.01) and decreased α (20±11° compared with 46±17° in controls; P<0.001). MA was decreased more in HF samples (26±2 mm) than in HM (38±8 mm) or control samples (49±9 mm; P<0.0001). The same applied to G values. PLT decreased after HM but not after HF. Hemolysis of both types resulted in decreased mean platelet component (MPC) concentration: control, 19.3±2.0, HM 15.5±3.4, and HF 14.3±0.7 g/dL (P<0.0001).

Conclusion: In hemolyzed samples decreased MPC and R suggested activated primary and secondary hemostasis, respectively, but decreased MA and G indicated reduced clot firmness, possibly due to hyporeactive platelets. TEG and platelet activation indices should be interpreted cautiously after hemolysis.
Book Reviews
Authors: Shroyer Gail
Published: March 2010

Book reviewed in this article:

Planets & Perception: Telescopic Views & Interpretations, 1609–1909, William Sheehan

Challenging Mathematical Problems with PASCAL Solutions, Donald D. Spencer

A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, Stephen W. Hawking

Making Connections with Mathematics, John Egsgard, Gary Flewelling, Craig Newell, & Wendy Warburton
Computer Literacy: An Evolving Concept
Authors: Hess Caryl A.
Published: March 2010

The term “computer literacy” became very popular in the 1980s as a catch phrase describing a new type of understanding. Prior to the phrase's popularity, “literacy” was reserved for the knowledge of basic skills in reading and writing and familiarity with the classical works and great books of ancient and modern cultures. To be literate means to be educated regarding the fundamental or basic ideas, beliefs and methods of communication in society. By applying the term “literacy” to the knowledge of computers, society is signifying that this sort of knowledge is as important to a person's education in contemporary society as knowledge of reading and writing has been in the past (Ringle, 1981).

While many people seem to agree that the proliferation of computers and their application in extensive areas of human endeavor require us to take the notion of literacy seriously, there is still no consensus as to how this educational goal should be achieved. The difficulty stems from the fact that there is no universally accepted definition of computer literacy. Until educators are clear about the goal, effective ways to attain the objective of computer literacy will be clouded by confusion.

The purpose of this research is to examine the historical evolution of the phrase “computer literacy,” to develop a chronological continuum of computer literacy, and to identify several competencies that will likely characterize the computer literate teacher in the 1990s.
Language, Intellectual Structures and Common Mathematical Errors: A Call for Research
Authors: Parish Charles R. , Ludwig Hubert J.
Published: March 2010

This article illustrates several typical mathematical errors made by high school and lower division college students. These illustrations are then categorized and analyzed from the points of view of mathematics, developmental psychology, and learning theory. It is concluded from the analysis that research is needed in the area and that a multifacted approach might at least result in progress toward resolving the problem of common logico‐mathematical errors. The article suggests at least three theoretical bases which could support such a research‐oriented approach.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Abdi S. Wali
Published: March 2010

Book reviewed in this article:

Möbius and His Band: Mathematics and Astronomy in Nineteenth‐Century Germany, John Fauvel, Raymond Flood, Robin Wilson

A Practical Approach to Using Learning Styles in Math Instruction Ruby Bostick Midkiff and Rebecca Davis Thomasson

Contextual Reality, Tower Chen

Classroom Dynamics: Implementing a Technology‐Based Learning Environment, Ellen B. Mandinach and Hugh F. Cline (Educational Testing Service)
The Role of Proof in Mathematics Education
Authors: Markel William D.
Published: March 2010

To many–perhaps most–mathematicians, the idea of proof is the very essence of mathematics. In fact, discovering and proving theorems is as good a description as any of what mathematicians do. It is therefore not surprising that efforts to reform mathematics education, such as the “new math,” heavily emphasized a more “rigorous” treatment of the subject, especially when these efforts were strongly influenced by professional mathematicians. It is equally unsurprising that such efforts, for the most part, were total failures. The fact is, the world of mathematics as viewed by the professional mathematician is a far different world than that seen by the neophyte. Yet the idea of proof is, perhaps, the quintessential theme of mathematics. The question is, how does the teacher bridge the gap between the professional mathematician and, if you will, “finished” mathematics, and the learner who sees, at best, a small part of it? What follows provides partial answers to this question. It contains, among other things, some suggestions about basic rules of inference (which, surprisingly, are often ignored, even in “rigorous” mathematics texts), and a few elementary examples of simple proofs using these rules.
Relationships Between Achievement and Selective Variables in a Chemistry Course for Nonmajors
Authors: BouJaoude Saouma B. , Giuliano Frank J.
Published: March 2010

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between students' approaches to studying, prior knowledge, logical thinking ability, and gender and their performance in a nonmajors' college freshman chemistry course. Subjects for this study were 220 students (128 females and 92 males) enrolled in the second semester of a freshman chemistry course for nonmajors at a private university in New York State. Instruments used in this study included seven subscales of the Approaches to Studying Inventory and the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT). The students' grades on an hour‐long exam early in the semester were used as measures of the students' prior knowledge, while the semester cumulative final examination scores were used as measures of achievement in chemistry. Students in this study had slightly higher scores on reproducing orientation than on meaning orientation, a pattern that confirms Entwistle and Ramsden's (1983) findings with a similar group of nonmajors. The results of a stepwise multiple regression showed that prior knowledge, TOLT scores, and meaning orientation accounted for 32% of the variance on the final examination scores.
An Audiotaped Program for Reduction of High School Students' Math Anxiety
Authors: Zyl Tony Vander , Lohr James W.
Published: March 2010

This project was designed to develop and test an audiotaped program for the reduction of math anxiety. A tape was developed that uses systematic desensitization as a treatment technique. The taped program contains muscle relaxation exercises and a hierarchy of math‐related activities to be visualized while in the relaxed state. Three hundred thirty‐six ninth and tenth grade college‐bound math students were given two instruments to measure their level of math anxiety as a pretest. Fifty‐three measured high and were invited to participate in the treatment; they were given the same instruments as a posttest. Of the twenty who responded, ten completed the treatment and ten did not participate. Those who participated had significant reductions in math anxiety levels. Those who were not treated had math anxiety levels which remained virtually unchanged.
Constructivism, Factoring, and Beliefs
Authors: Rauff James V.
Published: March 2010

The errors made by remedial intermediate algebra students in factoring polynomials were analyzed in the light of student definitions of factoring. Certain belief sets about factoring are found to logically entail many of the errors made. The vocabulary of epistemic semantics is used to describe how beliefs are changed. It is suggested that belief‐based teaching can be successful in teaching factoring.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Abdi S. Wali
Published: March 2010

Book reviewed in this article:

Fractals: A User's Guide For the Natural Sciences, Harold M. Hastings and George Sugihara

How Amazing, Charles Snape and Heather

How Puzzling, Charles Snape and Heather Scott

Classic Math: History Topics for the Classroom, Art Johnson
Psychological and Physiological Mechanisms By Which Discovery and Didactic Methods Work
Authors: Keegan Mark
Published: March 2010

Since ancient times, educators and parents have pondered which of two basic instructional strategies is more effective. This article describes physiological, affective, and cognitive mechanisms by which didactic and discovery methods appear to work, as revealed by a search of the research literature of the past decade or so. The optimal instructional method depends on the instructional objective, the educator's skills, and the nature of the students. But given the predominance of didactic method in today's schools–and the large body of research suggesting significant advantages to the discovery methods–more use of discovery methods should probably be employed, especially for students for whom didactic methods appear to be sub‐optimal.
Enhancing the Success of African‐American Students in the Sciences: Freshman Year Outcomes
Authors: Hrabowski Freeman A. , Maton Kenneth I.
Published: March 2010

The Meyerhoff Program is an intensive, multicomponent program focused on enhancing the success of talented African‐American students in science and engineering at a predominantly white, medium‐sized university. The program components, taken together, address the four primary factors emphasized in the research literature as limiting minority student performance and persistence in science: knowledge and skills, motivation and support, monitoring and advising, and academic and social integration. Outcome analyses indicated that the first three cohorts of Meyerhoff students (total N=69) achieved an overall GPA (mean=3.5) significantly greater than that of an African‐American historical comparison sample (mean=2.8) of comparably talented science students at the university. This difference was even greater for first year science GPA (means of 3.4 and 2.4, respectively), and in specific science and mathematics courses. Observational and questionnaire data indicated that the Meyerhoff program study groups, peerbased community, financial scholarships, summer bridge program and staff appear to be especially important contributors to student success. Implications of the findings for enhancing the success of African‐American and other underrepresented populations in science are discussed.
Gender Differences in Mathematics Attitudes of Secondary Students
Authors: Steinback Myriam , Gwizdala Joyce
Published: March 2010

The merger of an all‐female Catholic secondary school with a similar all‐male school provided the setting for this two‐part study. Gender differences in mathematics attitudes of secondary students, and differences in mathematics attitudes of the female students before and after the merger were investigated. Traditional male/female differences were found in the areas of self‐confidence, usefulness of mathematics, and classroom behavior. The female students' attitudes remained positive, but their predictions about the mixed‐sex classroom were confirmed.
Using Quality Control Activities to Develop Scientific and Mathematical Literacy
Authors: Miller L. Diane , Mitchell Charles E.
Published: March 2010

The daily activities of business and industry provide many fascinating opportunities to study basic concepts of mathematics and science. These activities often lend themselves to an activity‐based, manipulative‐enhanced learning environment. This article focuses upon a quality control activity used in the manufacturing of camera film. It suggests how this activity can be adapted to science and mathematics classrooms, and discusses some basic concepts of scientific methodology, probability, and statistics.
Microcomputers and the Preparation of Secondary Science Teachers: An Eight Year Follow‐Up
Authors: Lehman Jeffrey R.
Published: March 2010

Science teacher educators from 205 colleges/universities completed a questionnaire concerning the nature and extent of microcomputer offerings in their secondary science teacher preparation programs. These data are reported and compared to a similar sample surveyed in 1984. Seventy‐seven percent of reporting institutions now require either a microcomputer course or completion of a microcomputer competency within their secondary science certification program. The most common applications in these courses are simulations, word processing, databases, and spreadsheet use. Chi‐square analysis revealed that more institutions in 1992 were requiring a microcomputer course than in 1984. However, only 23.4% of the institutions offered a microcomputer course designed solely for secondary science majors, and 10.6% of the institutions offered such a course taught by a science teacher educator. Preservice science teachers were also more likely in 1992 than in 1984 to be using microcomputers in instruction during supervised field experiences in secondary schools. Finally, college/university science teacher educators perceived that microcomputer use in secondary science classrooms has increased during the past five years.
BOOK REVIEWS
Authors: Abdi S. Wali
Published: March 2010

Book reviewed in this article:

From Stone to Star: A View of Modern Geology, Claude J. Allègre (translated by Deborah Kurmes Van Dam)

The Chosen Primate, Adam Kuper
Expanding Students' Conceptions of the Arithmetic Mean
Authors: Meyer Ruth Ann , Browning Christine , Channell Dwayne
Published: March 2010

The arithmetic mean is the most commonly used measure of central tendancy; nevertheless, many students who can add all the elements of a data set and then divide that sum by the number of elements do not truly understand the concept of mean. This article presents four activities designed to help elementary and middle school students develop a concept of mean. To bring about a desirable level of understanding, all computational formulae and algorithms in mathematics should be preceded by experience emphasizing conceptual understanding. Since that is not the normal instructional sequence for the arithmetic mean, the activities presented in the article assume previous exposure to the computational algorithm for the arithmetic mean.
Implementing Problem‐Based Learning in Science Classrooms
Authors: Gallagher Shelagh A. , Sher Beverty T. , Stepien William J. , Workman David
Published: March 2010

Many new curricular and instructional models must be developed or adapted as the nation moves towards educational reform in science classrooms. This article describes how problem‐based learning, an innovative curricular and instructional model developed in medical graduate school programs, has been adapted for use in elementary and high school settings. Included in the integration of problem‐based learning and science are components of all problem‐based episodes including initiating learning with an ill‐structured problem, using the problem to structure the learning agenda, and teacher as metacognitive coach, with important goals of a reformed science curriculum such as learning based on concepts of significance, student‐designed experiments, and development of scientific reasoning skills.
A Tutorial Program: Collaboration Between Preservice and Inservice Teachers
Authors: LeBlanc John F. , Leitze Annette Ricks , Emenaker Charles E.
Published: March 2010

Many elementary school teachers face severe time constraints working individually with students who need extra help or attention in mathematics. Sometimes, children who need this attention do not receive it. At the same time, critics of teacher education programs contend that preservice teachers do not receive enough hands‐on experience teaching children. The Mathematics Tutorial Program is one attempt to address both of these issues. In this program, elementary grade children are identified by their classroom teachers as needing extra help in mathematics. They are paired with preservice elementary school teachers. Each preservice teacher tutors one or more elementary children for two 30‐minute sessions each week for 6 to 24 weeks. They use manipulatives and a hands‐on approach. The tutors reported professional gains from their contacts with classroom teachers, mathematics educators, and elementary children. Classroom teachers involved with the program commented on the children's improved selfesteem and confidence in mathematics. The children eagerly looked forward to the time with their tutors.
Integration of Secondary Mathematics and Science Methods Courses: A Model
Authors: Haigh William , Rehfeld Dwayne
Published: March 2010

The integration of mathematics and science teaching and learning is gaining interest in many elementary and secondary classrooms. National organizations such as SSMA, NCTM, and AAAS are giving strong support for integrating of mathematics and science in the curriculum. If mathematics and science are to be successfully integrated, it would seem reasonable that mathematics and science courses for teachers also be integrated. This article describes (a) reasons for integrating methods courses, (b) the evolution of an integrated methods course in a small university, (c) topics covered in the course together with descriptions of student assignments and activities, (d) procedures used in student evaluation, and (e) student opinions of the integrated course.
Multiply Abundant Numbers
Authors: Miller Gordon L. , Whalen Mary T.
Published: March 2010

A multiply abundant number N of order r is a number for which the sum of the proper divisors, S(N), is greater than r times N. The authors explore abundant, double abundant, and triple abundant numbers as well as abundant numbers of higher orders. They also consider odd abundant numbers of orders greater than 1. They present a proof that abundant numbers of every order r exist. Readers are encouraged to use the included computer code to explore abundant numbers for themselves, look for patterns in the output, and consider further questions about these fascinating numbers.
Scientific Methodology and Elementary School Mathematics
Authors: Mitchell Charles E. , Paine Gregory , Miller L. Diane
Published: March 2010

Investigations provide an exciting and relevant background for the study of mathematics. In this article children's conceptions of the laws of motion, introduced by Eckstein and Shemesh (1993), are extended with an emphasis placed upon the benefits to mathematics education. The focus is on the principle that the faster an object is moving when it is dropped, the greater the distance it will travel away from the drop point. The problems faced by a class of elementary school children who focus upon this experiment are described, and the impact of these problems upon the decisions made by the class are discussed. The use of mathematics in support of this experiment, particularly concepts of probability and statistics, are discussed, as well as suggestions for alternative methods of evaluating children's performance.
A Strategy for Writing Equations of Graphs
Authors: Mick Harold W. , Bazak Benjamin F.
Published: March 2010

A strategy for writing equations of graphs is introduced to help students and teachers build strong conceptual connections between the symbolic representations of algebra and the spatial representations of geometry. The strategy helps students and teachers weave the conceptual fabric of equations and graphs by (a) moving from unknown graphs to known graphs rather than from known to unknown graphs and by (b) moving from spatial representations to algebraic representations rather than from algebraic to spatial representations. Beginning with the unknown graph is distinctly different from present practices and can lead to significant and useful change in curriculum and instructional practices.
Middle School Mathematics Teachers Learning to Teach with Calculators and Computers
Authors: Bright George W. , Prokosch Neil E.
Published: March 2010

This paper reports the results of a project in which experienced middle grades mathematics teachers immersed themselves in calculator and computer use for both doing and teaching mathematics and prepared themselves as leaders for communicating their knowledge to colleagues. Project evaluation included interviews with participants at the beginning and end of the project and evaluation forms completed at the end of the project. Pre‐interviews indicated that virtually all of the participants had no experience using technology to teach mathematics. Many felt that technology was not likely to be as effective in helping students learn mathematics as other teaching techniques. Post‐interviews indicated that all teachers were confident of their abilities to use some technologies in teaching mathematics. They acknowledged that technology was useful in developing conceptual understanding and that their role was to guide this conceptual development. The differences in participants' perceptions about how the project affected them yielded suggestions for future inservice efforts about technology.
Secondary Mathematics Modeling: Issues and Challenges
Authors: Hodgson Ted
Published: March 2010

Mathematical modeling plays a prominent role in the mathematics reform effort. For example, modeling, as incorporated in the curriculum recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, forms the basts of classroom activities developed by groups such as the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications and the Systemic Initiative for Montana Mathematics and Science. Modeling is also a topic of workshop and conference presentations at the state, regional, and national levels. Recommendations regarding the future of mathematics education indicate that the emphasis on modeling will continue to grow. In this article, an overview of mathematical modeling is presented and the reasons underlying the current interest in this topic are discussed. The article also identifies several practical issues that are raised by the use of modeling in secondary classrooms.
Integrating Science and Mathematics: Number of Vents and Rate of Flow
Authors: Swift Robert L. , Crites Terry
Published: March 2010

This article describes a classroom activity and experiment that can be used to integrate science and mathematics topics. Students work in groups to predict and then measure the time needed for water to drain from a vented container. Time is measured and graphed as a function of the number of open vents in the container. The graph is then used to predict the drainage time for other non‐measured values of the number of open vents. Students are then asked to make generalizations and to explain various physical phenomena related to the experiment.
Two Teaching Methods and Students' Understanding of Sound
Authors: Barman Charles R. , Barman Natalie S. , Miller Julie A.
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this study was to examine fifth grade students' ideas related to sound and to compare the Learning Cycle teaching approach with a textbook/demonstration method of instruction to determine whether one method is more effective in facilitating conceptual change. Thirty‐four fifth grade students were randomly selected and assigned to the two treatment groups. To assess the students' understanding of specific sound concepts, an interview protocol was administered to both groups before and immediately after instruction. Students were given a numerical rating corresponding to their levels of understanding. The numerical values for both groups at the pre‐ and post‐interview assessments were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Students who were taught using the Learning Cycle had a significantly better understanding.
Risk Taking: Gender Differences and Educational Opportunity
Authors: Ramos Ismael , Lambating Julia
Published: March 2010

This article focuses on two issues related to educational opportunity: (1) the relationship between risk‐taking behavior and mathematics performance, and (2) whether there are gender differences in risk‐taking behavior. From a review of literature it was concluded that students who are greater risk‐takers perform better on mathematics tests and that males are greater risk‐takers than females. It follows, therefore, that males perform better on mathematics tests in which risk‐taking plays a role. It was further concluded that these differences effect the opportunities that girls are afforded in their desires to attend college, the availablitity of scholarships, and their self‐confidence in mathematics.
Broad Field Science Endorsements in the United States
Authors: Hudson Sharon P.
Published: March 2010

Data on broad field science endorsements were collected from the State Science Supervisors in the fifty states. The response rate was 96%. Sixty‐one percent of the responding states have one or more broad field science endorsements. The status of broad field science endorsements has changed significantly since Blank and Espenshade's 1988 study. This study reveals tremendous diversity in the grade levels and subjects covered by broad field science endorsements, and the names for these endorsements.