Difficulty In Closure Research Articles

Those who can, teach: addressing the crisis in mathematics in UK schools and universities

The crisis in UK mathematics education, both in schools and universities, has been widely reported in the national media. A recent study shows that 26% of full-time mathematics teachers in UK schools have no qualification in the subject, and that 31% of all UK schools' mathematics teachers are now over the age of 50. The crisis in school mathematics has impacted on much of the university sector, with some departments under threat of closure and widespread difficulties experienced in student recruitment. The availability of attractive careers for mathematics graduates impacts upon the numbers choosing to enter teaching, thus risking a spiral of decline. Furthermore, studies suggest that UK mathematics graduates often lack confidence in several key skills essential for teaching, such as presenting information effectively, working in teams, and written communication. This paper recounts the development of a unit of study in the Faculty of Mathematical Studies at the University of Southampton, England, in conjunction with a new initiative, the Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme, which seek to address the crisis in UK mathematics education through the training and placement of final year undergraduates as teaching assistants in local schools. This with a view to promoting mathematics to the broadest possible constituency as a university choice, whilst simultaneously developing those key transferable skills in which undergraduates regularly feel least confident, and allowing undergraduates to experience a flavour of teaching as a career option.

The Telling of the Act: Sexuality as Narrative in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century France by Peter Cryle (review)

MLR, 98.4, 2003 989 found at La Brede by Henri Barckhausen at the beginning of the twentieth century, with a note by Prosper, son ofJoseph-Cyrille, made in 1828, saying that Charles-Louis had burnt many of the notes and that, after his death, the remainder had been re? turned to La Brede in 1825. The Catalogue and the note were published in volume 111 of the Masson edition ofthe (Euvres (3 vols; Paris: Nagel, 1950-55). The editors have not been able to trace the originals and rely therefore on the published versions, reproduced on pp. 276-80 of the present volume. L'Atelier de Montesquieu concentrates on those notes included in BM 2506, cartons v-vm, which can be explicitly identified in the Catalogue. Some of these are identified below: Carton v is entitled 'Materiaux de dissertation qui n'ont pu entrer dans L'Esprit des lois\ The present volume reproduces eight dossiers, all of interest, particularly dossier 5 concerning colonies, and dossier 12 concerning Roman and French law. Carton vi, dossier 1, consists of pieces variees, and dossier 4 consists of material on various aspects of usury. Carton vii, dossier 15, Geographie ancienne, considers the location of countries and seas in the ancient world; dossier 3 is about disputes and wars between individu? als or private armies. Dossier 14 is of considerable interest as it contains material concerning the development of judicial procedures in early modern France and supplements books 28 and 30 of L'Esprit, completed in haste under pressure of publication deadlines. Carton viii, dossier 9, Des grenierspublics, contains reflections on means to promote food production and avoid famines. Dossier 10, Du Commerce is an interesting supplement to book 20 of L'Esprit des lois. The introduction by the editors is an invaluable guide to the contents of this very varied miscellany. They name a number of other Montesquieu specialists to whom thanks are due, in particular the late Louis Desgraves, who completed in less than four years what they call ie travail colossal' of compiling an inventory of thefonds de la Brede and arranging for its publication. Kingston-on-Thames Iris Cox The Telling of theAct: Sexuality as Narrative in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century France. By Peter Cryle. London: Associated University Presses. 2001. 434 pp. ?38. ISBN 0-87413-748-9. Peter Cryle's major study of the topoi and metaphors of erotic fiction in pre- and post-Revolutionary France represents an important new contribution to critical writ? ing on this most neglected of genres. Cryle's fine hermeneutical analysis ofthe detail of language is matched by his impressively wide acquaintance with numerous erotic texts of his chosen period. His stated aims are essentially twofold: 'to contribute to the history of sexuality, focusing on representations of desire, pleasure and gender' (p. 11), but also, and more controversially, to critique the universalizing tendencies of psychoanalysis and sexology on the basis of Foucault's theory of the historical rel? ativity of discourses on sex. Cryle divides his study into three sections, 'Beginnings', 'The Middle', and 'Finishing', somewhat confusingly allocating chapters on climax and orgasm to 'The Middle'. The three chapters of 'Beginnings' provide detailed and fascinating accounts of the shifts in representation from 1750 to 1900 of furniture, flesh and blood, and aphrodisiacs, while the four chapters ofthe second section argue convincingly that nineteenth-century erotic fiction gradually elaborated a poetics of intensity.Of these, the chapters on utterance and ellipsis are particularly interesting, if 990 Reviews at times unnecessarily tendentious. The final part of the book addresses the difficulty of closure that nineteenth-century erotic novels share with many more modern narra? tives, although in the case ofthe former,the problem is sexual as well as narratorial. In insisting that 'people and their desires are not everywhere the same' (p. 48), Cryle is probably preaching to the converted ifhis intended readership is his fellow scholars, and indeed, this study does appear to be aimed less at the uninitiated than at a critical community that can be assumed to have read Foucault and broadly accepted his the? ories of discourse. Yet, accusations of loose interpretation and anachronistic readings levelled at other critics give the book...

Sade: The Libertine Novels by John Phillips (review)

990 Reviews at times unnecessarily tendentious. The final part of the book addresses the difficulty of closure that nineteenth-century erotic novels share with many more modern narra? tives, although in the case ofthe former,the problem is sexual as well as narratorial. In insisting that 'people and their desires are not everywhere the same' (p. 48), Cryle is probably preaching to the converted ifhis intended readership is his fellow scholars, and indeed, this study does appear to be aimed less at the uninitiated than at a critical community that can be assumed to have read Foucault and broadly accepted his the? ories of discourse. Yet, accusations of loose interpretation and anachronistic readings levelled at other critics give the book a polemical and combative character. Crebillon's novels, for instance, are not, as some would have it, 'about sex' in the modern sense, but the closest equivalent to what, since the end of the nineteenth century, we have called 'erotic literature', with its emphasis on 'the sexual act' leading inevitably to 'orgasm '. The very term 'orgasm', we are told, had an entirely differentmeaning forthe Encyclopedistes, who defined itas a formof illness. Cryle is undoubtedly rightto draw attention to the dangers of anachronism, but such chidings are undermined by his own use ofmodern American vulgarisms ('dick', 'screw', ete.) in the English translations of quotations. More regrettably,Cryle hardly ever ventures directly into the trickyarea of literary value, despite his preoccupations with gradation, perhaps because he is reluctant , as he himself declares, to 'confuse analysis with apologetics' (p. 365). He rebukes Dworkin and other anti-porn feminists forcondemning this literature out ofhand, but himself eschews all issues of reader response, feminist or otherwise. Now and again, though, objective analysis gives way to contemptuous irony,and at such moments one cannot help feeling that, for all his claims to neutrality, Cryle is a literary purist, on a covet mission in enemy territoryto flushout the artificesand cliches oferotic narrative. London Metropolitan University John Phillips Sade: The Libertine Novels. By John Phillips. London and Sterling, VA: Pluto Press. 2001. x + 204pp. ISBN 0-7453-1598-4. Sade, ou la tentation totalitaire: etude sur I'anthropologie litteraire dans 'La Nou? velle Justine'et 'L'Histoire de Juliette'. By Svein-Eirik FauskevAg. (Les Dixhuitiemes siecles, 49) Paris: Champion. 2001. 199 pp. ISBN 2-7453-0329-5. Taken together, these books indicate the considerable range, indeed the professional division, of Sade studies. Each is of great interest, but they have no problematic in common. John Phillips's work, firstly,can be read as a kind of antidote to the tendentious , polemical uses of Sade's name and work that have abounded in the Frenchspeaking world since the time of the Romantics, some of which now circulate widely in anglophone daily culture. It might well be claimed in fact that Sade, while one of the French authors most talked about, is still one of the least read. Phillips rightly declares his suspicion of the many 'ideologically motivated' biographies of Sade, and refers to a long history of stereotypical readings (e.g. p. 23), but does not engage in lengthy refutations. Instead, he defines a relatively narrow corpus, Sade's 'four lib? ertine novels', and concentrates on reading them. This strategy is both economical and elegant: it produces a book that has introductory qualities while remaining thoroughly erudite. Phillips's primary focus is not on the cocktail of I'homme et I'oeuvre which^ in Sade's case, has often proved a rather captious potion. 'It is always the text', he says, 'rather than the life which I take as the starting point of my analysis' (p. 24). The point of an introductory study is, by generic definition, to gain new readers for Sade, and to justify the fact of reading his work. Where most authors are concerned, this is a matter of rhetorical routine: with a little ingenuity, any author can be shown to be valuable from some point of view or other. But in Sade's case the difficultyis a MLRy 98.4, 2003 991 genuinely ethical one, as Phillips knows well. 'Sade's libertine novels are ultimately worth reading5, he argues, 'because of the light they cast...

The legacy of biosphere 2 for the study of biospherics and closed ecological systems

The unprecedented challenges of creating Biosphere 2, the world's first laboratory for biospherics, the study of global ecology and long-term closed ecological system dynamics, led to breakthrough developments in many fields, and a deeper understanding of the opportunities and difficulties of material closure. This paper will review accomplishments and challenges, citing some of the key research findings and publications that have resulted from the experiments in Biosphere 2. Engineering accomplishments included development of a technique for variable volume to deal with pressure differences between the facility and outside environment, developing methods of atmospheric leak detection and sealing, while achieving new standards of closure, with an annual atmospheric leakrate of less than 10%, or less than 300 ppm per day. This degree of closure permitted detailed tracking of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and trice gases such as nitrous oxide and ethylene over the seasonal variability of two years. Full closure also necessitated developing new approaches and technologies for complete air, water, and wastewater recycle and reuse within the facility. The development of a soil-based highly productive agricultural system was a first in closed ecological systems, and much was learned about managing a wide variety of crops using non-chemical means of pest and disease control. Closed ecological systems have different temporal biogeochemical cycling and ranges of atmospheric components because of their smaller reservoirs of air, water and soil, and higher concentration of biomass, and Biosphere 2 provided detailed examination and modeling of these accelerated cycles over a period of closure which measured in years. Medical research inside Biosphere 2 included the effects on humans of lowered oxygen: the discovery that human productivity can be maintained with good health with lowered atmospheric oxygen levels could lead to major economies on the design of space stations and planetary/lunar settlements. The improved health resulting from the calorie-restricted but nutrient dense Biosphere 2 diet was the first such scientifically controlled experiment with humans. The success of Biosphere 2 in creating a diversity of terrestrial and marine environments, from rainforest to coral reef, allowed detailed studies with comprehensive measurements such that the dynamics of these complex biomic systems are now better understood. The coral reef ecosystem, the largest artificial reef ever built, catalyzed methods of study now being applied to planetary coral reef systems. Restoration ecology advanced through the creation and study of the dynamics of adaptation and self-organization of the biomes in Biosphere 2. The international interest that Biosphere 2 generated has given new impetus to the public recognition of the sciences of biospheres (biospherics), biomes and closed ecological life systems. The facility, although no longer a materially-closed ecological system, is being used as an educational facility by Columbia University as an introduction to the study of the biosphere and complex system ecology and for carbon dioxide impacts utilizing the complex ecosystems created in Biosphere '.The many lessons learned from Biosphere 2 are being used by its key team of creators in their design and operation of a laboratory-sized closed ecological system, the Laboratory Biosphere, in operation as of March 2002, and for the design of a Mars on Earth ™ prototype life support system for manned missions to Mars and Mars surface habitats. Biosphere 2 is an important foundation for future advances in biospherics and closed ecological system research.

Bladder preservation in adult classic exstrophy: early results of four patients

Objectives. To report our experience with the treatment of classic exstrophy of the bladder in a small series of adult patients using ileocystoplasty, bladder neck reconstruction, and abdominal wall closure with flaps. The presentation of exstrophy of the bladder in adulthood is rare. The problems encountered include difficulty in abdominal closure, malignant potential, and upper tract dysfunction. The treatment of choice has been cystectomy with urinary diversion in all reported cases. Methods. We treated 4 adult male patients with classic exstrophy of the bladder and complete epispadias. They had not received any previous treatment. Multiple random bladder biopsies revealed nonspecific inflammatory changes with focal areas of keratinization. Three patients were treated in two stages. The first stage included ileocystoplasty, bladder neck reconstruction, and abdominal wall closure with the use of flaps. The epispadias was repaired in the second stage. In 1 patient, the reconstruction was completed in a single stage. Results. All patients were continent at the last follow-up visit, with three using self-catheterization and one voiding spontaneously. The renal parameters and ultrasound scans were normal at a follow-up of 2 to 48 months. Cystoscopy performed at 6 months postoperatively revealed normal-looking mucosa in 2 patients and mild inflammation in 1 patient. Three patients were satisfied with the cosmetic results and one complained of the small size of his penis. All patients were evaluated by psychiatrists and revealed anxiety disorders preoperatively. After surgery, all demonstrated improved social interaction. Conclusions. Vesical preservation with primary reconstruction of bladder exstrophy in adults is safe and feasible in the absence of significant histologic changes in the bladder mucosa. Abdominal closure can be achieved without difficulty with the use of transposition flaps. However, these patients require strict follow-up to detect malignant transformation at an early stage.

Wide vertical hemipharyngolaryngectomy with immediate glottic and pharyngeal reconstruction using a radial forearm free flap: Preliminary results

We propose a new technique of wide vertical hemipharyngolaryngectomy which combines resection of laterally localized extended pharyngolaryngeal tumors with immediate microsurgical reconstruction using a radial forearm free flap, including the tendon of the palmaris longus. It eliminates the limitations of resections, which are usually performed to avoid closure difficulties of the resulting defect. In addition, the new technique avoids the use of tumor-neighboring structures for closure, fulfilling the oncological principles of surgery performed in this region. Our preliminary results show good restored deglutition and phonation. Postoperative irradiation does not seem to affect these results.

Lenses generated by intermittent currents

A nonlinear mechanism for the generation of anticyclonic lens-like eddies from boundary currents is proposed. In contrast to the familiar generation processes that rely on unstable long waves that grow and close upon themselves or vortex shedding due to the geometry of the boundary, the present mechanism is related to intermittency in the current's mass transport. The essence of the new mechanism is that intermittencies in the transport (such as those in the Denmark Strait or the Mediterranean outflow) lead to unbalanced patches of fluid which break up into a discrete sets of eddies that interact with the boundary. The process is highly nonlinear because both the amplitude and the Rossby number are of order unity. It is modeled as follows: we begin with a rectangular box containing the motionless (light) fluid near the boundary. At, say, t = 0, the conceptual box is removed the unbalanced fluid undergoes two main processes. The first involves the establishment of a set of eddies via breakup and geostrophic adjustment, whereas the second is associated with the interaction of the set with the wall. These two processes are examined independently even though in reality the processes are, obviously, taking place at the same time. To examine the first processes we consider the nonlinear collapse of a (light) rectangular box in the open ocean away from the boundary. The breakup processes involves, of course, some sort of instability (because the patch does not remain intact) but this is not necessarily related to the long wave instability that is usually associated with long gravity currents. The general structures of the resulting final chain of eddies can be computed analytically by using the usual connecting principles, the conservation of potential vorticity and mass. It turns out, however, that the number of eddies and their detailed structure cannot be computed unless one invokes an additional constraint. To resolve this closure difficulty, the integrated angular momentum constraint, which is rarely used in oceanographic modelling, has been applied. The details of the second process (i.e. chain-wall interaction) are examined with the aid of the (above) results for the chained offshore eddies and the single eddy-wall interaction analysis of Nof (1988, Journal of Marine Research, 46, 527dash555). A combination of these two studies shows that a chain of lens-like eddies forced against a wall would leak fluid until all the eddies in the chain are merely ‘kissing’ the wall. Simple qualitative laboratory experiments on a rotating table support the conclusion that intermittencies in the current's transport lead to a group of eddies that leak along the wall. Such a group is formed even if the equivalent steady current is stable to long wave perturbation, i.e. the laboratory current would not have broken up had it not been terminating shoprlty after its formation. It is suggested that the observed mid-Atlantic eddies resulting fromt he Mediterranean outflow (Meddies) might be formed by a mechanism similar to our newly suggested process.

Reassessment of inferring personality traits from Bender-Gestalt drawing styles.

Fifty patients with closure difficulty on the Bender-Gestalt and 50 patients with edging tendencies on the Bender Gestalt were assessed for possible personality traits associated with those drawing styles. Patients with and without the drawing styles were compared using MMPI data. Patients who drew along the edge of the paper showed no significant difference in MMPI scores when compared to non-edgers. Patients with closure difficulty were significantly higher on Scale O of the MMPI than were the non-closure difficulty patients. The difference was not considered to be interpretatively important.

Rehabilitation Counselors' Perception of DVR Case Closure Difficulty Based on Client Outcome Criteria

The purpose of this study was to detennine vocational rehabilitation counselors' perception of case closure difficulty based on client outcome criteria. The results indicated a clear rank-ordering of rehabilitation counselors' perceptions of case closure difficulty which was consistent regardless of type caseload or geographical location. The case closure difficulty rank-ordering was also consistent with a rehabilitation agency management's perceptions of agency goals and direction. This agreement offers possibilities for the solution of the performance assessment issue long debated by agency administrators and professional rehabilitation counselors on case outcome criteria.

The effects of personality traits on Memory-For-Designs performance.

Examined 241 Memory-For-Designs protocols for the drawing styles of closure difficulty, figure-size expansion, and figure-size constriction. Chi squares then were employed to compare those data with the personality traits of the Ss. Personality traits were assessed through use of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. The major conclusion drawn from the data analysis was that regardless of his or her personality trait, a S will perform like most other Ss in relation to Memory-For-Designs test behavior. The Ss were university students between the ages of 18 and 23, male or female, who were U. S. citizens attending Emporia State University. Initially, Ss were given the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire in groups. Ss who met sample qualifications on the personality test were asked to return for an individual follow-up test with the Memory-For-Design.

Closure difficulty, figure-size expansion, and figure-size constriction on 240 Graham-Kendall Memory-for-Designs records.

To determine the frequency of occurrence of closure difficulty, figure-size expansion, and figure-size constriction, 240 university students were administered the Graham-Kendall Memory-For-Designs test. Subjects were volunteers enrolled in undergraduate psychology courses and were between 18 and 23 yr. of age, male or female, and U.S. citizens. The purpose was to define a sampling of drawing styles exhibited in a normal group on this test. Each drawing style, or factor, was treated as an independent variable, and the frequency of occurence of each level (dependent variable) was compared via chi square. It was noted that a significant number of subjects exhibited some degree of closure difficulty with the designs (X2 = 101.72, p less than .01). Figure-size expansion was noted as extremely rare for this sample (X2 = 444.78, p less than .01). Finally, extreme figure-size constriction occurred significantly more often than either moderate or no contriction of the designs (X2 = 62.58, p less than .01).

Transactional Communication Disturbances in Families of Male Schizophrenics

Criteria were developed for scoring the interaction of families (mother, father, son) of schizophrenics, psychiatrically hospitalized nonschizophrenic controls, and normal controls, on transactional Attention Difficulties, Closure Difficulties, Problem‐Solving Efficiency, and Dominance. These variables were scored by observers watching the interaction, from tapes, and from transcripts of the sessions. Tape‐scoring was the most efficient and effective in discriminating the three groups. Mothers', couples' (mother and father), and families' total Amorphous Attention Difficulties scores were higher in the schizophrenic than in the normal control group; but families of both hospitalized and normal controls were distinguished from families of schizophrenics only when mothers' Amorphous Difficulties and fathers' Closure Difficulties were considered together. The groups were similar on Problem‐Solving Efficiency. Fathers of schizophrenics were most Dominant, both within their families and compared with fathers in the other two groups.