Number Of Misconceptions Research Articles

“As soon as the four sides are all equal, then the angles must be 90° each”. Children's misconceptions in geometry

This study describes Nigerian and South African students' conceptual understanding in high school geometry based on the van Hiele model of geometric thinking levels. The study further highlights students' misconceptions in school geometry. Concepts of triangles and quadrilaterals were investigated among 36 mathematics learners drawn from grades 10 through 12 who participated in this study. The tasks included identifying and naming shapes, sorting of shapes, stating the properties of shapes, defining of shapes and establishing class inclusions of shapes. The results indicated that many Nigerian and South African high school learners in Grade 10, 11 and 12 hold a number of misconceptions about geometric concepts of triangles and quadrilaterals. The use of imprecise terminology in describing many geometric shapes was common among the learners. The majority of learners in this study were at van Hiele level 0. Although many were able to distinguish between triangles and quadrilaterals, they lacked the appropriate vocabulary to distinguish among shapes in the same class. For many learners, the task of naming shapes was easier than giving a description of their properties. Also many students demonstrated a relatively better understanding of the concept of triangle than that of quadrilaterals. Knowledge of class inclusions of shape was absent among these learners. The results of this study were found to be consistent with those of earlier studies and recommendations are offered.

Introduction to granular temperature

The goal of this article is to provide a somewhat critical introduction to the concept of granular temperature and some of its applications. A brief history of the concept is followed by a presentation of several of its major properties and implications thereof. A number of misconceptions concerning this concept is presented and discussed. Certain open questions are described and some recent developments are briefly outlined.

Facts and Fallacies about U.S. FDI in China

Despite the rapid expansion of U.S.-China trade ties, the increase in U.S. FDI in China, and the expanding amount of economic research exploring these developments, a number of misconceptions distort the popular understanding of U.S. multinationals in China. In this paper, we seek to correct four common misunderstandings by providing a statistical portrait of several aspects of U.S. affiliate activity in the country and placing this activity in its appropriate economic context.

Problems arising when a system of automated weight monitoring is introduced into the home as part of the care for patients with chronic heart failure

Patients with a history of chronic heart failure participated in a study to evaluate a home telemedicine system which monitored their weight daily. Within three weeks of beginning the study, interviews were conducted with patients (n = 5), their partners (n = 4) and their heart failure nurses (n = 3). A thematic analysis was carried out in order to probe their experiences of the illness and their perception of how telemedicine might affect those experiences. When asked, the participants and their partners did not consider that the electronic monitoring system would be much use to them. Nurses also had a number of misconceptions about the telemedicine service. The results demonstrated that patients needed better education, both in the management of their condition and in the use of the telemedicine equipment and the service provided by the call centre, before the telemedicine system could fulfil its potential.

Consumer versus Expert Hazard Identification: A Mental Models Study of Mutation‐bred Rice

Novel foods have been the object of intense public debate in recent years. Despite efforts to communicate the outcomes of risk assessments to consumers, public confidence in the management of potential risks has been low. Various reasons behind this have been identified, chiefly a disagreement between technical experts and consumers over the nature of the hazards on which risk assessments should focus, and perceptions of insufficient openness about uncertainties in risk assessment. Whilst previous research has almost exclusively focused on genetically modified foods, the present paper investigates plant varieties developed by means of mutation breeding, a less‐debated class of novel foods. Two studies were conducted that investigated the mental models of experts and laypeople. The results revealed that the mental models of both groups differed in terms of scope, depth and the role of uncertainty. Furthermore, a number of misconceptions became apparent in the study of laypeople's mental models, often related to the regulatory system governing risk assessments of novel foods. Critical issue are outlined and communication needs are discussed.

Stochastic Hydrogeology: What Professionals Really Need?

Quantitative hydrogeology celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006. Geostatistics is younger but has had a very large impact in hydrogeology. Today, geostatistics is used routinely to interpolate deterministically most of the parameters that are required to analyze a problem or make a quantitative analysis. In a small number of cases, geostatistics is combined with deterministic approaches to forecast uncertainty. At a more academic level, geostatistics is used extensively to study physical processes in heterogeneous aquifers. Yet, there is an important gap between the academic use and the routine applications of geostatistics. The reasons for this gap are diverse. These include aspects related to the hydrogeology consulting market, technical reasons such as the lack of widely available software, but also a number of misconceptions. A change in this situation requires acting at different levels. First, regulators must be convinced of the benefit of using geostatistics. Second, the economic potential of the approach must be emphasized to customers. Third, the relevance of the theories needs to be increased. Last, but not least, software, data sets, and computing infrastructure such as grid computing need to be widely available.

The Virtues of Optimism

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. —Winston ChurchillIs it better to be a pessimist or an optimist? At first glance, pessimistic people might seem to have at least one advantage: expecting the worst, they should be disappointed less frequently than optimists. Yet this is inaccurate. In fact, pessimists tend to be disappointed considerably more frequently than optimists. There are a number of misconceptions about these two very different approaches to life that warrant examination.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Addiction—A Potted History, Some Personal Observations, The Twelve Steps and Some Myths

The motivation to write this is a result of being both an AA member and having trained and currently being involved in the counselling and Psychology Fields. I've experienced a sufficient number of misconceptions about what AA and addiction are and what AA does and how it does it that I was delighted to be offered this opportunity to give my own personal experience.

Radbruch und Kantorowicz

Radbruch and Kantorowicz as a topic has been widely untouched, in spite of obvious commonalities in their lives and works. In addition, there are a number of misconceptions and misconstructions pertaining to the relationship between Radbruch and Kantorowicz in the areas of legal philosophy and legal theory. The article discusses the strong parallels and commonalities between the lives and works of Radbruch and Kantorowicz, clarifies the question of whether and to what extent relativism and trialism form a common neo-Kantianistic basis, and finally investigates whether the Free Law movement served as a common methodological basis for the two scholars. The author comes to the conclusion that Radbruch and Kantorowicz share common convictions despite their distinctive differences.

Turkish Undergraduates' Misconceptions of Evaporation, Evaporation Rate, and Vapour Pressure

This study focused on students' misconceptions related to evaporation, evaporation rate, and vapour pressure. Open‐ended diagnostic questions were used with 107 undergraduates in the Primary Science Teacher Training Department in a state university in Turkey. In addition, 14 students from that sample were interviewed to clarify their written responses and to further probe their understandings of the questions asked in the test. The findings revealed a number of misconceptions, many of which have not been previously documented. The results have implications for tertiary level teaching suggesting that a substantial review of teaching strategies is needed.

Understanding stochastic inversion: part 1

Ashley Francis, managing director of UK consultancy Earthworks Environment & Resources, provides the first of a two-part tutorial on the theory of deterministic and stochastic inversion with some comparison of the pros and cons of the two methods. The second part will appear in the December issue of First Break. Seismic inversion tools designed to estimate impedance have been available to geophysicists for over 20 years. Most of the available methods are based on forward convolution of a reflectivity model with the estimated wavelet, comparison of the modelled output with the observed seismic trace and then updating the reflectivity model (inverting) to minimize the difference between the modelled and observed traces. Whether generalized linear inversion, sparse spike, or simulated annealing, all the algorithms work on this basic principle of minimization. Methods based on minimization are commonly referred to as ‘deterministic’. The output of a deterministic inversion is a relatively smooth (or blocky) estimate of the impedance. Because of its smoothness deterministic inversion is generally unsuited for constraining reservoir models used for volumetric calculations, estimation of connectivity, or fluid flow simulation. Stochastic seismic inversion generates a suite of alternative heterogeneous impedance representations that agree with the 3D seismic volume. Taken together, the suite of possible impedance models or realizations capture the uncertainty or non-uniqueness associated with the seismic inversion process. Stochastic seismic inversion is complementary to deterministic inversion. The deterministic seismic inversion is the average of all the possible non-unique stochastic realizations. Although the principles of stochastic seismic inversion were published over 12 years ago, commercial implementation and application have only started to grow in the last five years or so. For many geophysicists, understanding and being able to make a discerning judgement on the possible benefits of this new technique is difficult. A number of misconceptions concerning stochastic seismic inversion have arisen, particularly related to resolution. A commonplace but incorrect statement is that stochastic techniques can ‘…allow substantially increased resolution, capturing details well beyond seismic bandwidth’. It is the purpose of this tutorial to provide a clear theoretical basis for deterministic and stochastic inversion and assist the geophysicist in making an informed decision concerning the application of stochastic seismic inversion to his or her particular reservoir description problem. In order to understand stochastic seismic inversion we will have to understand some of the limitations of conventional seismic inversion (often referred to as ‘deterministic’ inversion), provide a grounding in some geostatistical concepts, and also consider the general problem of estimation at unmeasured locations. This tutorial will only consider seismic inversion in the sense of estimating an impedance model of the subsurface. ‘Impedance’ will be taken in a very general sense to refer to any rock property estimated from surface seismic data. This could include acoustic or elastic impedance, extended elastic impedance, or any other more elaborate pre-stack inversion scheme to estimate Vp, Vs, and density. Stochastic inversion may be applied to any of these objectives and the aim of this tutorial is to describe only the general limitations of deterministic inversion and the possible advantages of a stochastic inversion framework and not to consider the specifics of pre-or post-stack inversion objectives.

Tetanus vaccination: The issue of ‘just in case’ vaccinations in emergency departments

Summary The Australian guidelines for tetanus prophylaxis are evidence based and freely available to clinicians. The literature suggests however that emergency department personnel often ignore these guidelines when assessing the need for tetanus vaccination for patients with injuries presenting to the department. Under and over vaccination are common errors, and a number of misconceptions about this practice have arisen. Some of the confusion stems from different recommendations implemented in varying developed countries, and the very small number of tetanus infections that occur. This paper will outline the primary immunisation, and tetanus prophylaxis guidelines that should be followed in Australian hospitals. Common errors, beliefs, and implications for nursing practice will be identified. A case presentation from the authors practice will begin the discussion.

A Descriptive Survey of the Different Management Practices for Peripheral IV Catheters Among Greek, Jordanian, and Australian Teaching Hospitals

Peripheral IV catheters (PIVCs) are commonly placed in hospital patients. However, there is a lack of evidence on which to base this practice. The aim of this study was to assess current knowledge and practice for this procedure in 3 different cultures. The study collected information from a postal questionnaire sent to physicians and nurses in teaching hospitals in Greece, Jordan, and Australia. The results gathered from the questionnaire depict a number of misconceptions with regard to the management of PIVCs in the 3 healthcare organizations selected for the study.

Chapter 15: An Integrated EAP—Defining One's Place in the Organization

With the continuing evolution of employee assistance services over the past few decades, terminology in the field has become increasingly confusing, resulting in a number of misconceptions about the employee assistance service and its “integration” into the company, labor union or organization. In this article, the author argues for a more traditional concept of “organizational integration”-focusing on the actual process of an employee assistance service becoming part of the fabric of its host or sponsoring organization with a corresponding ability to recognize, understand and even change the very organizational culture of which it has become a part. In today' s conceptual framework, the critical challenges and opportunities presented to an employee assistance service during this critical integration process are often overlooked and even lost with a premature rush to integrate other service components that can cloud the true value of the core employee assistance functions and services to the organization as a whole. Thus, the critical question becomes whether “integration” reflects the merging of EA with other behavioral and work/life services or, as the author argues, the merging of the EA with other organizational operations and systems and its ultimate desegregation in terms of how it is viewed by other strategic and operational elements of the organization. The author's experience in initiating, implementing and integrating internal EAPs in two very distinct organizations over the past twenty-four years provides evidence that many of the service enhancements sought in today's employee assistance service “integration” marketplace are only viable and certainly enhanced if the EAP has achieved true organizational “integration” at the front end.

Review of studies on biomass-density relationships (including self-thinning lines) in seaweeds: Main contributions and persisting misconceptions

SUMMARY Ecological models relating biomass and density are relatively simple to calculate and offer information on, for example, the interactions among organisms and size constraints. Biomass-density relationships have mostly been studied for terrestrial plants, but recently they have also been increasingly investigated for seaweeds. Unfortunately, a number of misconceptions have limited the overall contribution of algal studies to biomass-density theory in general. Aiming to improve this situation, the present paper first summarizes the current knowledge on biomass-density theory, particularly focusing on the main concepts that, with varying degrees of validity, exist in the published literature: the self-thinning rule (in its boundary and dynamic interpretations), the interspecific biomass-density relationship, and the ultimate biomass-density line. Afterwards, the present paper provides a critical review of past biomass-density studies on seaweeds. The main contributions of studies on clonal and unitary species are discussed, while the misconceptions that persist to these days are identified in order to help future studies to be based on solid grounds.

Perceptions of tuberculosis: attributions of cause, suggested means of risk reduction, and preferred treatment in the Limpopo province, South Africa.

Despite the availability of effective treatment regimens, exceptionally high rates of tuberculosis persist in South Africa. A better understanding of public perceptions of tuberculosis is important for the improvement of the existing tuberculosis-control programmes. This study was aimed at investigating public perceptions about causes, suggested means of risk reduction, and preferred treatment of tuberculosis. The cross-sectional study included a sample of 80 community members from four different age groups chosen by quota sampling in a semi-urban community. Results indicated that 13.75% of the community members reported biomedical causes of tuberculosis, 35% suggested biomedical methods as a means for risk reduction, and 91.25% preferred medical treatment. Significant gender but not age difference was found. Women reported more often than men a biomedical cause of tuberculosis. A number of misconceptions about the cause and risk reduction of tuberculosis were also mentioned. The results suggest that people in a semi-urban area of the Limpopo province have limited knowledge and understanding of tuberculosis. It is suggested that healthcare workers provide services for increasing basic knowledge about causes and risk reduction of tuberculosis of the population in every age group.

The proliferation security initiative: The new face of interdiction

Political rhetoric and debates about interdiction's impact on Libya have led to a number of misconceptions about this coalition of the willing's focus and potential effectiveness as well as myriad political, legal, operational, and informational issues outlined here.

Laboratory diagnostic methods, system of quality and validation

It is known that laboratory investigations secure safe and reliable results that provide a final confirmation of the quality of work. Ideas, planning, knowledge, skills, experience, and environment, along with good laboratory practice, quality control and reliability of quality, make the area of biological investigations very complex. In recent years, quality control, including the control of work in the laboratory, is based on international standards and is used at that level. The implementation of widely recognized international standards, such as the International Standard ISO/IEC 17025 (1) and the implementing of the quality system series ISO/IEC 9000 (2) have become the imperative on the grounds of which laboratories have a formal, visible and corresponding system of quality. The diagnostic methods that are used must constantly yield results which identify the animal as positive or negative, and the precise status of the animal is determined with a predefined degree of statistical significance. Methods applied on a selected population reduce the risk of obtaining falsely positive or falsely negative results. A condition for this are well conceived and documented methods, with the application of the corresponding reagents, and work with professional and skilled staff. This process requires also a consistent implementation of the most rigorous experimental plans, epidemiological and statistical data and estimations, with constant monitoring of the validity of the applied methods. Such an approach is necessary in order to cut down the number of misconceptions and accidental mistakes, for a referent population of animals on which the validity of a method is tested. Once a valid method is included in daily routine investigations, it is necessary to apply constant monitoring for the purpose of internal quality control, in order adequately to evaluate its reproducibility and reliability. Consequently, it is necessary at least twice yearly to conduct comparative inter-laboratory investigations of the reproducibility of the used methods. Having in mind the above presented facts, it can be concluded that good laboratory practice, as well as the implementation of a complete program for security quality, will in the near future become necessary for all laboratories which are interested in acquiring national and international certificates.

Dimitrios Doukas and the Accentuation of the New Testament Text of the Complutensian Polyglot

AbstractThis paper begins by pointing out the previously unobserved fact that the accentuation of the Greek New Testament text of the Complutensian Polyglot (1514) follows a monotonic system almost exactly the same as that now in use in Modern Greek. Next is considered the information on the matter in the preface to the volume. The Greek text of the preface is presented with English translation and notes. A number of misconceptions are dealt with. The question of the identity of the inventor of the accentuation is then explored in full. The evidence in favour of Dimitrios Doukas as editor of the text and author of the preface is summarised and augmented. The paper then argues that it was he who conceived and applied the system of accentuation. Possible other sources of the idea are considered and eliminated. Finally the question of who might have been behind the initial intention to print an unaccented text is discussed.

The Reluctant Resurrection:New Complexity Methods and Old Systems Theories

: Nonlinear tools and concepts (derived from the relatively recent computational advances in the physical, biological, and cognitive sciences) offer valuable insights into the evolution and behavior of human as well as natural systems. Hence, of late, organizational studies have begun to apply both the methods, as well as the metaphors, of nonlinear dynamical systems (known by the popular terms “chaos” and “complexity”). While these various studies often allude to unique epistemological features, full-blown theoretical developments are rare indeed. Moreover, this lack of a coherent foundation leads to a number of misconceptions, not the least of which is the belief that the results of nonlinear analysis can be integrated easily with existing social theories. In reality they present significant theoretical challenges. Specifically, they rely upon its concepts of holism and emergence, as well as alternative perspectives of sociocultural evolution and collective rationality. Thus, serious theory building requires a revival of elements from earlier Systems Theories, including the development of certain hybrid concepts such as “Systemic Choice” (which seeks to reconcile human agency and institutional processes).