Relevant Background Knowledge Research Articles

Iser's theory of aesthetic response: strategies on compensation for cultural default in translation

Cultural default is defined as the absence of relevant cultural background knowledge shared by the writer and his readers. This paper aims to account for the strategies on compensation for cultural default. Iser's theory of aesthetic response is introduced to explain how the reader acquires aesthetic pleasure from reading the text. In translation the translator should refrain from excessive compensation by filling up the textual gaps of the original and make efforts to preserve the implicit aesthetic effect of the source text. Therefore, it is important for the translator to ascertain the source author's artistic intention implied by cultural default in the original, respect his artistic creation and make the target language reader acquire the pleasure of aesthetic value of the source text. In the course of translation the translator is constantly obliged to make decisions as to what strategies should be adopted to compensate for cultural default. The discussion leads to the conclusion that the author's artistic intention implied by cultural default, cultural factors and receiving contexts in translation are three strategies according to which the compensation methods are determined.

The role of background knowledge in text comprehension for children learning English as an additional language

Children learning English as an additional language (EAL) often experience difficulties with reading comprehension relative to their monolingual peers. While low levels of vocabulary appear to be one factor underlying these difficulties, other factors such as a relative lack of appropriate background knowledge may also contribute. Sixteen children learning EAL and 16 of their monolingual peers, matched for word reading accuracy, were assessed using a standard measure of reading comprehension and an experimental measure of reading comprehension for which relevant background knowledge was taught before assessing understanding. Tests of receptive and expressive vocabulary were also completed. Results confirmed lower levels of reading comprehension for children learning EAL for both standard and ‘background’ controlled measures. Analysis of comprehension by question type on the experimental measure showed that while both groups made use of taught knowledge to answer inferential questions, children learning EAL had specific difficulties with both literal questions and questions requiring the interpretation of a simile. It is suggested that relevant background information should be used to facilitate children's text comprehension. Furthermore, several factors, especially vocabulary differences, but also text search strategies, context use and comprehension monitoring skills, may contribute to the comprehension difficulties experienced by children learning EAL.

Implementation and effects of explicit reading comprehension instruction in fifth-grade classrooms

In this intervention study, teachers tried to implement four instructional principles derived from the literature on research-based, explicit reading comprehension instruction in their fifth-grade classrooms. The principles focused on relevant background knowledge, reading comprehension strategies, reading-group organization, and reading motivation. Results indicated that during a five-month intervention period, students in the intervention group increased their strategic competence and comprehension performance relative to controls. However, no effect was found on reading motivation. The overall pattern of results is explained in relation to the implementation quality of the four instructional principles, with implementation data indicating that the principles of reading-group organization and reading motivation were particularly difficult for the teachers to translate into classroom practice.

Using Texts in Science Education: Cognitive Processes and Knowledge Representation

Texts form a powerful tool in teaching concepts and principles in science. How do readers extract information from a text, and what are the limitations in this process? Central to comprehension of and learning from a text is the construction of a coherent mental representation that integrates the textual information and relevant background knowledge. This representation engenders learning if it expands the reader's existing knowledge base or if it corrects misconceptions in this knowledge base. The Landscape Model captures the reading process and the influences of reader characteristics (such as working-memory capacity, reading goal, prior knowledge, and inferential skills) and text characteristics (such as content/structure of presented information, processing demands, and textual cues). The model suggests factors that can optimize--or jeopardize--learning science from text.

Students' comprehension of science textbooks using a question‐based reading strategy

AbstractDespite the heavy reliance on textbooks in college courses, research indicates that college students enrolled in first‐year science courses are not proficient at comprehending informational text. The present study investigated a reading comprehension questioning strategy with origins in clinical research based in elaboration interrogation theory, which outlines how to encourage readers to recall relevant background knowledge while reading text materials. The theory suggests that the strategy increases the likelihood that readers will integrate what they read with what they know to make new knowledge. The setting for the study more closely resembled classroom conditions compared to similar studies in the past. Unlike previous studies on reading comprehension, students read a challenging passage from the textbook used in a science course in which they were enrolled. In addition, the text was longer than that used in clinical research. The college students (n = 294) in this study were randomly assigned to either a questioning strategy treatment or a rereading placebo‐control. While reading, treatment students were presented with statements taken from regular intervals in their textbook (about every 150 words) and asked a simple why question about each of these statements. Significant differences were found favoring elaborative interrogation theory and its question strategy treatment over the placebo‐control in terms of science comprehension even after significant estimated predictors of prior knowledge and verbal ability were statistically controlled or accounted for by removing the statistical contributions of these predictors to the main effects. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 363–379, 2010

An integrated design system for sustainable consumer products

The aims of this research are to investigate new concepts, methods and an integrated system for designing sustainable electrical/electronic consumer product from a holistic point of view. Taking into consideration a set of interrelated aspects such as design for environment, design process optimisation, materials used, production, energy saving techniques and end of life analysis. A new integrated system called 'SustainDesign' that provides designers with the relevant background knowledge for designing sustainable products and guides users step by step through the design process from the conceptual phase to the detailed realisation phase has been developed. The system integrates a set of user friendly tools and techniques for evaluating the environmental impacts of the product during the design and development processes. It also highlights the areas that may require further refinement within the product and then provides users with material declaration and life cycle assessment analysis reports.

Combined role of extracellular matrix and chemokines on peripheral lymphocyte migration in growth hormone transgenic mice

Previous evidence indicated that growth hormone (GH) modulates cell migration in the thymus, and that extracellular matrix and chemokines are involved. Herein, we studied migration of peripheral lymphocytes derived from spleen and lymph nodes of GH-transgenic (GH-Tg) mice. We initially found that the relative cell numbers (normalized per gram of body weight) in lymph nodes and spleens from GH-Tg were higher at all ages tested (2–3, 7 and 12months), as compared to wild type age-matched controls. Functionally, we found that lymphocyte migration triggered by laminin or fibronectin was enhanced in cells from GH-Tg versus control mice, independent of the organ from which the cells were derived (as ascertained in young adult animals). However, such an enhancement in migration was statistically significant only for CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from mesenteric lymph nodes. Migration of lymphocytes from mesenteric lymph nodes of GH-Tg mice, triggered by the chemokine CXCL12, in conjunction with laminin or fibronectin, was enhanced compared to lymphocytes from control mice. Rather surprisingly, the membrane levels of the corresponding extracellular matrix or chemokine receptors in peripheral lymphoid organs of GH-Tg mice did not necessarily correlate with the changes seen in migratory responses. In conclusion, our data show for the first time that GH alters lymphocyte migration in the periphery of the immune system. Considering that GH is used as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in immunodeficiencies, including AIDS, the concepts defined herein provide relevant background knowledge for future GH-related immune interventions.

The effects of golf expertise and presentation modality on memory for golf and everyday items

The present study assessed whether golf expertise, presentation modality, and domain relevance affected memory for golf-related and everyday items. Forty-eight experienced golfers and 48 non-golfers were compared in their memory for golf-related (“putt to the hole”) and everyday (“turn on the lamp”) items. To-be-remembered items were presented verbally, visually, or were enacted. Enacted information was recalled best, followed by visually presented information. Combined effects of modality and golf expertise on recall of golf items were demonstrated on immediate but not on delayed recall. The findings suggest that recall of domain-relevant information is optimal when one has relevant background knowledge, and under conditions of visual encoding. The data support research on facilitation of domain-relevant knowledge on recall [Weber, N., & Brewer, N. (2003). Expert memory: The interaction of stimulus structure, attention, and expertise. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 17, 295–308]. Interpersonal body representation may have played a role in recall processes among experts [Thomas, R., Press, C., & Haggard, P. (2006). Shared representations in body perception. Acta Psychologica, 121, 317–330].

Causal (mis)understanding and the search for scientific explanations: a case study from the history of medicine

In 1747, James Lind carried out an experiment which proved the usefulness of citrus fruit as a cure for scurvy. Nonetheless, he rejected the earlier hypothesis of Bachstrom that the absence of fresh fruit and vegetables was the only cause of the disease. I explain why it was rational for James Lind not to accept Bachstrom’s explanation. I argue that it was the urge for scientific understanding that guided Lind in his rejection and in the development of his alternative theory that humidity was the primary cause of the disease. Central in this process was the search for causal mechanisms which could provide understanding of how the disease developed and which fitted in with the knowledge of the time. Given that the relevant background knowledge and statistical methods were not yet available to Lind, he was right to prefer his own explanation to that of Bachstrom. Although his explanation turned out to be wrong, and Bachstrom’s right, from a historical point of view it offered deeper causal understanding of both the development of the disease and the preventive and curative effects of fresh vegetable food. This case study illustrates how the search for causal mechanisms can not only be enlightening, but also very misleading.

The Predictive Validity of an ESL Placement Test

This study investigated the relationships between graduate students' placement test scores for English as a second language (ESL) and three measures of academic performance (grade point average [GPA], faculty evaluations, and student self-assessments). Qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques (archival, questionnaires, and interviews) were used to collect data from 100 students and 55 faculty members. Although nonsignificant correlations were found between test scores and GPA, qualitative findings indicated that English skills are an important factor affecting students' course performance. Additional mixed methods analyses found that variations in students' views of academic success and their relevant background knowledge can help explain the overall insignificant relationship between ESL placement test scores and GPA. This mix of methods thus illuminated particular strands of the complex relationships between English proficiencies and graduate-level academic performance.

Assessing early warning signals of currency crises: a fuzzy clustering approach

AbstractIn the period of 1990s alone, four waves of financial crises occurred around the world. The repeated occurrence of financial crises stimulated a large number of theoretical and empirical studies on the phenomena, in particular studies on the determinants of or early warning signals of financial crises. Nonetheless, the different studies of early warning systems have achieved mixed results and there remains much room for further investigation. Since, so far, the empirical studies have focused on conventional economic modelling methods such as simplified probabilistic models and regression models, in this study we examine whether new insights can be gained from the application of the fuzzy clustering method.The theories of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic offer us the means to deal with uncertainties inherent in a wide variety of tasks, especially when the uncertainty is not the result of randomness but the result of unknown factors and relationships that are difficult to explain. They also provide us with the instruments to treat vague and imprecise linguistic values and to model nonlinear relationships. This paper presents empirical results from analysing the Finnish currency crisis in 1992 using the fuzzy C‐means clustering method. We first provide the relevant background knowledge and introduce the fuzzy clustering method. We then show how the use of fuzzy C‐means method can help us to identify the critical levels of important economic indicators for predicting of financial crises. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Organic Chemistry of the Cell: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Learning with a Focus on Reading, Analyzing, and Critiquing Primary Literature

A sophomore-level learning community entitled Organic Chemistry of the Cell has been designed that is comprised of two linked courses, Organic Chemistry I and Cell Biology, and an Integrative Seminar. The Integrative Seminar is grounded in the reading, critical analysis, and discussion of primary literature that ties together organic chemistry and cell biology. Each student takes on the roles of learner, facilitator, and research proposal writer throughout the semester. Students take an active role in their learning; student teams lead the class through an in-depth analysis of selected articles. This leadership role requires the students to understand and be familiar with the relevant background knowledge, the experiments conducted, the interpretation of data, and conclusions drawn from that data. The discussion leaders must also be able to organize and prioritize the information and their thoughts, and be able to clearly communicate to their classmates in an engaging manner. The seminar culminates with s...

A review of the general aspects of radiofrequency ablation

As an alternative to standard surgical resection for the treatment of malignant tumors, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has rapidly evolved into the most popular minimally invasive therapy. To help readers gain the relevant background knowledge and to better understand the other reviews in this Feature Section on the clinical applications of RFA in different abdominal organs, the present report covers the general aspects of RFA. After an introduction, we present a simple definition of the energy applied during RFA, a brief historical review of its technical evolution, and an explanation of the mechanism of action of RFA. These basic discussions are substantiated with descriptions of RFA equipment including those commercially available and those under preclinical development. The size and geometry of induced lesions in relation to RFA efficacy and side effects are discussed. The unique pathophysiologic process of thermal tissue damage and the corresponding histomorphologic manifestations after RFA are detailed and cross-referenced with the findings in the current literature. The crucial role of imaging technology during and after RFA is also addressed, including some promising new developments. This report finishes with a summary of the key messages and a perspective on further technologic refinements and identifies some specific priorities.

The Ability of High Function Individuals With Autism to Comprehend Written Discourse

This study assessed whether high functioning readers with autism are capable of drawing on prior knowledge during reading. Readers with autism and matched normal readers read ambiguous texts that described well-known historical events. The presence of an informative or noninformative title and primer texts that explicitly described the referenced events were manipulated. Story recall was collected. The results indicated that readers with autism were able to take advantage of cues to background knowledge to activate and associate the referenced event at a general level, but were not able to use that knowledge to interpret and remember specific information. These results suggest that difficulties in discourse understanding that are experienced by high functioning individuals with autism may stem from a difficulty in making use of relevant background knowledge to interpret ambiguities in language.

InfoGrid: providing information integration for knowledge discovery

Many scientific experiments produce large amounts of data using high-throughput devices. Knowledge Discovery systems are used in order to analyse this type of data. However, generic laboratory systems do not provide any contextual information about the system that is being studied. In these situations, Knowledge Discovery can be aided and validated by the use of Information integration tools. In this paper, we introduce InfoGrid, a data integration middleware engine, designed to operate under a Grid framework. It focuses on providing information access services and offers all users a query system which is able to retain the familiarity with their specific scientific applications while being diverse, flexible and open at the same time. The assumption here is that defining a common language for all queries is not desirable. Using this design, we show how the InfoGrid architecture can be used to provide contextual features for a data table to be used for analysis (i.e. the Annotation Problem). We also show how it can be used to find relevant background knowledge for a user (i.e. the Information Comprehension Problem). Both of these issues are very often encountered in Knowledge Discovery tasks, which we illustrate by means of a real-world example.

Searching for commonalities in human judgement: The parametric unimodel and its dual mode alternatives

We outline a uniform model of human judgement wherein individuals combine situational information with relevant background knowledge to form conclusions. Several judgemental parameters are identified whose specific intersections determine whether given situational information would affect judgements. ion of features from surface manifestations and focus on underlying commonalities afford theoretical integration across judgemental domains and across processes previously assumed to qualitatively differ. The resulting “unimodel” is juxtaposed conceptually and empirically to popular dual‐mode frameworks, and implications are drawn for a general rethinking of human judgement phenomena.

"Oh, That's a Tricky Piece!": Children, Mediated Action, and the Tools of Historical Time

This article reports findings from a study of elementary children's understanding of historical time. The research, conducted in Northern Ireland, involved interviews with 117 students (most in pairs), ages 6-12, in which they were asked to arrange historical pictures in chronological order and to explain their arrangements. Children were familiar with key aspects of historical time and were able to draw on a range of relevant background knowledge, but their understanding was not based on chronological historical narratives, nor did it depend on acquaintance with conventional dating systems. Instead, students relied on 2 effective cultural tools (use of factual information about material history, and their own experiences) and 2 ineffective ones (looking for examples of progress or development, and anchoring and adjustment). These findings suggest that educators should not wait for students to "develop" an understanding of historical time but should give children the chance to learn about life during a variety of historical periods.

PATHWAYS OF THE BRAIN: THE NEUROCOGNITIVE BASIS OF LANGUAGE.Sydney M. Lamb.Amsterdam: Benjamins, 1999. Pp. xii + 416. $95.00 cloth, $34.95 paper.

The past decade has seen an increasing interest within the second language (L2) field in drawing on psycholinguistic, neurolinguistic-neurobiological, and cognitive psychological theories when explaining various aspects of L2 acquisition and use (e.g., Schmidt, 1995; Schuman, 1997; Skehan, 1998). Although Sydney Lamb's account of the neurocognitive basis of language does not focus specifically on second languages, its general analysis of how the brain's linguistic system operates and develops provides highly relevant background knowledge to these recent L2 research directions.

Quantifying Expert Opinion in the UK Water Industry: An Experimental Study

This paper reports an experiment in which 32 experts at three water companies quantified their opinions about two problems: the cost of refurbishing specified pumping stations and the length of unrecorded S24 sewers in four towns. Medians and both unconditional and conditional assessments of quantiles were elicited and assessments were compared with reality and given scores. The quantiles that experts were asked to assess varied and the experts differed in the extent of their relevant background knowledge. The influences of these factors on standard deviations and scores are examined. The main focus is on modelling methods and ways of using the elicited assessments to form subjective probability distributions. We consider fitting log-normal distributions to model asymmetric distributions and also examine models to relate a quantity's assessed standard deviation and interquantile range to its size, finding that interquantile ranges can be modelled more accurately. In addition, different approaches to separating opinions about components of variance are evaluated and compared.

Metaphoric Pictures, Pulsars, Platypuses

In this article I argue that there are metaphoric pictures and that pictures have propositional content; but, I also argue, it does not follow that metaphoric pictures are to be explained in terms of metaphoric content. I develop a "comparison" or "predication" approach that stresses that metaphoric pictures depend on their use in contexts that invoke relevant background knowledge. Our competence with metaphoric pictures is a nonsystematic, nonspecifiable competence because it consists in our ability to harness any variety of relevant background knowledge on the basis of contextual factors. It follows that insofar as our competence is not systematic, it is not possible to have a theory of metaphoric pictures, in the sense of a systematic specification of the types of factors or principles that allow one to grasp that a picture is metaphoric and what the metaphor is.