Traditional Objectives Research Articles

Enhancing disciplinary literacies: languages of schooling and whole-school language projects in Spain

AbstractEuropean language policy focusing on the development of the languages of schooling is opening new paths to best fit the necessities of students, whether in bilingual or monolingual communities. Bilingual education is no longer an exclusive entity, but is increasingly becoming mainstreamed. In doing so, it can promote the consolidation of linguistic competence in all languages in the curriculum. Thus, in parallel with proposals whose aim is primarily to improve the use of disciplinary literacies in the foreign language used as the vehicle of instruction, there are programmes which seek to strengthen the foreign language, the mother tongue, and perhaps a second foreign language, through the use of subject-specific literacies (pluriliteracies) in all the languages. An example of this strategy can be found in some regions of Spain, with the decision to promote the academic language in distinct areas and in different languages through implementation of whole-school language projects. This article describes the forces and mechanisms underlying the proposal, its characteristics and practical application, and ultimately addresses the relevance of the scheme as a valuable tool to surpass the traditional objectives of bilingual education programmes and to enhance the attainment of pluriliteracies in the curriculum.

Creating critical objectives and assessments using a critical communication pedagogical framework

ABSTRACTCourses: Instructional Communication, Graduate Teaching Assistant Training ProgramsObjectives: Students will (1) understand critical communication pedagogy (CCP); (2) evaluate traditional and critical objectives and assessment procedures; and (3) create critical objectives and assessment procedures.

Entertainment is serious stuff: the politicisation of everyday laughs

ABSTRACTThe Italian media system is characterised by a high level of political parallelism, which is usually investigated in relation to journalism but rarely in relation to TV entertainment. This article offers an analysis of one of the most influential Italian infotainment shows, which usually deals with sensitive social and political events. The conceptual framework of the article is the one offered by the mediatization of politics. We present the findings of a media production analysis: we have spent four months observing the production process, and have carried out 12 in-depth interviews with persons who cover key roles as authors, directors and producers. Additionally, one month of news articles from dailies and periodicals archived by the TV programme’s press office have been analysed. Even though the programme is broadcast by Berlusconi’s network, its independence is rarely called into question. Its significance also lies in the failure of journalism itself to pursue its traditional objectives. The greatest legitimisation of the role of Striscia la Notizia in pursuing an alternative and independent agenda against politics derives precisely from newspapers themselves. Therefore, we conclude that the mediatization of politics – the fact that politicians and politics adapt themselves to the TV programme’s logic and language – arises from the routines involved in its production; the role of a media system which not infrequently bases its agenda on the programme itself, and the needs of the politicians called upon to reply or defend themselves before sizeable audiences.

Regulating a Revolution: From Regulatory Sandboxes to Smart Regulation

Prior to the Global Financial Crisis, financial innovation was viewed very positively, resulting in a laissez-faire, deregulatory approach to financial regulation. Since the Crisis the regulatory pendulum has swung to the other extreme. Post-Crisis regulation, plus rapid technological change, have spurred the development of financial technology companies (FinTechs). FinTechs and data-driven financial services providers profoundly challenge the current regulatory paradigm. Financial regulators are increasingly seeking to balance the traditional regulatory objectives of financial stability and consumer protection with promoting growth and innovation. The resulting regulatory innovations include technology (RegTech), regulatory sandboxes and special charters. This paper analyses possible new regulatory approaches, ranging from doing nothing (which spans being permissive to highly restrictive, depending on context), cautious permissiveness (on a case-by-case basis, or through special charters), structured experimentalism (such as sandboxes or piloting), and development of specific new regulatory frameworks. Building on this framework, we argue for a new regulatory approach, which incorporates these rebalanced objectives, and which we term ‘smart regulation.’ Our new automated and proportionate regime builds on shared principles from a range of jurisdictions and supports innovation in financial markets. The fragmentation of market participants and the increased use of technology requires regulators to adopt a sequential reform process, starting with digitization, before building digitally-smart regulation. Our paper provides a roadmap for this process.

Civic Republican Political Theory and Labour Law: A Sketch

A number of justifications have been, and are, cited in favour of legal intervention in field of labour law. The traditional approach has been to stress role of labour laws in correcting imbalance in bargaining power inherent within employment relationship. Thus, the main object of labour law has always been, and [...] will always be, to be a countervailing force to counteract inequality of bargaining power which is inherent and must be inherent in employment (Davies and Freedland (eds), Kahn-Freund's Labour and Law, 3rd edition (London, Stevens, 1983)). Kahn-Freund makes point that labour legislation has interfered in employment relationship, e.g. to regulate terms and conditions of employment, and furnish rules on hiring and dismissal of employees, as well as basic work-wage bargain or exchange of worker's services in return for remuneration. Labour law has also indirectly provided support for effective functioning of collective bargaining under umbrella of 'collective laissez-faire'. However, in contemporary context, concern with correction of inequalities in bargaining power via prophylactic of labour laws or social practice of collective bargaining has lost much of its force. Economists have attacked notion that legal intervention is required to offset unequal exchange of resources between employee and employer. Equally, 'inequality of bargaining power' justification for labour law has been criticised for its lack of normative precision. The premise of correction of imbalances in bargaining strength between worker and employer has therefore given way to two further justifications for labour law. First, by linking labour law closely to functioning of labour market and thereby anchoring it firmly within a market-driven ideology, there appears a perceived need to regulate labour market failures in order to achieve efficient labour markets. Second, a continued focus on traditional social objectives of labour law gives way to a realisation of social justice through repulsion of 'economic logic of commodification of labour' (H. Collins, Employment Law, 2nd ed. (Oxford, OUP, 2010) 5). However, much like 'inequality of bargaining power', neither of these two justifications offers an all-encompassing explanation for labour law's interference in contemporary employment relationships. Following a brief analysis of various rationales for labour law and their inadequacies, this paper therefore turns to political theories of social justice and domination to give a sketch of an alternative basis for intervention in employment relationship. The paper draws upon works by Philip Pettit and Frank Lovett in field of civic republican political theory to explore whether employment relationship should be treated as one of types of social relationship which are generally characterised by domination by one party (the employer) over another (the employee). If so, then there is an argument that labour law's purpose can be defined as rules, principles and doctrines forged by common law and shaped by domestic and international legislation which are concerned with minimisation of domination exerted by an employer over an employee.

A generic planning approach for sustainable supply chain management - How to integrate concepts and methods to address the issues of sustainability?

Forced by competitive, legislative and customers' pressures, corporate executives are supposed to consider sustainability aspects of value creation which induces a new set of challenges within decision-making. Unfortunately, guidelines supporting comprehensive analysis, especially concerning the evaluation of environmental and social performance of decision alternatives, are missing. This hinders the advancements in corporate sustainability. Questions arise on how to measure and balance respective indicators with traditional economic objectives. To fill this void, this research sets out to develop an intuitive and holistic planning framework for advancing sustainability along supply chains. In a first step, we identify sustainability issues and indicators as well as decision-support methods by scrutinizing literature on sustainable supply chain management. Based on this, we develop a planning framework that supports executives in evaluating and deciding upon corporate sustainability initiatives. The framework comprises three consecutive phases of planning: ‘Problem definition’, ‘Assessment of alternatives’, and ‘Decision analysis’. For each phase we propose appropriate tools distinguishing concepts of sustainable supply chain management (e.g. Sustainable Logistics and Sustainable Manufacturing), methods for measuring the ecological and social efficiency of decision alternatives, and quantitative decision-support techniques able to balance trade-offs between the three dimensions of the triple bottom line. As a result, this article presents a framework for guiding corporate decision-processes. From the academic angle, the article contributes to the research field by providing a structured integration of concepts and methods utilizable in the pursuit of ecological and social improvements along the value chain.

Decoding Time-Varying Functional Connectivity Networks via Linear Graph Embedding Methods.

An exciting avenue of neuroscientific research involves quantifying the time-varying properties of functional connectivity networks. As a result, many methods have been proposed to estimate the dynamic properties of such networks. However, one of the challenges associated with such methods involves the interpretation and visualization of high-dimensional, dynamic networks. In this work, we employ graph embedding algorithms to provide low-dimensional vector representations of networks, thus facilitating traditional objectives such as visualization, interpretation and classification. We focus on linear graph embedding methods based on principal component analysis and regularized linear discriminant analysis. The proposed graph embedding methods are validated through a series of simulations and applied to fMRI data from the Human Connectome Project.

Stitch aware detailed placement for multiple E-beam lithography

In multiple electron beam lithography (MEBL), a layout is split into stripes and the layout patterns are cut by stripe boundaries, then all the stripes are printed in parallel. If a via pattern or a vertical long wire is overlapping with a stitch, it may suffer from poor printing quality due to the so called stitch error; then the circuit performance may be degraded. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive study on the stitch aware detailed placement to simultaneously minimize the stitch error and optimize traditional objectives, e.g., wirelength and density. Experimental results show that our algorithms are very effective on modified ICCAD 2014 benchmarks that zero stitch error is guaranteed while the scaled half-perimeter wirelength is very comparable to a state-of-the-art detailed placer. In addition, our technique is very generic that it is applicable to many other placement targets, such as local congestion optimization, which is also demonstrated in the experimental results.

The Scarlet Beat: The Evolution of Law Enforcement at Rutgers

This article details the development of the Rutgers University Police Department (RUPD), from its origins as a parking department to its present form as a professional law enforcement agency. It assesses the RUPD both topically and chronologically, analyzing the department's evolving administrative structure, personnel, uniforms, and use of firearms. Fundamentally, the article tracks the RUPD's balance of its<em> in loco parentis</em> role, tied to its university-based existence, with the need for accomplishing more traditional law enforcement objectives as Rutgers expanded and evolved.

Bandwidth Scheduling for Energy Efficiency in High-performance Networks

The transfer of big data in various applications across high-performance networks (HPNs) in a national or international scope consumes a significant amount of energy on a daily basis. However, most existing bandwidth scheduling algorithms only consider traditional objectives, such as data transfer time minimization, and very limited efforts have been devoted to energy efficiency in HPNs. In this paper, we consider two widely adopted power models, i.e., power-down and speed-scaling, and formulate two instant bandwidth scheduling problems to minimize energy consumption under data transfer deadline and reliability constraints. We prove the NP-completeness of both problems, and design a fully polynomial time approximation scheme for the problem using the power-down model. We also design an approximation algorithm and a heuristic approach that considers the tradeoff between objective optimality and time cost in practice for the problem using the speed-scaling model. The performance superiority of the proposed solutions is illustrated by extensive results based on both simulated and real-life networks in comparison with existing methods.

Virtualizing Conservation: Reflections on Conservation Theory

This article addresses to what extent computer applications contribute to museum conservation objectives, defined as the balance of preservation, investigation, and display of artifacts. It evaluates novel two- and three-dimensional digitization technologies for enhanced examination and recording. It provides case studies on alternative digital conservation methodologies for conservation operations. It approaches the coexistence of physical and digital artifacts critically within the museum environment. It explores the nature and transformations introduced in the theoretical frameworks for conservation and the interrelationships formed between traditional museum practices, conservation objectives, and computer applications. Results indicate that the proposed methodologies alter the dynamics of conservation. Digital techniques manage to balance between the core ideas of conservation. These are potentially initial steps for a new subdiscipline that will focus on virtualization of conservation practice, rather than digitization of artifacts.

A Medium-Frequency Transformer-Based Wind Energy Conversion System Used for Current-Source Converter-Based Offshore Wind Farm

Offshore wind farms with series-interconnected structures are promising configurations because bulky and costly offshore substations can be eliminated. In this paper, a medium-frequency transformer (MFT)-based wind energy conversion system is proposed for such wind farms based on current source converters. The presented configuration consists of a medium-voltage permanent magnet synchronous generator that is connected to a low-cost passive rectifier, an MFT-based cascaded converter, and an onshore current source inverter. Apart from fulfilling traditional control objectives (maximum power point tracking, dc-link current control, and reactive power regulation), this study endeavors to ensure evenly distributed power and voltage sharing among the constituent modules given the cascaded structure of the MFT-based converter. In addition, this paper thoroughly discusses the characteristic of decoupling between the voltage/power balancing of the modular converter and the other control objectives. Finally, both simulation and experimental results are provided to reflect the performance of the proposed system.

Importance of Informal Learning over Formal Learning in 21st Century

“Informal learning is enhanced when humans participate in interactive experiences”. – Allen (2004; Birchfield et al. 2008) .The unique learning needs of every learner, support the positive human relationships needed for effective learning. Learning environments are the structures, tools, and communities that inspire students and educators to attain the knowledge and skills the 21st century demands of us all. So far, we have considered how buildings, schedules, and technology all contribute to 21st century learning. Now we come to the most essential element of all: the “people network.” This is the community of students, educators, parents, business and civic leaders, and policymakers that constitute the human resources of an educational system. The flexible spaces that enable productive learning and shared work/play opportunities, the creative uses of time that promote continuous learning, the extensible technologies that support collaboration among the school community and the outside 22 world – all these systems are valuable only in so far as they effectively support the human connections on which The age-old connection between strong minds and strong bodies has always made good sense, but we now have the educational research to back it up. If we want our children to have sound and agile minds, we need to help them achieve sound and agile bodies. To educate the whole child, though, schools must devote themselves to more than the mind-body connection alone. They must attend to the emotional and social learning needs of children, as well as to more traditional objectives of academic achievement and physical education. Research and observation shows that human ware with its par aphelia is most important. Many of the successful organizations that we see around us today attribute their success to employees who are empowered to learn and innovate at great speeds. These are organizations that have buried their outlook about traditional styles of learning and development (Land amp;D) and embraced new strategies or models. They have realized that, with the traditional approach, it is impossible to achieve a high growth or efficiency because the way people learn has undergone a disruptive transformation…from formal ‘structured’ learning’ to informal ‘social learning’.” – The 70:20:10 Landamp;D Model for Developing a High-Citizens of the 21st century need to think critically and creatively, embrace diversity and ambiguity, and create as well as consume information. They need to be resourceful and self-reliant, while also skilled at collaboration and group process. They need to understand the many “languages” of modernity – such as mathematics, science, and technology – and be fluent in varied forms of communication – such as persuasion, presentation, and self- expression. “You can see an evident shift from formal curriculum-based learning to informal just-in- time learning, and this is just the beginning!” – Pooja Jaisingh

Does physical education influence eye-hand coordination? The Lifestyles of our Kids intervention study.

In Australian government-funded primary schools, the responsibility for physical education (PE) falls mainly on general classroom teachers, many of whom possess limited PE training. This study sought to examine the impact of specialist-taught PE on eye-hand coordination (EHC) development. In this 4-year cluster-randomized intervention, participants were 187 boys and 172 girls initially in grade 2 in 29 primary schools, where no school employed university-trained specialist PE teachers. In 13 (intervention) schools, specialist PE teachers conducted 268 PE classes (two 45-minute sessions/wk) from grade 2 to grade 6. The intervention was based on traditional PE educational objectives, including fundamental motor skills, but did not specifically focus on EHC. The remaining 16 (control) schools continued with common-practice PE taught by general classroom teachers (30-60min/wk). EHC was measured by a ball throw and wall-rebound catch test and recorded at ages 8, 10, and 12 (SD 0.3) at ends of grades 2, 4, and 6, respectively. There was steady yearly improvement of EHC in both groups, but no evidence of any intervention effect in boys (P=.88) or girls (P=.20). The introduction of specialist-taught PE during 4years of primary school did not influence EHC development. Considering evidence that classroom teachers make little contribution to PE in this jurisdiction, together with the steady progression of EHC over the 4years, other influences such as organized sport, after-school activities, natural development, and parental instruction are conceivably more influential factors in EHC development during primary school years.

Reliable fuzzy H∞ control for active suspension of in-wheel motor driven electric vehicles with dynamic damping

A fault-tolerant fuzzy H∞ control design approach for active suspension of in-wheel motor driven electric vehicles in the presence of sprung mass variation, actuator faults and control input constraints is proposed. The controller is designed based on the quarter-car active suspension model with a dynamic-damping-in-wheel-motor-driven-system, in which the suspended motor is operated as a dynamic absorber. The Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is used to model this suspension with possible sprung mass variation. The parallel-distributed compensation (PDC) scheme is deployed to derive a fault-tolerant fuzzy controller for the T-S fuzzy suspension model. In order to reduce the motor wear caused by the dynamic force transmitted to the in-wheel motor, the dynamic force is taken as an additional controlled output besides the traditional optimization objectives such as sprung mass acceleration, suspension deflection and actuator saturation. The H∞ performance of the proposed controller is derived as linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) comprising three equality constraints which are solved efficiently by means of MATLAB LMI Toolbox. The proposed controller is applied to an electric vehicle suspension and its effectiveness is demonstrated through computer simulation.

Survey of mathematics teachers’ static and transformational performance and perspectives for teaching similarity

Surveys were used to examine mathematics teachers (15) on their ability to solve similarity problems and on their likely implementation of lesson objectives for teaching similarity. All correctly solved a similarity problem requiring a traditional static perspective, but 7 out of 15 failed to correctly solve a problem that required a more transformational perspective. A set of 10 lesson objectives on similarity were composed using Geometry textbooks, using the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), (NGA Center and CCSSO 2011), and using some generated by the authors. When asked to select from the list of objectives the ones they would most likely implement, teachers favored traditional textbook objectives that might be presented using a static perspective, rather than similarity transformations, manipulatives, or technology that might support a more transformational perspective. In fact, these were among the objectives most likely not included in their lesson plans.

Implementing competency-based business curricula in higher education

ABSTRACTDevelopment of competency-based education business curricula at three universities showed substantial variation. Curriculum competencies were developed from traditional learning objectives or employer interviews and addressed once or several times. Assessments were unique or based on traditional program or national examinations. Faculty roles were unchanged or unbundled into development, delivery, and advising. Trade-offs existed among student characteristics, program structure, and faculty interaction. Opposition depended on competency-based education fit with faculty culture and perceived traditional program competitiveness.

Scanless functional imaging of hippocampal networks using patterned two-photon illumination through GRIN lenses.

Patterned illumination through the phase modulation of light is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool to investigate biological tissues in combination with two-photon excitation and light-sensitive molecules. However, to date two-photon patterned illumination has only been coupled to traditional microscope objectives, thus limiting the applicability of these methods to superficial biological structures. Here, we show that phase modulation can be used to efficiently project complex two-photon light patterns, including arrays of points and large shapes, in the focal plane of graded index (GRIN) lenses. Moreover, using this approach in combination with the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6, we validate our system performing scanless functional imaging in rodent hippocampal networks in vivo ~1.2 mm below the brain surface. Our results open the way to the application of patterned illumination approaches to deep regions of highly scattering biological tissues, such as the mammalian brain.

Facilitating the Transformational: An Exploration of Control in Cyberinfrastructure Projects and the Discovery of Field Control

Emerging from rapid advances in digitization and technological capabilities is a new form of information systems development project: cyber projects. Cyber projects are complex, massive, and ambitious, often involving hundreds of academic, government, and industry professionals, requiring years of development, and costing millions of dollars. In our study, we examine how control is exercised in cyber projects. Based on a longitudinal study over eight years, we develop a process theory of the control of cyber projects. Initially we observe that project control is driven by the field, i.e., all of the individual or collective entities that subscribe to the general purpose of the project. This form of control is later replaced by a more bureaucratic form from government-sponsored entities to ensure that traditional project objectives are met. Once construction begins and the field understands the implications and promise of the project, we observe that control is again exerted by the primary project users in the field, complemented by authority-based control exerted by the government-sponsored entisty in the field.

Monetary policy games, financial instability and incomplete information

In the aftermath of the recent global financial crisis, monetary authorities, while pursuing traditional objectives, such as the control of inflation, are also eager to promote financial stability. In this paper, we model the strategic interaction of the central bank and the financial sector and explore a simple monetary policy game with perceived substantial risks to financial stability, where the central bank can be of two types, one pursuing strict inflation-targeting and the other concerned with affecting the expectations formed by the financial sector participants; however, the financial sector is unsure which, due to incomplete information. The conclusion is that for small shocks to inflation there is a pooling equilibrium, whereas for larger shocks there is separation. In the latter case, the central bank that has an explicit financial stability concern is willing to exercise more muted control to inflation in order to reinforce the safety of the financial sector.