Characterising effective eLearning resources

The widespread availability of digital learning resources in a variety of media formats offers the possibility to make a profound difference in education. This potential has not been fully realised for range of interrelated reasons. In this paper we study the key characteristics of learning resources that have proved effective in changing learning and teaching, and relate them to existing frameworks for understanding resources. We outline the relationships between resources, their users, and the way they are used, and explore issues that influence practitioners in choosing a particular resource. Our study is based on a review of resources for e-learning and chemistry in post-compulsory education, undertaken for the UK Joint Information Systems Committees (JISC), as part of a wider study examining ‘The Effectiveness of Resources, Tools and Support Services used by Tutors in Designing and Delivering E-Learning Activities’.     

CeO2−CoO Phase Diagram

Phase equilibria in the CeO₂−CoO system at temperatures above 1500°C were investigated. The microstructures and the phase compositions of the DTA (differential thermal analysis) samples and the quenched solid pellets were analyzed using SEM (scanning electron microscope), EDX (energy dispersive X-ray), and WDX (wavelength dispersive X-ray). A eutectic reaction was found at 1645 ± 5°C. The eutectic point was calculated to be at 82 ± 1.5 mol% CoO. The eutectic phases were the CeO₂-rich phase (containing <5 mol% CoO) and the CoO-rich phase (containing ∼0.5 mol% CeO₂). At 1580°C, the solubility of CoO in CeO₂ was ∼3 mol%.     

China, 1860: A photographic album by Felice Beato

Abstract

The documentation of wars had become a significant feature of photography by the 1860s. As the camera's advantages became apparent, photographers gradually took the place of the graphic artists and painters who had previously accompanied military and diplomatic missions. The camera could reproduce reality in minute detail and an infinite number of prints were possible from each negative. Its precision as a recorder, coupled with its apparent objectivity, also made it a potentially powerful tool of propaganda.     

Tool Building Requirements for an API to First-Order Solvers

Effective formal verification tools require that robust implementations of automatic procedures for first-order logic and satisfiability modulo theories be integrated into expressive interactive frameworks for logical deduction, such as higher-order logic theorem provers. This paper states some pragmatic requirements for implementations of decision procedures that make them well-suited to integration into such frameworks. The aim is to open a dialogue with the designers of decision procedure software that will lead to greater and easier uptake of their implementations by verification users.     

Major Physical Features of Long Point Bay and its Watershed

Long Point and the bay it encloses comprise a dynamic and unusual region in Lake Erie's eastern basin. The area is on the northern edge of the Appalachian Geosyncline and is underlain by thick sedimentary rocks of Silurian and Devonian age. Over these lie tills and lacustrine sand and clay deposits. The Norfolk Sand Plain, in the western part of the Long Point Bay area, is well drained and productive, and supports a large tobacco industry. The Haldimand Clay Plain to the east has heavier soils and is better suited to pasturage and cereal crops. Surface water quality is variable, especially in the clay plain, and is adversely affected by nutrient loadings from human activities. Nevertheless, the nearshore waters of the bay are the only nearshore areas in Lake Erie which are classifiable as oligo-mesotrophic, all other areas being mesotrophic to eutrophic. Since settlement in the early 1800s, the local economy has been based on agriculture, commercial fishing, and support for recreational activities at Long Point's parks and beaches. However, new industrial development at Nanticoke may spur further industrial and municipal growth. Associated environmental changes are possible. Long-term environmental monitoring programs have been set up to provide background information for present and future development.     

The effect of treatment with clofibrate on hepatic triglyceride and lipoprotein lipase activities of post heparin plasma in male patients with hyperlipoproteinemia

Twelve male patients with hyperlipoproteinemia were treated with clofibrate, 1 g twice daily. Serum triglyceride concentration decreased on the average 28 +/- 6%. No significant change of serum cholesterol concentration occurred. Post heparin plasma lipoprotein lipase activity isolated and partially purified by heparin Sepharose affinity chromatography was determined quantitatively. During the clofibrate treatment this enzyme activity increased 48 +/- 9%. The post heparin hepatic triglyceride lipase did not change significantly. The possibility that the serum triglyceride-lowering effect of clofibrate might partly be explained by an increased removal rate of triglyceride rich lipoproteins through increased lipoprotein lipase activity is discussed.     

Blue lasing at room temperature in an optically pumped lattice-matched AlInN=GaN VCSEL structure

Laser action with low threshold average pump power density (~50 W - cm^-2 ) at room temperature is reported for a crack-free planar vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) structure based on a bottom lattice-matched AllnN/GaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and a top dielectric DBR. The cavity region, formed by n- and p-type GaN layers surrounding only three InGaN/GaN quantum wells, corresponds to a typical active region suitable for an electrically driven VCSEL. In addition to low threshold, a spontaneous emission coupling factor beta ~ 2 x 10^-10 is derived for this ready-to-be-processed laser structure.