Engaging a third-grade student with autism spectrum disorder in an error finding activity

This paper describes a case study of one mainstreamed third grade student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and his ability to explain his solutions for two-digit addition problems, and find and explain the mistake when presented with incorrectly solved addition problems. The study is presented as a counterexample to deficit views of ASD, views that focus on lack of communication skills, not being able to see someone else’s point of view, and poor executive functions. Each encounter with the student is analyzed in two ways, first analyzing his mathematical knowledge, and then analyzing obstacles the student faces that are associated with ASD. Some obstacles are overcome by the student on his own and others are overcome with the help of the researcher, who responds to the student’s thinking, and supports his endeavor to engage with a challenging activity.     

Engineering design and the development of knowledge for teaching among preservice science teachers

The goal of this article is to inform professional understanding regarding preservice science teachers’ knowledge of engineering and the engineering design process. Originating as a conceptual study of the appropriateness of “knowledge as design” as a framework for conducting science teacher education to support learning related to engineering design, the findings are informed by an ongoing research project. Perkins’s theory encapsulates knowledge as design within four complementary components of the nature of design. When using the structure of Perkins’s theory as a framework for analysis of data gathered from preservice teachers conducting engineering activities within an instructional methods course for secondary science, a concurrence between teacher knowledge development and the theory emerged. Initially, the individuals, who were participants in the research, were unfamiliar with engineering as a component of science teaching and expressed a lack of knowledge of engineering. The emergence of connections between Perkins’s theory of knowledge as design and knowledge development for teaching were found when examining preservice teachers’ development of creative and systematic thinking skills within the context of engineering design activities as well as examination of their knowledge of the application of science to problem‐solving situations.     

A hybrid model of mathematics support for science students emphasizing basic skills and discipline relevance

The problem of students entering university lacking basic mathematical skills is a critical issue in the Australian higher-education sector and relevant globally. The Maths Skills programme at La Trobe University has been developed to address under preparation in the first-year science cohort in the absence of an institutional mathematics support centre. The programme was delivered through first-year science and statistics subjects with large enrolments and focused on basic mathematical skills relevant to each science discipline. The programme offered a new approach to the traditional mathematical support centre or class. It was designed through close collaboration between science subject coordinators and the project leader, a mathematician, and includes resources relevant to science and mathematics questions written in context. Evaluation of the programme showed it improved the confidence of the participating students who found it helpful and relevant. The programme was delivered through three learning modes to allow students to select activities most suitable for them, which was appreciated by students. Mathematics skills appeared to increase following completion of the programme and student participation in the programme correlated positively and highly with academic grades in their relevant science subjects. This programme offers an alternative model for mathematics support tailored to science disciplines.     

A note on the dichotomy spectrum

We point out an error in the above short note and correct it under additional assumptions.     

A new class of Ornstein transformations with singular spectrum

It is shown that for any family of probability measures in Ornstein type constructions, the corresponding transformation has almost surely a singular spectrum. This is a new generalization of Bourgain's theorem [J. Bourgain, On the spectral type of Ornstein class one transformations, Israel J. Math. 84 (1993) 53–63], same result is proved for Rudolph's construction [D. Rudolph, An example of a measure-preserving map with minimal self-joining and applications, J. Anal. Math. 35 (1979) 97–122].     

A note on the dichotomy spectrum

In many ways, exponential dichotomies are an appropriate hyperbolicity notion for nonautonomous linear differential or difference equations. The corresponding dichotomy spectrum generalizes the classical set of eigenvalues or Floquet multipliers and is therefore of eminent importance in a stability theory for explicitly time-dependent systems, as well as to establish a geometric theory of nonautonomous problems with ingredients like invariant manifolds and normal forms, or to deduce continuation and bifurcation techniques.

In this note, we derive some invariance and perturbation properties of the dichotomy spectrum for nonautonomous linear difference equations in Banach spaces. They easily follow from the observation that the dichotomy spectrum is strongly related to a weighted shift operator on an ambient sequence space.     

Truncation method for operators with disconnected essential spectrum

In this short paper, the usage of truncation method to get information about essential spectrum of bounded as well as semi-bounded linear operators on separable Hilbert spaces, is investigated. In addition to this, the problem of predicting the gaps in the essential spectrum of self-adjoint operators, linear algebraically is also considered.     

Continuity of spectrum and approximate point spectrum on operator matrices

Let X and Y be given Banach spaces. For A∈B(X), B∈B(Y) and C∈B(Y,X), let MC be the operator defined on X⊕Y by . In this paper we give conditions for continuity of τ at MC through continuity of τ at A and B, where τ can be equal to the spectrum or approximate point spectrum.     

Informed aspirations in science and engineering with upper elementary students after 1 year of a STEM intensive university-school district partnership

This article reports findings from a study of an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education program on student interest and awareness in science and engineering. The analysis features grade 3–5 students from a high-poverty, urban school system in the Mid-Atlantic region. Through the quantitative analysis of closed ended survey responses and the qualitative analysis of an open-ended query, we describe how the adoption of an intensive STEM-focused partnership could influence students’ early interest in and awareness of science and engineering as disciplines and careers. The analysis of the student responses revealed that after 1 year of the project, the students enrolled in the program demonstrated developing interest in science and engineering and were better able to articulate a greater understanding of engineering as a discipline. These findings have implications for the effectiveness of an integrated STEM approach for upper elementary students participating and succeeding in the STEM fields.     

Investigation of Raman spectrum for nano-SnO2

The dependence of the microstructural change and lattice space symmetry of nano-SnO₂ on the annealing temperature has been studied systematically using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Comparing the results of nano-SnO₂ with the results of amorphous film and single crystal of SnO₂, it is found that the new Raman peaks N₁ and N₂ are in accordance with Matossi’s force constant model completely. When the annealing temperature is near 673K, the local lattice disorders and the density of vacant lattice decrease rapidly in the nano-SnO₂ grains. The lattice distortion and the new Raman peaks disappear almost at the same time. The possible mechanisms of the microstructural change and the new Raman peaks N₁ and N₂ are discussed. Project supported by the Foundation of State Science and Technology Commission and the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province.     

基于IPP-PLS的“科技助力中国梦”实证研究

实现伟大复兴的中国梦是中华民族在新的历史时期的伟大愿景,以2001~2012年时间序列数据为样本,基于中国梦的本质内涵,分别从国家富强、民族振兴和人民幸福三方面构建了测度中国梦进程的指标,运用改进的投影寻踪法(IPP)测算中国梦进程指数;从科技人才、资金、创新成果和意识四方面构建了验证“科技助力中国梦”的指标,运用偏最小二乘回归(PLS)进行实证分析。结果表明,中国梦进程指数总体呈稳步增长趋势;科技四因素与中国梦进程呈正相关关系,其中高素质科技人才、R&D人员、发明专利和产权保护意识对中国梦的推动作用分别大于一般性科技人才、科技论文、R&D经费和成果转化。最后,基于实证分析结果剖析了“科技助力中国梦”的实现路径。     

A note on Browder spectrum of operator matrices

When A∈B(H) and B∈B(K) are given, we denote by MC the operator acting on the Hilbert space H⊕K of the form . In this note, it is shown that the following results in [Hai-Yan Zhang, Hong-Ke Du, Browder spectra of upper-triangular operator matrices, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 323 (2006) 700-707]

     

Inverse spectral theory for Sturm-Liouville problems with finite spectrum

For any positive integer and any given distinct real numbers we construct a Sturm-Liouville problem whose spectrum is precisely the given set of numbers. Such problems are of Atkinson type in the sense that the weight function or the reciprocal of the leading coefficient is identically zero on at least one subinterval.

     

A criterion for the existence of the essential spectrum for beak-shaped elastic bodies

We establish a criterion for the existence of the essential spectrum for the elasticity problem in the case the traction-free surface of a finite elastic body has a beak-shaped irregularity (see Corollary 3.5 and Theorem 4.2). This boundary irregularity is angular in two dimensions and cuspidal in one dimension. We obtain further information on the spectral structure in some particular cases, and formulate open questions and hypotheses.     

Estimation of population spectrum for linear processes with random coefficients

A set of time series generated by stationary linear processes with an absolutely continuous spectral distribution is analysed. The time series can then be considered realizations of a linear process of random coefficients. Likewise, each spectral density function is a realization of a stochastic process whose function of means is called a population spectrum. We propose a kernel estimator for the population spectrum and give conditions for its consistency. We then illustrate the properties of this estimator in a simulation study and compare its performance with an alternative parametric estimator that can be found in the literature.      

Assessment of numeracy in sports and exercise science students at an Australian university

The effect of high school study of mathematics on numeracy performance of sports and exercise science (SES) students is not clear. To investigate this further, we tested the numeracy skills of 401 students enrolled in a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree in SES using a multiple-choice survey consisting of four background questions and 39 numeracy test questions. Background questions (5-point scale) focused on highest level of mathematics studied at high school, self-perception of mathematics proficiency, perceived importance of mathematics to SES and likelihood of seeking help with mathematics. Numeracy questions focused on rational number, ratios and rates, basic algebra and graph interpretation. Numeracy performance was based on answers to these questions (1 mark each) and represented by the total score (maximum = 39). Students from first (n = 212), second (n = 78) and third (n = 111) years of the SES degree completed the test. The distribution of numeracy test scores for the entire cohort was negatively skewed with a median (IQR) score of 27(11). We observed statistically significant associations between test scores and the highest level of mathematics studied (P < 0.05), being lowest in students who studied Year 10 Mathematics (20 (9)), intermediate in students who studied Year 12 General Mathematics (26 (8)) and highest in two groups of students who studied higher-level Year 12 Mathematics (31 (9), 31 (6)). There were statistically significant associations between test scores and level of self-perception of mathematics proficiency and also likelihood of seeking help with mathematics (P < 0.05) but not with perceived importance of mathematics to SES. These findings reveal that the level of mathematics studied in high school is a critical factor determining the level of numeracy performance in SES students.     

An addition theorem for the manifolds with the Laplacian having discrete spectrum

The question of the preservation of discreteness of the spectrum of the Laplacian acting in a space of differential forms under the cutting and gluing of manifolds reduces to the same problem for compact solvability of the operator of exterior derivation. Along these lines, we give some conditions on a cut Y dividing a Riemannian manifold X into two parts X ₊ and X _? under which the spectrum of the Laplacian on X is discrete if and only if so are the spectra of the Laplacians on X ₊ and X _?.     

A review of the recent contribution of systems thinking to operational research and management science

The systems approach, or systems thinking, has been intimately connected with the development of OR and management science initially through the work of founders such as Churchman and Ackoff and latterly through innovations such as soft systems. In this paper we have undertaken a review of the contribution that systems thinking has been making more recently, especially to the practice of OR. Systems thinking is a discipline in its own right, with many theoretical and methodological developments, but it is also applicable to almost any problem area because of its generality, and so such a review must always be selective. We have looked at the literature from both a theoretical and an applications orientation. In the first part we consider the main systems theories and methodologies in terms of their recent developments and also their applications. This covers: the systems approach, complexity theory, cybernetics, system dynamics, soft OR and PSMs, critical systems and multimethodology. In the second part we review the main domains of application: strategy, information systems, organisations, production and operations, ecology and agriculture, and medicine and health. Our overall conclusion is that while systems may not be well established institutionally, in terms of academic departments, it is incredibly healthy in terms of the quantity and variety of its applications.     

A nonrandom lyapunov spectrum for nonlinear stochastic dynamical systems

We present a nonrandom version of the Multiplicative Ergodic (Oseledec) Theorem for a nonlinear stochastic dynamical system on a smooth compact Riemannian Manifold M. This theorem characterises the a.s. asymptotic behaviour of the derivative system. Our approach (based on work of Furstenberg and Kifer, who deal with a linear system) is to consider an associated system on the projective bundle over M and to relate the behaviour of the theorem to the ergodic behaviour of this system. When the system has no random element, our work reduces to an alternative approach to the Multiplicative Ergodic Theorem for a diffeomorphism of M.