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The Blockchain and Kudos: A Distributed System for Educational Record, Reputation and Reward
Full text linkThe 'blockchain' is the core mechanism for the Bitcoin digital payment system. It embraces a set of inter-related technologies: the blockchain itself as a distributed record of digital events, the distributed consensus method to agree whether a new block is legitimate, automated smart contracts, and the data structure associated with each block. We propose a permanent distributed record of intellectual effort and associated reputational reward, based on the blockchain that instantiates and democratises educational reputation beyond the academic community. We are undertaking initial trials of a private blockchain for storing educational records, drawing also on our previous research into reputation management for educational systems
Predominantly Non-Solar Origin of Nitrogen in Lunar Soils
Full text linkSimultaneous static-mode mass spectrometric measurements of nitrogen, carbon, helium, neon, and argon, extracted from the same aliquot of sample by high-resolution stepped combustion, have been made for a suite of five lunar soils.
Noble gas isotope ratios show that the majority of noble gases are derived from a solar wind source; for example, at peak release temperatures of 500–600 °C,21Ne/22Ne = 0.0313 ± 0.0007 to 0.0333 ± 0.0007, and 20Ne/22Ne = 11.48 ± 0.05 to 12.43 ± 0.07, with values at the lowest temperature steps less fractionated during implantation from, and therefore even closer to, solar values (21Ne/22NeSW = 0.03361 ± 0.00018 and 20Ne/22NeSW = 14.001 ± 0.042 (Pepin et al., 2012)). Despite the co-release of nitrogen and solar wind argon, measured nitrogen isotopic signatures at each temperature step, whilst variable, are significantly more enriched in 15N compared to the measured solar wind nitrogen value from the Genesis mission. Therefore, mixing between a 15N-enriched non-solar planetary nitrogen source with solar wind nitrogen is required to explain the measured isotopic values from the stepped combustion analysis of lunar soils. Binary mixing calculations, made under different assumptions about the degree of loss of solar wind 36Ar, reveal that the majority (up to 98%) of the nitrogen released is derived from a non-solar source. The range of modelled non-solar end-member nitrogen compositions required to satisfy the measuredδ15N values varies between samples and temperature steps from +5‰ up to +300‰, or between +87‰ and +160‰ for bulk samples. This range of modelled isotopic compositions for the non-solar source of nitrogen encompasses measured values for several different groups of carbonaceous chondrite, as well as IDPs
Identification and Assessment of Social Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) Among Children With and Without Special Educational Needs (SEN) based on Parent and Teacher Perceptions: A Comparison Study
Full text linkParents and teachers define, identify and perceive in various and diverse ways the concept of ‘special educational needs’ (SEN), which might lead to different interpretations as to what can be considered problematic and what cannot (Laluvein, 2010; Kristoffersen, et al., 2015). This study aimed to assess and compare the views and perceptions of parents and teachers of children with and without Special Educational Needs, on Social, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties (SEBD). The purpose is to present an overall picture of the situation, to provide an indication of the existence or absence of agreement between parents and teachers concerning children’s social emotional and behavioural problems and subsequently make suggestions and recommendations to facilitate both educators and parents to acknowledge and attend more efficiently to children’s needs. Parents and teachers of 77 children, aged 6 to 13 years, with (n = 24) and without (n = 53) Special Educational Needs from a mainstream school in the rural area of Nicosia, Cyprus, took part in the study. Assessment of behaviour problems from both parents and teachers were obtained from the Child Behaviour CheckList 6/18 (Achenbach and Rescorla, 2001) and the Teacher Reference Form 6/18 (Achenbach and Rescorla, 2001) respectively. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were used with 5 parents and teachers, complementary of the questionnaires. The data were analysed using the Assessment Data Manager software and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 21. The key findings suggest that parents and teachers of children with SEN agree more compared to parents and teachers of children with NoSEN. It also emerged that parents of children with SEN tend to report more internalizing, externalizing and total/overall problems compared to teachers (e.g. anxiety, depression, withdrawal, rule breaking and aggressive behaviour, jealousy, social issues). Furthermore, gender variance was found, with parents of children in both groups (SEN and NoSEN) viewing boys differently compared to girls. Regarding the latter, parents of children in the SEN group view girls as exhibiting more internalizing and overall difficulties (which is the sum of all scales namely internalizing, externalizing, thought problems, attention problems and social problems) compared to boys, while parents of children in the NoSEN group view boys as exhibiting more internalizing and overall difficulties