Meteorological influences on the spatial and temporal variability of NO2 in Toronto and Hamilton

The spatial and temporal variability of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations and their relationships with meteorology was evaluated in the Toronto–Hamilton urban airshed. NO₂ concentrations were highest in the early morning and late evening. Mean concentrations were highest in winter, although individual one-hour NO₂ concentrations were found to be highest in summer. Wind direction was the strongest control on hourly NO₂ concentration, and temperature and wind speed also had an effect. Our analysis of NO₂ concentration variation by wind direction showed that areas downwind of major highways, urban centres and industry were exposed to higher pollutant concentrations. Seasonal patterns of NO₂ concentration displayed significant spatial heterogeneity, in particular, in Toronto. Onshore winds sheltered coastal inhabitants from the full extent of NO₂ exposure they would otherwise experience. Seasonal variations in meteorology and emissions mean that the degree of spatial variability in NO₂ concentrations changes from season to season. This study will help to improve existing land-use regression-based NO₂ prediction models by incorporating meteorological controls on NO₂ distributions for health effect studies.     

Raw material quality and Oldowan hominin toolstone preferences: evidence from Kanjera South,Kenya

The role of raw material quality in Oldowan technology has not been fully explored. There are numerous studies suggesting Oldowan hominins preferred certain types of stone for artifact manufacture. Previous studies of the artifact assemblage from the early Pliocene Oldowan locality of Kanjera South (South Rachuonyo District, Kenya) show that raw material selection and transport was an important aspect of Late Pliocene hominin adaptations. Yet the exact properties of stones that hominins were selecting remain enigmatic. Two potentially important features of artifact raw material are durability and fracture predictability. We investigate fracture predictability through mechanical tests of stone and investigations of the affect of stone properties on fracture patterns in archaeological collections. We investigate stone durability with actualistic studies of edge attrition combined with further mechanical tests of various lithologies. Oldowan hominins at Kanjera appear to have selected raw materials based on their durability. The ability for a stone to fracture consistently does not appear to be as important in hominin toolstone preference as previously assumed. Hominins that produced the assemblages at Kanjera South appear to have incorporated an extensive understanding of various attributes of raw material in the transport and production of stone artifacts. When combined with previous research on the transport patterns at Kanjera, the results of this study provide evidence for a more complex raw material acquisition strategy than has previously been suggested for Late Pliocene Oldowan hominins.     

Too late to buy a home? School redistricting and the timing and extent of capitalization

In the past 50 years, a voluminous literature estimating the value of schools through capitalization in home prices has emerged. Prior research has identified capitalization using a variety of approaches including discontinuities caused by boundaries. Here, we use changes in school boundaries and the opening of a new school in Fayette County (Lexington), Kentucky to identify this capitalization. Critical to properly estimating the effect of redistricting is to account for when information on redistricting is available. We treat the information about the effects of zoning as occurring in three stages: announcement of the intent to open the new high school and redistricting, approval of the specific redistricting plan (map), and implementation (opening of the new high school and actual changes in boundaries). We find significant changes in values for homes redistricted from lower-performing schools and we find that this capitalization occurs well before implementation of the redistricting. As we show, failure to account for capitalization occurring before implementation will attenuate and even change the sign of capitalization.     

信息定位型展览:提升中国博物馆品质的契机

信息定位型展览以博物馆的综合素质为基础,涉及到博物馆的收藏政策,藏品研究的深度与系统性,展览组织的合理性,展览的传播技术及与展览相关的辅助教育等。只有各个环节都符合科学的要求,才有可能建造观众喜欢看、看得懂,能得到启迪与教益的展览。因此,应以信息定位展览的建设为契机,确立以"保存社会记忆"为核心价值观的收藏政策;加强藏品研究,为信息定位型展览提供学术支撑;建立合理的程序与标准,开展展览评估,打造具有良好传播能力的展览;拓展深化传播效果,开展丰富的公众教育活动,从而从根本上提高当代博物馆的品质。     

博物馆策展人:学者艺术鉴赏家展览组织者——屈志仁先生专访

博物馆策展人的素质与能力是博物馆陈列展览特别是专题展览成功的关键因素之一.美国大都会艺术博物馆亚洲艺术部主任、国际著名博物馆策展人屈志仁先生以"忽必烈的时代"展为例指出:博物馆策展人应同时具备学者、艺术鉴赏家与展览组织者的素质与能力,通晓与展览有关的历史学、艺术史、文化史及文物与博物馆学等学科知识,组织、协调从研究策划...     

信息化社会图书馆员素质的培养

图书馆在国家的科学教育和研究体系中占据重要地位,为教育和科学研究提供服务图书馆员的素质是由图书馆的性质、职能、规律和特点所决定的。在信息化社会,图书馆的应用技术呈现出更广阔的应用平台,要求图书馆员积极应对新技术和新的工作方式转变的挑战;读者的需求向多元化方式转变,也要求图书馆员不断提高服务质量和履务方式。因此,图书馆员的素质是图书馆适应信息化社会发展的关键。鉴于此,本文就图书馆员应当具备的素质以及如何提高自身素质提出了一些基本思路。     

世博后高校思想政治教育工作研究

2010年上海世博会的成功举办给我国高校思想政治教育工作带来了新情况和新挑战。高校思想政治教育工作在这种情况下如要发挥其应有的作用,就一定要适时创新。从而适应时代和社会进步的需要。     

如何加强英语教学中的素质教育

传统的英语教学应以语法知识为主,教学中严重地存在着“重知识传授,轻能力培养”的倾向,高分低能现象大量存在。时代呼唤英语教学必须实施素质教育,其效果始终要接受实践的检验,而其客观标准又具双重性：既要实现培养学生运用英语进行交际能力的目标,又要达到全面提高学生素质的标准。     

教师素质决定语文教学效率

语文教学效率包括知识的数量、能力的训练、思想教育的效果等。决定教学效率的因素是多方面的,如学生因素、教材因素、教法因素等,但教师因素是影响教学效率的主要因素,因为教师在教学中起主导作用。在中学各门学科中,语文课的综合性最强,内容覆盖面广,所以语文教师应成为一个“杂”家。