Ebook readers : separating the hype from the reality

Academic libraries have been acquiring ebooks for their collections for a number of years, but the uptake by some users has been curtailed by the limitations of screen reading on a traditional PC or laptop. Ebook readers promise to take us into a new phase of ebook development. Innovations include: wireless connectivity, electronic paper, increased battery life, and customisable displays. The recent rapid take-up of ebook readers in the United States, particularly Amazon’s Kindle, suggests that they may about to gain mass-market acceptance. A bewildering number of ebook readers are being promoted by companies eager to gain market share. In addition, each month seems to bring a new ebook reader or a new model of an existing device. Library administrators are faced with the challenge of separating the hype from the reality and deciding when the time is right to invest in and support these new technologies. The Library at QUT, in particular the QUT Library Ebook Reference Group (ERG) has been closely following developments in ebooks and ebook reader technologies. During mid 2010 QUT Library undertook a trial of a range of ebook readers available to Australian consumers. Each of the ebook readers acquired was evaluated by members of the QUT Library ERG and two student focus groups. Major criteria for evaluation included usability, functionality, accessibility and compatibility with QUT Library’s existing ebook collection. The two student focus groups evaluated the ebook readers mostly according to the criteria of usability and functionality. This paper will discuss these evaluations and outline a recommendation about which type (or types) of ebook readers could be acquired and made available for lending to students.

Are alphabetic language-derived models of L2 reading relevant to L1 logographic background readers?

In this paper, we argue that second language (L2) reading research, which has been informed by studies involving first language (L1) alphabetic English reading, may be less relevant to L2 readers with non-alphabetic reading backgrounds, such as Chinese readers with an L1 logographic (Chinese character) learning history. We provide both neuroanatomical and behavioural evidence from Chinese language reading studies to support our claims. The paper concludes with an argument outlining the need for a universal L2 reading model which can adequately account for readers with diverse L1 orthographic language learning histories.

The lost boys : creating appealing and engaging fiction for adolescent male reluctant readers & Duende a young adult novella

Reading plays an important role in establishing lifelong learning and providing the reader with an avenue to new experiences and a language with which to express their ideas and feelings (Owen 2003; Hamston & Love 2005). In particular adolescents need a language that allows them to 'play with their identities in a safe and controlled manner to explore who they want to be in this ever changing world' (Koss & Teale 2009, 569). Block (1995) advances that there is a distinct correlation between what we read and how we live in the world, and argues 'if what we read influences our identity in the world, the ways we are able to imagine and live in the world, then there is some responsibility to address these various texts, their readers and possible reading experiences' (Koss & Teale 2009, 569). Within my research I attempt to take on this responsibility by establishing a connection between reluctant adolescent male readers, and their reading experiences and by using their opinions to create a novella that seeks to more fully engage them. Centred within the larger debate about boys and books are two central discussions: why don't boys read and what should boys read? While a number of reasons why adolescent boys don't read are mentioned in this paper and it might not be possible to fully account for why many are reluctant readers, it is possible to argue that specific forms of literature addressing certain themes and topics relevant to the age group might appeal to reluctant readers. The conceptual framework for this research was structured using a mixed-method approach consisting of four phases. In positioning my research for determining literature that reluctant readers may want to read I draw on a variety of material which tends to support the longevity of S.E Hinton's (1967) argument that 'teenagers today, want to read about teenagers today' (cited in Smith & Wilhelm 2002, 6). My practice-based research was conducted within a high school in Brisbane, Australia. Six participants were selected and required to read three recently published Australian Young Adult novels, and opinion was collected via semi-structured interviews on these case studies. Grounded Theory (Charmaz 2003; Charmaz 2006; Glaser & Strauss 2011) informed the design of the questions, and the process of concurrent interviews and analysis of opinion. This analysis led to construction of my theory: adolescent male reluctant readers want to read about female relationships and family conflict within a story that consists of an adventure that, although unlikely to happen, could happen. From this study there are two main contributions, which have theoretical and practical implications for stakeholders with a vested interest in the discussion regarding boys and books. First, this study, through the research methodology, presents key findings that indicate that reluctant readers are interested in realistic texts addressing themes that will help with the construction of, and understanding of, their own lives. Secondly, the grounded theory derived from these findings is applied to my own praxis and my creative artefact (Duende) is included with this exegesis as a text intended to create a connection between engaging texts and adolescent male reluctant readers.

English in the urban environment : resources for 21st century readers

Where teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) once observed a paucity of authentic language input, public displays of written English are now proliferating. Ideas for capitalising on this abundance can be drawn from two strands of pedagogic thought: a psycholinguistic approach to conventional literacy long established in foreign, second and first language education (e.g., Teng, 2009), and a more recent and critical approach informed by diverse theoretical understandings of the ‘linguistic landscape’ (e.g., Rowland, 2013). In this paper I draw from these two approaches to suggest ways of helping EFL learners use environmental print to develop knowledge and skills required of English readers in the twenty-first century: (1) fluency in breaking the codes of English and other languages of publicly displayed text; (2) facility with making meaning as the English of these texts becomes ever more diverse in cultural, historical and contextual implication; (3) use of environmental English in contexts that range from the local to the transnational; and (4) critique of the presence of English and attendant worldviews in the urban environment (Chern & Dooley, forthcoming). The psychological concept of motivation and the complementary sociological concept of investment are at the heart of my deliberations here: realisation of the pedagogic potential of environmental print to develop literate resources requires consideration of sources of motivation in the classroom learning situation (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011), as well as learner investment in literate practices in English (Norton, 2010).

Responding to literature : accessible texts for reluctant readers

The Australian Curriculum: English 5.2 states, across all year level descriptions, that “students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment”, with the level types of texts and levels of understanding developing over time (ACARA, 2014a). Problems arise when students are unable or unwilling to enjoy texts, and are reluctant to read, view, interpret, and evaluate written texts. This in turn impedes their ability to perform these texts for assessment purposes. The literacy abilities of students can vary widely within a single classroom, and it is a challenge for teachers to source and present texts which are accessible across the spectrum of reading abilities, as well as reflecting themes that are relevant and engaging for students, in addition to being consistent with the General Capabilities and Cross-Curriculum Priorities of the AC:E. In senior English also, the mainstream Qld Senior Syllabus (QSA, 2010, p. 6) requires that students have learning experiences developed through 15-20 literary texts, including the in-depth study of a complete novel. In the leisure context of English Communications, students may also “write stories, poems, or song lyrics” (QSA, 2004, p. 14). Since students’ responses to literature often take the form of other imaginative text creation we address this in this paper. We start by offering synopses of some accessible texts and strategies for teachers with these students who are unwilling or low literacy readers in junior secondary and senior level English. This paper canvases some easily read novels and some films with companion text suggestions which may serve as models for students responses. For the junior secondary texts, we identify how these align with the architecture of the Australian Curriculum’s General Capabilities and Cross Curriculum Priorities. Then, we will outline some suitable imaginative responses as possible assessment outcomes, such as short stories and digital stories.

Irregular readers : Arthur Conan Doyle’s “six dirty scoundrels”, boyhood and literacy in contemporary Sherlockian children’s literature

Young adult (YA) literature is a socialising genre that encourages young readers to take up particular ways of relating to historical or cultural materials. The first decade of the twenty-first century witnessed a boom in Sherlockian YA fiction using the Conan Doyle canon as a context and vocabulary for stories focused on the Baker Street Irregulars as figures of identification. This paper reads YA fiction’s deployment of Conan Doyle’s fictional universe as a strategy for negotiating anxieties of adolescent masculinity, particularly in relation to literacy and social agency.

Plasma-enabled graded nanotube biosensing arrays on a Si nanodevice platform : catalyst-free integration and in situ detection of nucleation events

Low-temperature plasmas in direct contact with arbitrary, written linear features on a Si wafer enable catalyst-free integration of carbon nanotubes into a Si-based nanodevice platform and in situ resolution of individual nucleation events. The graded nanotube arrays show reliable, reproducible, and competitive performance in electron field emission and biosensing nanodevices.

Non-square-well potential profile and suppression of blinking in compositionally graded Cd1−xZnxSe/CdxZn1−xSe nanocrystals

Random blinking is a major problem on the way to successful applications of semiconducting nanocrystals in optoelectronics and photonics, which until recently had neither a practical solution nor a theoretical interpretation. An experimental breakthrough has recently been made by fabricating non-blinking Cd1-xZnxSe/ZnSe graded nanocrystals [Wang et al., Nature, 2009, 459, 686]. Here, we (1) report an unequivocal and detailed theoretical investigation to understand the properties (e.g., profile) of the potential-well and the distribution of Zn content with respect to the nanocrystal radius and (2) develop a strategy to find the relationship between the photoluminescence (PL) energy peaks and the potential-well due to Zn distribution in nanocrystals. It is demonstrated that the non-square-well potential can be varied in such a way that one can indeed control the PL intensity and the energy-level difference (PL energy peaks) accurately. This implies that one can either suppress the blinking altogether, or alternatively, manipulate the PL energy peaks and intensities systematically to achieve a controlled non-random intermittent luminescence. The approach developed here is based on the ionization energy approximation and as such is generic and can be applied to any non-free-electron nanocrystals.

Stoichiometry, crystallinity, and nano-scale surface morphology of the graded calcium phosphate-based bio-ceramic interlayer on Ti-Al-V

A plasma-assisted concurrent Rf sputtering technique for fabrication of biocompatible, functionally graded CaP-based interlayer on Ti-6Al-4V orthopedic alloy is reported. Each layer in the coating is designed to meet a specific functionality. The adherent to the metal layer features elevated content of Ti and supports excellent ceramic-metal interfacial stability. The middle layer features nanocrystalline structure and mimics natural bone apatites. The technique allows one to reproduce Ca/P ratios intrinsic to major natural calcium phosphates. Surface morphology of the outer, a few to few tens of nanometers thick, layer, has been tailored to fit the requirements for the bio-molecule/protein attachment factors. Various material and surface characterization techniques confirm that the optimal surface morphology of the outer layer is achieved for the process conditions yielding nanocrystalline structure of the middle layer. Preliminary cell culturing tests confirm the link between the tailored nano-scale surface morphology, parameters of the middle nanostructured layer, and overall biocompatibility of the coating.

EBook readers in Australian public libraries - are they REAL-e worth it

Hand-held ebook readers present many challenges for Australian libraries that want to integrate this emerging technology into their library’s service. In 2001, both Toowoomba City Library and the Brisbane City Council Library Service embarked on such projects. This paper reports on the differing experience of these two public library services, outlining difficulties encountered, customer reactions to the technology, and the central issues that acquiring and circulating these readers pose for public libraries in Australia.

Readers' resposes versus reader-response theories : An empirical study

This study examines both theoretically an empirically how well the theories of Norman Holland, David Bleich, Wolfgang Iser and Stanley Fish can explain readers' interpretations of literary texts. The theoretical analysis concentrates on their views on language from the point of view of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. This analysis shows that many of the assumptions related to language in these theories are problematic. The empirical data show that readers often form very similar interpretations. Thus the study challenges the common assumption that literary interpretations tend to be idiosyncratic. The empirical data consists of freely worded written answers to questions on three short stories. The interpretations were made by 27 Finnish university students. Some of the questions addressed issues that were discussed in large parts of the texts, some referred to issues that were mentioned only in passing or implied. The short stories were "The Witch à la Mode" by D. H. Lawrence, "Rain in the Heart" by Peter Taylor and "The Hitchhiking Game" by Milan Kundera. According to Fish, readers create both the formal features of a text and their interpretation of it according to an interpretive strategy. People who agree form an interpretive community. However, a typical answer usually contains ideas repeated by several readers as well as observations not mentioned by anyone else. Therefore it is very difficult to determine which readers belong to the same interpretive community. Moreover, readers with opposing opinions often seem to pay attention to the same textual features and even acknowledge the possibility of an opposing interpretation; therefore they do not seem to create the formal features of the text in different ways. Iser suggests that an interpretation emerges from the interaction between the text and the reader when the reader determines the implications of the text and in this way fills the "gaps" in the text. Iser believes that the text guides the reader, but as he also believes that meaning is on a level beyond words, he cannot explain how the text directs the reader. The similarity in the interpretations and the fact that the agreement is strongest when related to issues that are discussed broadly in the text do, however, support his assumption that readers are guided by the text. In Bleich's view, all interpretations have personal motives and each person has an idiosyncratic language system. The situation where a person learns a word determines the most important meaning it has for that person. In order to uncover the personal etymologies of words, Bleich asks his readers to associate freely on the basis of a text and note down all the personal memories and feelings that the reading experience evokes. Bleich's theory of the idiosyncratic language system seems to rely on a misconceived notion of the role that ostensive definitions have in language use. The readers' responses show that spontaneous associations to personal life seem to colour the readers' interpretations, but such instances are rather rare. According to Holland, an interpretation reflects the reader's identity theme. Language use is regulated by shared rules, but everyone follows the rules in his or her own way. Words mean different things to different people. The problem with this view is that if there is any basis for language use, it seems to be the shared way of following linguistic rules. Wittgenstein suggests that our understanding of words is related to the shared ways of using words and our understanding of human behaviour. This view seems to give better grounds for understanding similarity and differences in literary interpretations than the theories of Holland, Bleich, Fish and Iser.

Survival of graded scallops amusium balloti in Queensland's (Australia) trawl fishery.

In the Queensland, Australia, scallop fishery, the scallop catch is graded at sea using a specially designed grading machine called a "tumbler." Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of repeated trawl capture, grading, and discarding on the survival of sublegal saucer scallops Amusium balloti. Scallops were caught within an area closed to commercial fishing and known to contain dense scallop beds. The trawled scallops were randomly divided into 2 groups, tumbled and control, and subjected to up to 4 tumbles and/or trawls before being caged for 2.5 days adjacent to the trawl grounds. Increased levels of both trawling and tumbling were found to decrease significantly the survival of sublegal scallops. Although 83% of scallops survived repeated intensive trawling (4 consecutive tows), survival fell to 64% when scallops were also graded using a commercial tumbler. Survival was high for both tumbled and control sublegal scallops after 1 trawl (97% and 98%, respectively).

The effect of initial spacing and thinning on wood quality and graded sawn recovery of mature Caribbean pine grown in Queensland.

A mature Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis) silviculture experiment provided initial square spacing treatments of 1.8 m2, 2.4 m2, 3.0 m2 and 3.6 m2 (equal to 3088, 1737, 1111 and 772 stems/ha) that were thinned at age 10 years to 600, 400 and 200 stems/ha, retaining an unthinned control for each initial spacing. The trial was destructively sampled at age of 28 years and discs taken along 8 various stem heights were analysed for variation in basic density and SilviScan wood properties. In addition, the logs from ten stocking × thinning treatments were processed in a sawing study. Results indicate thinning effects were generally more pronounced than initial spacing effects. Fast growing trees produced wood with significantly higher average wood densities and higher average stiffness values. Detailed SilviScan densitometry results obtained radially and at various stem heights enabled construction of tree maps for wood properties, providing insights into the variation in juvenile to mature wood proportion across the initial and post-thinning stocking treatments studied. Dried dressed recovery was strongly related to tree size, and log value decreased consistently from butt to top logs across all treatments. The estimated value per hectare was highest in unthinned plots due to values being multiplied by high stem numbers per hectare. However, a complete economic analysis considering all cost structures is required to investigate the optimal silviculture to maximise economic returns to growers and processors. Improved understanding of the relationship between initial spacing, post-thinning stocking and wood and end-product quality should help to customize future forest management strategies required to produce better quality wood and wood products.