Reflection of matter waves in potential structures

In this paper the behavior of matter waves in suddenly terminated potential structures is investigated numerically. It is shown that there is no difference between a fully quantum mechanical treatment and a semiclassical one with regards to energy redistribution. For the quantum case it is demonstrated that there can be substantial reflection at the termination. The neglect of backscattering by the semiclassical method brings about major differences in the case of low kinetic energies. A simple phenomenological model is shown to partially explain the observed backscattering using dynamics of reduced dimensionality.

Narration, Visualization and Mind : Movies in everyday life as a resource for utopian self-reflection

The paper is analyzing how people in late modern society characterized by de-traditionalization, use moving images as a cultural resource for the construction of meaningful subjective world views. As a theoretical concept with several dimensions, “sacralization of the self” (Woodhead & Heelas 2000: 344), is related to media theory. With a critical focus on ‘the self’, as a core aspect in contemporary media society Eric W. Rothenbuhler labels the individual self as one of “the sacred objects of modern culture” (Rothenbuhler 2006: 31).I want to emphasize the need for case studies in order to undertake a critical investigation about ‘the self’ and how consumption of fiction film is interconnected to spectator´s creation of self images, but also to understand how film engagement elicits self-reflection (Giddens 1991, Axelson 2008, Vaage 2009a). The paper make use of empirical data to illustrate and theoretically develop perspectives on how the audience uses fiction film in every-day life for the construction of the self, as well for the construction of more profound and long-lasting ideas of being part of a moral community (Brereton 2005, Jerslev 2006, Klinger 2008, Mikkola et al. 2007, Vaage 2009b). Some empirical findings support a conclusion that moving images creates a transitional space for the human mind, with the capacity of transporting the spectator from real life to fiction and back to real life again, helping the individual with an ongoing process of transforming the self, dealing with who you actually are, and who you want to become (Axelson 2008, Vaage 2009b).

The "reflection protocol" - a way to develop learning and independent thinking?

It is now-a-days more and more common in the academic world to use new forms of “learning-tools”. One of those is the “reflection protocol”, which usually consist of a few pages of freely written text, related to something the students have read. There seems to be a lot of different opinions about the value to use this method. Some teachers and students are enthusiastic and others are rather critical. To write a “reflection protocol” is not in the first place to do a summery, a review, not even to analyze a text. Instead it is about to write down thoughts and questions that comes up as a result of the reading. It is also about doing associations, reflections and to interpret a text and relate this to a theme of some kind. The purpose to use “reflection protocols” is, as we see it, mainly for the student to practice independent thinking from a scientific point of view, but it also gives a possibility to a better understanding of another person’s thinking. This seems to open up for a fruitful dialogue and a way to learn. We will in this paper discuss if that could be the case.

From personal reflection to social positioning: the development of a transformational model of a professional education in midwifery

A transformational model of professional identity formation, anchored and globalized in workplace conversations, is advanced. Whilst the need to theorize the aims and methods of clinical education has been served by the techno-rational platform of 'reflective practice', this platform does not provide an adequate psychological tool to explore the dynamics of social episodes in professional learning and this led us to positioning theory. Positioning theory is one such appropriate tool in which individuals metaphorically locate themselves within discursive action in everyday conversations to do with personal positioning, institutional practices and societal rhetoric. This paper develops the case for researching social episodes in clinical education through professional conversations where midwifery students, in practice settings, are encouraged to account for their moment-by-moment interactions with their preceptors/midwives and university mentors. It is our belief that the reflection elaborated by positioning theory should be considered as the new epistemology for professional education where professional conversations are key to transformative learning processes for persons and institutions.

Guided reflection: transcending a routine approach in the management of sexually transmissible infections

This paper describes a distinctive approach to the sexually transmissible infections (STI) clinical consultation: 'the guided reflection approach'. The authors coined this term and identified the guided reflection approach through analysis of 22 in-depth interviews with practitioners who provide care for people with STI, and 34 people who had attended a healthcare facility in Australia for screening or treatment of an STI. A grounded theory method was used to collect and analyse this information. The data revealed when the STI consultation is conducted using the principles characterized by the guided reflection approach creates contexts for sexual empowerment that have the potential to effectively assist people to gain autonomy for safe sex. Routinely, most of the practitioners in this study were shown to direct the STI consultation towards risk behaviours and practices and prevention of transmission, with minimal intervention. However, this study shows that if clinical interaction is to make a difference to the patient's autonomy for sexual behaviour, two changes will be required. First, practitioners need to adopt the goal of assisting patients to attain levels of autonomy, and second, practitioners require education to assist them to develop the interactive skills needed to engage patients in dialogue and reflection about sexual behaviour.

Critical reflection in social work: a response to globalisation?

This article presents a reflective theoretical deconstruction of my practice with disempowered human service workers. Specifically, it presents a case study of how critical reflection was fostered amongst a group of practitioners in Geelong, a regional Victorian town in Australia. This models how a critical postmodern analysis provided a framework for overcoming entrenched power dynamics and structural barriers in a particular context and at a particular point in time. It describes and analyses the content of this work in terms of its significance and implications for responding to the impact of globalisation on this group, which was undermining the effectiveness of their social work practice.

Capturing the ephemeral : reflection-in-action as research

This paper considers two different methodological approaches to 'capturing' and analysing reflection-in-action in process drama teaching. Reflection-in-action, the 'thinking on your feet' that drama teachers constantly do, is ephemeral and difficult to record. In the first project discussed here, a teacher researcher study, examines the problem of representing the reflection-in-action, working around the central question of 'How can I as a researcher describe and document my reflection-in- action when working as a teacher in process drama?' The second project, an interview-based research project', developed some of the findings of the first study through a series of interviews with drama practitioners. This paper considers these methodological approaches in terms of the possibilities they provide, the limitations for the study of reflection-in- action in process drama and some possible applications of the approaches investigated for future drama research

Research on seismic signals for vehicle targets and recognition by data fusion

This paper researches seismic signals of typical vehicle targets in order to extract features and to recognize vehicle targets. As a data fusion method, the technique of artificial neural networks combined with genetic algorithm(ANNCGA) is applied for recognition of seismic signals that belong to different kinds of vehicle targets. The technique of ANNCGA and its architecture have been presented. The algorithm had been used for classification and recognition of seismic signals of vehicle targets in the outdoor environment. Through experiments, it can be proven that seismic properties of target acquired are correct, ANNCGA data fusion method is effective to solve the problem of target recognition.