A study published in Child Development,the top－ranked educational psychology journal,provides some of the strongest evidence yet that gesturing may have a unique effect on learning.Teachers in the United States tend to use gestures less than teachers in other countries.

     "Gesturing can be a very beneficial tool that is completely free and easily employed in classrooms," said Kimberly Fenn,study co－author and assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University."And I think it can have long－lasting effects."

    Fenn and Ryan Duffy of MSU and Susan Cook of the University of Iowa conducted an experiment with 184 second－,third－ and fourth－graders in Michigan elementary classrooms.

    Half of the students were shown videos of an instructor teaching math problems using only speech.The others were shown videos of the instructor teaching the same problems using both speech and gestures.In the speech－only videos,the instructor simply explains the problem.In the other videos,the instructor uses two hand gestures while speaking,using different hands to refer to the two sides of the equation.Students who learned from the gesture videos performed better on a test given immediately afterward than those who learned from the speech－only video.

    Another test was given 24 hours later,and the gesture students actually showed improvement in their performance while the speech－only students did not.

    While previous research has shown the benefits of gestures in a one－on－one tutoring－style environment,the new study is the first to test the role of gestures in equivalence learning in a regular classroom.

    The study also is the first to show that gestures can help students transfer learning to new contexts—such as transferring the knowledge learned in an addition－based equation to a multiplication－based equation.

    Fenn noted that U.S.students lag behind those in many other Western countries in math and have a particularly hard time mastering equivalence problems in early grades."So if we can help them grasp this foundational knowledge earlier," she said,"it will help them as they learn algebra and higher levels of mathematics."

    We are seeking for qualified and experienced candidates to join our fast growing team for the following positions at Ratchathewi (Head Office), Pracha – Uthit (site), Pantai Norasing (site), Thepharak (site), and a few other incoming projects in Bangkok.

●Project Managers

—Degree in Civil / Structural Engineering

—Minimum 7 years' working experience in similar capacity, preferably in building construction.

—Ability to plan and execute works, keep deadlines, control cost and implement continual quality improvement

—Possess leadership attributes, good interpersonal and follow-up skill to motivate subordinates and develop team spirit

—Possess a valid driving license

●Accounting Officer

—Degree in Accounting

—Minimum 1~2 years accounting experience

—Knowledge of accounting packages & spreadsheets

●Account Executive / Finance Executive

—Degree in Accounting

—Preferably 3 years' accounting experience VAT, Withholding tax compliance & submission

—Knowledge of accounting packages & spreadsheets

—Expert at English and Thai (泰国语) spoken or written

—Ability to handle full set accounts

●Senior Admin. Asst.

—Minimum 5 years experience in Building Construction company is preferable

—Computer literate with knowledge in Microsoft Office

—Good command of both written and oral English compulsory

—Female preferred

●Site Supervisor

—Diploma / Certificate in Building or Civil Engineering

—Minimum 5 years' working experience in building construction or precast (预制的) concrete manufacturing

—Able to work independently and co–ordinate work effectively

    All positions mention above requires candidates with good command of both written and oral English. Interested candidate, please send your application stating full qualification, work experience and expected salary together with a copy of transcript and a recent photograph to the address below:

ASCE Construction Limited.

503/19E K.S.L. Tower (11TH Floor), Sri-Ayudthaya Rd., Thanon Phayathai,

Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400

TEL: -02642-6272 , 02642-6120

FAX: -02642-6273

E-MAIL: asce_construction@hotmail.com

    Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring one of the two, Australia, gave up the bad distinction by setting up paid family leave starting in 2011. I wasn't surprised when this didn't make the news here in the United States — we're now the only wealthy country without such a policy.

    The United States does have one explicit family policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993. It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks' unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem. Despite the modesty of the benefit, the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly, describing it as “government-run personnel management” and a “dangerous precedent (先例).” In fact, every step of the way, as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law, business groups have been strongly opposed.

    As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues, justifying parental support depends on defining(定义) the family as a social good that, in some sense, society must pay for. Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is “no exit” when it comes to children. Society expects — and needs — parents to provide their children with continuity of care. And society expects — and needs — parents to persist in their roles for 18 years, or longer if needed.

    While most parents do this out of love, there are public punishments for not providing care. What parents do, in other words, is of deep concern to the state, for the obvious reason that caring for children is not only morally urgent but important to the future of society. To classify parenting as a personal choice for which there is no collective responsibility is not merely to ignore the social benefits of good parenting; really, it is to steal those benefits because they accrue (累积) to the whole of society as today's children become tomorrow's citizens. In fact, by some estimates, the value of parental investments in children, investments of time and money, is equal to 20-30% of GDP. If these investments bring huge social benefits — as they clearly do — the benefits of providing more social support for the family should be that much clearer.

    In the future those who are taking care of old people may get help from the house itself.

    Over the last few years, new technology, such as the Internet, Wi-Fi and flat TV screens, has changed our homes and the way that we live. Now, another technology revolution is happening. A new project at the University of Hertfordshire wants to create a home that monitors people living in it who are elderly.

    The researchers have developed a wristband device（装置）which helps us to watch the elderly person who is wearing it. The device collects information to see if the person has fallen or has wandered away from where he or she should be.

    The assisted-living project is part of the university's wider Interhome project, which is the development of a smart house. The house remembers the habits of the person who lives there and it uses very low amounts of energy. The Interhome team hope that offering this service will help take care of the elderly. They say, "It's very important that these technologies are there to help and support and not replace any of the existing services."

    The Interhome is not just a research method. It's also a way for students from different scientific backgrounds to learn and develop technology. The university uses the latest technology to help students get experience by developing new hardware and software themselves. The team includes design, engineering and computer science students working together.

    "We are working on a smart-home project in Watford with some companies at the moment," says the project leader. "We are looking at how a smart home can provide even more services." This could help millions of old people around the world have a better and safer life in the future.

    Measles (麻疹), which once killed 450 children each year and disabled even more, was nearly wiped out in the United States 14 years ago by the universal use of the MMR vaccine (疫苗). But the disease is making a comeback, caused by a growing anti-vaccine movement and misinformation that is spreading quickly. Already this year, 115 measles cases have been reported in the USA, compared with 189 for all of last year.

    The numbers might sound small, but they are the leading edge of a dangerous trend. When vaccination rates are very high, as they still are in the nation as a whole, everyone is protected. This is called "herd immunity", which protects the people who get hurt easily, including those who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons, babies too young to get vaccinated and people on whom the vaccine doesn't work.

    But herd immunity works only when nearly the whole herd joins in. When some refuse vaccination and seek a free ride, immunity breaks down and everyone is in even bigger danger. That's exactly what is happening in small neighborhoods around the country from Orange County, California, where 22 measles cases were reported this month, to Brooklyn, N.Y., where a 17-year-old caused an outbreak last year.

    The resistance to vaccine has continued for decades, and it is driven by a real but very small risk. Those who refuse to take that risk selfishly make others suffer.

    Making things worse are state laws that make it too easy to opt out (决定不参加) of what are supposed to be required vaccines for all children entering kindergarten. Seventeen states allow parents to get an exemption (豁免), sometimes just by signing a paper saying they personally object to a vaccine.

    Now, several states are moving to tighten laws by adding new regulations for opting out. But no one does enough to limit exemptions. Parents ought to be able to opt out only for limited medical or religious reasons. But personal opinions? Not good enough. Everyone enjoys the life-saving benefits vaccines provide, but they'll exist only as long as everyone shares in the risks.

We are currently experiencing an unprecedented era in the realm of space exploration, marked by a surge in the retrieval and study of celestial samples. This "golden age" is characterized by the active efforts of global space agencies to gather and analyze material from various celestial bodies, including asteroids, moons, and planets.

China's Chang'e 5 mission stands out as a recent triumph in this endeavor. On December 17, the Chang'e 5 lunar probe successfully concluded its journey by landing in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, as reported by China Daily. This mission, the first lunar sample-return endeavor since 1976, managed to secure an impressive 1,713 grams of lunar rocks and dust, utilizing advanced drilling technology and robotic arms.

Similarly, on December 6, Japan's Hayabusa 2 probe achieved a remarkable feat by returning a capsule filled with samples from the asteroid Ryugu. This marks the second instance of asteroid samples being collected and brought back to Earth, following the original Hayabusa spacecraft's accomplishment in 2010.

The momentum in this field is set to continue, with NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft anticipated to return to Earth in 2023, carrying samples from the asteroid Bennu. Additionally, Russia's Lunar-25 mission is poised to launch in 2021, with the objective of collecting lunar samples.

The significance of these sample-return missions cannot be overstated. They hold the potential to shed light on long-standing mysteries that have baffled scientists, such as the origins of life and the emergence of water on Earth. As Ann Nguyen, a NASA planetary scientist, emphasizes, "I cannot emphasize enough how valuable return samples are for increasing our understanding of the origin and evolution of our solar system and our place in the universe, and how we came to be."

Upon arrival on Earth, these celestial samples undergo meticulous analysis using sophisticated instruments. These analyses can yield more detailed insights than what can be gleaned from photographs or robotic rovers alone.

In the case of the Chang'e 5 lunar samples, scientists will employ a variety of analytical methods, tests, and experiments to determine the composition, structure, and physical properties of the lunar material. This comprehensive understanding will contribute to a deeper comprehension of the moon's history and, by extension, the broader history of our solar system.

Though we have only begun to explore the surface of these celestial bodies, both in a literal and figurative sense, the knowledge we have gained is already substantial. The journey of discovery is far from over, with a wealth of mysteries still waiting to be unveiled.