Abstract: Through the exploration of the lived experiences, beliefs and values of instructional leaders, teachers and students in Finland, Germany and Canada, we investigated the factors which contribute to developmentally responsive, intellectually engaging middle-level learning environments for early adolescents. Student-centred leadership dimensions, effective instructional practices and student agency were examined through the lens of current policy and research on middle-level learning environments emerging from the Canadian province of Manitoba. Consideration of these three research perspectives in the context of early adolescent learning, placed against an international backdrop, provided a previously undocumented perspective on leading, teaching and learning in the middle years. Aligning with a social constructivist, qualitative research paradigm, the study incorporated collective case study methodology, along with constructivist grounded theory methods of data analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews and document review, as well as direct and participant observation. Three case study narratives were developed to share the rich stories of study participants, who had been selected using maximum variation and intensity sampling techniques. Interview transcript data were coded using processes from constructivist grounded theory. A cross-case analysis yielded a conceptual framework highlighting key factors that were found to be significant in the establishment of developmentally responsive, intellectually engaging middle-level learning environments. Seven core categories emerged from the cross-case analysis as common to all three countries. Within the visual conceptual framework (which depicts the interconnected nature of leading, teaching and learning in middle-level learning environments), these seven core categories were grouped into Essential Factors (student agency, voice and choice), Contextual Factors (instructional practices; school culture; engaging families and the community), Synergistic Factors (instructional leadership) and Cornerstone Factors (education as a fundamental cultural value; preservice, in-service and ongoing teacher development). In addition, sub-factors emerged from recurring codes in the data and identified specific characteristics and actions found in developmentally responsive, intellectually engaging middle-level learning environments. Although this study focused on 12 schools in Finland, Germany and Canada, it informs the practice of educators working with early adolescent learners in middle-level learning environments internationally. The authentic voices of early adolescent learners are the most important resource educators have to gauge if they are creating effective learning environments for their students. Ongoing professional dialogue and learning is essential to ensure teachers are supported in their work and develop the pedagogical practices needed to meet the needs of early adolescent learners. It is critical to balance consistency, coherence and dependability in the school environment with the necessary flexibility in order to support the unique learning needs of early adolescents. Educators must intentionally create a school culture that unites teachers, students and their families in support of a common purpose, as well as nurture positive relationships between the school and its community. A large, urban school district in Canada has implemented a school cohort-based model to begin to bring developmentally responsive, intellectually engaging middle-level learning environments to scale.
Abstract: Niosomes were formulated with an aim of enhancing the oral bioavailability of losartan potassium and formulated in different molar ratios of surfactant, cholesterol and dicetyl phosphate. The formulated niosomes were found in range of 54.98 µm to 107.85 µm in size. Formulations with 1:1 ratio of surfactant and cholesterol have shown maximum entrapment efficiencies. Niosomes with sorbitan monostearate showed maximum drug release and zero order release kinetics, at the end of 24 hours. The in vivo study has shown the significant enhancement in oral bioavailability of losartan potassium in rats, after a dose of 10 mg/kg. The average relative bioavailability in relation with pure drug solution was found 2.56, indicates more than two fold increase in oral bioavailability. A significant increment in MRT reflects the release retarding ability of the vesicles. In conclusion, niosomes could be a promising delivery of losartan potassium with improved oral bioavailability and prolonged release profiles.
Abstract: Philip Morris International (PMI) is developing a range
of novel tobacco products with the potential to reduce individual
risk and population harm in comparison to smoking cigarettes.
One of these products is the Tobacco Heating System 2.2 (THS
2.2), (named as the Electrically Heated Tobacco System (EHTS) in
this paper), already commercialized in a number of countries (e.g.,
Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Portugal and Romania). During use,
the patented EHTS heats a specifically designed tobacco product
(Electrically Heated Tobacco Product (EHTP)) when inserted into
a Holder (heating device). The EHTP contains tobacco material in
the form of a porous plug that undergoes a controlled heating process
to release chemical compounds into vapors, from which an aerosol
is formed during cooling. The aim of this work was to investigate
the aerosol formation characteristics for realistic operating conditions
of the EHTS as well as for relevant gas mixture compositions
measured in the EHTP aerosol consisting mostly of water, glycerol
and nicotine, but also other compounds at much lower concentrations.
The nucleation process taking place in the EHTP during use when
operated in the Holder has therefore been modeled numerically using
an extended Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) for multicomponent
gas mixtures. Results from the performed simulations demonstrate
that aerosol droplets are formed only in the presence of an aerosol
former being mainly glycerol. Minor compounds in the gas mixture
were not able to reach a supersaturated state alone and therefore
could not generate aerosol droplets from the multicomponent gas
mixture at the operating conditions simulated. For the analytically
characterized aerosol composition and estimated operating conditions
of the EHTS and EHTP, glycerol was shown to be the main aerosol
former triggering the nucleation process in the EHTP. This implies
that according to the CNT, an aerosol former, such as glycerol
needs to be present in the gas mixture for an aerosol to form
under the tested operating conditions. To assess if these conclusions
are sensitive to the initial amount of the minor compounds and to
include and represent the total mass of the aerosol collected during
the analytical aerosol characterization, simulations were carried out
with initial masses of the minor compounds increased by as much
as a factor of 500. Despite this extreme condition, no aerosol
droplets were generated when glycerol, nicotine and water were
treated as inert species and therefore not actively contributing to the
nucleation process. This implies that according to the CNT, an aerosol
cannot be generated without the help of an aerosol former, from
the multicomponent gas mixtures at the compositions and operating
conditions estimated for the EHTP, even if all minor compounds are
released or generated in a single puff.
Abstract: In the last decades, an increasing set of companies adopted lean philosophy to improve their productivity and efficiency promoting the so-called continuous improvement concept, reducing waste of time and cutting off no-value added activities. In parallel, increasing attention rises toward green practice and management through the spread of the green supply chain pattern, to minimise landfilled waste, drained wastewater and pollutant emissions. Starting from a review on contributions deepening lean and green principles applied to supply chain management, the most relevant drivers to measure the performance of industrial processes are pointed out. Specific attention is paid on the role of cost because it is of key importance and it crosses both lean and green principles. This analysis leads to figure out an original reference framework for integrating lean and green principles in designing and managing supply chains. The proposed framework supports the application, to the whole value chain or to parts of it, e.g. distribution network, assembly system, job-shop, storage system etc., of the lean-green integrated perspective. Evidences show that the combination of the lean and green practices lead to great results, higher than the sum of the performances from their separate application. Lean thinking has beneficial effects on green practices and, at the same time, methods allowing environmental savings generate positive effects on time reduction and process quality increase.
Abstract: Integration of foreign communities has been a forefront issue in Luxembourg for some time now. The country’s continued progress depends largely on the successful integration of immigrants. The aim of our study was to analyze factors which intervene in the course of integration of Non-EU citizens through the discourse of Non-EU citizens residing in Luxembourg, who have signed the Welcome and Integration Contract (CAI). The two-year contract offers integration services to assist foreigners in getting settled in the country. Semi-structured focus group discussions with 50 volunteers were held in English, French, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian or Chinese. Participants were asked to talk about their integration experiences. Recorded then transcribed, the transcriptions were analyzed with the help of NVivo 10, a qualitative analysis software. A systematic and reiterative analysis of decomposing and reconstituting was realized through (1) the identification of predetermined categories (difficulties, challenges and integration needs) (2) initial coding – the grouping together of similar ideas (3) axial coding – the regrouping of items from the initial coding in new ways in order to create sub-categories and identify other core dimensions. Our results show that intervening factors include language acquisition, professional career and socio-cultural activities or events. Each of these factors constitutes different components whose weight shifts from person to person and from situation to situation. Connecting these three emergent factors are two elements essential to the success of the immigrant’s integration – the role of time and deliberate effort from the immigrants, the community, and the formal institutions charged with helping immigrants integrate. We propose a theoretical model where the factors described may be classified in terms of how they predispose, facilitate, and / or reinforce the process towards a successful integration. Measures currently in place propose one size fits all programs yet integrative measures which target the family unit and those customized to target groups based on their needs would work best.
Abstract: Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a signaling layer protocol for building, adjusting and ending sessions among participants including Internet conferences, telephone calls and multimedia distribution. SIP facilitates user movement by proxying and forwarding requests to the present location of the user. In this paper, we provide a formal Specification and Description Language (SDL) and Message Sequence Chart (MSC) to model and define the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) SIP protocol and its sample services resulted from informal SIP specification. We create an “Abstract User Interface” using case analysis so that can be applied to identify SIP services more explicitly. The issued sample SIP features are then used as case scenarios; they are revised in MSCs format and validated to their corresponding SDL models.
Abstract: This case study aims to identify teachers’ perception as regards integrity in School-Ba sed Assessment (PBS) practice. This descriptive study involved 9 teachers from 4 secondary schools in 3 districts in the state of Perak. The respondents had undergone an integrity in PBS Practice interview using a focused group discussion method. The overall findings showed that the teachers believed that integrity in PBS practice could be achieved by adjusting the teaching methods align with learning objectives and the students’ characteristics. Many teachers, parents and student did not understand the best practice of PBS. This would affect the integrity in PBS practice. Teachers did not emphasis the principles and ethics. Their integrity as an innovative public servant may also be affected with the frequently changing assessment system, lack of training and no prior action research. The analysis of findings showed that the teachers viewed that organizational integrity involving the integrity of PBS was difficult to be implemented based on the expectations determined by Malaysia Ministry of Education (KPM). A few elements which assisted in the achievement of PBS integrity were the training, students’ understanding, the parents’ understanding of PBS, environment (involving human resources such as support and appreciation and non-human resources such as technology infrastructure readiness and media). The implications of this study show that teachers, as the PBS implementers, have a strong influence on the integrity of PBS. However, the transformation of behavior involving PBS integrity among teachers requires the stabilisation of support and infrastructure in order to enable the teachers to implement PBS in an ethical manner.
Abstract: Cybersecurity is one of the greatest challenges society faces in an age revolving around technological development. With cyber-attacks on the continuous rise, the nation needs to understand and learn ways that can prevent such attacks. A major contribution that can change the education system is to implement laboratories and competitions into academia. This method can improve and educate students with more hands-on exercises in a highly motivating setting. Considering the fact that students are the next generation of the nation’s workforce, it is important for students to understand concepts not only through books, but also through actual hands-on experiences in order for them to be prepared for the workforce. An effective cybersecurity education system is critical for creating a strong cyber secure workforce today and for the future. This paper emphasizes the need for awareness and the need for competitions and cybersecurity laboratories to be implemented into the education system.
Abstract: In this era of online communication, which transacts data in 0s and 1s, confidentiality is a priced commodity. Ensuring safe transmission of encrypted data and their uncorrupted recovery is a matter of prime concern. Among the several techniques for secure sharing of images, this paper proposes a k out of n region incrementing image sharing scheme for color images. The highlight of this scheme is the use of simple Boolean and arithmetic operations for generating shares and the Lagrange interpolation polynomial for authenticating shares. Additionally, this scheme addresses problems faced by existing algorithms such as color reversal and pixel expansion. This paper regenerates the original secret image whereas the existing systems regenerates only the half toned secret image.
Abstract: In this study, spatial differences of Power Transmission Line (PTL) and effects of the situation before and after the urban regeneration are studied by using Geographical Information System (GIS). In addition, a questionable and analyzable structure is acquired by developed system. In the study area many parcels on the PTL were analyzed. The amount of the parcels, which are affected by the negativity of PTL is clearly seen with the aid of generated maps. Some kind of changes are exhibited in the system, which are created by GIS, for instance before urban regeneration PTL was very close to people’s private properties and huge parts of PTL were among the buildings, however; after urban regeneration electricity lines were changed their locations to the underground. According to the results, GIS can be used as a device in planning and managing of PTL in urban regeneration projects and can be used for analyses. By the help of GIS technology, necessary investigations should be carried out in urban regeneration applications for creating sustainable cities.
Abstract: The paper deals with finding and describing of the
effective marketing communication forms relating to the segment
50+ in the financial market in the Czech Republic. The segment 50+
can be seen as a great marketing potential in the future but
unfortunately the Czech financial institutions haven´t still reacted
enough to this fact and they haven´t prepared appropriate marketing
programs for this customers´ segment. Demographic aging is a
fundamental characteristic of the current European population
evolution but the perspective of further population aging is more
noticeable in the Czech Republic. This paper is based on data from
one part of primary marketing research. Paper determinates the basic
problem areas as well as definition of marketing communication in
the financial market, defining the primary research problem,
hypothesis and primary research methodology. Finally suitable
marketing communication approach to selected sub-segment at age of
50-60 years is proposed according to marketing research findings.
Abstract: Numerical approach based on the electrical simulation method is proposed to solve a nonlinear transient heat conduction problem with nonlinear boundary for a spherical body. This problem represents a strong nonlinearity in both the governing equation for temperature dependent thermal property and the boundary condition for combined convective and radiative cooling. By analysing the equivalent electrical model using the electrical circuit simulation program HSPICE, transient temperature and heat flux distributions at sphere can be obtained easily and fast. The solutions clearly illustrate the effect of the radiation-conduction parameter Nrc, the Biot number and the linear coefficient of temperature dependent conductivity and heat capacity. On comparing the results with corresponding numerical solutions, the accuracy and efficiency of this computational method is found to be good.
Abstract: We are facing regional problems to low birth rate and longevity in Japan. Under this situation, there are some local municipalities which lose their vitality. The aims of this study are to clarify the present state of local public transportation services in local municipalities and relation between local public transportation services and population quantitatively. We conducted a questionnaire survey concerning regional agenda in all local municipalities in Japan. We obtained responses concerning the present state of convenience in use of public transportation and local public transportation services. Based on the data gathered from the survey, it is apparent that we should some sort of measures concerning public transportation services. Convenience in use of public transportation becomes an object of public concern in many rural regions. It is also clarified that some local municipalities introduce a demand bus for the purpose of promotion of administrative and financial efficiency. They also introduce a demand taxi in order to secure transportation to weak people in transportation and eliminate of blank area related to public transportation services. In addition, we construct a population model which includes explanatory variables of present states of local public transportation services. From this result, we can clarify the relation between public transportation services and population quantitatively.
Abstract: Since the beginning of distance education with the rapid evolution of technology, the social network plays a vital role in the educational process to enforce the interaction been the learners and teachers. There are many Web 2.0 technologies, services and tools designed for educational purposes. This research aims to investigate instructors’ acceptance towards web-based learning systems in higher educational institutes in Kingdom of Bahrain. Questionnaire is used to investigate the instructors’ usage of Web 2.0 and the factors affecting their acceptance. The results confirm that instructors had high accessibility to such technologies. However, patterns of use were complex. Whilst most expressed interest in using online technologies to support learning activities, learners seemed cautious about other values associated with web-based system, such as the shared construction of knowledge in a public format. The research concludes that there are main factors that affect instructors’ adoption which are security, performance expectation, perceived benefits, subjective norm, and perceived usefulness.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is investigating the influences of logistics performance on organizational performance including both marketing & financial aspects, and showing the financial impacts of selecting the right marketing and logistics priorities in line with their supply chain type, and also giving the practitioners an advance identification of their priorities and participation types of supply chain, and the best combination of their strategies and resources in this regard. We made use of the original model’s questionnaire to gather all expert’s data and also SPSS and AMOS Ver.22 to analyze the gathered data. CFA method was also used to test whether a relationship between observed variables and their underlying latent constructs exists. Supply chain strategy implementation leads to logistics performance improvement, and marketing performance will be affected as well. Logistics service providers should focus on enhancement of supply chain performance, since logistics performance has been considered as a basis of evaluation of supply chain management strategy. Consequently, performance of the organization will be enhanced. This case is the first research made in Iran that analyzes the relationship between Logistics & Organizational performance in Home Appliances and Home Entertainment companies.
Abstract: Present project consists in a study and a development
of piezoelectric devices for supplying power to new generation
pacemakers. They are miniaturized leadless implants without battery
placed directly in right ventricle. Amongst different acceptable
energy sources in cardiac environment, we choose the solution of a
device based on conversion of the energy produced by pressure
variation inside the heart into electrical energy. The proposed energy
harvesters can meet the power requirements of pacemakers, and can
be a good solution to solve the problem of regular surgical operation.
With further development, proposed device should provide enough
energy to allow pacemakers autonomy, and could be good candidate
for next pacemaker generation.
Abstract: The objectives of this research were to study the level
of influencing factors, leadership, supply chain management,
innovation, competitive advantages, business success, and affecting
factors to the business success of the mobile phone system service
providers in Bangkok Metropolitan. This research was done by the
quantitative approach and the qualitative approach. The quantitative
approach was used for questionnaires to collect data from the 331
mobile service shop managers franchised by AIS, Dtac and
TrueMove. The mobile phone system service providers/shop
managers were randomly stratified and proportionally allocated into
subgroups exclusive to the number of the providers in each network.
In terms of qualitative method, there were in-depth interviews of 6
mobile service providers/managers of Telewiz and Dtac and
TrueMove shop to find the agreement or disagreement with the
content analysis method. Descriptive Statistics, including Frequency,
Percentage, Means and Standard Deviation were employed; also, the
Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used as a tool for data
analysis. The content analysis method was applied to identify key
patterns emerging from the interview responses. The two data sets
were brought together for comparing and contrasting to make the
findings, providing triangulation to enrich result interpretation. It
revealed that the level of the influencing factors – leadership,
innovation management, supply chain management, and business
competitiveness had an impact at a great level, but that the level of
factors, innovation and the business, financial success and nonbusiness
financial success of the mobile phone system service
providers in Bangkok Metropolitan, is at the highest level. Moreover,
the business influencing factors, competitive advantages in the
business of mobile system service providers which were leadership,
supply chain management, innovation management, business
advantages, and business success, had statistical significance at .01
which corresponded to the data from the interviews.
Abstract: This study aims to explore and compare the current
condition of community radio stations in Phutthamonthon district,
Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand, as well as the challenges they
are facing. Qualitative research tools including in-depth interviews;
documentary analysis; focus group interviews; and observation, are
used to examine the content, programming, and management
structure of three community radio stations currently in operation
within the district. Research findings indicate that the management
and operational approaches adopted by the two non-profit stations
included in the study, Salaya Pattana and Voice of Dhamma, are
more structured and effective than that of the for-profit Tune Radio.
Salaya Pattana – backed by the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol
University, and the charity-funded Voice of Dhamma, are
comparatively free from political and commercial influence, and able
to provide more relevant and consistent community-oriented content
to meet the real demand of the audience. Tune Radio, on the other
hand, has to rely solely on financial support from political factions
and business groups, which heavily influence its content.
Abstract: Recently, Graphene Nanoribbon Field Effect Transistors (GNR FETs) attract a great deal of attention due to their better performance in comparison with conventional devices. In this paper, channel length Modulation (CLM) effect on the electrical characteristics of GNR FETs is analytically studied and modeled. To this end, the special distribution of the electric potential along the channel and current-voltage characteristic of the device is modeled. The obtained results of analytical model are compared to the experimental data of published works. As a result, it is observable that considering the effect of CLM, the current-voltage response of GNR FET is more realistic.
Abstract: Acreage response function are modeled taking account of expected harvest prices, weather related variables and other non-price variables allowing for partial adjustment possibility. At the outset, based on the literature on price expectation formation, we explored suitable formulations for estimating the farmer’s expected prices. Assuming that farmers form expectations rationally, the prices of food and biofuel crops are modeled using time-series methods for possible ARCH/GARCH effects to account for volatility. The prices projected on the basis of the models are then inserted to proxy for the expected prices in the acreage response functions. Food crop acreages in different growing states are found sensitive to their prices relative to those of one or more of the biofuel crops considered. The required percentage improvement in food crop yields is worked to offset the acreage loss.