WorldWideScience

Sample records for effect enabling universal

  1. Knowledge Management Practices and Enablers in Public Universities: A Gap Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramachandran, Sharimllah Devi; Chong, Siong-Choy; Wong, Kuan-Yew

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the gap between knowledge management (KM) practices and key strategic enablers in public universities. For this purpose, a 57-item survey on two dimensions--"use" and "importance"--was used as the instrument for this study. Design/methodology/approach: The questionnaire was…

  2. Writeshops: An effective tool to enable African academics to publish

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Vincent, K

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available -1 Writeshops: An effective tool to enable African academics to publish Vincent*, K., T. Cull, (Kulima Integrated Development Solutions, South Africa) E. Archer van Garderen, (CSIR, South Africa) and A. Awiti, (Aga Khan University, Kenya) * Corresponding... Seipt, Lisa Schipper and Richard J. T. Klein for their commitment to writeshops, and for various discussions on improving the accessibility of developing country researchers to the peer-reviewed literature. ...

  3. The Usage and Impact of Internet Enabled Phones on Academic Concentration among Students of Tertiary Institutions: A Study at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ezemenaka, Emeka

    2013-01-01

    The usage of Internet enabled phones has been a 21st century phenomenon that spreads for different purposes and functions. This study looks into the usage and perceived effect implications internet enabled phones have on the academic performance of the tertiary students using University of Ibadan students in Nigeria as a case study. The study was…

  4. Integrating Technology into Instruction at a Public University in Kyrgyzstan: Barriers and Enablers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhametjanova, Gulshat; Cagiltay, Kursat

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine enablers and barriers to the technology integration into education based on the example of the situation at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University as reported by students and instructors. The study employed the mixed-methods research design, combining data obtained from 477 student and 57 instructor…

  5. Detroit regional transit study : a study of factors that enable and inhibit effective regional transit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-03-01

    An interdisciplinary team of six faculty members and six students at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) conducted a : comprehensive study of the factors enabling or inhibiting development of effective regional transit. Focusing on Metro Detroit an...

  6. Encouraging engagement in enabling programs: The students’ perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzi Hellmundt

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Student retention is a key concern in tertiary education enabling programs with research showing that early engagement leads to higher completion rates (Hodges et al., 2013. But how do students new to university education learn how to engage effectively? This article outlines an engagement framework that foregrounds Guidance, Encouragement, Modelling and Structure (GEMS as a holistic approach to facilitating effective student engagement. This framework was developed from qualitative data gleaned from students enrolled in the Preparing for Success Program at Southern Cross University, New South Wales, Australia. The findings from the students indicate that the GEMS framework activates student potential and enables them to use existing knowledge and experience to not only deepen and broaden their learning but also successfully prepare for further study.

  7. Nordic Housing Enabler

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helle, Tina; Brandt, Åse

    Development and reliability testing of the Nordic Housing Enabler – an instrument for accessibility assessment of the physical housing. Tina Helle & Åse Brandt University of Lund, Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine (SE) and University College Northern Jutland, Occupational Therapy department (DK......). Danish Centre for Assistive Technology. Abstract. For decades, accessibility to the physical housing environment for people with functional limitations has been of interest politically, professionally and for the users. Guidelines and norms on accessible housing design have gradually been developed......, however, the built environment shows serious deficits when it comes to accessibility. This study addresses development of a content valid cross-Nordic version of the Housing Enabler and investigation of inter-rater reliability, when used in occupational therapy practice. The instrument was translated from...

  8. Supporting Pre-Service Teachers' Technology-Enabled Learning Design Thinking through Whole of Programme Transformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bower, Matt; Highfield, Kate; Furney, Pam; Mowbray, Lee

    2013-01-01

    This paper explains a development and evaluation project aimed at transforming two pre-service teacher education programmes at Macquarie University to more effectively cultivate students' technology-enabled learning design thinking. The process of transformation was based upon an explicit and sustained focus on developing university academics'…

  9. Males in Enabling: Painting a portrait through narrative

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frank Armstrong

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The number of males entering higher education via an enabling pathway is slowly increasing; yet, males still battle with the anti-intellectual attitude that is prevalent in regional areas of Australia. Previous research undertaken by the authors began exploring the factors that inhibited or enhanced the male experience within an enabling course. This paper expands upon this research with a deeper focus on the male experience through personalised accounts derived from individual interviews. Using qualitative methodology and narrative inquiry, the findings provide a deeper understanding of the issues that males of different ages face when creating a new identity as a university student. This paper shares insights into what motivated the male students to enter university via an enabling pathway; the actual personal experiences both positive and negative during this time; and the effect that this commitment to study had on them personally and the people around them. The lens of transformative theory underpins this research through exploring frames of reference that align with the students’ experiences. Portraiture prose shares the individual stories which are analysed and the key findings extrapolated.

  10. The Mason Water Data Information System (MWDIS): Enabling data sharing and discovery at George Mason University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, C.; Da Silva, A. L.; Nunes, A.; Haddad, J.; Lawler, S.

    2014-12-01

    Enabling effective data use and re-use in scientific investigations relies heavily not only on data availability but also on efficient data sharing discovery. The CUAHSI led Hydrological Information Systems (HIS) and supporting products have paved the way to efficient data sharing and discovery in the hydrological sciences. Based on the CUAHSI-HIS framework concepts for hydrologic data sharing we developed a unique system devoted to the George Mason University scientific community to support university wide data sharing and discovery as well as real time data access for extreme events situational awareness. The internet-based system will provide an interface where the researchers will input data collected from the measurement stations and present them to the public in form of charts, tables, maps, and documents. Moreover, the system is developed in ASP.NET MVC 4 using as Database Management System, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, and hosted by Amazon Web Services. Currently the system is supporting the Mason Watershed Project providing historical hydrological, atmospheric and water quality data for the campus watershed and real time flood conditions in the campus. The system is also a gateway for unprecedented data collection of hurricane storm surge hydrodynamics in coastal wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay providing not only access to historical data but recent storms such as Hurricane Arthur. Future research includes coupling the system to a real-time flood alert system on campus, and besides providing data on the World Wide Web, to foment and provide a venue for interdisciplinary collaboration within the water scientists in the region.

  11. Perception of Information Technology Enablers for Effective Supply Chain Management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fedor Brookman; Jakobus Smit; Gilbert Gilbert Silvius

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports a study on the importance of enablers in order for IT to support effective supply chain management, as perceived defined by different positions in the supply chain. In the study, a significant difference for the enabler “Funds for IT enablement” is found between the supplier

  12. Developing as an Academic Leader in a University of Technology in South Africa: Dealing with enabling and constraining teaching and learning environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    'Mabokang Liteboho Monnapula-Mapesela

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available While the South African legislation is an enabler for equity, inclusiveness, social justice and the advancement of women for academic leadership roles, institutional cultures and structures are often debilitating. This paper presents the development trajectory of a Black woman as an academic development leader in a South African University of Technology. It examines structural and cultural factors acting as enablers or constraints to leadership development and career advancement for Black women. It analyses dominant structural frames and undertakings of different University stakeholders (agents, which cause stagnation and resistance to morphogenesis and government’s transformation agenda. Using Participatory Narrative Inquiry (PNI, I narrate personal experiences and insights as a participant researcher. I interrogate the experiences, observations and influence of various structural and cultural modalities within Margaret Archer’s (1995 social realist framework of structure, culture and agency. I highlight the implications of these for development of a Black female academic development leader.

  13. Internationalisation at South African universities: The role of a ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Many South African universities have not developed effective and efficient internal administrative organisational structures to enable them to address the current internationalisation challenges. How should South African universities develop internal structures to internationalise their campuses? Drawing from the U.S. ...

  14. Status of ICT-enabled library and information services in university ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... it was suggested that there should be budget provision for digital library projects and series and that private sector investment should be promoted in university libraries. Based on these findings, some recommendations were made. The library, especially a university library, as platform for innovation and creativity requires ...

  15. Boundary Spanning in Higher Education: How Universities Can Enable Success

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skolaski, Jennifer Pauline

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this research is to better understand the identity and work of academic and extension staff who have boundary spanning responsibilities. The results will help universities, especially public land-grant universities with an outreach mission, to create stronger policies and systems to support boundary spanning staff members…

  16. Collaboration Between Universities: An effective way of sustaining community-university partnerships?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Pratt

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available This article highlights some of the opportunities and challenges that collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs can bring to the development of sustainable community-university partnerships. In particular, it explores the potential for universities to collaborate on building effective engagement mechanisms (such as helpdesks, ‘hub and spoke’ contact models, and research groups to review ideas for activities that will support an ongoing flow of new projects and partnerships over time. It draws on evidence gathered from the evaluation and coordination of the South East Coastal Communities (SECC program, an almost unique experiment in collaboration between English universities. In an ‘age of austerity’, opportunities to reduce costs without damaging core services are of particular interest to public funding bodies. The article suggests that collaboration between universities may be an efficient and effective way of engaging with local communities, but that it is not cost-free, and high-level strategic buy-in within HEIs is required if community-university partnerships are to thrive in the current higher education funding environment. The article also suggests that there may be a geographic dimension to effective collaboration between universities in both community-university partnership work and the mechanisms that support community engagement. Inter-university collaboration across the whole region covered by the SECC program has been much weaker than collaboration at a subregional level and within ‘city-regions’ in particular. This raises a key question: does the natural geography for effective collaboration between universities need to reflect, at least in part, the geographies of communities themselves, in terms of lived experiences and/or community representation? Such a debate has interesting and timely parallels in the United Kingdom, where the new coalition government is bringing about a fundamental shift in the

  17. Data article on the effectiveness of entrepreneurship curriculum contents on entrepreneurial interest and knowledge of Nigerian university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olokundun, Maxwell; Iyiola, Oluwole; Ibidunni, Stephen; Ogbari, Mercy; Falola, Hezekiah; Salau, Odunayo; Peter, Fred; Borishade, Taiye

    2018-06-01

    The article presented data on the effectiveness of entrepreneurship curriculum contents on university students' entrepreneurial interest and knowledge. The study focused on the perceptions of Nigerian university students. Emphasis was laid on the first four universities in Nigeria to offer a degree programme in entrepreneurship. The study adopted quantitative approach with a descriptive research design to establish trends related to the objective of the study. Survey was be used as quantitative research method. The population of this study included all students in the selected universities. Data was analyzed with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Mean score was used as statistical tool of analysis. The field data set is made widely accessible to enable critical or a more comprehensive investigation.

  18. Enabling University Satellites to Travel to the Moon and Beyond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siy, Grace; Branam, Richard

    2017-11-01

    Electric propulsion is a method of creating thrust for space exploration that requires less propellant than traditional chemical rockets by producing much higher exhaust velocities, and subsequently costing less. Currently, such forms of propulsion are unable to generate the vast amounts of thrust that traditional thrusters do, thus research is being done in the area. The focus of this project is Hall Effect thrusters, a specific type of ion propulsion. The distinctive feature of these thrusters are magnets which capture the electrons from the cathode. These electrons ionize the propellant gas and then interact with the present electric field to accelerate the resulting ions, generating thrust. The objectives of this project include building two Hall thrusters with different magnet configurations, collecting performance data, and testing with a Faraday probe that directly measures current density. The first magnet configuration will be a conventional Hall Effect thruster arrangement, while the second thruster's magnets are arranged to create a significantly stronger magnetic field. The performance data and Faraday probe results will be used to determine the level of improvement between the thrusters. The goal is to integrate a Hall Effect propulsion system into the university's Cube-Sat program. Special Acknowledgement of the REU Site: Fluid Mechanics with Analysis using Computations and Experiments (FM-ACE) EEC 1659710.

  19. The accidental universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, P.C.W.

    1982-01-01

    Is our universe an accident of nature. The mysterious coincidences underlying the structure and properties of the universe that we inhabit are examined. This is the first book for the non-specialist reader to present in depth the provocative hypothesis that the structure of the physical world is exceedingly contrived in its appearance. A survey is presented of the range of apparently miraculous accidents of nature that have enabled the universe to evolve its familiar structures: atoms, stars, galaxies, and life itself. This book concludes with an investigation of the so-called 'anthropic principle' which postulates that 'miraculous coincidences' are inevitable in any universe containing conscious observers. This thesis of a cosmic biological selection effect will both reassure and enrage readers, the very existence of whom may be related to fine tuning in the laws of physics. (author)

  20. Exploring students’ uses of and dispositions towards learning technologies in an Australian enabling course

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rhian Morgan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available University progression is increasingly dependent upon students developing a range of digital literacies in conjunction with the skills associated with their disciplines. University enabling and pathway programs, in particular, have a key part to play in supporting students to interact with technologies for learning. Widening participation and increased student diversity result in highly variable levels of digital literacy in the classroom. As such, universities need to develop strategies to effectively respond to the differing abilities of students entering the sector. This paper contributes to the development of such responses through a case study exploring students’ use of and dispositions towards technologies in an open access enabling course. In this context ‘open access’ refers to the course admission requirements and the fact that the course enrollments are open to anyone over the age of eighteen, regardless of their prior schooling experience. The paper identifies trends in students’ uses of technology, such as preferences for mobile content and blended learning environments, before concluding with a discussion of how these findings can be mobilised in curriculum development.

  1. Enabling universal memory by overcoming the contradictory speed and stability nature of phase-change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Weijie; Loke, Desmond; Shi, Luping; Zhao, Rong; Yang, Hongxin; Law, Leong-Tat; Ng, Lung-Tat; Lim, Kian-Guan; Yeo, Yee-Chia; Chong, Tow-Chong; Lacaita, Andrea L

    2012-01-01

    The quest for universal memory is driving the rapid development of memories with superior all-round capabilities in non-volatility, high speed, high endurance and low power. Phase-change materials are highly promising in this respect. However, their contradictory speed and stability properties present a key challenge towards this ambition. We reveal that as the device size decreases, the phase-change mechanism changes from the material inherent crystallization mechanism (either nucleation- or growth-dominated), to the hetero-crystallization mechanism, which resulted in a significant increase in PCRAM speeds. Reducing the grain size can further increase the speed of phase-change. Such grain size effect on speed becomes increasingly significant at smaller device sizes. Together with the nano-thermal and electrical effects, fast phase-change, good stability and high endurance can be achieved. These findings lead to a feasible solution to achieve a universal memory.

  2. Paper Capillary Enables Effective Sampling for Microfluidic Paper Analytical Devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shangguan, Jin-Wen; Liu, Yu; Wang, Sha; Hou, Yun-Xuan; Xu, Bi-Yi; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan

    2018-06-06

    Paper capillary is introduced to enable effective sampling on microfluidic paper analytical devices. By coupling mac-roscale capillary force of paper capillary and microscale capillary forces of native paper, fluid transport can be flexibly tailored with proper design. Subsequently, a hybrid-fluid-mode paper capillary device was proposed, which enables fast and reliable sampling in an arrayed form, with less surface adsorption and bias for different components. The resulting device thus well supports high throughput, quantitative, and repeatable assays all by hands operation. With all these merits, multiplex analysis of ions, proteins, and microbe have all been realized on this platform, which has paved the way to level-up analysis on μPADs.

  3. Universality of the Unruh effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modesto, Leonardo; Myung, Yun Soo; Yi, Sang-Heon

    2018-02-01

    In this paper we prove the universal nature of the Unruh effect in a general class of weakly nonlocal field theories. At the same time we solve the tension between two conflicting claims published in literature. Our universality statement is based on two independent computations based on the canonical formulation as well as path integral formulation of the quantum theory.

  4. The effect of technology-enabled active learning on undergraduate students understanding of electromagnetism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dori, Y.J.

    2005-01-01

    Full Text:The Technology-Enabled Active Learning Project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) involves media-rich software for simulation and visualization in freshman physics carried out in a specially redesigned classroom to facilitate group interaction. These technology-based learning materials are especially useful in electromagnetism to help students conceptualize phenomena and processes. This study analyzes the effects of the unique learning environment of the Technology-Enabled Active Learning Project project on students cognitive and affective outcomes. The assessment of the project included examining students conceptual understanding before and after studying electromagnetism in a media-rich environment. We also investigated the effect of this environment on students preferences regarding the various teaching methods. As part of the project, we developed pre- and post-tests consisting of conceptual questions from standardized tests, as well as questions designed to assess the effect of visualizations and experiments. The research population consisted of 811 undergraduate students. It consisted of a small- and a large-scale experimental groups and a control group. Technology-Enabled Active Learning Project students improved their conceptual understanding concepts of the subject matter to a significantly higher extent than their control group peers. A majority of the students in the small-scale experiment noted that they would recommend the Technology-Enabled Active Learning Project course to fellow students, indicating the benefits of inter activity, visualization, and hands-on experiments, which the technology helped enable. In the large-scale implementation students expressed both positive and negative attitudes in the course survey

  5. Enablement, Constraint, and "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlone, David

    2001-01-01

    Uses interviews to examine how the self-help book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" shapes the identity of organization members who read and use the book. Suggests that such people are simultaneously enabled and constrained as they confront tensions between individualism and community, competition and cooperation, and domination and…

  6. Entering University Studies: Identifying Enabling Factors for a Successful Transition from School to University

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGhie, Venicia

    2017-01-01

    The South African higher education sector is faced with high attrition and low retention rates. Studies conducted by the Council on Higher Education in South Africa have found that 50% of black students who access university study drop out, and the majority of dropouts occurred in the first year of study. While these studies revealed what the…

  7. Supporting Online, Non-Traditional Students through the Introduction of Effective E-Learning Tools in a Pre-University Tertiary Enabling Programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambrinidis, George

    2014-01-01

    The increasing number of external students enrolling at Charles Darwin University has led to the university investing in new technologies to provide better support for students studying online. Many students, however, come from non-traditional backgrounds and lack some of the skills and confidence to participate successfully in an e-learning…

  8. Global network centrality of university rankings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Weisi; Del Vecchio, Marco; Pogrebna, Ganna

    2017-10-01

    Universities and higher education institutions form an integral part of the national infrastructure and prestige. As academic research benefits increasingly from international exchange and cooperation, many universities have increased investment in improving and enabling their global connectivity. Yet, the relationship of university performance and its global physical connectedness has not been explored in detail. We conduct, to our knowledge, the first large-scale data-driven analysis into whether there is a correlation between university relative ranking performance and its global connectivity via the air transport network. The results show that local access to global hubs (as measured by air transport network betweenness) strongly and positively correlates with the ranking growth (statistical significance in different models ranges between 5% and 1% level). We also found that the local airport's aggregate flight paths (degree) and capacity (weighted degree) has no effect on university ranking, further showing that global connectivity distance is more important than the capacity of flight connections. We also examined the effect of local city economic development as a confounding variable and no effect was observed suggesting that access to global transportation hubs outweighs economic performance as a determinant of university ranking. The impact of this research is that we have determined the importance of the centrality of global connectivity and, hence, established initial evidence for further exploring potential connections between university ranking and regional investment policies on improving global connectivity.

  9. The Universal One-Loop Effective Action

    CERN Document Server

    Drozd, Aleksandra; Quevillon, Jérémie; You, Tevong

    2016-01-01

    We present the universal one-loop effective action for all operators of dimension up to six obtained by integrating out massive, non-degenerate multiplets. Our general expression may be applied to loops of heavy fermions or bosons, and has been checked against partial results available in the literature. The broad applicability of this approach simplifies one-loop matching from an ultraviolet model to a lower-energy effective field theory (EFT), a procedure which is now reduced to the evaluation of a combination of matrices in our universal expression, without any loop integrals to evaluate. We illustrate the relationship of our results to the Standard Model (SM) EFT, using as an example the supersymmetric stop and sbottom squark Lagrangian and extracting from our universal expression the Wilson coefficients of dimension-six operators composed of SM fields.

  10. The universal one-loop effective action

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drozd, Aleksandra; Ellis, John; Quevillon, Jérémie; You, Tevong

    2016-01-01

    We present the universal one-loop effective action for all operators of dimension up to six obtained by integrating out massive, non-degenerate multiplets. Our general expression may be applied to loops of heavy fermions or bosons, and has been checked against partial results available in the literature. The broad applicability of this approach simplifies one-loop matching from an ultraviolet model to a lower-energy effective field theory (EFT), a procedure which is now reduced to the evaluation of a combination of matrices in our universal expression, without any loop integrals to evaluate. We illustrate the relationship of our results to the Standard Model (SM) EFT, using as an example the supersymmetric stop and sbottom squark Lagrangian and extracting from our universal expression the Wilson coefficients of dimension-six operators composed of SM fields.

  11. Factors Effecting E-Learning Preference: An Analysis On Turkish University Students From Government and Private Institutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emine Sevinç Çağlar

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Informationand communications technology has become an important tool in education. The use of online e-learning by members of educational communities isincreasing, and this seems to bean accelerating tendency that will go on for the coming years. So it isimportant to identify and address students’ preferences or their anxieties ine-learning, to offer beneficial programs. Although Turkish educational system,especially in universities, is also taking action parallel to this globaltrend, there is only limited research on the subject. Present study aims tofill this gap, andto identify effective factors while highlighting theircontributions on e-learning preferences of university students. The sample ofthe study consist 606 university students from both government and privateinstitutions which enables group comparisons. Results indicate ‘reduction intraining costs’ and ‘time flexibility of the programs’ are the most valuedfactors to prefer e-learning. On the other hand,having courses and the exams on the internet was not found to be muchfavorable. With respect to demographic variables such as age, gender,private/government university, department, and grade (the year at theuniversity group differences were identified. Based on the findings,suggestions were presented.

  12. Key Enablers of Effective Implementation of TQM in Royal Jet Airways

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moza Tahnoon Al Nahyan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Total quality management (TQM is a unified management approach that concentrates on the consecutive improvement of processes, products, and methods to surpass client expectations. This paper aims to highlight the advantages of implementing TQM in the airline industry by examining the key enablers of TQM. This study was based on a research model including six factors that were found to have a profound influence in implementing TQM. The data needed for the study was collected with the aid of questionnaires and secondary sources. The study discovered that procedures, policies, and a culture of knowledge transfer were the most significant enablers of successful TQM initiatives in Royal Jet Airways. In order to effectively implement TQM, the study suggests that management should offer appropriate recognition and rewards to employees. This will motivate them to adopt and practice TQM initiatives. Apart from that, management should also arrange seminars or workshops to accustom the employees to the basic procedures and objectives of effective TQM.

  13. The echo-enabled harmonic generation options for FLASH II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng, Haixiao; Decking, Winfried; Faatz, Bart

    2011-03-01

    FLASH II is an upgrade to the existing free electron laser (FEL) FLASH. The echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) scheme is proposed to be a potential seeding option of FLASH II. In this paper, the possibility of EEHG operation of FLASH II is investigated for the first time. With a combination of existing numerical codes, i.e. a laser-beam interaction code in an undulator (LBICU), a beam tracking code in a chicane (ELEGANT) and an universal FEL simulating code (GENESIS), the effects of beam energy chirp and coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) on EEHG operation are studied as well. In addition, several interesting issues concerning EEHG simulation are discussed. (orig.)

  14. Some progress towards ''universal'' effective interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomez, J.M.G.

    1983-01-01

    The approximation methods introduced to treat the nuclear many-body problem usually imply that the appropriate nuclear force is an effective interaction, different from the free nucleon-nucleon interaction. An effective interaction is thus intimately related to a given nuclear model and its scope is generally confined to the description of a limited number of nuclei or nuclear states. However, in recent years there has been some progress towards ''universal'' effective nucleon-nucleon interactions, in the sense that they may be reasonably suitable to describe bulk properties of nuclear ground states throughout the periodic table and also properties of excited states. The authors conclude that a finite-range density-dependent effective interaction of the Gogny's type is capable of describing a large number of static and dynamical nuclear properties throughout the periodic table, including open-shell nuclei. Hopefully it may provide clues for the definition of some ''universal'' effective force

  15. Measuring effectiveness of a university by a parallel network DEA model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kashim, Rosmaini; Kasim, Maznah Mat; Rahman, Rosshairy Abd

    2017-11-01

    Universities contribute significantly to the development of human capital and socio-economic improvement of a country. Due to that, Malaysian universities carried out various initiatives to improve their performance. Most studies have used the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to measure efficiency rather than effectiveness, even though, the measurement of effectiveness is important to realize how effective a university in achieving its ultimate goals. A university system has two major functions, namely teaching and research and every function has different resources based on its emphasis. Therefore, a university is actually structured as a parallel production system with its overall effectiveness is the aggregated effectiveness of teaching and research. Hence, this paper is proposing a parallel network DEA model to measure the effectiveness of a university. This model includes internal operations of both teaching and research functions into account in computing the effectiveness of a university system. In literature, the graduate and the number of program offered are defined as the outputs, then, the employed graduates and the numbers of programs accredited from professional bodies are considered as the outcomes for measuring the teaching effectiveness. Amount of grants is regarded as the output of research, while the different quality of publications considered as the outcomes of research. A system is considered effective if only all functions are effective. This model has been tested using a hypothetical set of data consisting of 14 faculties at a public university in Malaysia. The results show that none of the faculties is relatively effective for the overall performance. Three faculties are effective in teaching and two faculties are effective in research. The potential applications of the parallel network DEA model allow the top management of a university to identify weaknesses in any functions in their universities and take rational steps for improvement.

  16. Investigation of Advanced Propellants to Enable Single Stage to Orbit Launch Vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-10-30

    ERS-PAS-2006-205) 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES Graduate work for California State University, Fresno 14. ABSTRACT Single-Stage-To-Orbit ( SSTO ...and maintained. Despite well-funded development efforts, no SSTO vehicles have been fielded to date. Existing chemical rocket and vehicle...technologies do not enable feasible SSTO designs. In the future, new propellants with advanced properties could enable SSTO launch vehicles. A parametric

  17. Effective University Teaching: Views of Australian University Students from Low Socio-Economic Status Backgrounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devlin, Marcia; O'Shea, Helen

    2012-01-01

    As the Australian higher education population further diversifies as a result of federal government policy changes, the collective understanding of effective university teaching in the Australian context will need to evolve to incorporate such shifts. The Australian Government has set clear targets for increased university participation of people…

  18. Effects of Energy Chirp on Echo-Enabled Harmonic Generation Free-Electron Lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Z.

    2009-01-01

    We study effects of energy chirp on echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG). Analytical expressions are compared with numerical simulations for both harmonic and bunching factors. We also discuss the EEHG free-electron laser bandwidth increase due to an energy-modulated beam and its pulse length dependence on the electron energy chirp

  19. Study of the Effect of Brand Equity Drivers on University Brand Resonance (Case Study:Amir Kabir university, Sharif university, Tarbiat Modares university, Tehran university)

    OpenAIRE

    mojtaba karimian; Hamid khodadad hosseini; Asqar moshabaki

    2015-01-01

    Branding in business of institutions of higher education is one of the issues that recently have been attracted by many researchers and therefore administrators must conduct in depth studies and take effective steps in order to devise a brand strategy so that they can make a strong brand for universities. Thus, this article investigated the quality of branding and presented suggestions to improve the brand resonance of university. The main objective of the study is to show that how brand reso...

  20. Using Email to Enable E[superscript 3] (Effective, Efficient, and Engaging) Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, ChanMin

    2008-01-01

    This article argues that technology that supports both noncognitive and cognitive aspects can make learning more effective, efficient, and engaging (e[superscript 3]-learning). The technology of interest in this article is email. The investigation focuses on characteristics of email that are likely to enable e[superscript 3]-learning. In addition,…

  1. University career centres – venues of non-formal learning for students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabina Žnidaršič Žagar

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Incorporation of young people, including tertiary graduates, into the labour market is facing stagnation in Slovenia. Besides external factors that are beyond the control of an individual, good employability also depends on personal characteristics of the employment seeker. Awareness of the importance of good employability means empowering and strengthening individuals through process of lifelong learning, thus enabling them to find and retain sustainable employment within the labour market. This consequently enables them to fulfil their career goals and creatively contribute to their own personal satisfaction and success, as well as that of society as a whole. Universities in Slovenia have established careers centres. The University of Ljubljana opened its first careers centre years ago (in 2008, and we are now beginning to see the results, which are similar to those achieved by careers centres of other European universities. This confirms that promotion and facilitation of good employability is more effective when careers centres are closely involved in the study process.

  2. Alliance group formation: enabling and constraining effects of embeddedness and social capital in strategic technology alliance networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duysters, G.M.; Lemmens, C.E.A.V.

    2003-01-01

    The role of embeddedness and social capital in the process of alliance group formation in strategic technology alliance networks is examined. In particular, the social mechanisms that enable and enforce alliance group formation is studies. It is argued that the enabling effect of embeddedness during

  3. Scientists Interacting With University Science Educators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spector, B. S.

    2004-12-01

    Scientists with limited time to devote to educating the public about their work will get the greatest multiplier effect for their investment of time by successfully interacting with university science educators. These university professors are the smallest and least publicized group of professionals in the chain of people working to create science literate citizens. They connect to all aspects of formal and informal education, influencing everything from what and how youngsters and adults learn science to legislative rulings. They commonly teach methods of teaching science to undergraduates aspiring to teach in K-12 settings and experienced teachers. They serve as agents for change to improve science education inside schools and at the state level K-16, including what science content courses are acceptable for teacher licensure. University science educators are most often housed in a College of Education or Department of Education. Significant differences in culture exist in the world in which marine scientists function and that in which university science educators function, even when they are in the same university. Subsequently, communication and building relationships between the groups is often difficult. Barriers stem from not understanding each other's roles and responsibilities; and different reward systems, assumptions about teaching and learning, use of language, approaches to research, etc. This presentation will provide suggestions to mitigate the barriers and enable scientists to leverage the multiplier effect saving much time and energy while ensuring the authenticity of their message is maintained. Likelihood that a scientist's message will retain its authenticity stems from criteria for a university science education position. These professors have undergraduate degrees in a natural science (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, geology), and usually a master's degree in one of the sciences, a combination of natural sciences, or a master's including

  4. Fuel properties to enable lifted-flame combustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurtz, Eric [Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (United States)

    2015-03-15

    The Fuel Properties to Enable Lifted-Flame Combustion project responded directly to solicitation DE-FOA-0000239 AOI 1A, Fuels and Lubricants for Advanced Combustion Regimes. This subtopic was intended to encompass clean and highly-efficient, liquid-fueled combustion engines to achieve extremely low engine-out nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) as a target and similar efficiency as state-of-the-art direct injection diesel engines. The intent of this project was to identify how fuel properties can be used to achieve controllable Leaner Lifted Flame Combustion (LLFC) with low NOx and PM emissions. Specifically, this project was expected to identify and test key fuel properties to enable LLFC and their compatibility with current fuel systems and to enhance combustion models to capture the effect of fuel properties on advanced combustion. Successful demonstration of LLFC may reduce the need for after treatment devices, thereby reducing costs and improving thermal efficiency. The project team consisted of key technical personnel from Ford Motor Company (FMC), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). Each partner had key roles in achieving project objectives. FMC investigated fuel properties relating to LLFC and sooting tendency. Together, FMC and UW developed and integrated 3D combustion models to capture fuel property combustion effects. FMC used these modeling results to develop a combustion system and define fuel properties to support a single-cylinder demonstration of fuel-enabled LLFC. UW investigated modeling the flame characteristics and emissions behavior of different fuels, including those with different cetane number and oxygen content. SNL led spray combustion experiments to quantify the effect of key fuel properties on combustion characteristics critical for LLFC, as well as single cylinder optical engine experiments to improve fundamental

  5. Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Partnership ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Partnership 2007-2009. For almost 30 years, IDRC has enabled the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada to provide Canadian universities with liaison and information services on international development through its International Relations Division.

  6. Phase transitions enable computational universality in neuristor-based cellular automata

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pickett, Matthew D; Stanley Williams, R

    2013-01-01

    We recently demonstrated that Mott memristors, two-terminal devices that exhibit threshold switching via an insulator to conductor phase transition, can serve as the active components necessary to build a neuristor, a biomimetic threshold spiking device. Here we extend those results to demonstrate, in simulation, neuristor-based circuits capable of performing general Boolean logic operations. We additionally show that these components can be used to construct a one-dimensional cellular automaton, rule 137, previously proven to be universal. This proof-of-principle shows that localized phase transitions can perform spiking computation, which is of particular interest for neuromorphic hardware. (paper)

  7. Direct and indirect effects of enablers on HIV testing, initiation and retention in antiretroviral treatment and AIDS related mortality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safarnejad, Ali; Izazola-Licea, Jose-Antonio

    2017-01-01

    An enabling environment is believed to have significant and critical effects on HIV and AIDS program implementation and desired outcomes. This paper estimates the paths, directionality, and direct and indirect associations between critical enablers with antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage and to AIDS-related mortality. Frameworks that consider the role of enablers in HIV and AIDS programs were systematically reviewed to develop a conceptual model of interaction. Measurements for constructs of the model were pooled from the latest publicly available data. A hypothetical model, including latent/unobserved factors and interaction of enablers, program activities and outcomes, was analyzed cross-sectionally with structural equation modeling. Coefficients of the model were used to estimate the indirect associations of enablers to treatment coverage and the subsequent associated impact on AIDS related mortality. The model's fit was adequate (RMSEA = 0·084, 90% CI [0·062, 0·104]) and the indirect effects of enablers on outcomes were measured. Enablers having significant associations with increased ART coverage were social/financial protection, governance, anti-discrimination, gender equality, domestic AIDS spending, testing service delivery, and logistics. Critical enablers are significantly correlated to outcomes like ART coverage and AIDS related mortality. Even while this model does not allow inference on causality, it provides directionality and magnitude of the significant associations.

  8. The effective factors on library anxiety of students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashrafi-Rizi, Hasan; Sajad, Maryam Sadat; Rahmani, Sedigheh; Bahrami, Susan; Papi, Ahmad

    2014-01-01

    The efficient use of libraries can be an important factor in determining the educational quality of Universities. Therefore, investigation and identification of factors affecting library anxiety becomes increasingly necessary. The purpose of this research is to determine the factors effecting library anxiety of students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. This was an applied survey research using Bostick's Library Anxiety questionnaire as data gathering tool. The statistical population consisted of all students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (15011 students) with the sample size of 375 using stratified random sampling. The validity of data gathering tool was confirmed by experts in the library and information science and its reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha (r = 0.92). Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test and ANOVA) were used for data analysis using SPSS 18 software. Findings showed that the mean of library anxiety score was 2.68 and 2.66 for students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences respectively which is above average (2.5). Furthermore, age and gender had no meaningful effect on the library anxiety of students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, but gender had a meaningful effect on library anxiety of students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences while age had no such effect. The results showed that the mean of factors effecting library anxiety in students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences is higher than average and therefore not satisfactory and only factors relating to feeling comfortable in the library is lower than average and somewhat satisfactory.

  9. The evolution of Ω in inflationary universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madsen, M.S.; Ellis, G.F.R.

    1988-01-01

    Phase-plane diagrams are presented showing the evolution of the cosmological density parameter Ω in terms of the Robertson-Walker scale factor S. These diagrams are given for both simple fluids and for mixtures of fluids; this enables construction of such diagrams for inflationary universes, whether the inflation is exponential or power-law inflation. The diagrams enable simple consideration of the evolution of the density parameter in inflationary universe models, and clearly demonstrate that there exist such models leading to any value whatever for Ω at the present day. (author)

  10. NASA's Universe of Learning: Engaging Learners in Discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cominsky, L.; Smith, D. A.; Lestition, K.; Greene, M.; Squires, G.

    2016-12-01

    NASA's Universe of Learning is one of 27 competitively awarded education programs selected by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to enable scientists and engineers to more effectively engage with learners of all ages. The NASA's Universe of Learning program is created through a partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Chandra X-ray Center, IPAC at Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Exoplanet Exploration Program, and Sonoma State University. The program will connect the scientists, engineers, science, technology and adventure of NASA Astrophysics with audience needs, proven infrastructure, and a network of over 500 partners to advance the objectives of SMD's newly restructured education program. The multi-institutional team will develop and deliver a unified, consolidated suite of education products, programs, and professional development offerings that spans the full spectrum of NASA Astrophysics, including the Exoplanet Exploration theme. Program elements include enabling educational use of Astrophysics mission data and offering participatory experiences; creating multimedia and immersive experiences; designing exhibits and community programs; providing professional development for pre-service educators, undergraduate instructors, and informal educators; and, producing resources for special needs and underserved/underrepresented audiences. This presentation will provide an overview of the program and process for mapping discoveries to products and programs for informal, lifelong, and self-directed learning environments.

  11. Direct and indirect effects of enablers on HIV testing, initiation and retention in antiretroviral treatment and AIDS related mortality.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Safarnejad

    Full Text Available An enabling environment is believed to have significant and critical effects on HIV and AIDS program implementation and desired outcomes. This paper estimates the paths, directionality, and direct and indirect associations between critical enablers with antiretroviral treatment (ART coverage and to AIDS-related mortality.Frameworks that consider the role of enablers in HIV and AIDS programs were systematically reviewed to develop a conceptual model of interaction. Measurements for constructs of the model were pooled from the latest publicly available data. A hypothetical model, including latent/unobserved factors and interaction of enablers, program activities and outcomes, was analyzed cross-sectionally with structural equation modeling. Coefficients of the model were used to estimate the indirect associations of enablers to treatment coverage and the subsequent associated impact on AIDS related mortality.The model's fit was adequate (RMSEA = 0·084, 90% CI [0·062, 0·104] and the indirect effects of enablers on outcomes were measured. Enablers having significant associations with increased ART coverage were social/financial protection, governance, anti-discrimination, gender equality, domestic AIDS spending, testing service delivery, and logistics.Critical enablers are significantly correlated to outcomes like ART coverage and AIDS related mortality. Even while this model does not allow inference on causality, it provides directionality and magnitude of the significant associations.

  12. Blended Learning: enabling Higher Education Reform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathleen Matheos

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Blended learning research and practice have been areas of growth for two decades in Canada, with over 95% of Canadian higher education institutions involved in some form of blended learning. Despite strong evidence based research and practice blended learning, for the most part, has remained at sidelined in Canadian universities. The article argues the need for blended learning to situate itself within the timely and crucial Higher Education Reform (HER agenda. By aligning the affordances of blended learning with the components of HER, blended learning can clearly serve as an enabler for HER.

  13. The NHERI RAPID Facility: Enabling the Next-Generation of Natural Hazards Reconnaissance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wartman, J.; Berman, J.; Olsen, M. J.; Irish, J. L.; Miles, S.; Gurley, K.; Lowes, L.; Bostrom, A.

    2017-12-01

    The NHERI post-disaster, rapid response research (or "RAPID") facility, headquartered at the University of Washington (UW), is a collaboration between UW, Oregon State University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Florida. The RAPID facility will enable natural hazard researchers to conduct next-generation quick response research through reliable acquisition and community sharing of high-quality, post-disaster data sets that will enable characterization of civil infrastructure performance under natural hazard loads, evaluation of the effectiveness of current and previous design methodologies, understanding of socio-economic dynamics, calibration of computational models used to predict civil infrastructure component and system response, and development of solutions for resilient communities. The facility will provide investigators with the hardware, software and support services needed to collect, process and assess perishable interdisciplinary data following extreme natural hazard events. Support to the natural hazards research community will be provided through training and educational activities, field deployment services, and by promoting public engagement with science and engineering. Specifically, the RAPID facility is undertaking the following strategic activities: (1) acquiring, maintaining, and operating state-of-the-art data collection equipment; (2) developing and supporting mobile applications to support interdisciplinary field reconnaissance; (3) providing advisory services and basic logistics support for research missions; (4) facilitating the systematic archiving, processing and visualization of acquired data in DesignSafe-CI; (5) training a broad user base through workshops and other activities; and (6) engaging the public through citizen science, as well as through community outreach and education. The facility commenced operations in September 2016 and will begin field deployments beginning in September 2018. This poster will provide an overview

  14. Provision of Effectiveness of University Education on the Market Economy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuznetsov, Nikolai; Usenko, Lyudmila; Ivanova, Olga; Kostoglodova, Elena

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and determine the effectiveness of university education on the economy of various countries. Design/methodology/approach: To determine the necessity and expedience of making provision for the effectiveness of university education on the market economy, this work uses the method of regression and…

  15. Effectiveness of Relationship Marketing Tactics in a University Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trocchia, Philip J.; Finney, R. Zachary; Finney, Treena Gillespie

    2013-01-01

    We test the correlation between student perception of three university relationship-building tactics--commercial friendships, preferential treatment, and tangible rewards--with university student satisfaction. We also test whether two student characteristics--enduring involvement with education and sense of entitlement--have a moderating effect on…

  16. ECT: its brain enabling effects. A review of electroconvulsive therapy-induced structural brain plasticity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bouckaert, F.; Sienaert, P.; Obbels, J.; Dols, A.; Vandenbulcke, M.; Stek, M.L.; Bolwig, T.

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Since the past 2 decades, new evidence for brain plasticity has caused a shift in both preclinical and clinical ECT research from falsifying the "brain damage hypothesis" toward exploring ECT's enabling brain (neuro)plasticity effects. METHODS: By reviewing the available animal and human

  17. Contagion effect of enabling or coercive use of costing model within the managerial couple in lean organizations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Thomas; Israelsen, Poul

    In the lean strategy is enabling formalization behaviour expected at the lower levels of management to be successful. We study the contagion effect between the superior, middle manager, of the lower level manager. This effect is proposed to be a dominant contingency variable for the use of costin...... models at the lower levels of management. Thus the use of costing models at the middle manager level is an important key to be successful with the lean package.......In the lean strategy is enabling formalization behaviour expected at the lower levels of management to be successful. We study the contagion effect between the superior, middle manager, of the lower level manager. This effect is proposed to be a dominant contingency variable for the use of costing...

  18. Competencies, Roles and Effective Academic Leadership in World Class University

    OpenAIRE

    Elham Shahmandi; Abu Daud Silong; Ismi Arif Ismail; Bahaman Bin Abu Samah; Jamilah Othman

    2011-01-01

    How an academic leader can become more effective? This research question is examined in the context of middle level leadership in research universities that includes the Deans and Head of Departments. It is based on a review of literature that focuses on the investigation of effective academic leadership. In the present situation of globalization, academic excellence is often related to being World Class University. Leadership effectiveness is more related to situational leadership style in r...

  19. Dissipative effects in Friedmann universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima, J.A.S. de; Waga, I.

    1988-01-01

    The relationship between the the different temperatures present in a radiative plasma is examined. In particular, the physical and the operational meanings of Eckart's temperature are discussed. An entropy density formula for the radiative component and its fractional rate are derived. We have also suggested a reformulation of Weinberg's conditions for maximum entropy production. The effect of radiative bulk viscosity in diluting monopoles in the very early universe is estimated. (author) [pt

  20. Doctors' health: obstacles and enablers to returning to work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, D; Rhydderch, M; Reading, P; Williams, S

    2015-08-01

    For doctors returning to work after absence due to ill-health or performance concerns, the obstacles can seem insurmountable. Doctors' perspectives of these obstacles have been investigated. To support them more effectively, the perspectives of organizations that interact with such doctors should also be considered. To explore the obstacles and enablers to doctors' return to work after long-term absence from the perspective of key organizations involved in assessment and support. We identified organizations operating in the field of doctors' health, well-being and performance. We conducted semi-structured, 30-45 min telephone interviews with representatives of the organizations, exploring problems that they had encountered that were experienced by doctors with health or performance concerns returning to work after absence of a month or longer. We analysed our field notes using theoretical analysis. We conducted 11 telephone interviews. Data analysis identified four key themes of obstacles and enablers to returning to work: 'communication', 'return to work', 'finance and funding' and 'relationships and engagement'. Sub-themes relating to the organization and the individual also emerged. Organizations responsible for supporting doctors back to work reported poor communication as a significant obstacle to doctors returning to work after illness. They also reported differences between specialities, employing organizations, occupational health departments and human resources in terms of knowledge and expertise in supporting doctors with complex issues. Clear communication channels, care pathways and support processes, such as workplace advocates, were perceived as strong enablers to return to work for doctors after long-term absence. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Spacetime deformation effect on the early universe and the PTOLEMY experiment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raul Horvat

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Using a fully-fledged formulation of gauge field theory deformed by the spacetime noncommutativity, we study its impact on relic neutrino direct detection, as proposed recently by the PTOLEMY experiment. The noncommutative background tends to influence the propagating neutrinos by providing them with a tree-level vector-like coupling to photons, enabling thus otherwise sterile right-handed (RH neutrinos to be thermally produced in the early universe. Such a new component in the universe's background radiation has been switched today to the almost fully active sea of non-relativistic neutrinos, exerting consequently some impact on the capture on tritium at PTOLEMY. The peculiarities of our nonperturbative approach tend to reflect in the cosmology as well, upon the appearances of the coupling temperature, above which RH neutrinos stay permanently decoupled from thermal environment. This entails the maximal scale of noncommutativity as well, being of order of 10−4MPl, above which there is no impact whatsoever on the capture rates at PTOLEMY. The latter represents an exceptional upper bound on the scale of noncommutativity coming from phenomenology.

  2. Exploring the Effect of Geographical Proximity and University Quality on University-Industry Collaboration in the United Kingdom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laursen, Keld; Reichstein, Toke; Salter, Ammon

    2011-01-01

    Exploring the effect of geographical proximity and university quality on university–industry collaboration in the United Kingdom, Regional Studies. This paper concerns the geographical distance between a firm and the universities in its local area. It is argued that firms' decisions to collaborat...... collaboration. However, it is also found that if faced with the choice, firms appear to give preference to the research quality of the university partner over geographical closeness. This is particularly true for high-research and development intensive firms....

  3. The conceptual map for university effectiveness | Nkata | Makerere ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A model by Mintzberg (1979) and DeLeeuw (1986) is adopted to demonstrate interrelationship of the five basic elements of effectives – goals, organisational culture, structure, environment, and primary processes. Theoretical orientation that underpin the concept of university effectiveness are discussed under the themes of ...

  4. Mixed heavy–light matching in the Universal One-Loop Effective Action

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ellis, Sebastian A.R.; Quevillon, Jérémie; You, Tevong; Zhang, Zhengkang

    2016-01-01

    Recently, a general result for evaluating the path integral at one loop was obtained in the form of the Universal One-Loop Effective Action. It may be used to derive effective field theory operators of dimensions up to six, by evaluating the traces of matrices in this expression, with the mass dependence encapsulated in the universal coefficients. Here we show that it can account for loops of mixed heavy–light particles in the matching procedure. Our prescription for computing these mixed contributions to the Wilson coefficients is conceptually simple. Moreover it has the advantage of maintaining the universal structure of the effective action, which we illustrate using the example of integrating out a heavy electroweak triplet scalar coupling to a light Higgs doublet. Finally we also identify new structures that were previously neglected in the universal results.

  5. NASA Centers and Universities Collaborate Through Smallsat Technology Partnerships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cockrell, James

    2018-01-01

    The Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) Program within the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate is chartered develop and demonstrate the capabilities that enable small spacecraft to achieve science and exploration missions in "unique" and "more affordable" ways. Specifically, the SST program seeks to enable new mission architectures through the use of small spacecraft, to expand the reach of small spacecraft to new destinations, and to make possible the augmentation existing assets and future missions with supporting small spacecraft. The SST program sponsors smallsat technology development partnerships between universities and NASA Centers in order to engage the unique talents and fresh perspectives of the university community and to share NASA experience and expertise in relevant university projects to develop new technologies and capabilities for small spacecraft. These partnerships also engage NASA personnel in the rapid, agile and cost-conscious small spacecraft approaches that have evolved in the university community, as well as increase support to university efforts and foster a new generation of innovators for NASA and the nation.

  6. Universal leakage elimination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byrd, Mark S.; Lidar, Daniel A.; Wu, L.-A.; Zanardi, Paolo

    2005-01-01

    'Leakage' errors are particularly serious errors which couple states within a code subspace to states outside of that subspace, thus destroying the error protection benefit afforded by an encoded state. We generalize an earlier method for producing leakage elimination decoupling operations and examine the effects of the leakage eliminating operations on decoherence-free or noiseless subsystems which encode one logical, or protected qubit into three or four qubits. We find that by eliminating a large class of leakage errors, under some circumstances, we can create the conditions for a decoherence-free evolution. In other cases we identify a combined decoherence-free and quantum error correcting code which could eliminate errors in solid-state qubits with anisotropic exchange interaction Hamiltonians and enable universal quantum computing with only these interactions

  7. IDRC and the University of Alberta

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    IDRC support enables University ... Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is one of the world's leading institutions in ... then PhD student in Educational Policy Studies, docu- ... nesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Taiwan.

  8. Shisha Smoking Habit among Dental School Students in the United Arab Emirates: Enabling Factors and Barriers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natheer H. Al-Rawi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. The objective of the present study was to assess shisha smoking among dental school students in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE. In addition, the role of suggested barriers and enabling factors in shisha smoking was also evaluated. Methods. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted at the College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, between February and May 2016. The questions were adapted from previously published water pipe smoking studies. The collected data were analyzed to identify the relationship between shisha smoking and sociodemographic characteristics. Relevant questions were further categorized as enabling factors and barriers for shisha smoking. Results. Three enabling questionnaire items related to social environment were significantly associated with an increased risk of being a current smoker. The most powerful is peer pressure (“friends smoke shisha”, which increased the odds ratio of shisha smoking 11.3 times, followed by smoker sibling with increase in odd ratio by 4.52 times, then the belief of social acceptance with increase in odd ratio by 4.31 times. Conclusion. Shisha smoking is a serious problem among university students. Any intervention program in the university curricula should consider teaching students that shisha is no less risky than cigarettes and is addictive.

  9. University Infrastructure for Effective Work with Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teitel, Lee

    1994-01-01

    A "10% solution" to systematic coordination of university collaborations with local schools involves a decentralized approach with incentives and a focus for coordination. The overall effect is that the institution lays out no additional cash, redirects funds to support coordination, and intensifies and focuses scattered efforts for…

  10. The Influence of Personal Well-Being on Learning Achievement in University Students Over Time: Mediating or Moderating Effects of Internal and External University Engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu Yu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The current study examined the relationship between students' personal well-being and their learning achievement during university study, and whether such relationship would be mediated or moderated by university engagement. A total of 434 university students from one public university in Hong Kong participated in the study. The participants completed an online survey consisting of personal well-being (cognitive behavioral competence and general positive youth development, university engagement, and learning achievement measures (personal growth, and accumulated GPA as academic achievement at four time points with a 1-year interval. Results showed that personal well-being measured at the beginning of university study positively predicted students' personal growth and academic achievement after 3 years' study. While the internal dimensions of university engagement (academic challenge and learning with peers showed longitudinal significant mediational effect, the external dimensions (experience with faculty and campus environment did not have significant longitudinal moderating effect. Nevertheless, external dimensions of student engagement also showed direct effect on personal growth and academic achievement. The long-standing positive effects of personal well-being on university engagement and subsequently, learning achievement during university years call for more attention to the promotion of holistic development among university students in Hong Kong.

  11. The Influence of Personal Well-Being on Learning Achievement in University Students Over Time: Mediating or Moderating Effects of Internal and External University Engagement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Lu; Shek, Daniel T. L.; Zhu, Xiaoqin

    2018-01-01

    The current study examined the relationship between students' personal well-being and their learning achievement during university study, and whether such relationship would be mediated or moderated by university engagement. A total of 434 university students from one public university in Hong Kong participated in the study. The participants completed an online survey consisting of personal well-being (cognitive behavioral competence and general positive youth development), university engagement, and learning achievement measures (personal growth, and accumulated GPA as academic achievement) at four time points with a 1-year interval. Results showed that personal well-being measured at the beginning of university study positively predicted students' personal growth and academic achievement after 3 years' study. While the internal dimensions of university engagement (academic challenge and learning with peers) showed longitudinal significant mediational effect, the external dimensions (experience with faculty and campus environment) did not have significant longitudinal moderating effect. Nevertheless, external dimensions of student engagement also showed direct effect on personal growth and academic achievement. The long-standing positive effects of personal well-being on university engagement and subsequently, learning achievement during university years call for more attention to the promotion of holistic development among university students in Hong Kong. PMID:29375421

  12. NASA’s Universe of Learning: Engaging Learners in Discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Denise A.; Lestition, Kathleen; Squires, Gordon K.; Greene, W. M.; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Eisenhamer, Bonnie; NASA's Universe of Learning Team

    2016-06-01

    NASA’s Universe of Learning is one of 27 competitively awarded education programs selected by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to enable scientists and engineers to more effectively engage with learners of all ages. The NASA's Universe of Learning program is created through a partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Chandra X-ray Center, IPAC at Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Exoplanet Exploration Program, and Sonoma State University. The program will connect the scientists, engineers, science, technology and adventure of NASA Astrophysics with audience needs, proven infrastructure, and a network of over 500 partners to advance the objectives of SMD’s newly restructured education program. The multi-institutional team will develop and deliver a unified, consolidated suite of education products, programs, and professional development offerings that spans the full spectrum of NASA Astrophysics, including the Cosmic Origins, Physics of the Cosmos, and Exoplanet Exploration themes. Program elements include enabling educational use of Astrophysics mission data and offering participatory experiences; creating multimedia and immersive experiences; designing exhibits and community programs; providing professional development for pre-service educators, undergraduate instructors, and informal educators; and, producing resources for special needs and underserved/underrepresented audiences. This presentation will provide an overview of the program and process for mapping discoveries to products and programs for informal, lifelong, and self-directed learning environments.

  13. The Effect of Service Compact (SERVICOM on Service Delivery in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jude Kennedy Emejulu

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the effect of service compact (Servicom Service delivery in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi. Questionnaire and face-to-face interviews were used in the collection of data. The hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistics. The study discovered among other things that with the inauguration of the SERVICOM Charter by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi identified key areas that required re-evaluation and attention based on the submissions of every service unit and department, after an analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT of each of the service areas. A pre-SERVICOM Charter workshop which was supervised by the Federal Government was held in the various institutions nationwide to enable care providers enumerate their current service capacity and identify their impediments. In the light of the foregoing, some of the recommendations proffered are that the SERVICOM Charter project should be sustained and supervision and control of the SERVICOM Charter project should be intensified in order to ensure that the Nigerian factor of service-fatigue would not supervene in care delivery in the near future.

  14. Comparing internal influential factors affecting accreditation processes in Dutch and Dutch-Caribbean universities: enablers and barriers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Isabella, S.A.; Westerheijden, Donald F.

    2015-01-01

    Obtaining accredited status is of great importance for programmes offered in universities, regardless of their scale, location on this globe and developmental status. However, there are few studies on this in small universities in the global south. During 2009 – 2014 a study was conducted on

  15. Statistical effect of interactions on particle creation in expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kodama, Hideo

    1982-01-01

    The statistical effect of interactions which drives many-particle systems toward equilibrium is expected to change the qualitative and quantitative features of particle creation in expanding universe. To investigate this problem a simplified model called the finite-time reduction model is formulated and applied to the scalar particle creation in the radiation dominant Friedmann universe. The number density of created particles and the entropy production due to particle creation are estimated. The result for the number density is compared with that in the conventional free field theory. It is shown that the statistical effect increases the particle creation and lengthens the active creation period. As for the entropy production it is shown that it is negligible for scalar particles in the Friedmann universe. (author)

  16. Cognitive Counselling Intervention: Treatment Effectiveness in an Italian University Centre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strepparava, Maria Grazia; Bani, Marco; Zorzi, Federico; Corrias, Deborah; Dolce, Rossella; Rezzonico, Giorgio

    2016-01-01

    Offering counselling to students is increasingly considered as a key academic service. However, the reduction of resources allocated to Italian universities emphasises the need to assess the quality of interventions. This paper presents data reporting the effectiveness of a university counselling service. A sample of 45 undergraduate students…

  17. Do UK Universities Communicate Their Brands Effectively through Their Websites?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapleo, Chris; Duran, Maria Victoria Carrillo; Diaz, Ana Castillo

    2011-01-01

    This paper attempts to explore the effectiveness of UK universities' websites. The area of branding in higher education has received increasing academic investigation, but little work has researched how universities demonstrate their brand promises through their websites. The quest to differentiate through branding can be challenging in the…

  18. Waveguiding and mirroring effects in stochastic self-similar and Cantorian ε(∞) universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iovane, G.

    2005-01-01

    A waveguiding effect is considered with respect to the large scale structure of the Universe, where the structures formation appears as if it were a classically self-similar random process at all astrophysical scales. The result is that it seems we live in an El Naschie's ε (∞) Cantorian space-time, where gravitational lensing and waveguiding effects can explain the appearing Universe. In particular, we consider filamentary and planar large scale structures as possible refraction channels for electromagnetic radiation coming from cosmological structures. From this vision the Universe appears like a large self-similar adaptive mirrors set. Consequently, an infinite Universe is just an optical illusion that is produced by mirroring effects connected with the large scale structure of a finite and not so large Universe. Thanks to the presented analytical model supported by a numerical simulation, it is possible to explain the quasar luminosity distribution and the presence of 'twin' or 'brother' objects. More generally, the infinity and the abundance of astrophysical objects could be just a mirroring effect due to the peculiar self-similarity of the Universe

  19. Pay Benefits and Workplace Milieu Effecting Job Satisfaction Level of University Teachers: A Case Study of Punjab University

    OpenAIRE

    Ali Nisar; Muhammad Iqbal Zafar; Babak Mahmood; Malik Muhammad Sohail; Falak Sher; Muhammad Rizwan Safdar

    2012-01-01

    The major concern of the study was to examine the influence of pay satisfaction and workplace milieu on job satisfaction levels in the teaching faculty members of University of Punjab. There were three major objectives of this study. First one was to examine the pay satisfaction level of teaching faculty members of University of the Punjab. Second objective was to examine the effect of workplace milieu on job satisfaction level of teaching faculty members of University of the Punjab. And the ...

  20. Building Effective Community-University Partnerships: Are Universities Truly Ready?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curwood, Susan Eckerle; Munger, Felix; Mitchell, Terry; Mackeigan, Mary; Farrar, Ashley

    2011-01-01

    Community service learning and community-based research necessitate the development of strong community-university partnerships. In this paper, students, faculty, and a community partner critically reflect upon the process of establishing a long-term community-university partnership through the integration of a community service learning component…

  1. The Nigerian University Teachers' Effectiveness as Perceived by Their Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okoye, Nnamdi S.

    2008-01-01

    The study investigated the Delta State University, Abraka, Students' concept of the "effective teacher". A sample of 200 second year university students selected from four faculties were asked to select three most important characteristics of a good teacher from a list of ten. The data obtained were analysed using the percentage…

  2. Miniaturized Power Processing Unit Study: A Cubesat Electric Propulsion Technology Enabler Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghassemieh, Shakib M.

    2014-01-01

    This study evaluates High Voltage Power Processing Unit (PPU) technology and driving requirements necessary to enable the Microfluidic Electric Propulsion technology research and development by NASA and university partners. This study provides an overview of the state of the art PPU technology with recommendations for technology demonstration projects and missions for NASA to pursue.

  3. Promoting universal financial protection: constraints and enabling factors in scaling-up coverage with social health insurance in Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onoka, Chima A; Onwujekwe, Obinna E; Uzochukwu, Benjamin S; Ezumah, Nkoli N

    2013-06-13

    The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Nigeria was launched in 2005 as part of efforts by the federal government to achieve universal coverage using financial risk protection mechanisms. However, only 4% of the population, and mainly federal government employees, are currently covered by health insurance and this is primarily through the Formal Sector Social Health Insurance Programme (FSSHIP) of the NHIS. This study aimed to understand why different state (sub-national) governments decided whether or not to adopt the FSSHIP for their employees. This study used a comparative case study approach. Data were collected through document reviews and 48 in-depth interviews with policy makers, programme managers, health providers, and civil servant leaders. Although the programme's benefits seemed acceptable to state policy makers and the intended beneficiaries (employees), the feasibility of employer contributions, concerns about transparency in the NHIS and the role of states in the FSSHIP, the roles of policy champions such as state governors and resistance by employees to making contributions, all influenced the decision of state governments on adoption. Overall, the power of state governments over state-level health reforms, attributed to the prevailing system of government that allows states to deliberate on certain national-level policies, enhanced by the NHIS legislation that made adoption voluntary, enabled states to adopt or not to adopt the program. The study demonstrates and supports observations that even when the content of a programme is generally acceptable, context, actor roles, and the wider implications of programme design on actor interests can explain decision on policy adoption. Policy implementers involved in scaling-up the NHIS programme need to consider the prevailing contextual factors, and effectively engage policy champions to overcome known challenges in order to encourage adoption by sub-national governments. Policy makers and

  4. A Cyber-Based Data-Enabled Virtual Organization for Wind Load Effects on Civil Infrastructures: VORTEX-Winds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahsan Kareem

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Despite many advances in the area of wind effects on structures in recent decades, research has been traditionally conducted within limited resources scattered geographically. With the trend toward increasingly complex designs of civil infrastructure combined with the escalating potential for losses by extreme wind events, a new culture of research needs to be established based on innovative and collaborative solutions for better management of the impact of extreme wind events. To address this change, this paper presents a new paradigm of a multiscale cyber-based laboratory framework for the analysis/design, modeling, and simulation of wind load effects based on an ongoing collaborative cyberinfrastructure-based platform, Virtual Organization for Reducing the Toll of EXtreme Winds (VORTEX-Winds, https://vortex-winds.org, and discusses its current status since its inception in 2007 and ongoing developments. This collaborative framework as it evolves would enable a paradigm shift by offering advanced cyber-enabled modules (e-modules for accelerating advances in research and education to achieve improved understanding and better modeling of wind effects on structures. Accordingly, it will enhance wind community’s analysis and design capabilities to address next-generation challenges posed by wind. Through empowering those without computational or experimental resources, the e-modules will encompass a large set of subject areas and topics categorized as Database-enabled design, Full-scale/Field site data repository, Statistical/Stochastic toolboxes, Tele-experimentation, Uncertainty modeling, Damage assessment, and Computational platforms. This prototype will allow access to the individual e-module, while it is envisaged that next level of development in VORTEX-Winds will have the capability for an automated and integrated analysis/design through a nexus of e-modules. A highlight of the e-modules currently completed or in development is presented

  5. Marketing Strategies of United Kingdom Universities during Clearing and Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mogaji, Emmanuel

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The clearing system in the UK enables students without a university place after exam results have been announced to find suitable vacancies, as it is important for universities to fill their vacancies as any shortfall loses them a lot of money. The purpose of this paper is to examine marketing strategies adopted by UK universities on…

  6. The effectiveness of a learning strategies program for university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roces Montero, Cristina; Sierra Y Arizmendiarrieta, Beatriz

    2017-11-01

    University lecturers often complain about their students’ lack of learning strategies, but not many universities in Spain offer specific courses in this area. Studies on their effectiveness are also rare. This study presents the results of a Learning Strategies Course implemented at the School of Teacher Training and Education, University of Oviedo, Spain. A quasi-experimental design was used with an experi-mental (n = 60) and a control group (n = 57) of students on the Educational Psychology course. A Spanish adaptation of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ): the CEAMR2 was used as a pre and post-test measure. Group A (EG) received training in learning strategies, while group B (CG) received no training. Post-test measures showed significant differences in five out of the ten learning strategies assessed: elaboration, organization, repetition, self-questioning and study space, and also an improvement in one out of the six motivational scales: control of learning beliefs. The results suggest that learning strategies courses with proven effectiveness should be offered to university students.

  7. DISK FORMATION IN MAGNETIZED CLOUDS ENABLED BY THE HALL EFFECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krasnopolsky, Ruben; Shang, Hsien; Li Zhiyun

    2011-01-01

    Stars form in dense cores of molecular clouds that are observed to be significantly magnetized. A dynamically important magnetic field presents a significant obstacle to the formation of protostellar disks. Recent studies have shown that magnetic braking is strong enough to suppress the formation of rotationally supported disks in the ideal MHD limit. Whether non-ideal MHD effects can enable disk formation remains unsettled. We carry out a first study on how disk formation in magnetic clouds is modified by the Hall effect, the least explored of the three non-ideal MHD effects in star formation (the other two being ambipolar diffusion and Ohmic dissipation). For illustrative purposes, we consider a simplified problem of a non-self-gravitating, magnetized envelope collapsing onto a central protostar of fixed mass. We find that the Hall effect can spin up the inner part of the collapsing flow to Keplerian speed, producing a rotationally supported disk. The disk is generated through a Hall-induced magnetic torque. Disk formation occurs even when the envelope is initially non-rotating, provided that the Hall coefficient is large enough. When the magnetic field orientation is flipped, the direction of disk rotation is reversed as well. The implication is that the Hall effect can in principle produce both regularly rotating and counter-rotating disks around protostars. The Hall coefficient expected in dense cores is about one order of magnitude smaller than that needed for efficient spin-up in these models. We conclude that the Hall effect is an important factor to consider in studying the angular momentum evolution of magnetized star formation in general and disk formation in particular.

  8. Perspectives of Increase of University Education Effectiveness: Use of Private Educational Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyurina, Yulia; Troyanskaya, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the perspectives of increase of effectiveness of university education, related to the use of private educational resources. Design/Methodology/ Approach: In order to determine the dependence of effectiveness of university education on the use of private educational resources, this work uses the…

  9. The EGS Data Collaboration Platform: Enabling Scientific Discovery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weers, Jonathan D [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Johnston, Henry [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Huggins, Jay V [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2018-02-14

    Collaboration in the digital age has been stifled in recent years. Reasonable responses to legitimate security concerns have created a virtual landscape of silos and fortified castles incapable of sharing information efficiently. This trend is unfortunately opposed to the geothermal scientific community's migration toward larger, more collaborative projects. To facilitate efficient sharing of information between team members from multiple national labs, universities, and private organizations, the 'EGS Collab' team has developed a universally accessible, secure data collaboration platform and has fully integrated it with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Geothermal Data Repository (GDR) and the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS). This paper will explore some of the challenges of collaboration in the modern digital age, highlight strategies for active data management, and discuss the integration of the EGS Collab data management platform with the GDR to enable scientific discovery through the timely dissemination of information.

  10. Resource Discovery and Universal Access: Understanding Enablers and Barriers from the User Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Beyene, Wondwossen

    2016-01-01

    Resource discovery tools are keys to explore, find , and retrieve resources from multitudes of collections hosted by library and information systems. Modern resource discovery tools provide facet - rich interfaces that provide multiple alternatives to ex pose resources for their potential users and help them navigate to the resources they need. This paper examines one of those tools from the perspective of universal access, ...

  11. Co-Constructing Community, School, University Partnerships for Urban School Transformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillenwaters, Jamila Najah

    2009-01-01

    University-school-community partnerships represent a collaborative model of urban educational reformation inclusive of all the organizations that impact urban education. Co-constructed relationships among communities, schools, and universities have the potential for redistributing hierarchical power, thereby enabling all partners to contribute to…

  12. Entropy in an expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frautschi, S.

    1982-01-01

    The question of how the observed evolution of organized structures from initial chaos in the expanding universe can be reconciled with the laws of statistical mechanics is studied, with emphasis on effects of the expansion and gravity. Some major sources of entropy increase are listed. An expanding causal region is defined in which the entropy, though increasing, tends to fall further and further behind its maximum possible value, thus allowing for the development of order. The related questions of whether entropy will continue increasing without limit in the future, and whether such increase in the form of Hawking radiation or radiation from positronium might enable life to maintain itself permanently, are considered. Attempts to find a scheme for preserving life based on solid structures fail because events such as quantum tunneling recurrently disorganize matter on a very long but fixed time scale, whereas all energy sources slow down progressively in an expanding universe. However, there remains hope that other modes of life capable of maintaining themselves permanently can be found

  13. Effect of Dentin Wetness on the Bond Strength of Universal Adhesives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    An-Na Choi

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The effects of dentin wetness on the bond strength and adhesive interface morphology of universal adhesives have been investigated using micro-tensile bond strength (μTBS testing and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM. Seventy-two human third molars were wet ground to expose flat dentin surfaces. They were divided into three groups according to the air-drying time of the dentin surfaces: 0 (without air drying, 5, and 10 s. The dentin surfaces were then treated with three universal adhesives: G-Premio Bond, Single Bond Universal, and All-Bond Universal in self-etch or etch-and-rinse mode. After composite build up, a μTBS test was performed. One additional tooth was prepared for each group by staining the adhesives with 0.01 wt % of Rhodamine B fluorescent dye for CLSM analysis. The data were analyzed statistically using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc tests (α = 0.05. Two-way ANOVA showed significant differences among the adhesive systems and dentin moisture conditions. An interaction effect was also observed (p < 0.05. One-way ANOVA showed that All-Bond Universal was the only material influenced by the wetness of the dentin surfaces. Wetness of the dentin surface is a factor influencing the micro-tensile bond strength of universal adhesives.

  14. The role of international sustainable development law principles in enabling effective renewable energy policy – a South African perspective.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Barnard

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available It is universally accepted that renewable energy is an important contributing factor towards the promotion of sustainable development. The implementation of renewable energy needs to be regulated in an effective manner which in turn necessitates the formulation of law and policy geared towards sustainable development. Recent policy developments in South Africa propose to facilitate the promotion of sustainable development through the implementation of renewable energy, among others. In terms of existing energy policy in South-Africa, the interconnectivity of renewable energy and sustainable development is evident. Most notably, the White Paper on Renewable Energy of 2003 promotes increased access to affordable renewable energy in order to contribute to sustainable development. Moreover, the 2008 first review of the National Energy Efficiency Strategy of the Republic of South-Africa of 2005 states that in order for the country’s renewable energy policy to be considered sustainable, it needs to facilitate development in the social, economic and environmental spheres. Notwithstanding, attaining the goal of sustainable development depends on whether all its effecting principles are catered for in the policy developments. Accordingly, in order to ascertain whether South-African law and policy can successfully facilitate/enable sustainable development via the implementation of renewable energy, a specific methodology is proposed. In terms of the New Delhi Declaration of 2002 there are 7 principles of international law effecting sustainable development. These principles will be used as criteria in a principled assessment of South-African renewable energy law and policy in order to establish whether the goal of promoting sustainable development would be effected through the national policy developments.

  15. MARKETING STRATEGY OF THE UNIVERSITY: FORMATION AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION REALIZATION

    OpenAIRE

    Natalia К. Shemetova

    2015-01-01

    The study is aimed at developing an algorithm of formation of university’s marketing strategy and the development of evaluating methods of its effectiveness realization. Despite the competitive expansion of the educational services market and the transition to a system of university self-financing, researchers have not paid due attention to the process of developing the marketing strategy of the university and the evaluation of its effectiveness yet. Methods. The applied methods include the m...

  16. Company-University Collaboration Types As A Determinant For Knowledge Transfer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Woltmann, Sabrina; Alkærsig, Lars

    This paper develops a framework for a novel measurement of outcomes of different types of company-university collaboration. We test whether the level of formalization and the type of interaction influences the outcomes, in particular knowledge transfer. We extend the existing research by applying...... to identify additional forms of knowledge transfer and give companies insights into their potential benefits from different types of relationships. We propose a new perspective that enables companies to shape and adapt their external knowledge search as effective as possible....... novel statistical computational methods form the field of natural language processing to identify the knowledge transfer. We investigate how the level of formalization of collaboration affects the knowledge transfer between universities and companies. Preliminary results indicate that we are able...

  17. Universal core model for multiple-gate field-effect transistors with short channel and quantum mechanical effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Yong Hyeon; Bae, Min Soo; Park, Chuntaek; Park, Joung Won; Park, Hyunwoo; Lee, Yong Ju; Yun, Ilgu

    2018-06-01

    A universal core model for multiple-gate (MG) field-effect transistors (FETs) with short channel effects (SCEs) and quantum mechanical effects (QMEs) is proposed. By using a Young’s approximation based solution for one-dimensional Poisson’s equations the total inversion charge density (Q inv ) in the channel is modeled for double-gate (DG) and surrounding-gate SG (SG) FETs, following which a universal charge model is derived based on the similarity of the solutions, including for quadruple-gate (QG) FETs. For triple-gate (TG) FETs, the average of DG and QG FETs are used. A SCEs model is also proposed considering the potential difference between the channel’s surface and center. Finally, a QMEs model for MG FETs is developed using the quantum correction compact model. The proposed universal core model is validated on commercially available three-dimensional ATLAS numerical simulations.

  18. Enabling VOLTTRON: Energy Management of Commercial Buildings at the University of Maryland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebhojiaye, Itohan Omisi

    Buildings waste approximately 30% of energy they consume due to inefficient HVAC and lighting operation. Building Automation Systems (BAS) can aid in reducing such wasted energy, but 90% of U.S. commercial buildings lack a BAS due to their high capital costs. This thesis demonstrates how VOLTTRON, an open source operating system developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was used to disable the mechanical cooling of a rooftop unit (RTU) during unoccupied hours, on a building without a BAS. With cooling off, the RTU's electricity dropped from 18 kW to 7kW. These results indicate 450 to 550 can be saved on the monthly electric bill of the building during the summer, compared to when the RTU operated in cooling mode continuously. The installation cost of the equipment that enabled the RTU to be controlled via VOLTTRON was $6,400, thus the project has a payback period of 13 months.

  19. Effective dynamics of the hybrid quantization of the Gowdy T3 universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brizuela, David; Mena Marugan, Guillermo A.; Pawlowski, Tomasz

    2011-01-01

    The quantum dynamics of the linearly polarized Gowdy T 3 model (compact inhomogeneous universes admitting linearly polarized gravitational waves) is analyzed within loop quantum cosmology by means of an effective dynamics. The analysis, performed via analytical and numerical methods, proves that the behavior found in the evolution of vacuum (homogeneous) Bianchi I universes is preserved qualitatively also in the presence of inhomogeneities. More precisely, the initial singularity is replaced by a big bounce which joins deterministically two large classical universes. In addition, we show that the size of the universe at the bounce is at least of the same order of magnitude (roughly speaking) as the size of the corresponding homogeneous universe obtained in the absence of gravitational waves. In particular, a precise lower bound for the ratio of these two sizes is found. Finally, the comparison of the amplitudes of the gravitational wave modes in the distant future and past shows that, statistically (i.e., for large samples of universes), the difference in amplitude is enhanced for nearly homogeneous universes, whereas this difference vanishes in inhomogeneity-dominated cases. The presented analysis constitutes the first systematic effective study of an inhomogeneous system within loop quantum cosmology, and it proves the robustness of the results obtained for homogeneous cosmologies in this context.

  20. EnableATIS strategy assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-02-01

    Enabling Advanced Traveler Information Systems (EnableATIS) is the traveler information component of the Dynamic Mobility Application (DMA) program. The objective of : the EnableATIS effort is to foster transformative traveler information application...

  1. The Quantum Effect on Friedmann Equation in FRW Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Zhang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the modified Friedmann equation in the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe with quantum effect. Our modified results mainly stem from the new entropy-area relation and the novel idea of Padmanabhan, who considers the cosmic space to be emerging as the cosmic time progresses, so that the expansion rate of the universe is determined by the difference of degrees of freedom between the holographic surface and the bulk inside. We also discuss the possibility of having bounce cosmological solution from the modified Friedmann equation in spatially flat geometry.

  2. University Students' Perceptions of the Life Effects of Stuttering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Stephanie; Gabel, Rodney; Irani, Farzan; Schlagheck, Adam

    2010-01-01

    An open-ended, written survey was administered to 146 university students who did not stutter to obtain their impressions of the effects of stuttering on the lives of people who stutter (PWS). Participants first wrote about the general effects of stuttering and then considered how their lives would be different if they stuttered. Both types of…

  3. Universal emergence of PageRank

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Frahm, K M; Georgeot, B; Shepelyansky, D L, E-mail: frahm@irsamc.ups-tlse.fr, E-mail: georgeot@irsamc.ups-tlse.fr, E-mail: dima@irsamc.ups-tlse.fr [Laboratoire de Physique Theorique du CNRS, IRSAMC, Universite de Toulouse, UPS, 31062 Toulouse (France)

    2011-11-18

    The PageRank algorithm enables us to rank the nodes of a network through a specific eigenvector of the Google matrix, using a damping parameter {alpha} Element-Of ]0, 1[. Using extensive numerical simulations of large web networks, with a special accent on British University networks, we determine numerically and analytically the universal features of the PageRank vector at its emergence when {alpha} {yields} 1. The whole network can be divided into a core part and a group of invariant subspaces. For {alpha} {yields} 1, PageRank converges to a universal power-law distribution on the invariant subspaces whose size distribution also follows a universal power law. The convergence of PageRank at {alpha} {yields} 1 is controlled by eigenvalues of the core part of the Google matrix, which are extremely close to unity, leading to large relaxation times as, for example, in spin glasses. (paper)

  4. Universal emergence of PageRank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frahm, K M; Georgeot, B; Shepelyansky, D L

    2011-01-01

    The PageRank algorithm enables us to rank the nodes of a network through a specific eigenvector of the Google matrix, using a damping parameter α ∈ ]0, 1[. Using extensive numerical simulations of large web networks, with a special accent on British University networks, we determine numerically and analytically the universal features of the PageRank vector at its emergence when α → 1. The whole network can be divided into a core part and a group of invariant subspaces. For α → 1, PageRank converges to a universal power-law distribution on the invariant subspaces whose size distribution also follows a universal power law. The convergence of PageRank at α → 1 is controlled by eigenvalues of the core part of the Google matrix, which are extremely close to unity, leading to large relaxation times as, for example, in spin glasses. (paper)

  5. NASA’s Universe of Learning: Girls STEAM Ahead

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcucci, Emma; Meinke, Bonnie K.; Smith, Denise A.; Ryer, Holly; Slivinski, Carolyn; Kenney, Jessica; Arcand, Kimberly K.; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA Team

    2017-10-01

    NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Universe of Learning (UoL) program enables scientists and engineers to more effectively engage with learners of all ages. The Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA education program within UoL, expands upon the former program, NASA Science4Girls and Their Families, in celebration of National Women’s History Month. The initiative partners the NASA’s Universe of Learning science education program resources with public libraries to provide NASA-themed activities for girls and their families, including hands-on activities for engaging girls, complementary exhibits, and professional development for library partner staff. The science-institute-embedded partners in NASA’s UoL are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. The thematic topics related to NASA Astrophysics enable audiences to experience the full range of NASA scientific and technical disciplines and the different career skills each requires. The events focus on engaging underserved and underrepresented audiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) via use of research-based best practices, collaborations with libraries, partnerships with local and national organizations (e.g. National Girls Collaborative Project or NGCP), and remote engagement of audiences. This presentation will provide an overview of the program progress related to engaging girls and their families in NASA-based science programming.

  6. Effect of Fees Policies on the Quality of University Education in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper reports on the findings of a study that was undertaken to analyse the effect of fees policy on the quality of university education in Uganda. It reports that every university in Uganda has a fees policy and that these fees policies differ in content and implementation. The paper confirms a significant relationship ...

  7. Emergent universe model with dissipative effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debnath, P. S.; Paul, B. C.

    2017-12-01

    Emergent universe model is presented in general theory of relativity with isotropic fluid in addition to viscosity. We obtain cosmological solutions that permit emergent universe scenario in the presence of bulk viscosity that are described by either Eckart theory or Truncated Israel Stewart (TIS) theory. The stability of the solutions are also studied. In this case, the emergent universe (EU) model is analyzed with observational data. In the presence of viscosity, one obtains emergent universe scenario, which however is not permitted in the absence of viscosity. The EU model is compatible with cosmological observations.

  8. Effect of Dentin Wetness on the Bond Strength of Universal Adhesives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ji-Hye; Son, Sung-Ae; Jung, Kyoung-Hwa; Kwon, Yong Hoon

    2017-01-01

    The effects of dentin wetness on the bond strength and adhesive interface morphology of universal adhesives have been investigated using micro-tensile bond strength (μTBS) testing and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Seventy-two human third molars were wet ground to expose flat dentin surfaces. They were divided into three groups according to the air-drying time of the dentin surfaces: 0 (without air drying), 5, and 10 s. The dentin surfaces were then treated with three universal adhesives: G-Premio Bond, Single Bond Universal, and All-Bond Universal in self-etch or etch-and-rinse mode. After composite build up, a μTBS test was performed. One additional tooth was prepared for each group by staining the adhesives with 0.01 wt % of Rhodamine B fluorescent dye for CLSM analysis. The data were analyzed statistically using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc tests (α = 0.05). Two-way ANOVA showed significant differences among the adhesive systems and dentin moisture conditions. An interaction effect was also observed (p adhesives. PMID:29068404

  9. A Comparative Analysis of University Information Systems within the Scope of the Information Security Risks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rustu Yilmaz

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Universities are the leading institutions that are the sources of educated human population who both produce information and ensure to develop new products and new services by using information effectively, and who are needed in every area. Therefore, universities are expected to be institutions where information and information management are used efficiently. In the present study, the topics such as infrastructure, operation, application, information, policy and human-based information security at universities were examined within the scope of the information security standards which are highly required and intended to be available at each university today, and then a comparative analysis was conducted specific to Turkey. Within the present study, the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool developed by Microsoft was used as the risk analysis tool. The analyses aim to enable the universities to compare their information systems with the information systems of other universities within the scope of the information security awareness, and to make suggestions in this regard.

  10. The Effects of University-Industry Relationships and Academic Research on Scientific Performance: Synergy or Substitution?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manjarres-Henriquez, Liney; Gutierrez-Gracia, Antonio; Carrion-Garcia, Andres; Vega-Jurado, Jaider

    2009-01-01

    This paper evaluates whether university-industry relationships (UIR) and academic research activities have complementary effects on the scientific production of university lecturers. The analysis is based on a case study of two Spanish universities. We find that the effects of R&D contracts with industry, and academic research activity on…

  11. Toward genome-enabled mycology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hibbett, David S; Stajich, Jason E; Spatafora, Joseph W

    2013-01-01

    Genome-enabled mycology is a rapidly expanding field that is characterized by the pervasive use of genome-scale data and associated computational tools in all aspects of fungal biology. Genome-enabled mycology is integrative and often requires teams of researchers with diverse skills in organismal mycology, bioinformatics and molecular biology. This issue of Mycologia presents the first complete fungal genomes in the history of the journal, reflecting the ongoing transformation of mycology into a genome-enabled science. Here, we consider the prospects for genome-enabled mycology and the technical and social challenges that will need to be overcome to grow the database of complete fungal genomes and enable all fungal biologists to make use of the new data.

  12. Effects of age, sex, and university status on life-satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, S M; Giannakopoulos, E

    1994-02-01

    Diener, et al.'s 1985 Satisfaction With Life Scale was administered to 1749 adult Australians to examine differences between men and women, university students and nonuniversity students, and among 17- to 22-, 23- to 29-, and 30- to 40-yr.-olds. No significant differences in life-satisfaction emerged in relation to sex or university status, but age showed a significant effect as higher life-satisfaction characterized older subjects. No interactions were found for any combination of the three variables. The results are interpreted in terms of egalitarian sex-role ideologies regarding sex, status-specific criteria in the assessment and conceptualisation of life-satisfaction for university status, and maturity trends in viewing life events concerning age.

  13. On the security of SSL/TLS-enabled applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manik Lal Das

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available SSL/TLS (Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security-enabled web applications aim to provide public key certificate based authentication, secure session key establishment, and symmetric key based traffic confidentiality. A large number of electronic commerce applications, such as stock trading, banking, shopping, and gaming rely on the security strength of the SSL/TLS protocol. In recent times, a potential threat, known as main-in-the-middle (MITM attack, has been exploited by attackers of SSL/TLS-enabled web applications, particularly when naive users want to connect to an SSL/TLS-enabled web server. In this paper, we discuss about the MITM threat to SSL/TLS-enabled web applications. We review the existing space of solutions to counter the MITM attack on SSL/TLS-enabled applications, and then, we provide an effective solution which can resist the MITM attack on SSL/TLS-enabled applications. The proposed solution uses a soft-token based approach for user authentication on top of the SSL/TLS’s security features. We show that the proposed solution is secure, efficient and user friendly in comparison to other similar approaches.

  14. Contributions of university nuclear engineering departments to the national research agenda

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peddicord, K.L.

    1991-01-01

    The history and character of university nuclear engineering departments have enabled them to play unique roles in higher education and to make valuable contributions in numerous important research fields. Nuclear engineering programs have several distinguishing and noteworthy characteristics. These characteristics include quality, diversity, and effectiveness. However, the continued viability of these programs is in question, and the importance of these programs may only be recognized after the capability has been lost. To recover this capability may well prove to be an impossibility

  15. Neutralino Dark Matter in non-universal and non-minimal SUSY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, S.F.

    2010-01-01

    We discuss neutralino dark matter in non-universal SUSY including the NUHM, SU(5) with non-universal gauginos. In the MSSM we argue from naturalness that non-universal soft mass parameters are preferred, with non-universal gaugino masses enabling supernatural dark matter beyond the MSSM, we also discuss neutralino dark matter in the U SSM and E 6 SSM. In the E 6 SSM a light neutralino LSP coming from the inert Higgsino and singlino sector is unavoidable and makes an attractive dark matter candidate.

  16. 75 FR 13235 - IP-Enabled Services

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-19

    ... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 63 [WC Docket No. 04-36; FCC 09-40] IP-Enabled Services AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date... Internet Protocol (VoIP) service the discontinuance obligations that apply to domestic non-dominant...

  17. Project H.O.P.E.: Effective University Engagement with Community Afterschool Programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara C. Jentleson

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Implemented in 2002 by the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, Project H.O.P.E. has improved the quantity and quality of afterschool programs for the youth of Durham, NC. Project H.O.P.E. provides tutoring programs, enrichment resources, and evaluation support to non-profit community partner organizations located in the low income Durham neighborhoods surrounding Duke University. Duke University undergraduates who provide tutoring services to the Durham youth in the afterschool programs gain from valuable reciprocal service learning experiences. Project H.O.P.E. is an effective model of the mutual benefits that can be gained from effective university and community engagement in the service of at-risk students.

  18. Universidad de Chile: Self-Assessment and Its Effects on University's Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Busco, Carolina; Dooner, Cecilia; d'Alencon, Andrés

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents a brief approach to the results of a case study of a university within the Chilean higher education system, focusing on the effects of self-assessment on the university's management of undergraduate and postgraduate programs from 2011 to 2014. The research hypothesis is that the university's management, as a dependent variable,…

  19. Hypersingular integral equations, waveguiding effects in Cantorian Universe and genesis of large scale structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iovane, G.; Giordano, P.

    2005-01-01

    In this work we introduce the hypersingular integral equations and analyze a realistic model of gravitational waveguides on a cantorian space-time. A waveguiding effect is considered with respect to the large scale structure of the Universe, where the structure formation appears as if it were a classically self-similar random process at all astrophysical scales. The result is that it seems we live in an El Naschie's o (∞) Cantorian space-time, where gravitational lensing and waveguiding effects can explain the appearing Universe. In particular, we consider filamentary and planar large scale structures as possible refraction channels for electromagnetic radiation coming from cosmological structures. From this vision the Universe appears like a large self-similar adaptive mirrors set, thanks to three numerical simulations. Consequently, an infinite Universe is just an optical illusion that is produced by mirroring effects connected with the large scale structure of a finite and not a large Universe

  20. Some effects of a modern university educational environment informatization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. N. Noskova

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper analyzes the effects that occur in the process of the educational environment informatization. The following effects were analyzed: information richness, openness, individualization of learning and collaboration. Examples of educational practice, illustrating the significant changes of the university educational environment associated with the manifestation of these effects, are presented. The aim of the pilot study carried out in Herzen University was to identify the attitude to the listed effects of teachers and students who are using information and communication technology in the educational interactions. The leading method of study were a series of surveys addressed to teachers and students. Groups of questions were related to basic information effects, manifested in the educational environment of the university. The total number of the survey participants is 200 students (bachelors and masters and 100 teachers, most actively using electronic environment for research, education and professional activities. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the results showed that information richness, spatial and temporal freedom of educational interactions are demanded by students, but at the same time, the data indicated a lack of systematic pedagogical support for the information and educational activities of students. A large part of students show a high autonomy in the information educational environment, but also demands implementing individualized information and communication educational request. Students and teachers are actively using a variety of information and communication opportunities of the electronic environment, but students’ activeness in the electronic environment is largely determined by the recommendations of teachers, rather than by a free choice of educational opportunities. The participants of the educational environment acquire a significant degree of freedom in relation to the time and place of interaction with

  1. Networking between community health programs: a case study outlining the effectiveness, barriers and enablers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grills, Nathan J; Robinson, Priscilla; Phillip, Maneesh

    2012-07-19

    In India, since the 1990s, there has been a burgeoning of NGOs involved in providing primary health care. This has resulted in a complex NGO-Government interface which is difficult for lone NGOs to navigate. The Uttarakhand Cluster, India, links such small community health programs together to build NGO capacity, increase visibility and better link to the government schemes and the formal healthcare system. This research, undertaken between 1998 and 2011, aims to examine barriers and facilitators to such linking, or clustering, and the effectiveness of this clustering approach. Interviews, indicator surveys and participant observation were used to document the process and explore the enablers, the barriers and the effectiveness of networks improving community health. The analysis revealed that when activating, framing, mobilising and synthesizing the Uttarakhand Cluster, key brokers and network players were important in bridging between organisations. The ties (or relationships) that held the cluster together included homophily around common faith, common friendships and geographical location and common mission. Self interest whereby members sought funds, visibility, credibility, increased capacity and access to trainings was also a commonly identified motivating factor for networking. Barriers to network synthesizing included lack of funding, poor communication, limited time and lack of human resources. Risk aversion and mistrust remained significant barriers to overcome for such a network. In conclusion, specific enabling factors allowed the clustering approach to be effective at increasing access to resources, creating collaborative opportunities and increasing visibility, credibility and confidence of the cluster members. These findings add to knowledge regarding social network formation and collaboration, and such knowledge will assist in the conceptualisation, formation and success of potential health networks in India and other developing world countries.

  2. The Effect of Public and Private Decisions on University Governance on the Transnational Relations of American-Associated Universities in the Middle East

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rasmus Bertelsen

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes the effect of public and private decisions on university governance on how historic and current American-associated universities in the Middle East have and continue to connect as transnational actors with a multitude of public, private and civil society actors in American society. These universities are the classic missionary universities in Beirut and Cairo (the American University of Beirut, Lebanese American University and the American University in Cairo as well as the many branch campuses and new universities with American accreditation or partnership which have appeared especially in the Gulf States. The ability of these universities to engage with actors in American society and the Middle Eastern host society is explained by their model of governance highlighting public and private decisions on primarily owner-ship structure and non- or for-profit status. Affiliated, non-profit status explains academic reputation, while proprietary, for-profit status is detrimental. Academic reputation is the basis of the relationships these universities maintain with American private, public and civil society actors.

  3. Directory Enabled Policy Based Networking; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    KELIIAA, CURTIS M.

    2001-01-01

    This report presents a discussion of directory-enabled policy-based networking with an emphasis on its role as the foundation for securely scalable enterprise networks. A directory service provides the object-oriented logical environment for interactive cyber-policy implementation. Cyber-policy implementation includes security, network management, operational process and quality of service policies. The leading network-technology vendors have invested in these technologies for secure universal connectivity that transverses Internet, extranet and intranet boundaries. Industry standards are established that provide the fundamental guidelines for directory deployment scalable to global networks. The integration of policy-based networking with directory-service technologies provides for intelligent management of the enterprise network environment as an end-to-end system of related clients, services and resources. This architecture allows logical policies to protect data, manage security and provision critical network services permitting a proactive defense-in-depth cyber-security posture. Enterprise networking imposes the consideration of supporting multiple computing platforms, sites and business-operation models. An industry-standards based approach combined with principled systems engineering in the deployment of these technologies allows these issues to be successfully addressed. This discussion is focused on a directory-based policy architecture for the heterogeneous enterprise network-computing environment and does not propose specific vendor solutions. This document is written to present practical design methodology and provide an understanding of the risks, complexities and most important, the benefits of directory-enabled policy-based networking

  4. Effective Pedagogical Strategies for Millennial University Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roseberry-McKibbin, Celeste; Pieretti, Robert; Haberstock, Keith; Estrada, Jovany

    2016-01-01

    University instructors nationwide have been recognizing the increased importance of updating classroom teaching strategies to accommodate the needs of the millennial student generation. This article shares results of surveys of 323 university students in communication sciences and disorders and what they view as effective pedagogical strategies…

  5. Work stress and health effects among university personnel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donders, N C G M; van der Gulden, J W J; Furer, J W; Tax, B; Roscam Abbing, E W

    2003-10-01

    (1) To investigate the contribution of job characteristics and personal characteristics to the explanation of health effects among university personnel; (2) to investigate the differences between scientific personnel (SP) and non-scientific personnel (NSP); (3) to investigate whether health effects occurred one after another. The well being at work of employees at a Dutch university (n=2,522) was investigated by means of a questionnaire. A model was constructed in which several job and personal characteristics were set out against health effects. The latter were assumed to occur in phases: decreased "job satisfaction" as an early effect, followed by increased "tension" and "emotional exhaustion", and possibly also by increased "perceived health complaints". The contribution of job and personal characteristics to the explanation of health effects was investigated by means of linear regression analysis, with separate analyses for SP and NSP. Positive job characteristics, especially professional expertise and work variety, contributed to the explanation of "job satisfaction". The major contributors to "tension" and "emotional exhaustion" were negative characteristics, such as work pressure. Besides the negative aspects, the major contributors to the explanation of "perceived health complaints" were sex, age and other health effects. In NSP, social support contributed to the explanation of "tension" and "emotional exhaustion", but not in SP. The explained variance of "job satisfaction" by the positive job characteristics in NSP was much higher than that in SP. To investigate whether health effects occurred one after another, we considered explained variance. Explained variance in "job satisfaction" was much higher than in "perceived health complaints". "Emotional exhaustion" and "tension" were in between. Contrary to expectations, decision latitude and social support played only minor roles. Also, the differences between SP and NSP were smaller than expected. As

  6. Relationship between Teachers' Effective Communication and Students' Academic Achievement at the Northern Border University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Madani, Feras Mohammed

    2015-01-01

    Effective communication between faculty members and students is one of the concerns of the educational stakeholders at the Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia. This study investigates the relationship between teachers' effective communication and students' academic achievement at the Northern Border University. The survey questionnaire…

  7. The effectiveness of universal parenting programmes: the CANparent trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsay, Geoff; Totsika, Vasiliki

    2017-10-23

    There is substantial evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of targeted parenting programmes but much less evidence regarding universal parenting programmes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the CANparent Trial of 12 universal parenting programmes, which were made available to parents of all children aged 0-6 years in three local authorities in England. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of universal parenting programmes on this scale. Parents accessed a voucher, value £100, to attend an accredited programme of parenting classes. Parents completed measures of their mental well-being, parenting efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and parenting stress, at pre- and post-course. Comparative data were derived from a sample of non-participant parents in 16 local authorities not providing CANparent programmes. A quasi-experimental design was adopted following estimation of propensity scores to balance the two groups on socio-demographic variables. Following their programme, changes in parenting stress were small and nonsignificant (Cohen's d frequency 0.07; intensity, 0.17). Participating parents showed significantly greater improvements than the comparison group for parenting efficacy (0.89) but not parenting satisfaction (-0.01). Mental well-being improved from 0.29 SD below the national norm to the national norm after the course. Parents were overwhelmingly positive about their course (88-94%) but this was lower for improvement in their relationship with their child (74%) and being a better parent (76%). The CANparent Trial demonstrated that universal parenting programmes can be effective in improving parents' sense of parenting efficacy and mental well-being when delivered to the full range of parents in community settings. However, there was no evidence of a reduction in levels of parenting stress; nor was there a significant improvement in satisfaction with being a parent. This is the first study of its kind

  8. Exploring the HI Universe with ASKAP

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meyer, Martin

    2009-01-01

    The survey speed of ASKAP makes it a prime instrument with which to survey the HI universe, enabling it to carry out both wide surveys of the entire sky, as well as deep surveys covering cosmologically representative volumes. Here, the use of ASKAP to study deep HI fields is discussed as proposed by

  9. Research Collaborations Between Universities and Department of Defense Laboratories

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-07-31

    Council – Resident Research Associateship (USAF/NRC-RRA) Program,” last accessed March 10, 2013, http://www.wpafb.af.mil/ library /factsheets...as CRAs and CTAs, could enable collaboration through university consortia designed to support DOD laboratory research. Such alliances would have the...university consortia , may be able to leverage partnerships that meet their collaborative research needs. 5. Increased Patent Filing Fees when Partnering

  10. The supersymmetric Casimir effect and quantum creation of the universe with nontrivial topology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goncharov, Yu.P.; Bytsenko, A.A.

    1985-01-01

    We estimate the probability of quantum creation of the universe, having the spatial topology (S 1 ) 3 , and filled with the fields of minimal N=1 supergravity, in the semiclassical approximation. After creation, inflation of the universe occurs due to the topological Casimir effect. Creation of the universe with an isotropic topology is found to be the most preferable. (orig.)

  11. The Implementation and Use of E-Learning in the Corporate University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macpherson, Allan; Homan, Gill; Wilkinson, Krystal

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: The use of e-learning in corporate universities enables access and broadens the curriculum. This paper assesses the use and implementation of e-learning through case material, and explores some of the challenges and emerging concerns. Design/methodology/approach: The paper reviews the corporate university concept and considers how an…

  12. Introducing a model of organizational envy management among university faculty members: A mixed research approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maris Zarin Daneshvar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study aimed at offering a model of organizational envy management among faculty members of Islamic Azad Universities of East Azerbaijan Province. A mixed method through involving qualitative data and then quantitative data emphasizing on quantitative analysis. Population of the study was the entire faculty members with associate or higher degree in the educational year of 2014-2015. In the qualitative stage 20 individuals (experts were selected to design the primary model and questionnaire, and to fit the model 316 faculty members were selected. In the qualitative section it was specified that influential variables on envy management in faculty members are health organizational climate, spiritual leadership, effective communication, job satisfaction and professional development of professors and approved, as well in the quantitative section findings showed that there is a significant relationship between effective variables so that in indirect analysis of effect of organizational climate on envy management, the variable of spiritual leadership via the variable of effective communication had little effect on envy management than variables of professional development and job satisfaction. It is concluded that university managers should provide conditions and backgrounds of envy management in the universities and enable professors for more effective roles without envy in the scientific climate of university to achieve in educational, research and servicing efficiency.

  13. Effectiveness of suicide prevention gatekeeper-training for university administrative staff in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashimoto, Naoki; Suzuki, Yuriko; Kato, Takahiro A; Fujisawa, Daisuke; Sato, Ryoko; Aoyama-Uehara, Kumi; Fukasawa, Maiko; Asakura, Satoshi; Kusumi, Ichiro; Otsuka, Kotaro

    2016-01-01

    Suicide is a leading cause of death among Japanese college and university students. Gatekeeper-training programs have been shown to improve detection and referral of individuals who are at risk of suicide by training non-mental-health professional persons. However, no studies have investigated the effectiveness of such programs in university settings in Japan. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the gatekeeper-training program for administrative staff in Japanese universities. We developed a 2.5-h gatekeeper-training program based on the Mental Health First Aid program, which was originally developed for the general public. Seventy-six administrative staff at Hokkaido University participated in the program. Competence and confidence in managing suicide intervention, behavioral intention as a gatekeeper and attitude while handling suicidal students were measured by a self-reported questionnaire before, immediately after and a month after the program. We found a significant improvement in competence in the management of suicidal students. We also found improvements in confidence in management of suicidal students and behavioral intention as a gatekeeper after training, though questionnaires for those secondary outcomes were not validated. These improvements continued for a month. About 95% of the participants rated the program as useful or very useful and one-third of the participants had one or more chances to utilize their skills within a month. The current results suggest the positive effects of the training program in university settings in Japan. Future evaluation that includes comparison with standard didactic trainings and an assessment of long-term effectiveness are warranted. © 2015 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2015 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  14. NASP - Enabling new space launch options

    Science.gov (United States)

    Froning, David; Gaubatz, William; Mathews, George

    1990-10-01

    Successful NASP developments in the United States are bringing about the possibility of effective, fully reusable vehicles for transport of people and cargo between earth and space. These developments include: extension of airbreathing propulsion to a much higher speed; densification of propellants for greater energy per unit volume of mass; structures with much greater strength-to-weight at high temperatures; computational advancements that enable more optimal design and integration of airframes, engines and controls; and advances in avionics, robotics, artificial intelligence and automation that enable accomplishment of earth-to-orbit (ETO) operations with much less manpower support and cost. This paper describes the relative magnitude of improvement that these developments may provide.

  15. Effective cosmological constant within the expanding axion universe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pierpoint, M.P., E-mail: M.Pierpoint@lboro.ac.uk; Kusmartsev, F.V., E-mail: F.Kusmartsev@lboro.ac.uk

    2014-09-12

    We show that the value of an effective cosmological constant, Λ{sub eff}, is influenced by the dimensionality of the space. Results were obtained in the framework of the axion model describing expansion of the inhomogeneous universe. Λ{sub eff} determines the tension of the space (i.e. elasticity), and is relaxed when extra dimensions are accessible. We demonstrate that the effective value of the cosmological constant may be tuned to be consistent with experimental observation. Inhomogeneities considered are representative of temperature fluctuations observed within the cosmic microwave background radiation.

  16. The Effect of Diversity Climate Perception on Alienation of Students to University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurtulmus, Mehmet

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this research is to examine the effect of diversity climate perception on alienation of students to university. The research was carried out with relational survey model. 333 undergraduate students in Faculty of Education, Medical, and Faculty of Theology of Dicle University constituted the participant group. Research data were…

  17. Measuring macro-level effects of the global economic recession on university-industry research cooperation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Azagra-Caro, J.M.; Tijssen, R.J.W.; Yegros-Yegros, A.

    2016-07-01

    The 2007/2008 financial crisis, and ensuing economic recession, had a direct negative effect on university-industry research cooperation in the OECD countries and other economies – it diminished the number of university-industry co-authored research publications (UICs) during the period 2008-13 by 7%. It also changed the relationship between national business expenditure on R&D and UIC output levels. Before the recession the relationship was negative, but became positive during the years 2008-2013. The few countries where business expenditure on R&D increased during recession saw UIC numbers rise. This moderating effect of the recession applies only to ‘domestic UICs’, where universities cooperated with business companies located in the same country. Micro-level research is needed to assess the contributing effects on large university-industry R&D consortia on both domestic and international collaboration patterns. (Author)

  18. Assessing the Relationship between Servant Leadership and Effective Teaching in a Private University Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, Karen

    2011-01-01

    To address the competition for students, the demand for increasing student enrollments and the pressure for student satisfaction, teaching effectiveness has become an increasingly common discussion on university campuses. The competition for students among universities requires a new approach to teaching. As university campuses continue to compete…

  19. The Effect of Peer Support on University Level Students' English Language Achievements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sari, Irfan; Çeliköz, Nadir; Ünal, Süleyman

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of peer support on university level students' English language achievements. An experimental model with pretest-posttest experimental and control group was used with 800 students who were studying at a university in Istanbul vicinity. As experiment group, 400 students (200 of whom…

  20. Impact evaluation for University-Business Cooperation and Technology Transfer in higher education systems: cluster analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomoe Daniela Hamanaka Gusberti

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Higher education systems evolved in recent decades. Universities must not only provide society with capable professionals but also act in the market for technologies, knowledge, and ideas to promote technological development. This paper discusses the motivational performance evaluation system for technology transfer process, specifically the patterns’ evaluation of academic units considering micro-cultures and idiosyncrasies’ analysis, in the academic context of autonomy. Based on action research, the existing performance evaluation system was assessed, and multivariate cluster analysis was proposed and tested as a method to enable micro cultures’ identification and evaluation. The analysis proposed enabled a tool for reflexive discussion regarding the effectiveness of the institutional innovation system in academic units and Engineering Education, and its implications for social and technological development of industry and society enabled action proposals for improvement in the university’s technology transfer management process.

  1. Networking between community health programs: a case study outlining the effectiveness, barriers and enablers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grills Nathan J

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In India, since the 1990s, there has been a burgeoning of NGOs involved in providing primary health care. This has resulted in a complex NGO-Government interface which is difficult for lone NGOs to navigate. The Uttarakhand Cluster, India, links such small community health programs together to build NGO capacity, increase visibility and better link to the government schemes and the formal healthcare system. This research, undertaken between 1998 and 2011, aims to examine barriers and facilitators to such linking, or clustering, and the effectiveness of this clustering approach. Methods Interviews, indicator surveys and participant observation were used to document the process and explore the enablers, the barriers and the effectiveness of networks improving community health. Results The analysis revealed that when activating, framing, mobilising and synthesizing the Uttarakhand Cluster, key brokers and network players were important in bridging between organisations. The ties (or relationships that held the cluster together included homophily around common faith, common friendships and geographical location and common mission. Self interest whereby members sought funds, visibility, credibility, increased capacity and access to trainings was also a commonly identified motivating factor for networking. Barriers to network synthesizing included lack of funding, poor communication, limited time and lack of human resources. Risk aversion and mistrust remained significant barriers to overcome for such a network. Conclusions In conclusion, specific enabling factors allowed the clustering approach to be effective at increasing access to resources, creating collaborative opportunities and increasing visibility, credibility and confidence of the cluster members. These findings add to knowledge regarding social network formation and collaboration, and such knowledge will assist in the conceptualisation, formation and success of

  2. Sustainability of University Technology Transfer: Mediating Effect of Inventor’s Technology Service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang Li

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Based on the perspective of knowledge transfer and the technology acceptance model (TAM, this paper constructs a university technology transfer sustainable development model that considers the inventor’s technology service from the perspective of the long-term cooperation of enterprise, and analyzes the mediating effect of the inventor’s technology service on university technology transfer sustainability. By using 270 questionnaires as survey data, it is found that the availability of an inventor’s technology service has a significant positive impact on the attitude tendency and practice tendency of enterprise long-term technological cooperation; enterprise technology absorption capacity and trust between a university and an enterprise also have significant influence on an inventor’s technical service availability. Therefore, the inventor’s technology service acts as a mediator in the relationship between university technology transfer sustainability and influence factors. Universities ought to establish the technology transfer model, which focuses on the inventor’s tacit knowledge transfer service, and promotes the sustainable development of the university.

  3. Sustainable Venture Capital Investments: An Enabler Investigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Antarciuc

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Investing in sustainable projects can help tackle the current sustainability challenges. Venture capital investments can contribute significantly to the growth of sustainable start-ups. Sustainable venture capital (SVC research is just emerging. This paper identifies enablers for sustainable venture capital investments in Saudi Arabia taking into account different stakeholders and firm’s tangible and intangible resources. Using perspectives from venture capital experts in Saudi Arabia and the grey-based Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL method, this study pinpoints the most critical enablers and investigates their causal and effect interconnections. The methodological process consists of reviewing the SVC literature and consulting the experts to identify the SVC enablers, creating a questionnaire, acquiring the answers from four experts, analyzing the data with grey-based DEMATEL and performing a sensitivity analysis. The government use of international standards, policies and regulations for sustainable investments, the commitment of the venture capitalists to sustainability and their deep understanding of sustainable business models are the most influential enablers. The paper concludes with implications for different actors, limitations and prospective directions for the sustainable venture capital research.

  4. [Cost-effectiveness analysis of universal screening for thyroid disease in pregnant women in Spain].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donnay Candil, Sergio; Balsa Barro, José Antonio; Álvarez Hernández, Julia; Crespo Palomo, Carlos; Pérez-Alcántara, Ferrán; Polanco Sánchez, Carlos

    2015-01-01

    To assess the cost-effectiveness of universal screening for thyroid disease in pregnant women in Spain as compared to high risk screening and no screening. A decision-analytic model comparing the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) of universal screening versus high risk screening and versus no screening. was used for the pregnancy and postpartum period. Probabilities from randomized controlled trials were considered for adverse obstetrical outcomes. A Markov model was used to assess the lifetime period after the first postpartum year and account for development of overt hypothyroidism. The main assumptions in the model and use of resources were assessed by local clinical experts. The analysis considered direct healthcare costs only. Universal screening gained .011 QALYs over high risk screening and .014 QALYS over no screening. Total direct costs per patient were €5,786 for universal screening, €5,791 for high risk screening, and €5,781 for no screening. Universal screening was dominant compared to risk-based screening and a very cost-effective alternative as compared to no screening. Use of universal screening instead of high risk screening would result in €2,653,854 annual savings for the Spanish National Health System. Universal screening for thyroid disease in pregnant women in the first trimester is dominant in Spain as compared to risk-based screening, and is cost-effective as compared to no screening (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €374 per QALY). Moreover, it allows diagnosing and treating cases of clinical and subclinical hypothyroidism that may not be detected when only high-risk women are screened. Copyright © 2014 SEEN. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  5. Designing a Mathematical Model for Allocating Budget to University Research and Educational Goals: A Case Study in Shahed University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Safari

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Institutions of higher education, both public and private, are among the most important institutions of a country. Several economic factors have forced them to act for improving the cost-effectiveness of their activities and the quality of their products (outputs is strongly expected. Such issues have led universities to focus on profit-making activities and commercialization like manufacturing industries. This propensity is grounded in the fact that manufacturing industries working under an efficient management system can produce very high-quality products. As a matter of fact, there is no such a model for academic contexts. Therefore, this paper is aimed at offering such a model. The coefficients and constants used in this model have all been extracted based on analyzing research and educational aspects of Shahed University. The proposed model is a lexicographic model which has thirty six decision variables that are broken down into two classes of university sources variables (fifteen and university products variables. The model also includes forty nine goals, seven structural constraints and twenty integer variables. At the end of the paper, the current situation is compared with the recommended one and it shows that many of the variables are suboptimal except variables of research and educational officials (S9, graduate (P7 and PhD (P9 night course students number. The comprehensiveness of this model enables managers to plan the smallest research and educational activities and the solutions can be used by managers as applied guidelines.

  6. What fosters entrepreneurs at university colleges?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomassen, Mette Lindahl

    entrepreneurship at university colleges be identified in order to solidify the entrepreneurial education? If cases where students have become entrepreneurs are studied, as a method to identify entrepreneurship supporting and enabling educational elements, a future research question is raised: “How do student......), it seems contradictory to use quantitative research methods to look for causal relations between educational elements and student entrepreneurs, therefore a qualitative approach is suggested. Implications: In order to answer all of the questions raised, further research is needed. Value...... entrepreneurs at university colleges use their education in their business? This leads to the following sub-questions: What characterises education at university colleges? How can use of education be defined? And how can use of education be measured? Approach Based on studies of secondary data, including...

  7. Enabling distributed petascale science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baranovski, Andrew; Bharathi, Shishir; Bresnahan, John

    2007-01-01

    Petascale science is an end-to-end endeavour, involving not only the creation of massive datasets at supercomputers or experimental facilities, but the subsequent analysis of that data by a user community that may be distributed across many laboratories and universities. The new SciDAC Center for Enabling Distributed Petascale Science (CEDPS) is developing tools to support this end-to-end process. These tools include data placement services for the reliable, high-performance, secure, and policy-driven placement of data within a distributed science environment; tools and techniques for the construction, operation, and provisioning of scalable science services; and tools for the detection and diagnosis of failures in end-to-end data placement and distributed application hosting configurations. In each area, we build on a strong base of existing technology and have made useful progress in the first year of the project. For example, we have recently achieved order-of-magnitude improvements in transfer times (for lots of small files) and implemented asynchronous data staging capabilities; demonstrated dynamic deployment of complex application stacks for the STAR experiment; and designed and deployed end-to-end troubleshooting services. We look forward to working with SciDAC application and technology projects to realize the promise of petascale science

  8. The Effect of Visual of a Courseware towards Pre-University Students' Learning in Literature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masri, Mazyrah; Wan Ahmad, Wan Fatimah; Nordin, Shahrina Md.; Sulaiman, Suziah

    This paper highlights the effect of visual of a multimedia courseware, Black Cat Courseware (BC-C), developed for learning literature at a pre-university level in University Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP). The contents of the courseware are based on a Black Cat story which is covered in an English course at the university. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of BC-C. A total of sixty foundation students were involved in the study. Quasi-experimental design was employed, forming two groups: experimental and control groups. The experimental group had to interact with BC-C as part of the learning activities while the control group used the conventional learning methods. The results indicate that the experimental group achieved a statistically significant compared to the control group in understanding the Black Cat story. The study result also proves that the effect of visual increases the students' performances in literature learning at a pre-university level.

  9. The role of social networking in the effectiveness of university ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The role of social networking in the effectiveness of university education: exploratory ... new facts came to light, as it made people communicate in a virtual world. ... Keywords: social networks; e-Learning; online learning; Facebook; Web 2.0; ...

  10. Memory Reactivation Enables Long-Term Prevention of Interference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herszage, Jasmine; Censor, Nitzan

    2017-05-22

    The ability of the human brain to successively learn or perform two competing tasks constitutes a major challenge in daily function. Indeed, exposing the brain to two different competing memories within a short temporal offset can induce interference, resulting in deteriorated performance in at least one of the learned memories [1-4]. Although previous studies have investigated online interference and its effects on performance [5-13], whether the human brain can enable long-term prevention of future interference is unknown. To address this question, we utilized the memory reactivation-reconsolidation framework [2, 12] stemming from studies at the synaptic level [14-17], according to which reactivation of a memory enables its update. In a set of experiments, using the motor sequence learning task [18] we report that a unique pairing of reactivating the original memory (right hand) in synchrony with novel memory trials (left hand) prevented future interference between the two memories. Strikingly, these effects were long-term and observed a month following reactivation. Further experiments showed that preventing future interference was not due to practice per se, but rather specifically depended on a limited time window induced by reactivation of the original memory. These results suggest a mechanism according to which memory reactivation enables long-term prevention of interference, possibly by creating an updated memory trace integrating original and novel memories during the reconsolidation time window. The opportunity to induce a long-term preventive effect on memories may enable the utilization of strategies optimizing normal human learning, as well as recovery following neurological insults. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Union of the potential academic science and leading specialized universities for provision of the underground space effective development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vartanov Aleksandr Zarairovich

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Subject of research: providing of enabling environment through the use of underground subsurface resources for the purposes of civil construction is the main trend of the modern development of society. Large-scale development of the megacities subsoils and urban-industrial agglomerations faces significant threats caused by the risks of the consequences of techno-genic impact on the rock massif of urbanized areas, which requires the use of special construction geotechnologies and construction specialists of appropriate qualifications. Objectives: for efficient development of underground space, it is necessary to solve problems at the junction of construction and mining sciences with the formation of a modern system of scientific and methodological support for the training of personnel in this field. It is necessary to use the scientific, educational, innovative and intellectual potential of academic science and national research universities most fully and effectively. Materials and methods: proceeding from the necessity of convergence of science and education, with the goal of integrating efforts and improving the efficiency of scientific research and educational activities aimed at the Russian mining and construction industry effective development providing, the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering and the Institute for Complex Development of Mineral Resources of the Russian Academy of Sciences created the basic department “Development of Underground Spaces”. Results and conclusions: the conducted complex of organizational and management measures, taking into account the potential of leading scientific and educational schools, has made it possible to form the basis for the development of the competencies of future engineers-constructors and highly qualified personnel (masters, candidates and doctors of sciences in the field of construction geo-technologies, which will be responsible for effective and safe development of megacities

  12. Learning to be a global citizen: student transition to an internationalised university

    OpenAIRE

    Montgomery, Catherine

    2010-01-01

    This session focuses on first year undergraduate students’ encounters with internationalism at university. University is a key site for educating responsible citizens of the future, graduates who will work in their professional contexts within ethical and sustainable parameters. It is important to understand how young students are experiencing internationalism and how their encounters with diversity, particularly in the first stages of their university experience, may enable them to become et...

  13. Effects of the image universe on cosmic strings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vachaspati, T.; Rees, M.

    1990-01-01

    We investigate some of the cosmological effects of the gravitational attraction of straight cosmic strings that arises due to the conical geometry of the string. Although this effect is second order in Newton's gravitational constant, its effects in the early universe can be significant. We find that the image masses responsible for this second order attraction effectively 'fill up' the volume deficit due to the conical geometry of a static straight string. A moving string also experiences a frictional force due to the images and this provides a mechanism for energy dissipation. The energy loss due to the image effect is comparable to the energy loss in gravitational radiation for strings on the size of the horizon scale but is probably not important when compared to the energy loss due to loop production. The image effect can also become important when a string comes close to a black hole. Our analysis of these effects is newtonian. (orig.)

  14. Risk management in a university environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewer, Ann; Walker, Ian

    2011-06-01

    Risk is an integral part of quality assurance in higher education in Australia. This paper describes a generic methodology for the identification and management of risk in a university or similar tertiary education environment and outlines a framework that enables the management of risk to be incorporated in the institution's governance cycle. The new approach here is that risk is embedded in the quality assurance framework and, in turn, in the strategic planning and budgeting processes. In many organisations, risk is implemented as a separate process and not considered in any meaningful way as integral to the strategic direction and performance of the university. The paper is based on work carried out by the authors and others between March 2008 and April 2009 to develop a comprehensive system for managing risk in a major Australian university, including processes whereby risk management could be integrated with, and add value to, the overall governance of the university. The case study is described in the appendix to this paper.

  15. Probing the dark side of the Universe with weak gravitational lensing effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Li-Ping; Fan Zu-Hui

    2014-01-01

    Arising from gravitational deflections of light rays by large-scale structures in the Universe, weak-lensing effects have been recognized as one of the most important probes in cosmological studies. In this paper, we review the main progress in weak-lensing analyses, and discuss the challenges in future investigations aiming to understand the dark side of the Universe with unprecedented precisions. (invited reviews)

  16. Effect of Industrial and Organizational Psychology on Administrators' Perception of Entrepreneurial University in Higher Education Institutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Tezcan UYSAL

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of industrial and organizational psychology on entrepreneurship university perceptions of academic personnel that maintain their duties as executives within the climate of university. In accordance with this purpose, a study for academicians that carry out their duties as executives virtually in two state universities one of which (Y takes place among entrepreneur and entrepreneurial university index while another (X doesn't take place within this index was conducted. The results of the questionnaires which tried to measure the entrepreneurial university perception and industrial and organizational psychology were analyzed with correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, Kruskal-Wallis H Test and Mann-Whitney U test within the scope of SPSS program. As a result of the correlation analysis that was conducted for both of the samplings, a significant relationship was detected between negative and positive industrial and organizational psychology and entrepreneurial university perception. As a result of the regression analysis that was conducted for the sample obtained from X university, it was determined that the psychological output that had the most effect on the entrepreneurship university perception of the executives was motivation while the negative output that had the most effect was the intention to quit the job. As a result of the regression analysis that was conducted for the sample obtained from the Y University, it was detected that the positive output that had the most effect on the entrepreneurial university conception of the executives was motivation, while the negative output that had the most effect was job stress. As a result of the comparison of both examples, the fundamental psychological factor that intensified the entrepreneurial university perception was high motivation.

  17. Views of Information Technologies Teachers Regarding Effects of Education Received in the University on the Professional Life

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ferhat BAHÇECİ

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available According to Article 43 of the National Education Basic Law No: 1739, teaching is a specialty profession, which undertakes the educational and relevant administration tasks of the government. Preparation to the profession of teaching is provided through general knowledge, special field education, and pedagogical formation. Today, the task of training teachers is undertaken by the relevant Education Faculties and Faculties of Technical Education in the universities (Gizemlikapı, 2012. Do the faculties sustain this duty successfully enough? Is a person, assuming the title of teacher, able to have the basic knowledge about related duty and field? This education plays a very important role especially for a frequently-updated department like Information Technologies. All these questions constitute the main problem of the study. There are numerous faculties which train Information Technologies Teachers in our country. The education provided in these faculties enables the pre-service teachers to get acquainted with and learn their fields and obtain field information. However, the education provided does not always give the same result in every student. The purpose of this study is to measure the contribution of this education, which teachers receive, to the professional life. 36 questionnaire forms were filled by Information Technologies Teachers in Elazığ Province and 29 questionnaire forms were filled by teachers outside of the province via internet. According to findings of the study, it was concluded that the education, which teachers receive in the university, has positive effects on the professional life

  18. Toward responsible development and effective risk management of nano-enabled products in the U.S. construction industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    West, Gavin H.; Lippy, Bruce E.; Cooper, Michael R.; Marsick, Daniel; Burrelli, Leonard G.; Griffin, Kelsey N.; Segrave, Alan M.

    2016-01-01

    The global construction sector is experiencing major improvements to building materials used in large quantities through commercial applications of nanotechnology. Nano-enabled construction products hold great promise for energy efficiency and resource conservation, but risk assessments lag as new products emerge. This paper presents results from an inventory, survey, and exposure assessment conducted by the authors and explores these findings in the broader context of evolving research trends and responsible development of nanotechnology. An inventory of 458 reportedly nano-enabled construction products provided insight into product availability, potential exposures, and deficiencies in risk communication that are barriers to adoption of proactive safety measures. Seasoned construction trainers surveyed were largely unaware of the availability of nano-enabled construction products. Exposure assessment demonstrated the effectiveness of ventilation to reduce exposures during mechanical abrasion of photocatalytic tiles containing titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ). Dissociated particles of TiO 2 just above the nanoscale (138 nm) were detected in the debris collected during cutting of the tiles, but measurements were below recommended exposure limits for TiO 2 . Exposure assessments remain scarce, and toxicological understanding primarily pertains to unincorporated nanomaterials; less is known about the occupational risks of nano-enabled construction products across their life cycle. Further research is needed to characterize and quantify exposure to debris released from nanocomposite materials for realistic risk assessment, and to ascertain how nanocomposite matrices, fillers, and degradation forces interact to affect release dynamics. Improving risk communication strategies and implementing safe work practices will cultivate responsible development of nanotechnology in construction, as will multidisciplinary research efforts

  19. Toward responsible development and effective risk management of nano-enabled products in the U.S. construction industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    West, Gavin H.; Lippy, Bruce E., E-mail: blippy@cpwr.com; Cooper, Michael R. [CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training (United States); Marsick, Daniel [Marsick Consulting, LLC (United States); Burrelli, Leonard G.; Griffin, Kelsey N. [Environmental Profiles, Inc. (United States); Segrave, Alan M. [Bureau Veritas North America, Inc. (United States)

    2016-02-15

    The global construction sector is experiencing major improvements to building materials used in large quantities through commercial applications of nanotechnology. Nano-enabled construction products hold great promise for energy efficiency and resource conservation, but risk assessments lag as new products emerge. This paper presents results from an inventory, survey, and exposure assessment conducted by the authors and explores these findings in the broader context of evolving research trends and responsible development of nanotechnology. An inventory of 458 reportedly nano-enabled construction products provided insight into product availability, potential exposures, and deficiencies in risk communication that are barriers to adoption of proactive safety measures. Seasoned construction trainers surveyed were largely unaware of the availability of nano-enabled construction products. Exposure assessment demonstrated the effectiveness of ventilation to reduce exposures during mechanical abrasion of photocatalytic tiles containing titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}). Dissociated particles of TiO{sub 2} just above the nanoscale (138 nm) were detected in the debris collected during cutting of the tiles, but measurements were below recommended exposure limits for TiO{sub 2}. Exposure assessments remain scarce, and toxicological understanding primarily pertains to unincorporated nanomaterials; less is known about the occupational risks of nano-enabled construction products across their life cycle. Further research is needed to characterize and quantify exposure to debris released from nanocomposite materials for realistic risk assessment, and to ascertain how nanocomposite matrices, fillers, and degradation forces interact to affect release dynamics. Improving risk communication strategies and implementing safe work practices will cultivate responsible development of nanotechnology in construction, as will multidisciplinary research efforts.

  20. Evaluation of information technology impact on effective internal control in the University system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanusi Fasilat, A., E-mail: Fasilat17@gmail.com; Hassan, Haslinda, E-mail: lynn@uum.edu.my [School of Accountancy, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah (Malaysia)

    2015-12-11

    Information Technology (IT) plays a key role in internal control system in various organizations in terms of maintaining records and other internal services. Internal control system is defined as an efficient control procedures set up by firm to safeguard resources and to assure the reliability and accuracy of both financial and non-financial records in line with applicable governance and procedure to acquire the established goal and objectives. This paper focuses on the impact of IT on internal control system in the Nigerian universities. Data are collected from three different universities via questionnaire. Descriptive statistics is used to analyze the data; Chi-square is performed to test the hypothesis. The results of the hypothesis showed that IT has a positive relationship with the effective internal control activities in the University system. It is concluded that the adoption of IT will significantly improve the effectiveness of the internal control system operations in the University in terms of quality service delivery.

  1. Evaluation of information technology impact on effective internal control in the University system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanusi Fasilat, A.; Hassan, Haslinda

    2015-01-01

    Information Technology (IT) plays a key role in internal control system in various organizations in terms of maintaining records and other internal services. Internal control system is defined as an efficient control procedures set up by firm to safeguard resources and to assure the reliability and accuracy of both financial and non-financial records in line with applicable governance and procedure to acquire the established goal and objectives. This paper focuses on the impact of IT on internal control system in the Nigerian universities. Data are collected from three different universities via questionnaire. Descriptive statistics is used to analyze the data; Chi-square is performed to test the hypothesis. The results of the hypothesis showed that IT has a positive relationship with the effective internal control activities in the University system. It is concluded that the adoption of IT will significantly improve the effectiveness of the internal control system operations in the University in terms of quality service delivery

  2. Evaluation of information technology impact on effective internal control in the University system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanusi Fasilat, A.; Hassan, Haslinda

    2015-12-01

    Information Technology (IT) plays a key role in internal control system in various organizations in terms of maintaining records and other internal services. Internal control system is defined as an efficient control procedures set up by firm to safeguard resources and to assure the reliability and accuracy of both financial and non-financial records in line with applicable governance and procedure to acquire the established goal and objectives. This paper focuses on the impact of IT on internal control system in the Nigerian universities. Data are collected from three different universities via questionnaire. Descriptive statistics is used to analyze the data; Chi-square is performed to test the hypothesis. The results of the hypothesis showed that IT has a positive relationship with the effective internal control activities in the University system. It is concluded that the adoption of IT will significantly improve the effectiveness of the internal control system operations in the University in terms of quality service delivery.

  3. The Effect of Curricular and Extracurricular Activities on University Students' Entrepreneurial Intention and Competences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arranz, Nieves; Ubierna, Francisco; Arroyabe, Marta. F.; Perez, Carlos; Fernandez de Arroyabe, J. C.

    2017-01-01

    This paper examines the effect of curricular and extracurricular activities on the entrepreneurial motivation and competences of university students. In order to address these issues, the authors have used Ajzen's model of planned behaviour, including curricular and extracurricular activities, analysing their effect on university students'…

  4. Vulnerabilities in First-Generation RFID-enabled Credit Cards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heydt-Benjamin, Thomas S.; Bailey, Daniel V.; Fu, Kevin; Juels, Ari; O'Hare, Tom

    RFID-enabled credit cards are widely deployed in the United States and other countries, but no public study has thoroughly analyzed the mechanisms that provide both security and privacy. Using samples from a variety of RFID-enabled credit cards, our study observes that (1) the cardholder's name and often credit card number and expiration are leaked in plaintext to unauthenticated readers, (2) our homemade device costing around 150 effectively clones one type of skimmed cards thus providing a proof-of-concept implementation for the RF replay attack, (3) information revealed by the RFID transmission cross contaminates the security of RFID and non-RFID payment contexts, and (4) RFID-enabled credit cards are susceptible in various degrees to a range of other traditional RFID attacks such as skimming and relaying.

  5. Social and Cultural Factors That Effect University Women Managers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arslan, Hasan; Sabo, Helena Maria; Siyli, Nese Aysin

    2012-01-01

    In this study, social and cultural effects of the low rate of woman managers at universities are tried to be identified. Women have been increasingly appearing in every field of business; on the other hand, although women compared to men constitute majority in educational organisations, they appear in the positions other than management. We will…

  6. Integrating enabling contexts and ambidexterity to create Intellectual Capital faculty’s competencies on undergraduate Business Management programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Rezende

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: This study aims to discuss a framework to promote ambidexterity through an intentional managed enabling context in order to develop university lecturers’ competencies and, at last, to improve students’ skills. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive case study was performed based on literature review and the data collection was done through documentary and field participative research with the PACT working group. The paper reports the stage and maturity of the High Commonality of Themes Project (PACT on a private Brazilian university in Rio de Janeiro. Consequently, since the faculty shares more qualified knowledge and the syllabus could be realigned without losing epistemological identity, the subjects expect that the students learning process performs on market demanded pragmatic and practical skills. Findings: Findings indicate PACT as a kind of improvement, since it makes possible, balancing Refined Interpolation with Disciplined Extrapolation, to promote the ambidextrous learning through an enabling context, thus allowing specialized lecturers to improve competencies in their core area. Research limitations/implications: As a case study, findings could not be widespread and limitations are related to the initial stages of the PACT implementation. Originality/value: The value and originality of the ambidexterity approach refer to the possibilities it could overlap the bottlenecks that faculty performance generates to students learning effectiveness: non-adherence by the faculty to the discipline they teach (Human Capital; way lecturers interact among courses and one another (Social/Relationship Capital; and development and practicality of the educational guidelines of the course – PPC (Structural Capital.

  7. Dual Carbon-Confined SnO2 Hollow Nanospheres Enabling High Performance for the Reversible Storage of Alkali Metal Ions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Qiong; Shao, Qi; Li, Qiang; Duan, Qian; Li, Yanhui; Wang, Heng-Guo

    2018-04-25

    To explore a universal electrode material for the high-performance electrochemical storage of Li + , Na + , and K + ions remains a big challenge. Herein, we propose a "trinity" strategy to coat the SnO 2 hollow nanospheres using the dual carbon layer from the polydopamine-derived nitrogen-doped carbon and graphene. Thereinto, hollow structures with sufficient void space could buffer the volume expansion, whereas dual carbon-confined strategy could not only elastically prevent the aggregation of nanoparticle and ensure the structural integrity but also immensely improve the conductivity and endow high rate properties. Benefiting from the effective strategy and specific structure, the dual carbon-confined SnO 2 hollow nanosphere (denoted as G@C@SnO 2 ) can serve as the universal host material for alkali metal ions and enable their rapid and reversible storage. As expected, the resulting G@C@SnO 2 as a universal anode material shows reversible alkali-metal-ion storage with high performance. We believe this that strategy could pave the way for constructing other metal-oxide-based dual carbon-confined high-performance materials for the future energy storage applications.

  8. The Flipped Classroom, Disruptive Pedagogies, Enabling Technologies and Wicked Problems: Responding to "The Bomb in the Basement"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutchings, Maggie; Quinney, Anne

    2015-01-01

    The adoption of enabling technologies by universities provides unprecedented opportunities for flipping the classroom to achieve student-centred learning. While higher education policies focus on placing students at the heart of the education process, the propensity for student identities to shift from partners in learning to consumers of…

  9. Barriers affecting successful technology enablement of supply chain: An Indian perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arora, R.; Haleem, A.; Farooquie, J. A.

    2018-03-01

    In order to compete, organizations need to focus on improving supply chain and technology acts as a major enabler. Technology enablement of supply chain has not always been successful and has been examined by many researchers. The purpose of this paper is to do a systematic literature review of technology enabled supply chain from a strategic viewpoint. The literature is examined from two perspectives. Firstly, it studies the growing interest in technology-enabled supply chain in India. Secondly, it studies barriers affecting technology enablement of supply chain. The literature review identifies that technology enabled supply chain helps in improving performance via effective decision making, monitoring entire supply chain, faster reaction to customer service problems, etc. The research has emphasized the importance of 12 barriers affecting technology enablement. This research will help as a guide for practitioners in order to successfully implement technology and fills the gap in existing literature by highlighting and consolidating the significant research work done in past.

  10. Nanostructure-Enabled and Macromolecule-Grafted Surfaces for Biomedical Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Madeline Small

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Advances in nanotechnology and nanomaterials have enabled the development of functional biomaterials with surface properties that reduce the rate of the device rejection in injectable and implantable biomaterials. In addition, the surface of biomaterials can be functionalized with macromolecules for stimuli-responsive purposes to improve the efficacy and effectiveness in drug release applications. Furthermore, macromolecule-grafted surfaces exhibit a hierarchical nanostructure that mimics nanotextured surfaces for the promotion of cellular responses in tissue engineering. Owing to these unique properties, this review focuses on the grafting of macromolecules on the surfaces of various biomaterials (e.g., films, fibers, hydrogels, and etc. to create nanostructure-enabled and macromolecule-grafted surfaces for biomedical applications, such as thrombosis prevention and wound healing. The macromolecule-modified surfaces can be treated as a functional device that either passively inhibits adverse effects from injectable and implantable devices or actively delivers biological agents that are locally based on proper stimulation. In this review, several methods are discussed to enable the surface of biomaterials to be used for further grafting of macromolecules. In addition, we review surface-modified films (coatings and fibers with respect to several biomedical applications. Our review provides a scientific update on the current achievements and future trends of nanostructure-enabled and macromolecule-grafted surfaces in biomedical applications.

  11. Peer Effects in Exogenously Formed University Student Groups

    OpenAIRE

    Gregory Androushchak; Oleg Poldin; Maria Yudkevich

    2012-01-01

    We estimate the influence of classmates’ ability characteristics on student achievement in exogenously formed student groups. The study uses administrative data on undergraduate students at a large selective university in Russia. The presence of high-ability classmates has a positive effect on individual academic performance, and students at the top of the ability distribution derive the greatest benefit from their presence. An increase in the proportion of less able students has an insignifi...

  12. COFIRING OF BIOMASS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Phillip N. Hutton

    2002-01-01

    A project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory was completed by the Energy & Environmental Research Center to explore the potential for cofiring biomass at the University of North Dakota (UND). The results demonstrate how 25% sunflower hulls can be cofired with subbituminous coal and provide a 20% return on investment or 5-year payback for the modifications required to enable firing biomass. Significant outcomes of the study are as follows. A complete resource assessment presented all biomass options to UND within a 100-mile radius. Among the most promising options in order of preference were sunflower hulls, wood residues, and turkey manure. The firing of up to 28% sunflower hulls by weight was completed at the university's steam plant to identify plant modifications that would be necessary to enable cofiring sunflower hulls. The results indicated investments in a new equipment could be less than $408,711. Data collected from test burns, which were not optimized for biomass firing, resulted in a 15% reduction in sulfur and NO{sub x} emissions, no increase in opacity, and slightly better boiler efficiency. Fouling and clinkering potential were not evaluated; however, no noticeable detrimental effects occurred during testing. As a result of this study, UND has the potential to achieve a cost savings of approximately $100,000 per year from a $1,500,000 annual fossil fuel budget by implementing the cofiring of 25% sunflower hulls.

  13. Barriers and enablers to academic health leadership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bharwani, Aleem; Kline, Theresa; Patterson, Margaret; Craighead, Peter

    2017-02-06

    Purpose This study sought to identify the barriers and enablers to leadership enactment in academic health-care settings. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews ( n = 77) with programme stakeholders (medical school trainees, university leaders, clinical leaders, medical scientists and directors external to the medical school) were conducted, and the responses content-analysed. Findings Both contextual and individual factors were identified as playing a role in affecting academic health leadership enactment that has an impact on programme development, success and maintenance. Contextual factors included sufficient resources allocated to the programme, opportunities for learners to practise leadership skills, a competent team around the leader once that person is in place, clear expectations for the leader and a culture that fosters open communication. Contextual barriers included highly bureaucratic structures, fear-of-failure and non-trusting cultures and inappropriate performance systems. Programmes were advised to select participants based on self-awareness, strong communication skills and an innovative thinking style. Filling specific knowledge and skill gaps, particularly for those not trained in medical school, was viewed as essential. Ineffective decision-making styles and tendencies to get involved in day-to-day activities were barriers to the development of academic health leaders. Originality/value Programmes designed to develop academic health-care leaders will be most effective if they develop leadership at all levels; ensure that the organisation's culture, structure and processes reinforce positive leadership practices; and recognise the critical role of teams in supporting its leaders.

  14. The Counterproductive Effects of Helicopter Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Von Bergen, C. W.; Bressler, Martin S.

    2017-01-01

    Perhaps universities have gone too far in their attempts to provide the best learning experience for our students? We have heard of helicopter parents who hover over their sons and daughters, removing all obstacles their student might face and solve problems for them. Have colleges and universities adopted this same kind of behavior in their…

  15. Enabling Campus Grids with Open Science Grid Technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weitzel, Derek; Fraser, Dan; Pordes, Ruth; Bockelman, Brian; Swanson, David

    2011-01-01

    The Open Science Grid is a recognized key component of the US national cyber-infrastructure enabling scientific discovery through advanced high throughput computing. The principles and techniques that underlie the Open Science Grid can also be applied to Campus Grids since many of the requirements are the same, even if the implementation technologies differ. We find five requirements for a campus grid: trust relationships, job submission, resource independence, accounting, and data management. The Holland Computing Center's campus grid at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was designed to fulfill the requirements of a campus grid. A bridging daemon was designed to bring non-Condor clusters into a grid managed by Condor. Condor features which make it possible to bridge Condor sites into a multi-campus grid have been exploited at the Holland Computing Center as well.

  16. Career effects of taking up parental leave. Evidence from a Dutch University

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vlasblom, J.D.; Plantenga, J.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper we study the effect of parental leave on individual careers. We use individual registration data of a Dutch non-profit firm (Utrecht University). Our outcomes show that even with a short period of flexible leave there are career effects. More specifically, these effects are not

  17. Enabling Mobile Communications for the Needy: Affordability Methodology, and Approaches to Requalify Universal Service Measures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louis-Francois PAU

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper links communications and media usage to social and household economics boundaries. It highlights that in present day society, communications and media are a necessity, but not always affordable, and that they furthermore open up for addictive behaviors which raise additional financial and social risks. A simple and efficient methodology compatible with state-of-the-art social and communications business statistics is developed, which produces the residual communications and media affordability budget and ultimately the value-at-risk in terms of usage and tariffs. Sensitivity analysis provides precious information on bottom-up communications and media adoption on the basis of affordability. This approach differs from the regulated but often ineffective Universal service obligation, which instead of catering for individual needs mostly addresses macro-measures helping geographical access coverage (e.g. in rural areas. It is proposed to requalify the Universal service obligations on operators into concrete measures, allowing, with unchanged funding, the needy to adopt mobile services based on their affordability constraints by bridging the gap to a standard tariff. Case data are surveyed from various countries. ICT policy recommendations are made to support widespread and socially responsible communications access.

  18. SPARQL-enabled identifier conversion with Identifiers.org.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wimalaratne, Sarala M; Bolleman, Jerven; Juty, Nick; Katayama, Toshiaki; Dumontier, Michel; Redaschi, Nicole; Le Novère, Nicolas; Hermjakob, Henning; Laibe, Camille

    2015-06-01

    On the semantic web, in life sciences in particular, data is often distributed via multiple resources. Each of these sources is likely to use their own International Resource Identifier for conceptually the same resource or database record. The lack of correspondence between identifiers introduces a barrier when executing federated SPARQL queries across life science data. We introduce a novel SPARQL-based service to enable on-the-fly integration of life science data. This service uses the identifier patterns defined in the Identifiers.org Registry to generate a plurality of identifier variants, which can then be used to match source identifiers with target identifiers. We demonstrate the utility of this identifier integration approach by answering queries across major producers of life science Linked Data. The SPARQL-based identifier conversion service is available without restriction at http://identifiers.org/services/sparql. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

  19. Cost-effectiveness analysis of neonatal hearing screening program in china: should universal screening be prioritized?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huang Li-Hui

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Neonatal hearing screening (NHS has been routinely offered as a vital component of early childhood care in developed countries, whereas such a screening program is still at the pilot or preliminary stage as regards its nationwide implementation in developing countries. To provide significant evidence for health policy making in China, this study aims to determine the cost-effectiveness of NHS program implementation in case of eight provinces of China. Methods A cost-effectiveness model was conducted and all neonates annually born from 2007 to 2009 in eight provinces of China were simulated in this model. The model parameters were estimated from the established databases in the general hospitals or maternal and child health hospitals of these eight provinces, supplemented from the published literature. The model estimated changes in program implementation costs, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs, average cost-effectiveness ratio (ACER, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER for universal screening compared to targeted screening in eight provinces. Results and discussion A multivariate sensitivity analysis was performed to determine uncertainty in health effect estimates and cost-effectiveness ratios using a probabilistic modeling technique. Targeted strategy trended to be cost-effective in Guangxi, Jiangxi, Henan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Hebei, Shandong, and Beijing from the level of 9%, 9%, 8%, 4%, 3%, 7%, 5%, and 2%, respectively; while universal strategy trended to be cost-effective in those provinces from the level of 70%, 70%, 48%, 10%, 8%, 28%, 15%, 4%, respectively. This study showed although there was a huge disparity in the implementation of the NHS program in the surveyed provinces, both universal strategy and targeted strategy showed cost-effectiveness in those relatively developed provinces, while neither of the screening strategy showed cost-effectiveness in those relatively developing provinces. This

  20. Stellar Imager - Observing the Universe in High Definition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, Kenneth

    2009-01-01

    Stellar Imager (SI) is a space-based, UV Optical Interferometer (UVOI) with over 200x the resolution of HST. It will enable 0.1 milli-arcsec spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and the Universe in general and open an enormous new 'discovery space' for Astrophysics with its combination of high angular resolution, dynamic imaging, and spectral energy resolution. SI's goal is to study the role of magnetism in the Universe and revolutionize our understanding of: 1) Solar/Stellar Magnetic Activity and their impact on Space Weather, Planetary Climates. and Life, 2) Magnetic and Accretion Processes and their roles in the Origin and Evolution of Structure and in the Transport of Matter throughout the Universe, 3) the close-in structure of Active Galactic Nuclei and their winds, and 4) Exo-Solar Planet Transits and Disks. The SI mission is targeted for the mid 2020's - thus significant technology development in the upcoming decade is critical to enabling it and future spacebased sparse aperture telescope and distributed spacecraft missions. The key technology needs include: 1) precision formation flying of many spacecraft, 2) precision metrology over km-scales, 3) closed-loop control of many-element, sparse optical arrays, 4) staged-control systems with very high dynamic ranges (nm to km-scale). It is critical that the importance of timely development of these capabilities is called out in the upcoming Astrophysics and Heliophysics Decadal Surveys, to enable the flight of such missions in the following decade. S1 is a 'Landmark/Discovery Mission' in 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap and a candidate UVOI in the 2006 Astrophysics Strategic Plan. It is a NASA Vision Mission ('NASA Space Science Vision Missions' (2008), ed. M. Allen) and has also been recommended for further study in the 2008 NRC interim report on missions potentially enabled enhanced by an Ares V' launch, although a incrementally-deployed version could be launched using smaller rockets.

  1. Web-enabling technologies for the factory floor: a web-enabling strategy for emanufacturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velez, Ricardo; Lastra, Jose L. M.; Tuokko, Reijo O.

    2001-10-01

    This paper is intended to address the different technologies available for Web-enabling of the factory floor. It will give an overview of the importance of Web-enabling of the factory floor, in the application of the concepts of flexible and intelligent manufacturing, in conjunction with e-commerce. As a last section, it will try to define a Web-enabling strategy for the application in eManufacturing. This is made under the scope of the electronics manufacturing industry, so every application, technology or related matter is presented under such scope.

  2. Geo-Enabled, Mobile Services

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

    2006-01-01

    We are witnessing the emergence of a global infrastructure that enables the widespread deployment of geo-enabled, mobile services in practice. At the same time, the research community has also paid increasing attention to data management aspects of mobile services. This paper offers me...

  3. Developing as an academic leader in a university of technology in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Developing as an academic leader in a university of technology in South Africa: Dealing with enabling and constraining teaching and learning environments. ... advancement, equity and transformation, Higher Education, narrative inquiry, ...

  4. Interface Effects Enabling New Applications of Two-Dimensional Materials

    KAUST Repository

    Sattar, Shahid

    2018-05-01

    Interface effects in two-dimensional (2D) materials play a critical role for the electronic properties and device characteristics. Here we use first-principles calculations to investigate interface effects in 2D materials enabling new applications. We first show that graphene in contact with monolayer and bilayer PtSe2 experiences weak van der Waals interaction. Analysis of the work functions and band bending at the interface reveals that graphene forms an n-type Schottky contact with monolayer PtSe2 and a p-type Schottky contact with bilayer PtSe2, whereas a small biaxial tensile strain makes the contact Ohmic in the latter case as required for transistor operation. For silicene, which is a 2D Dirac relative of graphene, structural buckling complicates the experimental synthesis and strong interaction with the substrate perturbs the characteristic linear dispersion. To remove this obstacle, we propose solid argon as a possible substrate for realizing quasi-freestanding silicene and argue that a weak van der Waals interaction and small binding energy indicate the possibility to separate silicene from the substrate. For the silicene-PtSe2 interface, we demonstrate much stronger interlayer interaction than previously reported for silicene on other semiconducting substrates. Due to the inversion symmetry breaking and proximity to PtSe2, a band gap opening and spin splittings in the valence and conduction bands of silicene are observed. It is also shown that the strong interlayer interaction can be effectively reduced by intercalating NH3 molecules between silicene and PtSe2, and a small NH3 discussion barrier makes intercalation a viable experimental approach. Silicene/germanene are categorized as key materials for the field of valleytronics due to stronger spin-orbit coupling as compared to graphene. However, no viable route exists so far to experimental realization. We propose F-doped WS2 as substrate that avoids detrimental effects and at the same time induces the

  5. The Nordic Housing Enabler

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helle, T.; Nygren, C.; Slaug, B.

    2014-01-01

    This study addresses development of a content-valid cross-Nordic version of the Housing Enabler and investigation of its inter-rater reliability when used in occupational therapy rating situations, involving occupational therapists, clients, and their home environments. The instrument was transla......This study addresses development of a content-valid cross-Nordic version of the Housing Enabler and investigation of its inter-rater reliability when used in occupational therapy rating situations, involving occupational therapists, clients, and their home environments. The instrument...... was translated from the original Swedish version of the Housing Enabler, and adapted according to accessibility norms and guidelines for housing design in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. This iterative process involved occupational therapists, architects, building engineers, and professional translators......, resulting in the Nordic Housing Enabler. For reliability testing, the sampling strategy and data collection procedures used were the same in all countries. Twenty voluntary occupational therapists, pair-wise but independently of each other, collected data from 106 cases by means of the Nordic Housing...

  6. Effect of Professional Development on Classroom Practices in Some Selected Saudi Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alghamdi, AbdulKhaliq Hajjad; Bin Sihes, Ahmad Johari

    2016-01-01

    "Scientific studies found the impact of professional development on effective classroom practices in Higher Education." This paper hypothesizes no statistically significant effect of lecturers' professional development on classroom practices in some selected Saudi Universities not as highlighted in the model. Hierarchical multiple…

  7. Students are almost as effective as professors in university teaching

    OpenAIRE

    Feld, Jan; Salamanca, Nicolas; Zölitz, Ulf

    2017-01-01

    Many universities around the world rely on student instructors—current bachelor’s and master’s degree students—for tutorial teaching, yet we know nothing about their effectiveness. In a setting with random assignment of instructors to students, we show that student instructors are almost as effective as senior instructors at improving their students’ short- and longer-run academic achievement and labor market outcomes. We find little heterogeneity across different course types, student charac...

  8. Enabling electroweak baryogenesis through dark matter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewicki, Marek; Rindler-Daller, Tanja; Wells, James D.

    2016-01-01

    We study the impact on electroweak baryogenesis from a swifter cosmological expansion induced by dark matter. We detail the experimental bounds that one can place on models that realize it, and we investigate the modifications of these bounds that result from a non-standard cosmological history. The modifications can be sizeable if the expansion rate of the Universe increases by several orders of magnitude. We illustrate the impact through the example of scalar field dark matter, which can alter the cosmological history enough to enable a strong-enough first-order phase transition in the Standard Model when it is supplemented by a dimension six operator directly modifying the Higgs boson potential. We show that due to the modified cosmological history, electroweak baryogenesis can be realized, while keeping deviations of the triple Higgs coupling below HL-LHC sensitivies. The required scale of new physics to effectuate a strong-enough first order phase transition can change by as much as twenty percent as the expansion rate increases by six orders of magnitude.

  9. Effect of the Enabling Perception of Costing Systems by Managers in the Performance of their Tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guilherme Eduardo de Souza

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this study is to analyze the effect of the enabling perception of costing systems by managers in the performance of their tasks, mediated by the intensity in of use of these costing systems and the level of psychological empowerment. The research was carried out through a survey of 62 companies listed in the Perfil das Empresas com Projetos Aprovados ou em Implantação na Zona Franca de Manaus Profile of Companies, in 2014. With a view to analyzing the hypotheses replicated from Mahama’s and Cheng’s (2013 study, the Structural Equations Modeling technique wasused. The research results show that the managers’ enabling perception of costing systems does not affect their  intensity of use, but it impacts on psychological empowerment, and this is directly reflected in the performance of tasks, indicating that the greater the empowerment, the better manager performance will be. It isconcluded that the model partially supports the relationships delineated and that the antecedents related to the costing systems require further study.

  10. Organising to Enable Innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brink, Tove

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this conceptual paper is to reveal how organising can enable innovation across organisational layers and organisational units. This approach calls for a cross-disciplinary literature review. The aim is to provide an integrated understanding of innovation in an organisational approach....... The findings reveal a continous organising process between individual/ team creativity and organisational structures/control to enable innovation at firm level. Organising provides a dynamic approach and contains the integrated reconstruction of creativity, structures and boundaries for enhanced balance...... of explorative and exploitative learning in uncertain environments. Shedding light on the cross-disciplinary theories to organise innovation provides a contribution at the firm level to enable innovation....

  11. Identification of the benefits, enablers and barriers to integrating junior pharmacists into the ward team within one UK-based hospital

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hung MY

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Man Yui Hung,1 David John Wright,2 Jeanette Blacklock,2 Richard John Needle1,2 1Pharmacy Department, Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, Colchester, 2School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK Introduction: A high nurse-vacancy rate combined with high numbers of applications for junior pharmacist roles resulted in Colchester Hospital University National Health System Foundation Trust trial employing junior pharmacists into traditional nursing posts with the aim of integrating pharmacists into the ward team and enhancing local medicines optimization. The aim of the evaluation was to describe the implementation process and practice of the integrated care pharmacists (ICPs in order to inform future innovations of a similar nature.Methods: Four band 6 ward-based ICPs were employed on two wards funded within current ward staffing expenditure. With ethical committee approval, interviews were undertaken with the ICPs and focus groups with ward nurses, senior ward nurses and members of the medical team. Data were analyzed thematically to identify service benefits, barriers and enablers. Routine ward performance data were obtained from the two ICP wards and two wards selected as comparators. Appropriate statistical tests were performed to identify differences in performance.Results: Four ICPs were interviewed, and focus groups were undertaken with three junior nurses, four senior nurses and three medical practitioners. Service enablers were continuous ward time, undertaking drug administration, positive feedback and use of effective communication methods. Barriers were planning, funding model, career development, and interprofessional working and social isolation. ICPs were believed to save nurse time and improve medicines safety. The proportion of patients receiving medicine reconciliation within 24 hours increased significantly in the ICP wards. All ICPs had resigned from their role within 12 months.Discussion: It was

  12. Quality Disclosure in Sustainability Reporting: Evidence From Universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto ROMOLINI

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Attention towards sustainability reporting is very high with reference to higher education. The paper aims to assess the maturity level of sus-tainability reporting and to measure its quality by evaluating the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI indicators currently disclosed. The research was carried out using the inductive method. We de-limited the study to universities and we evaluated the quality of sustainability reporting by analyzing the indicators disclosed in 2012 reports accord-ing to GRI guidelines. The research gives an overview of sustainability reporting in universities by evaluating the quality level of their disclosure. The results confrm previous research by high-lighting the necessity to improve sustainability reporting. Moreover, the results show there are differences between universities that are con-nected to the peculiarities of each country. They also enable us to draw up an initial classifcation of universities. The paper provides one of the frst in-depth studies of sustainability reporting quality for universities included in the GRI database.

  13. Selected issues of the universal communication environment implementation for CII standard

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zagoździńska, Agnieszka; Poźniak, Krzysztof T.; Drabik, Paweł K.

    2011-10-01

    In the contemporary FPGA market there is the wide assortment of structures, integrated development environments, and boards of different producers. The variety allows to fit resources to requirements of the individual designer. There is the need of standardization of the projects to make it useful in research laboratories equipped with different producers tools. Proposed solution is CII standardization of VHDL components. This paper contains specification of the universal communication environment for CII standard. The link can be used in different FPGA structures. Implementation of the link enables object oriented VHDL programming with the use of CII standardization. The whole environment contains FPGA environment and PC software. The paper contains description of the selected issues of FPGA environment. There is description of some specific solutions that enables environment usage in structures of different producers. The flexibility of different size data transmissions with the use of CII is presented. The specified tool gives the opportunity to use FPGA structures variety fully and design faster and more effectively.

  14. Enabling campus grids with open science grid technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weitzel, Derek [Nebraska U.; Bockelman, Brian [Nebraska U.; Swanson, David [Nebraska U.; Fraser, Dan [Argonne; Pordes, Ruth [Fermilab

    2011-01-01

    The Open Science Grid is a recognized key component of the US national cyber-infrastructure enabling scientific discovery through advanced high throughput computing. The principles and techniques that underlie the Open Science Grid can also be applied to Campus Grids since many of the requirements are the same, even if the implementation technologies differ. We find five requirements for a campus grid: trust relationships, job submission, resource independence, accounting, and data management. The Holland Computing Center's campus grid at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was designed to fulfill the requirements of a campus grid. A bridging daemon was designed to bring non-Condor clusters into a grid managed by Condor. Condor features which make it possible to bridge Condor sites into a multi-campus grid have been exploited at the Holland Computing Center as well.

  15. From university research to innovation: Detecting knowledge transfer via text mining

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woltmann, S.; Clemmensen, L.; Alkærsig, L

    2016-07-01

    Knowledge transfer by universities is a top priority in innovation policy and a primary purpose for public research funding, due to being an important driver of technical change and innovation. Current empirical research on the impact of university research relies mainly on formal databases and indicators such as patents, collaborative publications and license agreements, to assess the contribution to the socioeconomic surrounding of universities. In this study, we present an extension of the current empirical framework by applying new computational methods, namely text mining and pattern recognition. Text samples for this purpose can include files containing social media contents, company websites and annual reports. The empirical focus in the present study is on the technical sciences and in particular on the case of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). We generated two independent text collections (corpora) to identify correlations of university publications and company webpages. One corpus representing the company sites, serving as sample of the private economy and a second corpus, providing the reference to the university research, containing relevant publications. We associated the former with the latter to obtain insights into possible text and semantic relatedness. The text mining methods are extrapolating the correlations, semantic patterns and content comparison of the two corpora to define the document relatedness. We expect the development of a novel tool using contemporary techniques for the measurement of public research impact. The approach aims to be applicable across universities and thus enable a more holistic comparable assessment. This rely less on formal databases, which is certainly beneficial in terms of the data reliability. We seek to provide a supplementary perspective for the detection of the dissemination of university research and hereby enable policy makers to gain additional insights of (informal) contributions of knowledge

  16. The Effects of Demographic, Internal and External University Environment Factors on Faculty Job Satisfaction in Vietnam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duong, Minh-Quang

    2016-01-01

    University faculty members with higher job satisfaction are more productive, creative and positive attitude towards their job. Even less is known about university faculty job satisfaction in developing countries like Vietnam. This study examines the effects of demographic, internal and external university environment factors on faculty job…

  17. Multicolor-based discrimination of 21 short tandem repeats and amelogenin using four fluorescent universal primers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asari, Masaru; Okuda, Katsuhiro; Hoshina, Chisato; Omura, Tomohiro; Tasaki, Yoshikazu; Shiono, Hiroshi; Matsubara, Kazuo; Shimizu, Keiko

    2016-02-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a cost-effective genotyping method using high-quality DNA for human identification. A total of 21 short tandem repeats (STRs) and amelogenin were selected, and fluorescent fragments at 22 loci were simultaneously amplified in a single-tube reaction using locus-specific primers with 24-base universal tails and four fluorescent universal primers. Several nucleotide substitutions in universal tails and fluorescent universal primers enabled the detection of specific fluorescent fragments from the 22 loci. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) produced intense FAM-, VIC-, NED-, and PET-labeled fragments ranging from 90 to 400 bp, and these fragments were discriminated using standard capillary electrophoretic analysis. The selected 22 loci were also analyzed using two commercial kits (the AmpFLSTR Identifiler Kit and the PowerPlex ESX 17 System), and results for two loci (D19S433 and D16S539) were discordant between these kits due to mutations at the primer binding sites. All genotypes from the 100 samples were determined using 2.5 ng of DNA by our method, and the expected alleles were completely recovered. Multiplex 22-locus genotyping using four fluorescent universal primers effectively reduces the costs to less than 20% of genotyping using commercial kits, and our method would be useful to detect silent alleles from commercial kit analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Kinematic matrix theory and universalities in self-propellers and active swimmers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nourhani, Amir; Lammert, Paul E; Borhan, Ali; Crespi, Vincent H

    2014-06-01

    We describe an efficient and parsimonious matrix-based theory for studying the ensemble behavior of self-propellers and active swimmers, such as nanomotors or motile bacteria, that are typically studied by differential-equation-based Langevin or Fokker-Planck formalisms. The kinematic effects for elementary processes of motion are incorporated into a matrix, called the "kinematrix," from which we immediately obtain correlators and the mean and variance of angular and position variables (and thus effective diffusivity) by simple matrix algebra. The kinematrix formalism enables us recast the behaviors of a diverse range of self-propellers into a unified form, revealing universalities in their ensemble behavior in terms of new emergent time scales. Active fluctuations and hydrodynamic interactions can be expressed as an additive composition of separate self-propellers.

  19. Effectiveness of pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs among Lebanese school and university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alaouie, Hala; Afifi, Rema A; Haddad, Pascale; Mahfoud, Ziyad; Nakkash, Rima

    2015-03-01

    Pictorial health warnings are more effective than text warnings in enhancing motivation to quit and not to start smoking among youth. In Lebanon, packs still have only a very small text warning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs among Lebanese youth. This was a cross-sectional study including school students (n=1412) aged 13-18 years recruited from 28 schools and university students (n=1217) aged 18-25 years recruited from 7 universities. A variety of warnings were adapted from other countries. In all, 4 warnings were tested among school students and 18 among university students. All pictorial warnings were considered more effective than the current text warning on message-related and impact-related variables, including intentions to quit or not to start smoking among school and university students. Selected examples related to the top-ranked pictorial warnings are: among male non-smoking school students, 81% agreed that the 'lung' warning had more impact on their intentions not to start smoking as compared to 57% for the current text warning (pnegative economic consequences of smoking, and to find that such a warning was effective among specific sociodemographic groups. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  20. A benefit segmentation approach for innovation-oriented university-business collaboration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kesting, Tobias; Gerstlberger, Wolfgang; Baaken, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    to deal with this situation by academic engagement, hereby providing external research support for businesses. Relying on the market segmentation approach, promoting beneficial exchange relations between academia and businesses enables the integration of both perspectives and may contribute to solving......Increasing competition in the light of globalisation imposes challenges on both academia and businesses. Universities have to compete for additional financial means, while companies, particular in high technology business environments, are facing a stronger pressure to innovate. Universities seek...

  1. Towards an understanding of the attributes of simulation that enable learning in undergraduate nurse education: A grounded theory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bland, Andrew J; Tobbell, Jane

    2016-09-01

    Simulation has become an established feature of nurse education yet little is understood about the mechanisms that lead to learning. To explore the attributes of simulation-based education that enable student learning in undergraduate nurse education. Final year students drawn from one UK University (n=46) participated in a grounded theory study. First, nonparticipant observation and video recording of student activity was undertaken. Following initial analysis, recordings and observations were deconstructed during focus group interviews that enabled both the researcher and participants to unpack meaning. Lastly emergent findings were verified with final year students drawn from a second UK University (n=6). A staged approach to learning emerged from engagement in simulation. This began with initial hesitation as students moved through nonlinear stages to making connections and thinking like a nurse. Core findings suggest that simulation enables curiosity and intellect (main concern) through doing (core category) and interaction with others identified as social collaboration (category). This study offers a theoretical basis for understanding simulation-based education and integration of strategies that maximise the potential for learning. Additionally it offers direction for further research, particularly with regards to how the application of theory to practice is accelerated through learning by doing and working collaboratively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Effect of classic massage in quality of life of university students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuno Miguel Lopes de Oliveira

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction : Due to often excessive academic activities, some university students are affected by stress, anxiety and depression, which can negatively influence quality of life. The classical massage was tested as a strategy for improving quality of life, since it presents psychogenic effects that contribute to this. Objective : To evaluate the effects of classical massage on quality of life, in stress, anxiety, depression and cardiorespiratory variables of university students. Methods : The sample consisted of an intervention group and a control group. While the intervention group (n = 10 received ten massage sessions, twice a week, for 30 minutes in the region of the cervical and thoracic spine, the control group (n = 12 received no intervention. For evaluating psychological variables, the Quality of Life Scale, the Lipp Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used. To assess cardiorespiratory variables, blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate were measured. Results : There was a significant improvement in quality of life and significant decrease in cardiorespiratory variables. Conclusion : The classic massage can be a strategy for the improvement of quality of life in university students who present symptoms of stress, anxiety, elevation of blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate.

  3.  The effect of context in children's interpretations of universally-quantified sentences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Drozd, Kenneth

    2006-01-01

    This chapter investigates the effects of perceptual and discourse context on children's Exhaustive Pairing interpretation of universally quantified sentences. Two experiments compared the predictions of two recent accounts of Exhaustive Pairing. In one account, Crain et al. (1996) arge that child......This chapter investigates the effects of perceptual and discourse context on children's Exhaustive Pairing interpretation of universally quantified sentences. Two experiments compared the predictions of two recent accounts of Exhaustive Pairing. In one account, Crain et al. (1996) arge...

  4. An Effective Framework for Managing University Data using a Cloud based Environment

    OpenAIRE

    Shakil, Kashish Ara; Sethi, Shuchi; Alam, Mansaf

    2015-01-01

    Management of data in education sector particularly management of data for big universities with several employees, departments and students is a very challenging task. There are also problems such as lack of proper funds and manpower for management of such data in universities. Education sector can easily and effectively take advantage of cloud computing skills for management of data. It can enhance the learning experience as a whole and can add entirely new dimensions to the way in which ed...

  5. The Nordic Housing Enabler

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helle, Tina; Slaug, Bjørn; Brandt, Åse

    2010-01-01

    This study addresses development of a content valid cross-Nordic version of the Housing Enabler and investigation of its inter-rater reliability when used in occupational therapy rating situations, involving occupational therapists, clients and their home environments. The instrument was translated...... from the original Swedish version of the Housing Enabler, and adapted according to accessibility norms and guidelines for housing design in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. This iterative process involved occupational therapists, architects, building engineers and professional translators......, resulting in the Nordic Housing Enabler. For reliability testing, the sampling strategy and data collection procedures used were the same in all countries. Twenty voluntary occupational therapists, pair-wise but independently from each other, collected data from 106 cases by means of the Nordic Housing...

  6. Intercultural Competency of University Teachers as a Demand of Education in 21st Century

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turturean, Monica

    2012-01-01

    Once with accession to the European Union, new requirements related to education at university level must be respected and promoted. Emphasis should be put on values such as tolerance, mutual respect, acceptance of otherness, and so on. These things imply that university teachers should possess multiple skills enabling them to promote among…

  7. Underwater microwave ignition of hydrophobic thermite powder enabled by the bubble-marble effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meir, Yehuda; Jerby, Eli

    2015-01-01

    Highly energetic thermite reactions could be useful for a variety of combustion and material-processing applications, but their usability is yet limited by their hard ignition conditions. Furthermore, in virtue of their zero-oxygen balance, exothermic thermite reactions may also occur underwater. However, this feature is also hard to utilize because of the hydrophobic properties of the thermite powder, and its tendency to agglomerate on the water surface rather than to sink into the water. The recently discovered bubble-marble (BM) effect enables the insertion and confinement of a thermite-powder batch into water by a magnetic field. Here, we present a phenomenon of underwater ignition of a thermite-BM by localized microwaves. The thermite combustion underwater is observed in-situ, and its microwave absorption and optical spectral emission are detected. The vapour pressure generated by the thermite reaction is measured and compared to theory. The combustion products are examined ex-situ by X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy which verifies the thermite reaction. Potential applications of this underwater combustion effect are considered, e.g., for detonation, wet welding, thermal drilling, material processing, thrust generation, and composite-material production, also for other oxygen-free environments

  8. Underwater microwave ignition of hydrophobic thermite powder enabled by the bubble-marble effect

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meir, Yehuda; Jerby, Eli, E-mail: jerby@eng.tau.ac.il [Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 6997801 (Israel)

    2015-08-03

    Highly energetic thermite reactions could be useful for a variety of combustion and material-processing applications, but their usability is yet limited by their hard ignition conditions. Furthermore, in virtue of their zero-oxygen balance, exothermic thermite reactions may also occur underwater. However, this feature is also hard to utilize because of the hydrophobic properties of the thermite powder, and its tendency to agglomerate on the water surface rather than to sink into the water. The recently discovered bubble-marble (BM) effect enables the insertion and confinement of a thermite-powder batch into water by a magnetic field. Here, we present a phenomenon of underwater ignition of a thermite-BM by localized microwaves. The thermite combustion underwater is observed in-situ, and its microwave absorption and optical spectral emission are detected. The vapour pressure generated by the thermite reaction is measured and compared to theory. The combustion products are examined ex-situ by X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy which verifies the thermite reaction. Potential applications of this underwater combustion effect are considered, e.g., for detonation, wet welding, thermal drilling, material processing, thrust generation, and composite-material production, also for other oxygen-free environments.

  9. Understanding the Effect of Loneliness on Academic Participation and Success among International University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bek, Hafiz

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of loneliness on academic participation and success among 213 students studying at Usak University. A total of 213 international students studying at Usak University, including 151 males and 62 females, were selected and participated in the research voluntarily. In the study, feelings of…

  10. Large-scale structure of the Universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doroshkevich, A.G.

    1978-01-01

    The problems, discussed at the ''Large-scale Structure of the Universe'' symposium are considered on a popular level. Described are the cell structure of galaxy distribution in the Universe, principles of mathematical galaxy distribution modelling. The images of cell structures, obtained after reprocessing with the computer are given. Discussed are three hypothesis - vortical, entropic, adiabatic, suggesting various processes of galaxy and galaxy clusters origin. A considerable advantage of the adiabatic hypothesis is recognized. The relict radiation, as a method of direct studying the processes taking place in the Universe is considered. The large-scale peculiarities and small-scale fluctuations of the relict radiation temperature enable one to estimate the turbance properties at the pre-galaxy stage. The discussion of problems, pertaining to studying the hot gas, contained in galaxy clusters, the interactions within galaxy clusters and with the inter-galaxy medium, is recognized to be a notable contribution into the development of theoretical and observational cosmology

  11. Sealing effectiveness of fissure sealant bonded with universal adhesive systems on saliva-contaminated and noncontaminated enamel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Memarpour, Mahtab; Shafiei, Fereshteh; Zarean, Mehran; Razmjoei, Faranak

    2018-01-01

    The effectiveness of sealants is dependent upon their adhesion to enamel surface. The aim of the study was to evaluate the sealing ability of a pit and fissure sealant used with a universal adhesive (etch-and-rinse vs. self-etch modes) when the site is contaminated with saliva. Adhesive properties were evaluated as microleakage and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) characteristics. A total of 72 mandibular third molars were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=12). Occlusal pits and fissures were sealed with an unfilled resin fissure sealant (FS) material with or without saliva contamination. The groups included: 1) phosphoric acid etching + FS (control), 2) phosphoric acid etching + Scotchbond Universal (etch-and-rinse) + FS, 3) phosphoric acid etching + saliva + Scotchbond Universal (etch-and-rinse) + FS, 4) Scotchbond Universal (self-etching) + FS,5) Scotchbond Universal (self-etching) + saliva + FS, and 6) Scotchbond Universal (self-etching) + saliva + Scotchbond Universal + FS. After thermocycling, the teeth were placed in 0.5% fuchsin, sectioned, and evaluated by digital microscopy. Two samples from each group were also observed by SEM. The data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests for a significance of p universal adhesive in etch-and-rinse or self-etch modes was similar to that of conventional acid etching. Saliva contamination had a negative effect on sealant adhesion to pretreated enamel. Key words: Pit and fissure sealant, Universal adhesive, Saliva.

  12. Integrated bio-photonics to revolutionize health care enabled through PIX4life and PIXAPP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jans, Hilde; O'Brien, Peter; Artundo, Iñigo; Porcel, Marco A. G.; Hoofman, Romano; Geuzebroek, Douwe; Dumon, Pieter; van der Vliet, Marcel; Witzens, Jeremy; Bourguignon, Eric; Van Dorpe, Pol; Lagae, Liesbet

    2018-02-01

    Photonics has become critical to life sciences. However, the field is far from benefiting fully from photonics' capabilities. Today, bulky and expensive optical systems dominate biomedical photonics, even though robust optical functionality can be realized cost-effectively on single photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Such chips are commercially available mostly for telecom applications, and at infrared wavelengths. Although proof-of-concept demonstrations for PICs in life sciences, using visible wavelengths are abundant, the gating factor for wider adoption is limited in resource capacity. Two European pilot lines, PIX4life and PIXAPP, were established to facilitate European R and D in biophotonics, by helping European companies and universities bridge the gap between research and industrial development. Through creation of an open-access model, PIX4life aims to lower barriers to entry for prototyping and validating biophotonics concepts for larger scale production. In addition, PIXAPP enables the assembly and packaging of photonic integrated circuits.

  13. Whither Teaching in the University Novel?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Switaj Elizabeth K.

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Scenes of explicit teaching make only limited appearances in the university novel since World War II. While it would be easy – if cynical – to attribute this minimization to the devaluation of teaching in the modern university, the importance of teaching and learning to sympathetic characters (and their lack of importance to corrupted figures suggests that this lack of focus on the classroom stems from something else. Indeed, university novels tend to be fairly conservative aesthetically, and the demands of traditional narrative make extended classroom scenes difficult if not impossible to manage. Because of these narrative demands, learning and teaching take on different forms in the university novel, creating stories in which education corresponds to the struggle of teachers and students with and against administrators and buildings – stories that, therefore, resemble Leo van Lier’s observation about how remembering our own educations as stories contradicts more bureaucratic visions of learning. This observation holds true whether one considers better-known works of university fiction such as David Lodge’s Campus Trilogy, Mary McCarthy’s The Groves of Academe, and Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members or lesser-known works produced by micro-presses and writers who are enabled by current technologies to publish electronically.

  14. Factors Affecting University Teaching Team Effectiveness in Detached Working Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Roger; Kane, Suzanne

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents the outcomes of a study of the factors that contribute to teaching team effectiveness in situations where team members rarely meet face to face. Academic faculty within a university Business School were asked to report the degrees to which they believed that the module teaching teams to which they belonged contained members who…

  15. Enabling Real-time Water Decision Support Services Using Model as a Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, T.; Minsker, B. S.; Lee, J. S.; Salas, F. R.; Maidment, D. R.; David, C. H.

    2014-12-01

    Through application of computational methods and an integrated information system, data and river modeling services can help researchers and decision makers more rapidly understand river conditions under alternative scenarios. To enable this capability, workflows (i.e., analysis and model steps) are created and published as Web services delivered through an internet browser, including model inputs, a published workflow service, and visualized outputs. The RAPID model, which is a river routing model developed at University of Texas Austin for parallel computation of river discharge, has been implemented as a workflow and published as a Web application. This allows non-technical users to remotely execute the model and visualize results as a service through a simple Web interface. The model service and Web application has been prototyped in the San Antonio and Guadalupe River Basin in Texas, with input from university and agency partners. In the future, optimization model workflows will be developed to link with the RAPID model workflow to provide real-time water allocation decision support services.

  16. A qualitative study to understand the barriers and enablers in implementing an enhanced recovery after surgery program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearsall, Emily A; Meghji, Zahida; Pitzul, Kristen B; Aarts, Mary-Anne; McKenzie, Marg; McLeod, Robin S; Okrainec, Allan

    2015-01-01

    Explore the barriers and enablers to adoption of an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) program by the multidisciplinary perioperative team responsible for the care of elective colorectal surgical patients. ERAS programs include perioperative interventions that when used together have led to decreased length of stay while increasing patient recovery and satisfaction. Despite the known benefits of ERAS programs, uptake remains slow. Semistructured interviews were conducted with general surgeons, anesthesiologists, and ward nurses at 7 University of Toronto-affiliated hospitals to identify potential barriers and enablers to adoption of 18 ERAS interventions. Grounded theory was used to thematically analyze the transcribed interviews. Nineteen general surgeons, 18 anesthesiologists, and 18 nurses participated. The mean time of each interview was 18 minutes. Lack of manpower, poor communication and collaboration, resistance to change, and patient factors were cited by most as barriers. Discipline-specific issues were identified although most related to resistance to change. Overall, interviewees were supportive of implementation of a standardized ERAS program and agreed that a standardized guideline based on best evidence; standardized order sets; and education of the staff, patients, and families are essential. Multidisciplinary perioperative staff supported the implementation of an ERAS program at the University of Toronto-affiliated hospitals. However, major barriers were identified, including the need for patient education, increased communication and collaboration, and better evidence for ERAS interventions. Identifying these barriers and enablers is the first step toward successfully implementing an ERAS program.

  17. Enabling Wide-Scale Computer Science Education through Improved Automated Assessment Tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boe, Bryce A.

    There is a proliferating demand for newly trained computer scientists as the number of computer science related jobs continues to increase. University programs will only be able to train enough new computer scientists to meet this demand when two things happen: when there are more primary and secondary school students interested in computer science, and when university departments have the resources to handle the resulting increase in enrollment. To meet these goals, significant effort is being made to both incorporate computational thinking into existing primary school education, and to support larger university computer science class sizes. We contribute to this effort through the creation and use of improved automated assessment tools. To enable wide-scale computer science education we do two things. First, we create a framework called Hairball to support the static analysis of Scratch programs targeted for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. Scratch is a popular building-block language utilized to pique interest in and teach the basics of computer science. We observe that Hairball allows for rapid curriculum alterations and thus contributes to wide-scale deployment of computer science curriculum. Second, we create a real-time feedback and assessment system utilized in university computer science classes to provide better feedback to students while reducing assessment time. Insights from our analysis of student submission data show that modifications to the system configuration support the way students learn and progress through course material, making it possible for instructors to tailor assignments to optimize learning in growing computer science classes.

  18. Activity-based costing and its application in a Turkish university hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yereli, Ayşe Necef

    2009-03-01

    Resource management in hospitals is of increasing importance in today's global economy. Traditional accounting systems have become inadequate for managing hospital resources and accurately determining service costs. Conversely, the activity-based costing approach to hospital accounting is an effective cost management model that determines costs and evaluates financial performance across departments. Obtaining costs that are more accurate can enable hospitals to analyze and interpret costing decisions and make more accurate budgeting decisions. Traditional and activity-based costing approaches were compared using a cost analysis of gall bladder surgeries in the general surgery department of one university hospital in Manisa, Turkey. Copyright (c) AORN, Inc, 2009.

  19. A Web-based Architecture Enabling Multichannel Telemedicine Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabrizio Lamberti

    2003-02-01

    Full Text Available Telemedicine scenarios include today in-hospital care management, remote teleconsulting, collaborative diagnosis and emergency situations handling. Different types of information need to be accessed by means of etherogeneous client devices in different communication environments in order to enable high quality continuous sanitary assistance delivery wherever and whenever needed. In this paper, a Web-based telemedicine architecture based on Java, XML and XSL technologies is presented. By providing dynamic content delivery services and Java based client applications for medical data consultation and modification, the system enables effective access to an Electronic Patient Record based standard database by means of any device equipped with a Web browser, such as traditional Personal Computers and workstation as well as modern Personal Digital Assistants. The effectiveness of the proposed architecture has been evaluated in different scenarios, experiencing fixed and mobile clinical data transmissions over Local Area Networks, wireless LANs and wide coverage telecommunication network including GSM and GPRS.

  20. The Effects of Gender and Loneliness Levels on Ways of Coping among University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cecen, A. Rezan

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of gender differences and levels of loneliness on ways of coping. The sample of the study is composed of 462 university students (245 male, 217 female) from different departments from the Education Faculty at Cukurova University. In this study to collect data related to loneliness as an…

  1. Cost-effectiveness of universal rotavirus vaccination in reducing rotavirus gastroenteritis in Ireland.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Tilson, L

    2011-10-06

    We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of universal infant rotavirus (RV) vaccination compared to current standard of care of "no vaccination". Two RV vaccines are currently licensed in Ireland: Rotarix and RotaTeq. A cohort model used in several European countries was adapted using Irish epidemiological, resource utilisation and cost data. The base case model considers the impact of Rotarix vaccination on health-related quality of life of children under five years old from a healthcare payer perspective. Other scenarios explored the use of RotaTeq, impact on one caregiver, on societal costs and on cases that do not seek medical attention. Cost was varied between the vaccine list price (€100\\/course) in the base case and an assumed tender price (€70\\/course). One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. Implementing universal RV vaccination may prevent around 1970 GP visits, 3280 A&E attendances and 2490 hospitalisations. A vaccination programme was estimated to cost approximately €6.54 million per year but €4.65 million of this would be offset by reducing healthcare resource use. The baseline ICER was €112,048\\/QALY and €72,736\\/QALY from the healthcare payer and societal perspective, respectively, falling to €68,896 and €43,916\\/QALY, respectively, if the impact on one caregiver was considered. If the price fell to €70 per course, universal RV vaccination would be cost saving under all scenarios. Results were sensitive to vaccination costs, incidence of RV infection and direct medical costs. Universal RV vaccination would not be cost-effective under base case assumptions. However, it could be cost-effective at a lower vaccine price or from a wider societal perspective.

  2. Universal Intelligent Small Cell (UnISCell for next generation cellular networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Patwary

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Exploring innovative cellular architectures to achieve enhanced system capacity and good coverage has become a critical issue towards realizing the next generation of wireless communications. In this context, this paper proposes a novel concept of Universal Intelligent Small Cell (UnISCell for enabling the densification of the next generation of cellular networks. The proposed novel concept envisions an integrated platform of providing a strong linkage between different stakeholders such as street lighting networks, landline telephone networks and future wireless networks, and is universal in nature being independent of the operating frequency bands and traffic types. The main motivating factors for the proposed small cell concept are the need of public infrastructure re-engineering, and the recent advances in several enabling technologies. First, we highlight the main concepts of the proposed UnISCell platform. Subsequently, we present two deployment scenarios for the proposed UnISCell concept considering infrastructure sharing and service sharing as important aspects. We then describe the key future technologies for enabling the proposed UnISCell concept and present a use case example with the help of numerical results. Finally, we conclude this article by providing some interesting future recommendations.

  3. Low Phase Noise Universal Microwave Oscillator for Analog and Digital Devices, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — An inherently rugged Universal Oscillator (UO) is needed to enable a superior class of configurable communications for NASA applications. The requirements are a low...

  4. Thermodynamic theory of dislocation-enabled plasticity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langer, J. S.

    2017-01-01

    The thermodynamic theory of dislocation-enabled plasticity is based on two unconventional hypotheses. The first of these is that a system of dislocations, driven by external forces and irreversibly exchanging heat with its environment, must be characterized by a thermodynamically defined effective temperature that is not the same as the ordinary temperature. The second hypothesis is that the overwhelmingly dominant mechanism controlling plastic deformation is thermally activated depinning of entangled pairs of dislocations. This paper consists of a systematic reformulation of this theory followed by examples of its use in analyses of experimentally observed phenomena including strain hardening, grain-size (Hall-Petch) effects, yielding transitions, and adiabatic shear banding.

  5. ICT Enabled Disaster Communications for Vulnerable Caribbean ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    This project will examine how information and communication technology (ICT) ... IDRC “unpacks women's empowerment” at McGill University Conference ... a new funding opportunity aimed at fostering effective, long-term climate action to ...

  6. Financial Analysis of National University Hospitals in Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Munjae

    2015-10-01

    This paper provides information for decision making of the managers and the staff of national university hospitals. In order to conduct a financial analysis of national university hospitals, this study uses reports on the final accounts of 10 university hospitals from 2008 to 2011. The results of comparing 2008 and 2011 showed that there was a general decrease in total assets, an increase in liabilities, and a decrease in total medical revenues, with a continuous deficit in many hospitals. Moreover, as national university hospitals have low debt dependence, their management conditions generally seem satisfactory. However, some individual hospitals suffer severe financial difficulties and thus depend on short-term debts, which generally aggravate the profit and loss structure. Various indicators show that the financial state and business performance of national university hospitals have been deteriorating. These research findings will be used as important basic data for managers who make direct decisions in this uncertain business environment or by researchers who analyze the medical industry to enable informed decision-making and optimized execution. Furthermore, this study is expected to contribute to raising government awareness of the need to foster and support the national university hospital industry.

  7. Received social support and exercising: An intervention study to test the enabling hypothesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rackow, Pamela; Scholz, Urte; Hornung, Rainer

    2015-11-01

    Received social support is considered important for health-enhancing exercise participation. The enabling hypothesis of social support suggests an indirect association of social support and exercising via constructs of self-regulation, such as self-efficacy. This study aimed at examining an expanded enabling hypothesis by examining effects of different kinds of social support (i.e., emotional and instrumental) on exercising not only via self-efficacy but also via self-monitoring and action planning. An 8-week online study was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. The intervention comprised finding and then exercising regularly with a new exercise companion. Intervention and control group effects were compared by a manifest multigroup model. Received emotional social support predicted self-efficacy, self-monitoring, and action planning in the intervention group. Moreover, received emotional social support was indirectly connected with exercise via the examined mediators. The indirect effect from received emotional social support via self-efficacy mainly contributed to the total effect. No direct or indirect effect of received instrumental social support on exercise emerged. In the control group, neither emotional nor instrumental social support was associated with any of the self-regulation constructs nor with exercise. Actively looking for a new exercise companion and exercising together seems to be beneficial for the promotion of received emotional and instrumental social support. Emotional support in turn promotes exercise by enabling better self-regulation, in particular self-efficacy. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? With the 'enabling hypothesis', Benight and Bandura (2004, Behav. Res. Ther., 42, 1129) claimed that social support indirectly affects behaviour via self-efficacy. Research in the domain of physical exercise has provided evidence for this enabling hypothesis on a

  8. A BLUEPRINT OF SOFTWARE ENABLED QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF PROGRAMME OUTCOMES: A CASE STUDY FOR TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    REYNATO ANDAL GAMBOA

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Lecturers are fully occupied with many tasks including preparing teaching materials, exam papers, lab sheets, markings, research, and administrative support tasks required of them to maintain high standard teaching delivery and good quality management system in the school. Aside from these, they are now required to do intensive Outcome-Based Education (OBE assessments, and Continual Quality Improvement (CQI planning and implementation. An automated OBE assessment tool is therefore required to ease the burden among the lecturers and provide a standard method of assessment. To assist in this process, this paper presents a blueprint of a software-enabled quantitative measurement of the Learning Outcomes (LO and the Programme Outcomes (PO in the module level. The blueprint consists of macro-enabled worksheets that automatically calculate the students’ individual LO and PO attainments based on their respective module assessment marks whereby the lecturer only need to key-in the subject details of assessments-LO mapping, LO-PO mapping and the students’ assessment marks. Once the marks are in place, LO and PO attainments are calculated automatically to provide the corresponding bar charts based on the individual attainments of the students. A LO or a PO is said to be attained when the number of students achieved the Key Performance Index (KPI set by the department. The results will then be used by the lecturer to prepare an annual module review and prepare a CQI plan for the next semester.

  9. Stellar imager (SI): enhancements to the mission enabled by the constellation architecture (Ares I/Ares V)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, Kenneth G.; Karovska, Margarita; Lyon, Richard G.; Mozurkewich, D.; Schrijver, Carolus

    2009-08-01

    Stellar Imager (SI) is a space-based, UV/Optical Interferometer (UVOI) with over 200x the resolution of HST. It will enable 0.1 milli-arcsec spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and the Universe in general and open an enormous new "discovery space" for astrophysics with its combination of high angular resolution, dynamic imaging, and spectral energy resolution. SI's goal is to study the role of magnetism in the Universe and revolutionize our understanding of: 1) Solar/Stellar Magnetic Activity and their impact on Space Weather, Planetary Climates, and Life, 2) Magnetic and Accretion Processes and their roles in the Origin & Evolution of Structure and in the Transport of Matter throughout the Universe, 3) the close-in structure of Active Galactic Nuclei and their winds, and 4) Exo-Solar Planet Transits and Disks. SI is a "Landmark/Discovery Mission" in 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap and a candidate UVOI in the 2006 Astrophysics Strategic Plan and is targeted for launch in the mid-2020's. It is a NASA Vision Mission and has been recommended for further study in a 2008 NRC report on missions potentially enabled/enhanced by an Ares V launch. In this paper, we discuss the science goals and required capabilities of SI, the baseline architecture of the mission assuming launch on one or more Delta rockets, and then the potential significant enhancements to the SI science and mission architecture that would be made possible by a launch in the larger volume Ares V payload fairing, and by servicing options under consideration in the Constellation program.

  10. Stellar Imager (SI): Enhancements to the Mission Enabled by the Constellation Architecture (Ares I/Ares V)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, Kenneth G.; Lyon, Richard G.; Karovska, Margarita; Mozurkwich, D.; Schrijver, Carolus

    2009-01-01

    Stellar Imager (SI) is a space-based, UV/Optical Interferometer (UVOI) with over 200x the resolution of HST. It will enable 0.1 milli-aresec spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and the Universe in general and open an enormous new "discovery space" for astrophysics with its combination of high angular resolution, dynamic imaging , and spectral energy resolution. SI's goal is to study the role of magnetism in the Universe and revolutionize our understanding of 1) Solar/Stellar Magnetic Activity and their impact on Space Weather, Planetary Climates, and Life, 2) Magnetic and Accretion Processes and their roles in the Origin & Evolution of Structure and in the Transport of Matter throughout the Universe, 3) the close-in structure of Active Galactic Nuclei and their winds, and 4) Exo-Solar Planet Transits and Disks. SI is a "Landmark-Discovery Mission" in 2005 Heliophysics Roadmap and a candidate UVOI in the 2006 Astrophysics Strategic Plan and is targeted for launch in the mid-2020's. It is a NASA Vision Mission and has been recommended for further study in a 2008 NRC report on missions potentially enabled/enhanced by an Ares V launch. In this paper, we discuss the science goals and required capabilities of SI, the baseline architecture of the mission assuming launch on one or more Delta rockets, and then the potential significant enhancements to the SI science and mission architecture that would be made possible by a launch in the larger volume Ares V payload fairing, and by servicing options under consideration in the Constellation program.

  11. Different conceptions of digital university in Ibero-America

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesús Salinas Ibáñez

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Recently, the term of digital university has been a buzzword or trend in different contexts in Spanish-speaking countries. However, there is no available clear definition of the concept that helps us specify its implementation further. Therefore, this study was aimed at analyzing the different existing conceptions of digital university in Ibero-America, via a systematic literature review and the analysis of the semantic field through a network analysis. This enabled us to identify what was understood by being a digital university from the perspective of different Ibero-American universities. Spanish keywords derived from the thesaurus -including “digital university”- were used in the search through diverse catalogs and databases, and documents of different kinds were found between 2007 and 2017. The literature review was based on the abstracts of the documents and we considered the creation of categories with diverse topics that represent how Ibero-America understands the digital university and with which restrictions has to deal with. The discussion incorporates the integration of those categories and topics into the digital university models that were previously identified. As a conclusion, a summary on the concept of digital university is presented and we point towards some remarks so that the conception is made a reality in its practice.

  12. On Effective Degrees of Freedom in the Early Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lars Husdal

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available We explore the effective degrees of freedom in the early Universe, from before the electroweak scale at a few femtoseconds after the Big Bang until the last positrons disappeared a few minutes later. We look at the established concepts of effective degrees of freedom for energy density, pressure, and entropy density, and introduce effective degrees of freedom for number density as well. We discuss what happens with particle species as their temperature cools down from relativistic to semi- and non-relativistic temperatures, and then annihilates completely. This will affect the pressure and the entropy per particle. We also look at the transition from a quark-gluon plasma to a hadron gas. Using a list a known hadrons, we use a “cross-over” temperature of 214 MeV, where the effective degrees of freedom for a quark-gluon plasma equals that of a hadron gas.

  13. Can the acceleration of our universe be explained by the effects of inhomogeneities?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishibashi, Akihiro; Wald, Robert M

    2006-01-01

    No, it is simply not plausible that cosmic acceleration could arise within the context of general relativity from a back-reaction effect of inhomogeneities in our universe, without the presence of a cosmological constant or 'dark energy'. We point out that our universe appears to be described very accurately on all scales by a Newtonianly perturbed FLRW metric. (This assertion is entirely consistent with the fact that we commonly encounter δρ/ρ > 10 30 .) If the universe is accurately described by a Newtonianly perturbed FLRW metric, then the back-reaction of inhomogeneities on the dynamics of the universe is negligible. If not, then it is the burden of an alternative model to account for the observed properties of our universe. We emphasize with concrete examples that it is not adequate to attempt to justify a model by merely showing that some spatially averaged quantities behave the same way as in FLRW models with acceleration. A quantity representing the 'scale factor' may 'accelerate' without there being any physically observable consequences of this acceleration. It also is not adequate to calculate the second-order stress-energy tensor and show that it has a form similar to that of a cosmological constant of the appropriate magnitude. The second-order stress-energy tensor is gauge dependent, and if it were large, contributions of higher perturbative order could not be neglected. We attempt to clear up the apparent confusion between the second-order stress-energy tensor arising in perturbation theory and the 'effective stress-energy tensor' arising in the 'shortwave approximation'

  14. Reading the Urban Landscape: The Case of a Campus Tour at York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bardekjian, Adrina; Classens, Michael; Sandberg, L. Anders

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a campus tour assignment in a first-year undergraduate environmental studies course at York University, Toronto, Canada. As a pedagogical tool, the assignment enables students to interrogate the dominant narratives of a university's immediate physical spaces and to apply broader theoretical and practical concepts to their…

  15. ENABLING USE OF STANDARD COSTING IN LEAN ORGANIZATIONS AS DETERMINANT OF GOAL CONGRUENT BEHAVIOR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Thomas Borup; Israelsen, Poul

    2014-01-01

    Using the enabling formalization framework in two longitudinal case studies combined with a survey in the companies, we find that a standard costing model can be perceived as a form of enabling formalization in Lean organizations. Hence, standard costing cannot be characterized as coercive...... formalization per se. This contradicts conventional wisdom. Repair is a feature of enabling formalization through the use of standard costing. Applying a structural equation model, we present evidence that this repair feature has a direct effect on behavior that is congruent with Lean objectives. Internal...... and global transparency together with flexibility are three other features of enabling formalization through use of standard costing, but these have an indirect effect on Lean-goal-congruent behavior through the repair feature. Thus, these three features are antecedents of the repair feature, and we also...

  16. Career effects of taking up parental leave. Evidence from a Dutch University

    OpenAIRE

    Vlasblom, J.D.; Plantenga, J.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper we study the effect of parental leave on individual careers. We use individual registration data of a Dutch non-profit firm (Utrecht University). Our outcomes show that even with a short period of flexible leave there are career effects. More specifically, these effects are not unambiguously positive: slightly longer job durations are found, but also a lower probability of wage increases. It also appears that there are differences in effects between men and women: for men the ef...

  17. University Social Responsibility and Brand Image of Private Universities in Bangkok

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plungpongpan, Jirawan; Tiangsoongnern, Leela; Speece, Mark

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of university social responsibility (USR) on the brand image of private universities in Thailand. Brand image is important for entry into the consideration set as prospective students evaluate options for university study. USR activities may be implicit or explicit, i.e., actively…

  18. The Effectiveness of Fraud Prevention and Detection Methods at Universities in Indonesia

    OpenAIRE

    Zamzami, Faiz; Nusa, Nabella Duta; Timur, Rudi Prasetya

    2016-01-01

    Some cases of corruption have taken place in several universities in Indonesia. To prevent and handle the cases, internal auditors play pivotal roles in detecting and preventing fraud. Therefore, effective methods to detect and prevent fraud are needed. The methods are expected to set the appropriate measures to detect and prevent fraud effectively. This research proposed a question how the internal auditors perceive the effectiveness of fraud detection and prevention methods. The research ai...

  19. Utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Resources and Job Effectiveness among Library Staff in the University of Calabar and Cross River University of Technology, Nigeria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ntui, Aniebiet Inyang; Inyang, Comfort Linus

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources and job effectiveness among library staff in the University of Calabar and Cross River University of Technology, Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of this study, four hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Ex-post facto research design was adopted…

  20. Evaluation of a Mobile Learning Organiser for University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corlett, Dan; Sharples, Mike; Bull, Susan; Chan, Tony

    2005-01-01

    This paper describes a 10-month trial of a mobile learning organiser, developed for use by university students. Implemented on a wireless-enabled Pocket PC hand-held computer, the organiser makes use of existing mobile applications as well as tools designed specifically for students to manage their learning. The trial set out to identify the…

  1. Prevalence, side effects and awareness about energy drinks among the female university students in Saudi Arabia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahamathulla, Mohamudha Parveen

    2017-01-01

    To evaluate the consumption, prevalence, side effects and awareness of energy drinks among female university students in Saudi Arabia. A quantitative research design was implied with sample size of 358 female students, recruited from Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University. The data, gathered through self-administered questionnaire, was analyzed through SPSS version 20.0 with p value energy drink consumers. The reasons for increased consumption of energy drinks mainly include giving company to friends (59.4%), better performance in exams (41.2%), and better concentration in studies (39.4%). The most common side effect was headache (32.3%), and the least was identified as allergy (2%). Only 39.4% and 29.9% of students acquired awareness regarding the harmful effects of energy drink consumption during pregnancy and breast feeding respectively. A significant proportion of female students at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz have reported to consume energy drinks regularly with several adverse effects. The government of Saudi Arabia should take serious initiatives towards organizing effective awareness programs specifically in universities and colleges to control the consumption of energy drinks and educate on the adverse effects.

  2. A universal molecular translator for non-nucleic acid targets that enables dynamic DNA assemblies and logic operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Wei; Hu, Shichao; Wang, Huaming; Zhao, Yan; Li, Na; Liu, Feng

    2014-11-28

    A universal molecular translator based on the target-triggered DNA strand displacement was developed, which was able to convert various kinds of non-nucleic acid targets into a unique output DNA. This translation strategy was successfully applied in directing dynamic DNA assemblies and in realizing three-input logic gate operations.

  3. Graphene and the universality of the quantum Hall effect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tzalenchuk, A.; Janssen, T. J.B.M.; Kazakova, O.

    2013-01-01

    The quantum Hall effect allows the standard for resistance to be defined in terms of the elementary charge and Planck's constant alone. The effect comprises the quantization of the Hall resistance in two-dimensional electron systems in rational fractions of RK=h/e2=25812.8074434(84) Ω (Mohr P. J....... the unconventional quantum Hall effect and then present in detail the route, which led to the most precise quantum Hall resistance universality test ever performed.......The quantum Hall effect allows the standard for resistance to be defined in terms of the elementary charge and Planck's constant alone. The effect comprises the quantization of the Hall resistance in two-dimensional electron systems in rational fractions of RK=h/e2=25812.8074434(84) Ω (Mohr P. J....... et al., Rev. Mod. Phys., 84 (2012) 1527), the resistance quantum. Despite 30 years of research into the quantum Hall effect, the level of precision necessary for metrology, a few parts per billion, has been achieved only in silicon and III-V heterostructure devices. In this lecture we show...

  4. Final Scientific/Technical Report for "Enabling Exascale Hardware and Software Design through Scalable System Virtualization"

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dinda, Peter August [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)

    2015-03-17

    This report describes the activities, findings, and products of the Northwestern University component of the "Enabling Exascale Hardware and Software Design through Scalable System Virtualization" project. The purpose of this project has been to extend the state of the art of systems software for high-end computing (HEC) platforms, and to use systems software to better enable the evaluation of potential future HEC platforms, for example exascale platforms. Such platforms, and their systems software, have the goal of providing scientific computation at new scales, thus enabling new research in the physical sciences and engineering. Over time, the innovations in systems software for such platforms also become applicable to more widely used computing clusters, data centers, and clouds. This was a five-institution project, centered on the Palacios virtual machine monitor (VMM) systems software, a project begun at Northwestern, and originally developed in a previous collaboration between Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico. In this project, Northwestern (including via our subcontract to the University of Pittsburgh) contributed to the continued development of Palacios, along with other team members. We took the leadership role in (1) continued extension of support for emerging Intel and AMD hardware, (2) integration and performance enhancement of overlay networking, (3) connectivity with architectural simulation, (4) binary translation, and (5) support for modern Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) hosts and guests. We also took a supporting role in support for specialized hardware for I/O virtualization, profiling, configurability, and integration with configuration tools. The efforts we led (1-5) were largely successful and executed as expected, with code and papers resulting from them. The project demonstrated the feasibility of a virtualization layer for HEC computing, similar to such layers for cloud or datacenter computing. For effort (3

  5. The RAE and University Efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mace, John

    2000-01-01

    Evaluates effects of the new British funding formula for universities, based on the research assessment exercise (RAE). Compares effects of the RAE on two contrasting universities and finds the RAE has dramatically affected university organization, teaching, and research. RAE may have increased efficiency in teaching and research but encourages…

  6. Demand Response Advanced Controls Framework and Assessment of Enabling Technology Costs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Potter, Jennifer; Cappers, Peter

    2017-08-28

    The Demand Response Advanced Controls Framework and Assessment of Enabling Technology Costs research describe a variety of DR opportunities and the various bulk power system services they can provide. The bulk power system services are mapped to a generalized taxonomy of DR “service types”, which allows us to discuss DR opportunities and bulk power system services in fewer yet broader categories that share similar technological requirements which mainly drive DR enablement costs. The research presents a framework for the costs to automate DR and provides descriptions of the various elements that drive enablement costs. The report introduces the various DR enabling technologies and end-uses, identifies the various services that each can provide to the grid and provides the cost assessment for each enabling technology. In addition to a report, this research includes a Demand Response Advanced Controls Database and User Manual. They are intended to provide users with the data that underlies this research and instructions for how to use that database more effectively and efficiently.

  7. Giant magneto-optical Kerr effect and universal Faraday effect in thin-film topological insulators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tse, Wang-Kong; MacDonald, A H

    2010-07-30

    Topological insulators can exhibit strong magneto-electric effects when their time-reversal symmetry is broken. In this Letter we consider the magneto-optical Kerr and Faraday effects of a topological insulator thin film weakly exchange coupled to a ferromagnet. We find that its Faraday rotation has a universal value at low frequencies θF=tan(-1)α, where α is the vacuum fine structure constant, and that it has a giant Kerr rotation θK=π/2. These properties follow from a delicate interplay between thin-film cavity confinement and the surface Hall conductivity of a topological insulator's helical quasiparticles.

  8. Organizational intelligence and agility in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid Taboli

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Organizational Intelligence is a combination of all skills that organizations need and use; it enables us to make organizational decisions. Organizational Intelligence can increase the effectiveness of the existing informational structures in achieving organizational goals and result in organizational agility. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Organizational Intelligence and organizational agility in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Method: This is an applied study in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of method. The study population consisted of 1200 employees working in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The subjects were selected via convenience sampling. Based on Cochran formula, a sample size of 296 was determined with a confidence level of 95%. The measurement tools included the 36-item Organizational Intelligence questionnaire developed by Albrecht (2003 and a researcher-developed organizational agility questionnaire with 30 items. Expert opinion was used to determine the validity of the questionnaires and reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient via SPSS, version 19. Results: Tenure employees had the highest frequency among the participants (50%. In terms of education, employees with a bachelor’s degree were the most frequent (58%. Values obtained for all variables showed a significant positive relationship between Organizational Intelligence and Agility. Conclusion: It is recommended that the university officials take measures to include Organizational Intelligence courses in in-service training programs to promote the agility of the university, and improve the service provision process and speed.

  9. QBone University and Lab Interconnect Testbed (QUALIT). Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Teitelbaum, Benjamin

    2001-10-19

    The QUALIT grant funded two broad categories of work: (1) Project-wide QBone engineering, instrumentation, and integration; (2) Focused workshops and measurement work relating specifically to advanced university/DOE connectivity. Significant progress has been made in both areas and, to both, QUALIT funding has been a key enabling resource. This final report summarizes the accomplishments of the QUALIT project and explains changes to the technical focus of the project that, while significant, remained true to the overall project goal: to research, test, and deploy IP layer traffic differentiation to redress congestion-related end-to-end performance problems on key university-DOE lab paths.

  10. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Substance Use among University Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David A. F. Haaga

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available A randomized wait-list controlled trial (=295 university students of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program was conducted in an urban setting. Substance use was assessed by self-report at baseline and 3 months later. For smoking and illicit drug use, there were no significant differences between conditions. For alcohol use, sex X intervention condition interactions were significant; TM instruction lowered drinking rates among male but not female students. TM instruction could play a valuable role in reducing alcohol use among male university students. Limitations are noted, along with suggestions for further research.

  11. Sustainable Supply Chain Management Implementation–Enablers and Barriers in the Textile Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nelly Oelze

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The distinct definition of accordance in the perceived barriers and enablers for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM policy implementation has been the subject of various research studies, but a distinct focus on the textile sector has been the object of limited previous attention. However, it has been found that it affects the approach to developments in company approaches to sustainable supply chain management within that industry. This article presents the results of an in-depth comparative case study analysis, drawing on 23 interviews with managers of 10 companies from the textile industry. The analysis demonstrates that specific modes of collaboration can both enable an effective SSCM and diminish barriers for policy implementation. The width and depth varies between a collaborative management approach for an effective internal SSCM versus industry collaboration and buyer supplier collaboration to address external barriers and enablers.

  12. Effect of the topology of the universe on the cosmic microwave background radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caillerie, Samuel

    2005-01-01

    Whereas geometrical problems of cosmology related to the local shape of the Universe are well described, this research thesis, after some recalls on cosmology, addresses the issue of Universe topology. The author explains how topology can be described by using the conventional image of 'ghost objects', and then shows that topology intervenes at the level of Eigenmodes of different physical values which describe the content of the Universe by discretizing them. Thus, the author proposes a reinterpretation of the behaviour of the power spectrum, and notably the weak quadrupole, in a topological effect related to the lack of modes for this scale. However, the problem of the shape of the Universe remains open as few estimators are actually reliable with respect to present observations. But the author states that some models can be discarded (like non simply connected non Euclidean models), and that some strong constraints can be obtained on the remaining models [fr

  13. Evaluating Instructional Effects of Flipped Classroom in University: A Case Study on Electronic Business Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Wenlong; Xie, Wenjing

    2018-01-01

    Flipped classroom provides the new ideas and ways for the innovation of university pedagogical mode. Nowadays instructors may apply this new approach to liberal arts majors in university class in order to make up for the problems of low instructional effects in traditional teaching method. From the subjective and objective perspectives, this…

  14. Universal health coverage in Turkey: enhancement of equity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atun, Rifat; Aydın, Sabahattin; Chakraborty, Sarbani; Sümer, Safir; Aran, Meltem; Gürol, Ipek; Nazlıoğlu, Serpil; Ozgülcü, Senay; Aydoğan, Ulger; Ayar, Banu; Dilmen, Uğur; Akdağ, Recep

    2013-07-06

    Turkey has successfully introduced health system changes and provided its citizens with the right to health to achieve universal health coverage, which helped to address inequities in financing, health service access, and health outcomes. We trace the trajectory of health system reforms in Turkey, with a particular emphasis on 2003-13, which coincides with the Health Transformation Program (HTP). The HTP rapidly expanded health insurance coverage and access to health-care services for all citizens, especially the poorest population groups, to achieve universal health coverage. We analyse the contextual drivers that shaped the transformations in the health system, explore the design and implementation of the HTP, identify the factors that enabled its success, and investigate its effects. Our findings suggest that the HTP was instrumental in achieving universal health coverage to enhance equity substantially, and led to quantifiable and beneficial effects on all health system goals, with an improved level and distribution of health, greater fairness in financing with better financial protection, and notably increased user satisfaction. After the HTP, five health insurance schemes were consolidated to create a unified General Health Insurance scheme with harmonised and expanded benefits. Insurance coverage for the poorest population groups in Turkey increased from 2·4 million people in 2003, to 10·2 million in 2011. Health service access increased across the country-in particular, access and use of key maternal and child health services improved to help to greatly reduce the maternal mortality ratio, and under-5, infant, and neonatal mortality, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Several factors helped to achieve universal health coverage and improve outcomes. These factors include economic growth, political stability, a comprehensive transformation strategy led by a transformation team, rapid policy translation, flexible implementation with

  15. MARKETING STRATEGY OF THE UNIVERSITY: FORMATION AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION REALIZATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalia К. Shemetova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The study is aimed at developing an algorithm of formation of university’s marketing strategy and the development of evaluating methods of its effectiveness realization. Despite the competitive expansion of the educational services market and the transition to a system of university self-financing, researchers have not paid due attention to the process of developing the marketing strategy of the university and the evaluation of its effectiveness yet. Methods. The applied methods include the method of general systems theory, and the complex of specialized marketing tools (PEST-, SNWand SWOT-analysis. Results. The algorithm of university’s marketing strategy formation and methodology for its effectiveness assessing is given in five fields: economic, informational, social, integration, and demand stage. The set of criteria is worked out for every field listed above. The author has developed a formula for determining the total indicator or general index of the effectiveness of university’s marketing strategy. Scientific novelty. The prospects of using the algorithm of formation of university’s marketing strategy and the system of monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of marketing in higher vocational education was proved and evaluated by the author in the Ural Institute of Management of RANEPA. Practical significance. The research results can be used by the experts in the field of management of the higher educational institutions, and also as teaching materials while preparing the experts in marketing. 

  16. Towards a Unified University Infrastructure: The Data Management Roll-Out at the University of Oxford

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James A. J. Wilson

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Since presenting a paper at the International Digital Curation Conference 2010 conference entitled ‘An Institutional Approach to Developing Research Data Management Infrastructure’, the University of Oxford has come a long way in developing research data management (RDM policy, tools and training to address the various phases of the research data lifecycle. Work has now begun on integrating these various elements into a unified infrastructure for the whole university, under the aegis of the Data Management Roll-out at Oxford (Damaro Project.This paper will explain the process and motivation behind the project, and describes our vision for the future. It will also introduce the new tools and processes created by the university to tie the individual RDM components together. Chief among these is the ‘DataFinder’ – a hierarchically-structured metadata cataloguing system which will enable researchers to search for and locate research datasets hosted in a variety of different datastores from institutional repositories, through Web 2 services, to filing cabinets standing in department offices. DataFinder will be able to pull and associate research metadata from research information databases and data management plans, and is intended to be CERIF compatible. DataFinder is being designed so that it can be deployed at different levels within different contexts, with higher-level instances harvesting information from lower-level instances enabling, for example, an academic department to deploy one instance of DataFinder, which can then be harvested by another at an institutional level, which can then in turn be harvested by another at a national level.The paper will also consider the requirements of embedding tools and training within an institution and address the difficulties of ensuring the sustainability of an RDM infrastructure at a time when funding for such endeavours is limited. Our research shows that researchers (and indeed departments

  17. Technological Innovation and Beyond: Exploring Public Value of University Inventions Based on Contingent Effectiveness Model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Milana, Evita; Li-Ying, Jason; Faria, Lourenco

    2017-01-01

    University inventions are traditionally seen as significant input into development of new technologies and innovations in the market as they generate growth and regional development. (REF) Yet, these inventions developed into new technologies can simultaneously create public values such as those...... that are related with sustainability goals. In this paper, we apply the Contingent Effectiveness Model by Bozeman et.al. (2015) as a framework to consider the effectiveness of technology transfer from university to industry via licensing, and examine what values derive during the commercialization process...... of university inventions. We define four main values: technological, economic, social and environmental, and place the latter two under the concept of public value. The aim of this paper is to expand the understanding of public value and incorporate it into technology transfer literature. We assign...

  18. Effects of Perceived Social Support and Psychological Resilience on Social Media Addiction among University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilgin, Okan; Tas, Ibrahim

    2018-01-01

    This research investigated the effects of perceived social support and psychological resilience on social media addiction among university students. The research group was composed of 503 university students. The ages of participant students varied between 17 and 31 years old. 340 (67.6%) of the participants are female and 163 (32.4%) of them are…

  19. Teaching Effectiveness of the Teacher Education Faculty Members in Pangasinan State University Asingan Campus, Philippines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priscilla L. Agsalud

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Teaching effectiveness of the faculty is one of the most critical areas that need to be considered. The success of the students will depend to a great extent, upon how well the teachers have trained them. This paper evaluated the faculty members’ level of teaching effectiveness in the teacher education program in Pangasinan State University Asingan Campus, Philippines. Their professional background was assessed. Their level of teaching effectiveness along commitment, knowledge of the subject matter, teaching for independent learning and management of learning were considered. The study used the descriptive and evaluative methods of research. Questionnaire Checklist was used to gather data. The Faculty Evaluation Instrument (QCE of the NBC No.461 was adopted to evaluate the faculty members’ level of teaching effectiveness. It further tested significant relationship between the faculty members’ level of teaching effectiveness and their professional background. Salient findings are as follows: the teacher education faculty members in Pangasinan State University Asingan Campus are qualified professionals who possessed the maximum educational qualifications and eligibility to work in a state-run university. Only few of them graduated with honors and attended training and conferences in the national and international level.; their level of teaching effectiveness is Very Satisfactory; the profile variable awards/honors received influences the faculty members’ level of teaching effectiveness.

  20. Effect of universal adhesive etching modes on bond strength to dual-polymerizing composite resins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaud, Pierre-Luc; Brown, Matthew

    2018-04-01

    Information is lacking as to the effect on bond strength of the etching modes of universal adhesives when they are used to bond dual-polymerizing composite resins to dentin. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the bonding of dual-polymerizing foundation composite resins to dentin when universal bonding agents are used in self-etch or etch-and-rinse modes. Sixty caries-free, extracted third molar teeth were sectioned transversely in the apical third of the crown and allocated to 12 groups (n=5). Three different bonding agents (Scotchbond Universal, OptiBond XTR, All-Bond Universal) were used to bond 2 different dual-polymerizing composite resins (CompCore AF or CoreFlo DC) to dentin, using 2 different etching approaches (etch-and-rinse or self-etch). The specimens were sectioned into sticks (1×1×8 mm) with a precision saw. The bond strength of the specimens was tested under microtensile force at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. The data were analyzed using a 3-way ANOVA, a Games-Howell post hoc comparisons model, and Student t tests with Bonferroni corrections (α=.05). In the overall model, the composite resin used had no effect on bond strength (P=.830). The etching protocol by itself also did not have a significant effect (P=.059), although a trend was present. The bonding agent, however, did have an effect (Pcomposite resins to dentin, no single etching protocol is better than another. Depending on which bonding agent is being used, one etching mode may perform better. Copyright © 2017 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Reforming the University Sector: Effects on Teaching Efficiency--Evidence from Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agasisti, Tommaso; Dal Bianco, Antonio

    2009-01-01

    In this article, we analyse the effects of teaching reforms in Italy. These were introduced in 1999, and changed the entire organization of university courses, where the Bachelor-Master (BA-MA) structure was adopted. The first step is to define the production process of higher education (HE). This process consists of several inputs (professors,…

  2. Schooling Effects on Undergraduate Performance: Evidence from the University of Barcelona

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mora, Toni; Escardibul, Josep-Oriol

    2008-01-01

    This study analyzes the effects of several factors related to high school, such as the kind of school (public or private), the type of education (general or vocational), school location and peers on undergraduate performance from students of the University of Barcelona (Spain). Particular attention is given to the functional form and to the…

  3. Enabling Data-Driven Methodologies Across the Data Lifecycle and Ecosystem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doyle, R. J.; Crichton, D.

    2017-12-01

    NASA has unlocked unprecedented scientific knowledge through exploration of the Earth, our solar system, and the larger universe. NASA is generating enormous amounts of data that are challenging traditional approaches to capturing, managing, analyzing and ultimately gaining scientific understanding from science data. New architectures, capabilities and methodologies are needed to span the entire observing system, from spacecraft to archive, while integrating data-driven discovery and analytic capabilities. NASA data have a definable lifecycle, from remote collection point to validated accessibility in multiple archives. Data challenges must be addressed across this lifecycle, to capture opportunities and avoid decisions that may limit or compromise what is achievable once data arrives at the archive. Data triage may be necessary when the collection capacity of the sensor or instrument overwhelms data transport or storage capacity. By migrating computational and analytic capability to the point of data collection, informed decisions can be made about which data to keep; in some cases, to close observational decision loops onboard, to enable attending to unexpected or transient phenomena. Along a different dimension than the data lifecycle, scientists and other end-users must work across an increasingly complex data ecosystem, where the range of relevant data is rarely owned by a single institution. To operate effectively, scalable data architectures and community-owned information models become essential. NASA's Planetary Data System is having success with this approach. Finally, there is the difficult challenge of reproducibility and trust. While data provenance techniques will be part of the solution, future interactive analytics environments must support an ability to provide a basis for a result: relevant data source and algorithms, uncertainty tracking, etc., to assure scientific integrity and to enable confident decision making. Advances in data science offer

  4. Tracing Knowledge Transfer from Universities to Industry: A Text Mining Approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Woltmann, Sabrina; Alkærsig, Lars

    2017-01-01

    This paper identifies transferred knowledge between universities and the industry by proposing the use of a computational linguistic method. Current research on university-industry knowledge exchange relies often on formal databases and indicators such as patents, collaborative publications and l...... is the first step to enable the identification of common knowledge and knowledge transfer via text mining to increase its measurability....... and license agreements, to assess the contribution to the socioeconomic surrounding of universities. We, on the other hand, use the texts from university abstracts to identify university knowledge and compare them with texts from firm webpages. We use these text data to identify common key words and thereby...... identify overlapping contents among the texts. As method we use a well-established word ranking method from the field of information retrieval term frequency–inverse document frequency (TFIDF) to identify commonalities between texts from university. In examining the outcomes of the TFIDF statistic we find...

  5. Factors associated with health-related quality of life among university students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klemenc-Ketis Zalika

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. University students are subjected to different kinds of stressors, i.e. academic pressures, social issues and financial problems. This can affect their academic achievements and quality of life. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the health-related quality of life of university students, and how it is affected by the presence of chronic diseases, mental disorders comorbidity, and patterns of medical services’ use. Methods. This web-based study included a sample of 1,410 Slovenian university students. We used a self-administered questionnaire, containing a sheet with demographic data, Zung’s self-assessment inventories about anxiety and depression, and EQ-5D questionnaire. The main outcome measures were scores on EQ-5D part and VAS part of the EQ-5D questionnaire. Results. Independent factors associated with the health-related quality of life of university students, were the presence of chronic pain, the presence of depression and anxiety, need for urgent medical help and at least one visit to a clinical specialist in the past year. The independent factors associated with the health status of university students were the presence of chronic diseases, chronic pain, depression and anxiety, a visit to a clinical specialist, a need for urgent medical help and a visit to an emergency unit in the past year. Conclusion. Health-related quality of life of university students can be seriously affected by the presence of mental disorders and chronic pain. Appropriate health-related measures should be adopted to achieve early recognition of worse health-related quality of life, the presence of mental disorders and other chronic conditions, and to enable their effective treatment.

  6. Staying the course: Examining enablers and barriers to student success within undergraduate nursing programmes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria Boyd

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In line with current trends towards a positive and enhancement-led perspective, this account of a research project carried out in a Scottish university considers the student nurse experience as a lens for examining retention enablers. Two phases of interviews with final year students from a diverse cohort, many of whom were adult learners, informed the development of a series of themes and recommendations for better understanding factors which encourage persistence. A combination of grounded theory thematic analysis and narrative interpretation was used in this research to encourage a rich biographical component.

  7. RANKING THE WEB VISIBILITY OF ROMANIAN STATE UNIVERSITIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cătălin MAICAN

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available New technologies based on the Internet offer to scientists the possibility of finding scientific information faster, allowing academic institutions to provide more resources to improve their presence on the Internet. We believe that the Internet offers the possibility of publishing but also it represents a support in scientific communication, making the performance of the universities or research centers to be better reflected. The Internet enables collaboration and dissemination of scientific information very quickly, in large areas, managing penetration of education and research in developing countries at very low cost, also enhancing the social role of scientists. Publication of scientific information through traditional methods (books, magazines, collections of articles, etc. is far surpassed by electronic publishing since online offers the most cost effective way to boost academic missions of teaching, research or technology transfer.

  8. PROCEDURE ENABLING SIMULATION AND IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF OPTICAL EFFECTS IN CAMERA-BASED TIME-OF-FLIGHT SENSORS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Baumgart

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a simulation approach for Time-of-Flight cameras to estimate sensor performance and accuracy, as well as to help understanding experimentally discovered effects. The main scope is the detailed simulation of the optical signals. We use a raytracing-based approach and use the optical path length as the master parameter for depth calculations. The procedure is described in detail with references to our implementation in Zemax OpticStudio and Python. Our simulation approach supports multiple and extended light sources and allows accounting for all effects within the geometrical optics model. Especially multi-object reflection/scattering ray-paths, translucent objects, and aberration effects (e.g. distortion caused by the ToF lens are supported. The optical path length approach also enables the implementation of different ToF senor types and transient imaging evaluations. The main features are demonstrated on a simple 3D test scene.

  9. Pilot project as enabler?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Neisig, Margit; Glimø, Helle; Holm, Catrine Granzow

    This article deals with a systemic perspective on transition. The field of study addressed is a pilot project as enabler of transition in a highly complex polycentric context. From a Luhmannian systemic approach, a framework is created to understand and address barriers of change occurred using...... pilot projects as enabler of transition. Aspects of how to create trust and deal with distrust during a transition are addressed. The transition in focus is the concept of New Public Management and how it is applied in the management of the Employment Service in Denmark. The transition regards...

  10. "Water-in-salt" electrolytes enable the use of cost-effective aluminum current collectors for aqueous high-voltage batteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kühnel, R-S; Reber, D; Remhof, A; Figi, R; Bleiner, D; Battaglia, C

    2016-08-16

    The extended electrochemical stability window offered by highly concentrated electrolytes allows the operation of aqueous batteries at voltages significantly above the thermodynamic stability limit of water, at which the stability of the current collector potentially limits the cell voltage. Here we report the observation of suppressed anodic dissolution of aluminum in "water-in-salt" electrolytes enabling roll-to-roll electrode fabrication for high-voltage aqueous lithium-ion batteries on cost-effective light-weight aluminum current collectors using established lithium-ion battery technology.

  11. Anatomy drawing screencasts: enabling flexible learning for medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickering, James D

    2015-01-01

    The traditional lecture remains an essential method of disseminating information to medical students. However, due to the constant development of the modern medical curriculum many institutions are embracing novel means for delivering the core anatomy syllabus. Using mobile media devices is one such way, enabling students to access core material at a time and place that suits their specific learning style. This study has examined the effect of five anatomy drawing screencasts that replicate the popular anatomy drawing element of a lecture. These resources were uploaded to the University's Virtual Learning Environment for student access. Usage data and an end of module questionnaire were used to assess the impact of the screencasts on student education. The data revealed a high level of usage that varied in both the time of day and day of the week, with the number of downloads dramatically increasing towards the end of the module when the assessment was approaching. The student group found the additional resources extremely useful in consolidating information and revision, with many commenting on their preference to the screencasts compared to the more traditional approaches to learning. Scrutinizing the screencasts in relation to cognitive load theory and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning indicates a high correlation with an evidence-based approach to designing learning resources. Overall the screencasts have been a well-received enhancement that supports the student learning and has been shown to promote flexible learning. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

  12. Internationalization Management in Japanese Universities: The Effects of Institutional Structures and Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yonezawa, Yukako

    2017-01-01

    This study examines approaches to the internationalization of Japanese universities by focusing on the effects of institutional structures and cultures. Using a qualitative case study method, the research examines the following question: "How do institutional structures and cultures affect the internationalization of education in Japanese…

  13. Effects of Biodanza on Stress, Depression, and Sleep Quality in University Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Rodríguez, María Mar; Baldrich-Rodríguez, Ingrid; Ruiz-Muelle, Alicia; Cortés-Rodríguez, Alda Elena; Lopezosa-Estepa, Teresa; Roman, Pablo

    2017-07-01

    The existing literature shows dance to be an innovative and successful form of stress management. Previous research indicates that Biodanza is able to increase well-being and personal resources and prevent stress. However, Biodanza has not yet been empirically tested as a possible therapy for application outside the clinical context in young adults with perceived stress. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Biodanza in reducing symptoms of perceived stress and depression and in promoting sleep quality in young adults, comparing the changes with those observed in a control group. Randomized controlled trial. This study was carried out at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Almería. One hundred and twenty-one university students with perceived stress were randomly placed into either a Biodanza group or a wait-list control group. Study participants attended Biodanza sessions for 90 min a week, over a period of 4 weeks. Depression, perceived stress, and sleep quality were assessed both before and after intervention. Ninety-five participants completed the program and were included in the statistical analysis. Significant differences in perceived stress [t (93) = 2.136; p = 0.015] and depression [t (93) = 2.738; p = 0.000] were observed after the Biodanza period. Pre/post analysis found that Biodanza also had a significant effect on depression (Cohen d = 1.88; p stress (Cohen d = 0.79; p stress management strategy for students. The results of this study showed Biodanza to have a positive effect on perceived stress and depression in young adults. This demonstrates how artistic, collaborative, and psychophysical interventions are an effective means of preventing and managing these problems in university students.

  14. The AMERE project: Enabling real-time detection of radiation effects in individual cells in deep space

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Vos, Winnok H.; Meesen, Geert; Szpirer, Cedric; Scohy, Sophie; Cherukuri, Chaitanya; Evrard, Olivier; Hutsebaut, Xavier; Beghuin, Didier

    2012-12-01

    A major concern for long-term deep space missions is the detrimental impact of cosmic radiation on human health. Especially the presence of high-energy particles of high atomic mass (HZE) represents a serious threat. To contribute to a fundamental understanding of space radiation effects and to help improving risk assessment for humans on the Moon, the ESA Lunar Lander mission model payload includes a package dedicated to cell-based radiobiology experiments in the form of an Autonomous Microscope for Examination of Radiation Effects (AMERE). The purpose of this setup is to enable real-time visualization of DNA damage repair in living cells after traversal of HZE particles on the Moon. To assess the feasibility of this challenging experiment, we have analysed the biological and technological demands. In this article, we discuss the experimental concept, the biological considerations and describe the implications for system design.

  15. A Framework For Efficient Homomorphic Universally Composable Commitments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    David, Bernardo Machado

    primitives and protocols while retaining security guarantees. Moreover, commitments with homomorphic properties enable significantly more efficient constructions of protocols for applications such as zero knowledge proofs, two-party computation through garbled circuits and multiparty computation. However......, achieving universal composability for commitment schemes often sacrifices both concrete and asymptotic efficiency, specially if homomorphic properties are required. In this thesis we bridge the gap between stand alone and universally composable commitment schemes, for which we achieve optimal efficiency...... related to a statistical security parameter as a setup. The rest of our constructions leverage secret sharing and coding theory techniques, including a novel method for verifying that a large number of strings are codewords of a given linear code with linear complexity....

  16. Barriers and enablers that influence sustainable interprofessional education: a literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawlis, Tanya Rechael; Anson, Judith; Greenfield, David

    2014-07-01

    The effective incorporation of interprofessional education (IPE) within health professional curricula requires the synchronised and systematic collaboration between and within the various stakeholders. Higher education institutions, as primary health education providers, have the capacity to advocate and facilitate this collaboration. However, due to the diversity of stakeholders, facilitating the pedagogical change can be challenging and complex, and brings a degree of uncertainty and resistance. This review, through an analysis of the barriers and enablers investigates the involvement of stakeholders in higher education IPE through three primary stakeholder levels: Government and Professional, Institutional and Individual. A review of eight primary databases using 21 search terms resulted in 40 papers for review. While the barriers to IPE are widely reported within the higher education IPE literature, little is documented about the enablers of IPE. Similarly, the specific identification and importance of enablers for IPE sustainability and the dual nature of some barriers and enablers have not been previously reported. An analysis of the barriers and enablers of IPE across the different stakeholder levels reveals five key "fundamental elements" critical to achieving sustainable IPE in higher education curricula.

  17. DrumNet : Building a GSM-enabled Information System for ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Gradual penetration of mobile telephony into rural Kenya offered a timely alternative. ... During Phase II, researchers will design and implement a global system for mobile communications (GSM)-enabled system that provides interactive links ... By cell phone, scientists assist African farmers facing effects of climate change ...

  18. The effect of video supplemental instruction on the academic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article examines the effect of Video-based Supplemental Instruction on the performance in Mathematics of students whose matric marks did not enable them to be directly admitted to the Science Faculty at the University of Port Elizabeth. Fifteen students who received Video-based Supplemental Instruction in ...

  19. Faculty Members' Views of Effective Teaching: A Case Study of Qatar University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Thani, Alanood Mubarak; Al-Meghaissib, Latifa A. Aziz A. A.; Nosair, Mohamed Ragab Abdelhakeem Ali

    2016-01-01

    Effective teaching (ET) has recently drawn attention within higher educational intuitions owing to the need for greater accountability, and high quality learning outcomes. The present study investigated Qatar University faculty member's (QUFM) perception of ET, characteristics, practices, and impediment, by assembling data from a cluster sample of…

  20. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Implementation of eHealth Enabled Integrated Care

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keijser, Wouter Alexander; Penterman, L; van Montfort, Augustinus P.W.P.; Smits, Jacco Gerardus Wilhelmus Leonardus; Wilderom, Celeste P.M.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: ‘E-health enabled integrated care’ (eHEIC) has high potential to improve quality of care, widen access and increase efficiency. Experts and scholars increasingly report about difficulties of sustainable eHEIC implementation. These reports indicate in particular ‘human factors’ often

  1. Enabling disability inclusive practices within the University of Cape Town curriculum: A case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chioma Ohajunwa

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Disability inclusion in the curricula of higher education institutions contributes to socially responsive graduates with a capacity to address the cross-cutting issue of disability in development. This article discusses a study conducted at the University of Cape Town (UCT, South Africa, to explore disability inclusion. Methodology: An instrumental case study approach was adopted and a thematic analysis of data was done. Findings: Academic staff found a variety of ways to include disability, such as discussions in class, practice and service learning, but mainly as part of disciplinary requirements. Including disability as an issue of social justice stems mostly from the personal interest of staff, and is done in an ad hoc manner. Conclusion: Disability should be valued, and integrated into the curriculum in a structured manner as a perspective on diversity with which to interrogate our beliefs about ourselves and society. Theorising on disability is needed, as well as the unique perspectives that emerge across interdisciplinary boundaries, especially within the African context.

  2. Enabling disability inclusive practices within the University of Cape Town curriculum: A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohajunwa, Chioma

    2015-01-01

    Background Disability inclusion in the curricula of higher education institutions contributes to socially responsive graduates with a capacity to address the cross-cutting issue of disability in development. This article discusses a study conducted at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, to explore disability inclusion. Methodology An instrumental case study approach was adopted and a thematic analysis of data was done. Findings Academic staff found a variety of ways to include disability, such as discussions in class, practice and service learning, but mainly as part of disciplinary requirements. Including disability as an issue of social justice stems mostly from the personal interest of staff, and is done in an ad hoc manner. Conclusion Disability should be valued, and integrated into the curriculum in a structured manner as a perspective on diversity with which to interrogate our beliefs about ourselves and society. Theorising on disability is needed, as well as the unique perspectives that emerge across interdisciplinary boundaries, especially within the African context. PMID:28730025

  3. Ground based THz Spectroscopy of Obscured Starbursts in the Early Universe enabled by the 2nd generation Redshift (z) & Early Universe Spectrometer (ZEUS-2)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vishwas, Amit; Stacey, Gordon; Nikola, Thomas; Ferkinhoff, Carl; Parshley, Stephen; Schoenwald, Justin; Lamarche, Cody James; Higdon, James; Higdon, Sarah; Brisbin, Drew; Güesten, Rolf; Weiss, Axel; Menten, Karl; Irwin, Kent; Cho, Hsiao-Mei; Niemack, Michael; Hilton, Gene; Hubmayr, Johannes; Amiri, Mandana; Halpern, Mark; Wiebe, Donald; Hasselfield, Matthew; Ade, Peter; Tucker, Carole

    2018-01-01

    Galaxies were surprisingly dusty in the early Universe, with more than half of the light emitted from stars being absorbed by dust within the system and re-radiated into far infrared (FIR, ~50-150μm) wavelengths. Dusty star forming galaxies (DSFGs) dominate the co-moving star formation rate density of the Universe that peaks around redshift, z~2, making it compelling to study them in rest frame FIR bands. From galaxies at z > 1, the FIR line emission from abundant ions like [O III], [C II] and [N II], are redshifted into the short sub-mm telluric windows. My thesis work is based on building and deploying the 2nd Generation Redshift (z) and Early Universe Spectrometer (ZEUS-2), a long-slit, echelle grating spectrometer optimized to study broad (Δv = 300km/s) spectral lines from galaxies in the 200-650µm telluric windows using TES bolometers. These far-IR lines being extinction free and major coolants of the gas heated by (young) massive stars, are powerful probes of the physical conditions of the gas and the stellar radiation field. I present results from our survey of the [O III] 88µm line in galaxies at redshift, z ~ 2.8 to 4.6, with ZEUS-2 at the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) Telescope. To interpret our observations along with ancillary data from optical to radio facilities, we apply photoionization models for HII regions and Photo Dissociation Region (PDR) models and confirm that the galaxies host substantial ongoing obscured star formation. The presence of doubly ionized oxygen suggests hard radiation fields and hence, elevated ionization parameters that can only be accounted for by a large population of massive stars formed during the ongoing starburst, that contribute a large fraction of the infrared luminosity. This study highlights the use of FIR line emission to trace the assembly of current day massive galaxies, conditions of star formation and details of their stellar populations. The construction and operation of ZEUS-2 were funded by NSF ATI

  4. Effectiveness, cost effectiveness, acceptability and implementation barriers/enablers of chronic kidney disease management programs for Indigenous people in Australia, New Zealand and Canada: a systematic review of mixed evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reilly, Rachel; Evans, Katharine; Gomersall, Judith; Gorham, Gillian; Peters, Micah D J; Warren, Steven; O'Shea, Rebekah; Cass, Alan; Brown, Alex

    2016-04-06

    Indigenous peoples in Australia, New Zealand and Canada carry a greater burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) than the general populations in each country, and this burden is predicted to increase. Given the human and economic cost of dialysis, understanding how to better manage CKD at earlier stages of disease progression is an important priority for practitioners and policy-makers. A systematic review of mixed evidence was undertaken to examine the evidence relating to the effectivness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of chronic kidney disease management programs designed for Indigenous people, as well as barriers and enablers of implementation of such programs. Published and unpublished studies reporting quantitative and qualitative data on health sector-led management programs and models of care explicitly designed to manage, slow progression or otherwise improve the lives of Indigenous people with CKD published between 2000 and 2014 were considered for inclusion. Data on clinical effectiveness, ability to self-manage, quality of life, acceptability, cost and cost-benefit, barriers and enablers of implementation were of interest. Quantitative data was summarized in narrative and tabular form and qualitative data was synthesized using the Joanna Briggs Institute meta-aggregation approach. Ten studies were included. Six studies provided evidence of clinical effectiveness of CKD programs designed for Indigenous people, two provided evidence of cost and cost-effectiveness of a CKD program, and two provided qualitative evidence of barriers and enablers of implementation of effective and/or acceptable CKD management programs. Common features of effective and acceptable programs were integration within existing services, nurse-led care, intensive follow-up, provision of culturally-appropriate education, governance structures supporting community ownership, robust clinical systems supporting communication and a central role for Indigenous Health Workers. Given

  5. Universal cervical length screening for singleton pregnancies with no history of preterm delivery, or the inverse of the Pareto principle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozenberg, P

    2017-06-01

    Ultrasound measurement of cervical length in the general population enables the identification of women at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery. Vaginal progesterone is effective in reducing the risk of preterm delivery in this population. This screening associated with treatment by vaginal progesterone is cost-effective. Universal screening of cervical length can therefore be considered justified. Nonetheless, this screening will not appreciably reduce the preterm birth prevalence: in France or UK, where the preterm delivery rate is around 7.4%, this strategy would make it possible to reduce it only to 7.0%. This small benefit must be set against the considerable effort required in terms of screening ultrasound scans. Universal ultrasound screening of cervical length is the inverse of Pareto's principle: a small benefit against a considerable effort. © 2016 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

  6. Building Human Resources Management Capacity for University Research: The Case at Four Leading Vietnamese Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, T. L.

    2016-01-01

    At research-intensive universities, building human resources management (HRM) capacity has become a key approach to enhancing a university's research performance. However, despite aspiring to become a research-intensive university, many teaching-intensive universities in developing countries may not have created effective research-promoted HRM…

  7. A Secure NEC-enabling Architecture : Disentangling Infrastructure, Information and Security

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boonstra, D.; Hartog, T.; Schotanus, H.A.; Verkoelen, C.A.A.

    2011-01-01

    The NATO Network-Enabled Capability (NNEC) study envisions effective and efficient cooperation among the coalition partners in missions. This requires information sharing and efficient deployment of IT assets. Current military communication infrastructures are mostly deployed as stand-alone

  8. An Empirical Investigation of the Universal Effectiveness of Quality Management Practices: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young Sik Cho

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Institutional theory argues that the isomorphic nature of quality management (QM practices leads to similar QM implementation and performance among QM-embedded firms. However, contingency theory questions such 'universal effectiveness of QM practices'. Considering these conflicting arguments, this study tests samples from the U.S. and China to examine whether the 'universal effectiveness of QM practices’ across national boundaries actually exists. First, the confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the validity of the survey instruments developed in this study. Then, the hypotheses were tested using the structural equation modeling (SEM analysis. The SEM test results indicated that the positive effect of behavioral QM on firm performance was more significant in the U.S. sample than in the China sample. The test results also presented that the relative effect of behavioral QM versus technical QM on firm performance was noticeably different in service firms, according to national economic maturity. The study’s findings demonstrated that a firm's contingency factors, such as national economic maturity and industry type, could result in the heterogeneous implementation of the firm’s TQM program; consequently, the findings weakened the 'universal effectiveness of QM practices'.

  9. Baby universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strominger, A.

    1988-01-01

    This paper discusses how the subject of baby universes and their effects on spacetime coupling constants is in its infancy and rapidly developing. The subject is based on the non-existent (even by physicists' standards) Euclidean formulation of quantum gravity, and it is therefore necessary to make a number of assumptions in order to proceed. Nevertheless, the picture which has emerged is quite appealing: all spacetime coupling constants become dynamical variables when the effects of baby universes are taken into account. This fact might even solve the puzzle of the cosmological constant. The subject therefore seems worth further investigation

  10. Effective Segmentation of University Alumni: Mining Contribution Data with Finite-Mixture Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durango-Cohen, Elizabeth J.; Balasubramanian, Siva K.

    2015-01-01

    Having an effective segmentation strategy is key to the viability of any organization. This is particularly true for colleges, universities, and other nonprofit organizations--who have seen sharp declines in private contributions, endowment income, and government grants in the past few years, and face fierce competition for donor dollars…

  11. OGC® Sensor Web Enablement Standards

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George Percivall

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available This article provides a high-level overview of and architecture for the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC standards activities that focus on sensors, sensor networks, and a concept called the “Sensor Web”. This OGC work area is known as Sensor Web Enablement (SWE. This article has been condensed from "OGC® Sensor Web Enablement: Overview And High Level Architecture," an OGC White Paper by Mike Botts, PhD, George Percivall, Carl Reed, PhD, and John Davidson which can be downloaded from http://www.opengeospatial.org/pt/15540. Readers interested in greater technical and architecture detail can download and read the OGC SWE Architecture Discussion Paper titled “The OGC Sensor Web Enablement Architecture” (OGC document 06-021r1, http://www.opengeospatial.org/pt/14140.

  12. Enabling Open Innovation: Lessons from Haier

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Arie Y.Lewin; Liisa V(a)likangas; Jin Chen

    2017-01-01

    Open innovation has become a dominant innovation paradigm.However,the actual adoption of open innovation organizational designs and practices remains elusive,and ongoing examples of large companies practicing open innovation in mature industries or beyond R&D activities are rare.Despite the continuing interest in open innovation and the surging research on the topic,not much is documented about how,in particular,large companies interpret and implement open innovation or develop and sustain an innovation-enabling culture.This paper reports on a study of Haier's adoption of six radical innovations as it implements an open innovation organization over a period of seven years.The study is unique in that the cases reveal how open innovation is enabled by the socially enabling mechanisms developed under Chairman Ruimin Zhang's leadership.These varied enabling mechanisms open the organization to serendipity at every level,from the bottom up to suppliers.Most importantly,the mechanisms imprint and sustain an open innovation culture recognized as important-yet often left unarticulated in terms of how it is practiced-in the prior literature.The paper contributes to and highlights the centrality of socially enabling mechanisms underlying an organization's innovation absorptive capacity.

  13. Science from the Avo 1ST Light: the High Redshift Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walton, Nicholas A.

    The Astrophysical Virtual Observatory science working group defined a number of key science drivers for which the AVO should develop capabilities. At the AVO's Jan 2003 'First Light' event the AVO prototype data access and manipulation tool was demonstrated. In particular its use in enabling discovery in deep multi wavelength data sets was highlighted. In this presentation I will describe how the AVO demonstrator has enabled investigation into the high redshift universe and in particular its use in discovering rare populations of high redshift galaxies from deep Hubble and ground based imaging data obtained through the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) programme.

  14. Entropy in an expanding universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frautschi, S.C.

    1986-01-01

    The present picture of the evolution of the universe, based on the Big Bang, suggests a remarkably different and more interesting situation. In the beginning there is a hot gas, nearly homogeneous and in thermal equilibrium [the 3 0 blackbody radiation, reaching us isotropically from all directions, is a relic of, and evidence for, this early state]. The picture of cosmic evolution, seemingly paradoxical in the light of the law of thermodynamics, motivates the questions the author considers in this paper: How can disequilibrium, order, and in particular the free energy supplies which enable life to maintain its organization, emerge from an apparently chaotic early universe in thermal and chemical equilibrium; will free energy supplies continue to become available and be utilized in the future, or will some sort of heat death eventually settle in? The evolution of free energy and entropy in the universe could not be treated accurately on the basis of physics known in the 19th century. However, various 20th century discoveries and ideas make informed discussion of such issues possible, even though definitive answers are not yet in hand. The author discusses some of the ideas which are quite recent, and are currently undergoing rapid development

  15. Effects of a Brief Video Intervention on White University Students' Racial Attitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soble, Jason R.; Spanierman, Lisa B.; Liao, Hsin-Ya

    2011-01-01

    The authors investigated the effects of a brief video intervention on the racial attitudes of White university students. One hundred thirty-eight self-identified White students were randomly assigned to either an experimental condition in which they viewed a video documenting the pervasiveness of institutional racism and White privilege in the…

  16. Cognitive, sensory and physical factors enabling driving safety in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anstey, Kaarin J; Wood, Joanne; Lord, Stephen; Walker, Janine G

    2005-01-01

    We reviewed literature on cognitive, sensory, motor and physical factors associated with safe driving and crash risk in older adults with the goal of developing a model of factors enabling safe driving behaviour. Thirteen empirical studies reporting associations between cognitive, sensory, motor and physical factors and either self-reported crashes, state crash records or on-road driving measures were identified. Measures of attention, reaction time, memory, executive function, mental status, visual function, and physical function variables were associated with driving outcome measures. Self-monitoring was also identified as a factor that may moderate observed effects by influencing driving behavior. We propose that three enabling factors (cognition, sensory function and physical function/medical conditions) predict driving ability, but that accurate self-monitoring of these enabling factors is required for safe driving behaviour.

  17. Surpluses and Deficits: How University Partners Perceive University-Community Partnerships at One Ivy League Institution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alison Klebanoff Cohen

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available University-community partnerships are a critical method for how universities can serve the public interest.  Yet key questions remain: how do these partnerships work in practice, and how can university and fill reciprocal and mutual needs effectively?  A participatory evaluation of university-community partnerships in education at an Ivy League university found that university partners had a surplus perspective of the university and a deficit perspective of community partners; practitioners must shift our paradigm towards mutually beneficial, asset-driven university-community partnerships to ensure success.

  18. Enabling Access for the Mentally Challenged (India) | IDRC ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Such children face obstacles to communication, and this makes it more difficult for ... such an intervention is cost-effective and brings measurable benefit to the lives of ... IDRC “unpacks women's empowerment” at McGill University Conference.

  19. Determination of effective university-industry joint research for photovoltaic technology transfer (UIJRPTT) in Thailand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugandhavanija, Pornpimol; Sukchai, Sukruedee; Ketjoy, Nipon; Klongboonjit, Sakol

    2011-01-01

    Most of the literatures related to university-industry (U-I) and technology transfer assume that the collaboration particularly the U-I joint research is beneficial to both university and industry which as a result underpins the sustainable development of economics and living standards of developed and developing countries. The U-I joint research for photovoltaic technology transfer in a developing country like Thailand should have been increased considering the fact that (i) the government implemented various strategies to support the renewable energy research and market development, (ii) the university aimed to be ''research-based university and (iii) the Thai photovoltaic industry struggle for competitiveness and survival in the global market. However, evidence revealed that the university and industry conducted little number of U-I joint projects. In this paper, we investigate the factors influencing the effective U-I joint research for photovoltaic technology transfer (UIJRPTT). In an attempt to better understand the influence of the factors, the path model with factors related to characteristics and perspectives of the university and the industry as well as joint research mechanism and their linkages to higher growth and improved economic and quality performance of the U-I joint research is developed and validated. The developed model empirically explains interaction between the factors and the outcome factors and can assist the government, the university and the industry to devise target strategies to improve the growth and performance of UIJRPTT. (author)

  20. Implementing Self-Management within a Group Counseling Context: Effects on Academic Enabling Behaviors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briesch DuBois, Jacquelyn M.; Briesch, Amy M.; Hoffman, Jessica A.; Struzziero, Joan; Toback, Robin

    2017-01-01

    Self-management interventions have been adapted to serve as targeted interventions to increase academic enabling behaviors in groups of students. However, a trade-off exists between adapting these interventions to feasibly fit group contexts and maintaining theoretical intervention components. This study examines the use of self-management within…

  1. Interactive tool that empowers structural understanding and enables FEM analysis in a parametric design environment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Jesper Thøger; Parigi, Dario; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    2014-01-01

    This paper introduces an interactive tool developed to integrate structural analysis in the architectural design environment from the early conceptual design stage. The tool improves exchange of data between the design environment of Rhino Grasshopper and the FEM analysis of Autodesk Robot...... Structural Analysis. Further the tool provides intuitive setup and visual aids in order to facilitate the process. Enabling students and professionals to quickly analyze and evaluate multiple design variations. The tool has been developed inside the Performance Aided Design course at the Master...... of Architecture and Design at Aalborg University...

  2. A review of the Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gray, W.H.; Neal, R.E.; Cobb, C.K.

    1996-10-01

    Addressing a technical plan developed in consideration with major US manufacturers, software and hardware providers, and government representatives, the Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing (TEAM) program is leveraging the expertise and resources of industry, universities, and federal agencies to develop, integrate, and deploy leap-ahead manufacturing technologies. One of the TEAM program`s goals is to transition products from design to production faster, more efficiently, and at less cost. TEAM`s technology development strategy also provides all participants with early experience in establishing and working within an electronic enterprise that includes access to high-speed networks and high-performance computing and storage systems. The TEAM program uses the cross-cutting tools it collects, develops, and integrates to demonstrate and deploy agile manufacturing capabilities for three high-priority processes identified by industry: material removal, sheet metal forming, electro-mechanical assembly. This paper reviews the current status of the TEAM program with emphasis upon TEAM`s information infrastructure.

  3. The Combination Design of Enabling Technologies in Group Learning: New Study Support Service for Visually Impaired University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tangsri, Chatcai; Na-Takuatoong, Onjaree; Sophatsathit, Peraphon

    2013-01-01

    This article aims to show how the process of new service technology-based development improves the current study support service for visually impaired university students. Numerous studies have contributed to improving assisted aid technology such as screen readers, the development and the use of audiobooks, and technology that supports individual…

  4. University-Level Teaching of Anthropogenic Global Climate Change (AGCC) via Student Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bush, Drew; Sieber, Renee; Seiler, Gale; Chandler, Mark

    2017-01-01

    This paper reviews university-level efforts to improve understanding of anthropogenic global climate change (AGCC) through curricula that enable student scientific inquiry. We examined 152 refereed publications and proceedings from academic conferences and selected 26 cases of inquiry learning that overcome specific challenges to AGCC teaching.…

  5. Mediating the Effect of Gratitude in the Relationship between Forgiveness and Life Satisfaction among University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aricioglu, Ahu

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of gratitude in the relationship between forgiveness and life satisfaction. A convenience sample of 396 (234 (59%) females, 162 (41%) males) university students was recruited from a University in Denizli, Turkey. The participants' ages ranged between 18 and 27 years, with an average of…

  6. Qualities of effective secondary science teachers: Perspectives of university biology students

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCall, Madelon J.

    This research was an attempt to hear the student voice concerning secondary science teacher effectiveness and to share that voice with those who impact the educational process. It was a snapshot of university freshmen biology students' opinions of the qualities of effective secondary science teachers based on their high school science experiences. The purpose of this study was to compile a list of effective secondary science teacher qualities as determined through a purposeful sampling of university second semester biology students and determine the role of the secondary science teacher in promoting interest and achievement in science, as well as the teacher's influence on a students' choice of a science career. The research was a mixed methods design using both quantitative and qualitative data obtained through the use of a 24 question electronic survey. There were 125 participants who provided information concerning their high school science teachers. Respondents provided information concerning the qualities of effective secondary science teachers and influences on the students' present career choice. The quantitative data was used to construct a hierarchy of qualities of effective secondary science teachers, divided into personal, professional, and classroom management qualities. The qualitative data was used to examine individual student responses to questions concerning secondary science teacher effectiveness and student career choice. The results of the research indicated that students highly value teachers who are both passionate about the subject taught and passionate about their students. High school science students prefer teachers who teach science in a way that is both interesting and relevant to the student. It was determined that the greatest influence on a secondary student's career choice came from family members and not from teachers. The secondary teacher's role was to recognize the student's interest in the career and provide encouragement

  7. University Research in Support of TREAT Modeling and Simulation, FY 2016

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    DeHart, Mark David [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2016-09-01

    Idaho National Laboratory is currently evolving the modeling and simulation (M&S) capability that will enable improved core operation as well as design and analysis of TREAT experiments. This M&S capability primarily uses MAMMOTH, a reactor physics application being developed under the Multi-physics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework. MAMMOTH allows the coupling of a number of other MOOSE-based applications. In support of this research, INL is working with four universities to explore advanced solution methods that will complement or augment capabilities in MAMMOTH. This report consists of a collection of year end summaries of research from the universities performed in support of TREAT modeling and simulation. This research was led by Prof. Sedat Goluoglu at the University of Florida, Profs. Jim Morel and Jean Ragusa at Texas A&M University, Profs. Benoit Forget and Kord Smith at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Prof. Leslie Kerby of Idaho State University and Prof. Barry Ganapol of University of Arizona. A significant number of students were supported at various levels though the projects and, for some, also as interns at INL.

  8. Enabling information sharing in a port

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Peter Bjerg; Hvolby, Hans-Henrik; Dukovska-Popovska, Iskra

    2012-01-01

    Ports are integral parts of many supply chains and are as such a contributing factor to the overall efficiency of the supply chain. Ports are also dynamic entities where things changes continuously. The dynamic nature of ports is also a problem when trying to optimise the utilisation of resources...... and ensure a low lead-time. Information sharing is a very important tool to reduce the effect of dynamism. This paper attempts to explain how information sharing is enabled in such an environment, and which considerations are relevant, both in regards to the information and required technology. The paper...

  9. Scaling and universality in urban economic diversification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Youn, Hyejin; Bettencourt, Luís M A; Lobo, José; Strumsky, Deborah; Samaniego, Horacio; West, Geoffrey B

    2016-01-01

    Understanding cities is central to addressing major global challenges from climate change to economic resilience. Although increasingly perceived as fundamental socio-economic units, the detailed fabric of urban economic activities is only recently accessible to comprehensive analyses with the availability of large datasets. Here, we study abundances of business categories across US metropolitan statistical areas, and provide a framework for measuring the intrinsic diversity of economic activities that transcends scales of the classification scheme. A universal structure common to all cities is revealed, manifesting self-similarity in internal economic structure as well as aggregated metrics (GDP, patents, crime). We present a simple mathematical derivation of the universality, and provide a model, together with its economic implications of open-ended diversity created by urbanization, for understanding the observed empirical distribution. Given the universal distribution, scaling analyses for individual business categories enable us to determine their relative abundances as a function of city size. These results shed light on the processes of economic differentiation with scale, suggesting a general structure for the growth of national economies as integrated urban systems. © 2016 The Authors.

  10. Use of universal functional optimisation for TL glow curve analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pernicka, F.; Linh, H.Q.

    1996-01-01

    The effective use of any TL instrument requires an efficient software package to be able to fulfil different tasks required by research and practical applications. One of the standard features of the package used at the NPI Prague is the application of the interactive modular system Universal Functional Optimisation (UFO) for glow curve deconvolution. The whole system has been tested on standard glow curves using different models of the TL process (a single peak described by the Podgorsak approximation, first order kinetics and/or general order kinetics). Calculated values of basic TL parameters (E and s) show a good agreement with the results obtained by other authors. The main advantage of the system is in its modularity that enables flexible changes in the TL model and mathematical procedures of the glow curve analysis. (author)

  11. Dust Formation, Evolution, and Obscuration Effects in the Very High-Redshift Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dwek, Eli; Staguhn, Johannes; Arendt, Richard G.; Kovacs, Attila; Su, Ting; Benford, Dominic J.

    2014-01-01

    The evolution of dust at redshifts z > or approx. 9, and consequently the dust properties, differs greatly from that in the local universe. In contrast to the local universe, core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are the only source of thermally-condensed dust. Because of the low initial dust-to-gas mass ratio, grain destruction rates are low, so that CCSNe are net producers of interstellar dust. Galaxies with large initial gas mass or high mass infall rate will therefore have a more rapid net rate of dust production comported to galaxies with lower gas mass, even at the same star formation rate. The dust composition is dominated by silicates, which exhibit a strong rise in the UV opacity near the Lyman break. This "silicate-UV break" may be confused with the Lyman break, resulting in a misidentification of a galaxies' photometric redshift. In this paper we demonstrate these effects by analyzing the spectral energy distribution (SED) of MACS1149-JD, a lensed galaxy at z = 9.6. A potential 2mm counterpart of MACS1149-JD has been identified with GISMO. While additional observations are required to corroborate this identification, we use this possible association to illustrate the physical processes and the observational effects of dust in the very high redshift universe. Subject headings: galaxies: high-redshift - galaxies: evolution - galaxies: individual (MACS1149- JD) - Interstellar medium (ISM), nebulae: dust, extinction - physical data and processes: nuclear reactions, nucleosynthesis, abundances.

  12. Effective Strategies to Enhance and Maintain University English Teacher Motivation in Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harada, Rie

    2017-01-01

    This paper provides findings on a study which explored effective teacher motivation management strategies current university non-native EFL teachers in Japan utilize in their course of career. Teachers who have higher motivation can devote their lives more to give a lot to the learners and be productive on the education. Therefore, teacher…

  13. The Effects of Locus of Control on University Students' Mobile Learning Adoption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsia, Jung-Wen

    2016-01-01

    Since mobile devices have become cheaper, easily accessible, powerful, and popular and the cost of wireless access has declined gradually, mobile learning (m-learning) has begun to spread rapidly. To further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of m-learning for university students, it is critical to understand whether they use m-learning.…

  14. The effect of tertiary study at an English medium university on the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effect of tertiary study at an English medium university on the written English. Jean Parkinson. Abstract. Increasing numbers of South African students speak a variety of English known as Black South African English (BSAfE). Lectures, notes and textbooks are in Standard English, and might be expected to influence the ...

  15. The Effect of Note-Taking on University Students' Listening Comprehension of Lectures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiliçkaya, Ferit; Çokal Karadas, Derya

    2009-01-01

    The study investigated the effect of note-taking on comprehension of lectures by 44 undergraduate EFL students who are in the first year of their undergraduate level in the Department of Foreign Language Education in Middle East Technical University. The participants were divided into two groups, namely experimental and control groups. The…

  16. Campus Cyberinfrastructure: A Crucial Enabler for Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, Peter A.; Almes, Guy T.

    2005-01-01

    Driven by the needs of college/university researchers and guided by a blue-ribbon advisory panel chaired by Daniel E. Atkins, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has initiated a broad, multi-directorate activity to create modern cyberinfrastructure and to apply it to transforming the effectiveness of the scientific research enterprise in higher…

  17. THE ROLE OF THE UNIVERSITY IN FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION AMONG STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PEREZ Lucía

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Entrepreneurial intention among university students may be conditioned by following training activities related to entrepreneurship during the course of their degree studies. There has clearly been an increase in the number of university graduates who become entrepreneurs, so it is necessary to determine the services that should be offered by the university as a platform to support university entrepreneurship. This research examines this issue through the use of statistical analyses. The main objective of this research is to determine the different types of entrepreneurial training offered to students and the services they think the university should establish as a platform to support entrepreneurship, thereby enabling a comparison of current and desired practices. The study determines whether access to training activities conditions the entrepreneurial intention of university students. Descriptive statistics have been used to conveniently present the information and to identify behavioral patterns of the variables analyzed. Data have thus been examined using frequency analysis, contingency tables and independence tests. The variables used in this survey are designed to represent the role of the university in fostering entrepreneurial culture and the intention among the university community to start their own business, having first extensively analyzed the concept of an entrepreneurial university

  18. Barriers to and enablers of physical activity in patients with COPD following a hospital admission: a qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thorpe O

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Olivia Thorpe, Saravana Kumar, Kylie JohnstonInternational Centre for Allied Health Evidence, The Samson Institute for Health Research, School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD is characterized by a persistent blockage of airflow, prompting episodes of shortness of breath, commonly leading to hospitalization. Hospitalization may lead to a decline in physical activity following discharge. Physical activity has been shown to improve symptoms of COPD and reduce readmissions, and to decrease morbidity and mortality. This study aims to explore, from the perspectives of people with COPD, the barriers to and enablers of participation in physical activity following hospitalization for COPD.Methods: This study had a qualitative descriptive design and included semistructured interviews with 28 adult COPD patients who had been admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of exacerbation of COPD.Results: A plethora of barriers to but fewer enablers of participation in physical activity and pulmonary rehabilitation were identified for this cohort of people. The main barriers identified were health-related (comorbidities, COPD symptoms, and physical injury or illness environment-related (weather, transport, and finance, and self-related. The main enabling factors reported were access to health professionals and equipment, social support, routine and extracurricular activities, personal goals and motivation, and the effect of physical activity and "feeling better".Conclusion: This research provides a snapshot of the barriers to and enablers of physical activity and pulmonary rehabilitation in people with COPD. It is evident that there are significant barriers which hinder the ability of people with COPD to undertake and continue participation in physical activity and pulmonary rehabilitation. While there are some enablers that may counter these barriers, it is

  19. Exploring the Enablers of Organizational and Marketing Innovations in SMEs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oluseyi Moses Ajayi

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Previous research studies on innovation tend to focus on process and product innovations. Recent theoretical opinions reveal that Organizational and Marketing Innovations (OMIs could be the necessary prerequisites to optimally utilize and deploy such process and product innovations. It is important to note that there is a dearth of information on the enablers of OMIs capabilities among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs. Despite their closeness to their customers, many SMEs are finding it difficult to achieve successful and effective innovations; these are innovations that have a positive impact on the business growth and returns. This study presents findings from exploratory qualitative research conducted in South-Western Nigeria. Drawing upon information-rich evidence from 13 in-depth interviews with the owners and the managers of SMEs, this study identifies some enablers that can promote SMEs’ OMIs capabilities, effective innovations, and organizational survival.

  20. EUPAN enables pan-genome studies of a large number of eukaryotic genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Zhiqiang; Sun, Chen; Lu, Kuang-Chen; Chu, Xixia; Zhao, Yue; Lu, Jinyuan; Shi, Jianxin; Wei, Chaochun

    2017-08-01

    Pan-genome analyses are routinely carried out for bacteria to interpret the within-species gene presence/absence variations (PAVs). However, pan-genome analyses are rare for eukaryotes due to the large sizes and higher complexities of their genomes. Here we proposed EUPAN, a eukaryotic pan-genome analysis toolkit, enabling automatic large-scale eukaryotic pan-genome analyses and detection of gene PAVs at a relatively low sequencing depth. In the previous studies, we demonstrated the effectiveness and high accuracy of EUPAN in the pan-genome analysis of 453 rice genomes, in which we also revealed widespread gene PAVs among individual rice genomes. Moreover, EUPAN can be directly applied to the current re-sequencing projects primarily focusing on single nucleotide polymorphisms. EUPAN is implemented in Perl, R and C ++. It is supported under Linux and preferred for a computer cluster with LSF and SLURM job scheduling system. EUPAN together with its standard operating procedure (SOP) is freely available for non-commercial use (CC BY-NC 4.0) at http://cgm.sjtu.edu.cn/eupan/index.html . ccwei@sjtu.edu.cn or jianxin.shi@sjtu.edu.cn. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  1. Robotics to enable older adults to remain living at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearce, Alan J; Adair, Brooke; Miller, Kimberly; Ozanne, Elizabeth; Said, Catherine; Santamaria, Nick; Morris, Meg E

    2012-01-01

    Given the rapidly ageing population, interest is growing in robots to enable older people to remain living at home. We conducted a systematic review and critical evaluation of the scientific literature, from 1990 to the present, on the use of robots in aged care. The key research questions were as follows: (1) what is the range of robotic devices available to enable older people to remain mobile, independent, and safe? and, (2) what is the evidence demonstrating that robotic devices are effective in enabling independent living in community dwelling older people? Following database searches for relevant literature an initial yield of 161 articles was obtained. Titles and abstracts of articles were then reviewed by 2 independent people to determine suitability for inclusion. Forty-two articles met the criteria for question 1. Of these, 4 articles met the criteria for question 2. Results showed that robotics is currently available to assist older healthy people and people with disabilities to remain independent and to monitor their safety and social connectedness. Most studies were conducted in laboratories and hospital clinics. Currently limited evidence demonstrates that robots can be used to enable people to remain living at home, although this is an emerging smart technology that is rapidly evolving.

  2. Robotics to Enable Older Adults to Remain Living at Home

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alan J. Pearce

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Given the rapidly ageing population, interest is growing in robots to enable older people to remain living at home. We conducted a systematic review and critical evaluation of the scientific literature, from 1990 to the present, on the use of robots in aged care. The key research questions were as follows: (1 what is the range of robotic devices available to enable older people to remain mobile, independent, and safe? and, (2 what is the evidence demonstrating that robotic devices are effective in enabling independent living in community dwelling older people? Following database searches for relevant literature an initial yield of 161 articles was obtained. Titles and abstracts of articles were then reviewed by 2 independent people to determine suitability for inclusion. Forty-two articles met the criteria for question 1. Of these, 4 articles met the criteria for question 2. Results showed that robotics is currently available to assist older healthy people and people with disabilities to remain independent and to monitor their safety and social connectedness. Most studies were conducted in laboratories and hospital clinics. Currently limited evidence demonstrates that robots can be used to enable people to remain living at home, although this is an emerging smart technology that is rapidly evolving.

  3. Energy drinks consumption pattern, perceived benefits and associated adverse effects amongst students of University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsunni, Ahmed A; Badar, Ahmed

    2011-01-01

    There are safety concerns about energy drinks alongside marketing claims of physiological and behavioural benefits. There is no scientific data about usage of energy drinks in Saudi Arabia. This study determined consumption patterns of energy drinks as well as perceived benefits and side effects amongst students at a Saudi university. This study was carried out in students of University of Dammam from October to December 2010. A questionnaire about energy drink use, reasons for use, benefits and side effects experienced was distributed amongst the university students. Frequencies of responses and differences between male and female students were analysed. A total of 412 students (282 males and 130 females) responded, out of whom 54.60% males and 26.15% female students were energy drink users. Mean age at first use was significantly (pcompany of friends, to keep awake, for more energy and for better performance in driving, sports or exams. Amongst many the commonest (p<0.05) benefit reported was ability to stay awake longer. The students reported a number of adverse effects. Increased urination and insomnia were the commonest in males and females respectively. Only 36.70% males and 14.28% females never experienced an adverse effect. A significant proportion of students at university of Dammam use energy drinks, they have reported a number of effects (perceived as benefits) along with a variety of adverse effects.

  4. Nonplanar Nanoscale Fin Field Effect Transistors on Textile, Paper, Wood, Stone, and Vinyl via Soft Material-Enabled Double-Transfer Printing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojas, Jhonathan P; Torres Sevilla, Galo A; Alfaraj, Nasir; Ghoneim, Mohamed T; Kutbee, Arwa T; Sridharan, Ashvitha; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

    2015-05-26

    The ability to incorporate rigid but high-performance nanoscale nonplanar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics with curvilinear, irregular, or asymmetric shapes and surfaces is an arduous but timely challenge in enabling the production of wearable electronics with an in situ information-processing ability in the digital world. Therefore, we are demonstrating a soft-material enabled double-transfer-based process to integrate flexible, silicon-based, nanoscale, nonplanar, fin-shaped field effect transistors (FinFETs) and planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) on various asymmetric surfaces to study their compatibility and enhanced applicability in various emerging fields. FinFET devices feature sub-20 nm dimensions and state-of-the-art, high-κ/metal gate stacks, showing no performance alteration after the transfer process. A further analysis of the transferred MOSFET devices, featuring 1 μm gate length, exhibits an ION value of nearly 70 μA/μm (VDS = 2 V, VGS = 2 V) and a low subthreshold swing of around 90 mV/dec, proving that a soft interfacial material can act both as a strong adhesion/interposing layer between devices and final substrate as well as a means to reduce strain, which ultimately helps maintain the device's performance with insignificant deterioration even at a high bending state.

  5. Informatics enables public health surveillance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott J. N McNabb

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Over the past decade, the world has radically changed. New advances in information and communication technologies (ICT connect the world in ways never imagined. Public health informatics (PHI leveraged for public health surveillance (PHS, can enable, enhance, and empower essential PHS functions (i.e., detection, reporting, confirmation, analyses, feedback, response. However, the tail doesn't wag the dog; as such, ICT cannot (should not drive public health surveillance strengthening. Rather, ICT can serve PHS to more effectively empower core functions. In this review, we explore promising ICT trends for prevention, detection, and response, laboratory reporting, push notification, analytics, predictive surveillance, and using new data sources, while recognizing that it is the people, politics, and policies that most challenge progress for implementation of solutions.

  6. An Internet enabled impact limiter material database

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wix, S.; Kanipe, F.; McMurtry, W.

    1998-09-01

    This paper presents a detailed explanation of the construction of an interest enabled database, also known as a database driven web site. The data contained in the internet enabled database are impact limiter material and seal properties. The technique used in constructing the internet enabled database presented in this paper are applicable when information that is changing in content needs to be disseminated to a wide audience.

  7. An Internet enabled impact limiter material database

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wix, S.; Kanipe, F.; McMurtry, W.

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents a detailed explanation of the construction of an interest enabled database, also known as a database driven web site. The data contained in the internet enabled database are impact limiter material and seal properties. The technique used in constructing the internet enabled database presented in this paper are applicable when information that is changing in content needs to be disseminated to a wide audience

  8. Enablers and barriers to implementing collaborative care for anxiety and depression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Overbeck, Gritt; Davidsen, Annette Sofie; Kousgaard, Marius Brostrøm

    2016-01-01

    shown significant positive effects for patients suffering from depression, but since collaborative care is a complex intervention, it is important to understand the factors which affect its implementation. We present a qualitative systematic review of the enablers and barriers to implementing...... employed the normalization process theory (NPT). RESULTS: We included 17 studies in our review of which 11 were conducted in the USA, five in the UK, and one in Canada. We identified several barriers and enablers within the four major analytical dimensions of NPT. Securing buy-in among primary care...... collaborative care interventions: effective educational programs, especially for care managers; issues of reimbursement in relation to primary care providers; good systems for communication and monitoring; and promoting face-to-face interaction between care managers and physicians, preferably through co...

  9. The University of Kansas High-Throughput Screening Laboratory. Part II: enabling collaborative drug-discovery partnerships through cutting-edge screening technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Peter R; Roy, Anuradha; Chaguturu, Rathnam

    2011-07-01

    The University of Kansas High-Throughput Screening (KU HTS) core is a state-of-the-art drug-discovery facility with an entrepreneurial open-service policy, which provides centralized resources supporting public- and private-sector research initiatives. The KU HTS core was established in 2002 at the University of Kansas with support from an NIH grant and the state of Kansas. It collaborates with investigators from national and international academic, nonprofit and pharmaceutical organizations in executing HTS-ready assay development and screening of chemical libraries for target validation, probe selection, hit identification and lead optimization. This is part two of a contribution from the KU HTS laboratory.

  10. The university library in social networks: planning a quality presence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Estela Carmen Andrade Andrade

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Talks about the feasibility of participation of university libraries in social networking. We present the benefits and opportunities of Web 2.0 and online communities. Poses a set of guidelines aimed at developing a work plan that enables the implementation of site information in a social network. It highlights the capabilities of librarians to optimize this type of service.

  11. At What Cost? Examining the Cost Effectiveness of a Universal Social-Emotional Learning Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Leah J.; DiPerna, James C.; Hart, Susan Crandall; Crowley, Max

    2018-01-01

    Although implementation of universal social-emotional learning programs is becoming more common in schools, few studies have examined the cost-effectiveness of such programs. As such, the purpose of this article is two fold. First, we provide an overview of cost-effectiveness methods for school-based programs, and second, we share results of a…

  12. Nonparametric Online Learning Control for Soft Continuum Robot: An Enabling Technique for Effective Endoscopic Navigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kit-Hang; Fu, Denny K.C.; Leong, Martin C.W.; Chow, Marco; Fu, Hing-Choi; Althoefer, Kaspar; Sze, Kam Yim; Yeung, Chung-Kwong

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Bioinspired robotic structures comprising soft actuation units have attracted increasing research interest. Taking advantage of its inherent compliance, soft robots can assure safe interaction with external environments, provided that precise and effective manipulation could be achieved. Endoscopy is a typical application. However, previous model-based control approaches often require simplified geometric assumptions on the soft manipulator, but which could be very inaccurate in the presence of unmodeled external interaction forces. In this study, we propose a generic control framework based on nonparametric and online, as well as local, training to learn the inverse model directly, without prior knowledge of the robot's structural parameters. Detailed experimental evaluation was conducted on a soft robot prototype with control redundancy, performing trajectory tracking in dynamically constrained environments. Advanced element formulation of finite element analysis is employed to initialize the control policy, hence eliminating the need for random exploration in the robot's workspace. The proposed control framework enabled a soft fluid-driven continuum robot to follow a 3D trajectory precisely, even under dynamic external disturbance. Such enhanced control accuracy and adaptability would facilitate effective endoscopic navigation in complex and changing environments. PMID:29251567

  13. [Universal electrogustometer EG-2].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wałkanis, Andrzej; Czesak, Michał; Pleskacz, Witold A

    2011-01-01

    Electrogustometry is a method for taste diagnosis and measurement. The EG-2 project is being developed in cooperation between Warsaw University of Technology and Military institute of Medicine in Warsaw. The device is an evolution of the recent universal electrogustometer EG-1 prototype. Due to considerations and experiences acquired during prototype usage, many enhancements have been incorporated into device. The aim was to create an easy-to-use, portable, battery powered device, enabled for fast measurements. Developed electrogustometer is using innovative, low-power microprocessor system, which control whole device. User interface is based on 5.7" graphical LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and touchscreen. It can be directly operated by finger or with optional stylus. Dedicated GUI (Graphical User Interface) offers simple, predefined measurements and advance settings of signal parameters. It is also possible to store measurements results and patients data in an internal memory. User interface is multilanguage. Signals for patients examinations, supplied with bipolar electrode, are generated by an on-board circuit using DDS (Direct-Digital Synthesis) and DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter). Electrogustometer is able to generate DC, sinus, triangle or rectangle signals with current amplitude from 0 to 500 pA and frequency form 0 to 500 Hz. Device is designed for manual and automeasurement modes. By using USB (Universal Serial Bus) port it is possible to retrieve data stored in internal memory and charging of built-in Li-lon battery as a source of power.

  14. Using Web Content Management Systems in University E-Commerce Courses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanja Mohorovičić

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to elaborate and present the advantages of using Web Content Management Systems (primarily Joomla! in e-commerce courses at universities. E-commerce is taught to many non-IT students who possess various previous knowledge in IT, which can often cause problems. Content Management Systems can circumvent those problems by avoiding the need for teaching HTML, PHP, SQL etc, and enabling non-IT students to focus on content management which is crucial for e-commerce. Characteristics of Web Content Management Systems are explained, followed by brief explanation of Joomla!. Examples are presented, along with experiences from the university.

  15. SEA for strategic grid planning in South Africa: Enabling the efficient and effective roll out of strategic electricity transmission infrastructure

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Fischer, TD

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available | Resilience and Sustainability 36th Annual Conference of the International Association for Impact Assessment 11 - 14 May 2016 | Nagoya Congress Center | Aichi-Nagoya | Japan | www.iaia.org SEA FOR STRATEGIC GRID PLANNING IN SOUTH AFRICA: Enabling... the efficient and effective roll out of strategic electricity transmission infrastructure Abstract ID: 409 Authors: Marshall Mabin(1) , Paul Lochner and Dee Fischer Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), PO Box 320 Stellenbosch 7599 South...

  16. The effects of snow and salt on ice table stability in University Valley, Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Kaj; Heldmann, Jennifer L.; McKay, Christopher P.; Mellon, Michael T.

    2018-01-01

    The Antarctic Dry Valleys represent a unique environment where it is possible to study dry permafrost overlaying an ice-rich permafrost. In this paper, two opposing mechanisms for ice table stability in University Valley are addressed: i) diffusive recharge via thin seasonal snow deposits and ii) desiccation via salt deposits in the upper soil column. A high-resolution time-marching soil and snow model was constructed and applied to University Valley, driven by meteorological station atmospheric measurements. It was found that periodic thin surficial snow deposits (observed in University Valley) are capable of drastically slowing (if not completely eliminating) the underlying ice table ablation. The effects of NaCl, CaCl2 and perchlorate deposits were then modelled. Unlike the snow cover, however, the presence of salt in the soil surface (but no periodic snow) results in a slight increase in the ice table recession rate, due to the hygroscopic effects of salt sequestering vapour from the ice table below. Near-surface pore ice frequently forms when large amounts of salt are present in the soil due to the suppression of the saturation vapour pressure. Implications for Mars high latitudes are discussed.

  17. The effectiveness of remedial computer use for mathematics in a university setting (Botswana)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Plomp, T.; Pilon, J.; Pilon, Jacqueline; Janssen Reinen, I.A.M.

    1991-01-01

    This paper describes the evaluation of the effects of the Mathematics and Science Computer Assisted Remedial Teaching (MASCART) software on students from the Pre-Entry Science Course at the University of Botswana. A general significant improvement of basic algebra knowledge and skills could be

  18. Baby universe theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nielsen, H.B.; Ninomiya, Masao

    1989-12-01

    We give an elementary review of the so called 'the theory of baby universes' which is a series of ideas or speculations about some effects in quantum gravity, viz. the effect of a certain type of wormholes, representing the exchange of small 3-space universes called baby universes. We consider this 'theory' as being physically and scientifically a very promising candidate for a theory of everything. It is, however, mathematically lacking any strong foundation at all. It solves several fine-tuning problems: First of all the cosmological constant problem, and also the strong CP-problem and the hierarchy problem. We also speculate that it might predict the possibility of influencing the probability distributions of the outcome of quantum mechanical measurements at one time by acts at a later time. (orig.)

  19. Primordial Non-Gaussianity in the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincent Desjacques

    2010-01-01

    generated the cosmological fluctuations observed today. Any detection of significant non-Gaussianity would thus have profound implications for our understanding of cosmic structure formation. The large-scale mass distribution in the Universe is a sensitive probe of the nature of initial conditions. Recent theoretical progress together with rapid developments in observational techniques will enable us to critically confront predictions of inflationary scenarios and set constraints as competitive as those from the Cosmic Microwave Background. In this paper, we review past and current efforts in the search for primordial non-Gaussianity in the large-scale structure of the Universe.

  20. 5G-Enabled Tactile Internet

    OpenAIRE

    Simsek, Meryem; Aijaz, Adnan; Dohler, Mischa; Sachs, Joachim; Fettweis, Gerhard

    2016-01-01

    The long-term ambition of the Tactile Internet is to enable a democratization of skill, and how it is being delivered globally. An integral part of this is to be able to transmit touch in perceived real-time, which is enabled by suitable robotics and haptics equipment at the edges, along with an unprecedented communications network. The fifth generation (5G) mobile communications systems will underpin this emerging Internet at the wireless edge. This paper presents the most important technolo...

  1. An internet enabled impact limiter material database

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wix, S.; Kanipe, F.; McMurtry, W. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    1998-07-01

    This paper presents a detailed explanation of the construction of an internet enabled database, also known as a database driven web site. The data contained in the internet enabled database are impact limiter material and seal properties. The techniques used in constructing the internet enabled database presented in this paper are applicable when information that is changing in content needs to be disseminated to a wide audience. (authors)

  2. An internet enabled impact limiter material database

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wix, S.; Kanipe, F.; McMurtry, W.

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents a detailed explanation of the construction of an internet enabled database, also known as a database driven web site. The data contained in the internet enabled database are impact limiter material and seal properties. The techniques used in constructing the internet enabled database presented in this paper are applicable when information that is changing in content needs to be disseminated to a wide audience. (authors)

  3. Short-Term Effectiveness of Psychotherapy Treatments Delivered at a University Counselling Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monti, Fiorella; Tonetti, Lorenzo; Ricci Bitti, Pio Enrico

    2016-01-01

    This work aimed to evaluate the short-term effectiveness of psychotherapy delivered at the counselling service of the University of Bologna (Italy), by means of a single group longitudinal study including a 6-months follow-up. To this end, sixty-six students completed the 6-months follow-up and filled in the Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) three times,…

  4. The effect of tertiary study at an English medium university on the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effect of tertiary study at an English medium university on the written English of speakers of Black South African English. J Parkinson. Abstract. No Abstract. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tvl.v37i2.53847.

  5. Strategic Planning Effectiveness in Jordanian Universities: Faculty Members' and Academic Administrators' Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Omari, Aieman Ahmad; Salameh, Kayed M.

    2009-01-01

    This study aims to explore the faculty and academic administrators' perception of strategic planning effectiveness (SPE) in a reform environment, measuring the impact of university type, gender, and job role. A total of 338 faculty members and 183 academic administrators who enrolled during the first semester of the 2007-08 term at a public and a…

  6. [Changes in body weight of the university students at university].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto Ruiz, María Nelia; Aguinaga Ontonso, Inés; Canga Armayor, Navidad; Guillén-Grima, Francisco; Hermoso de Mendoza, Juana; Serrano Monzo, Inmaculada; Marín Fernández, Blanca

    2015-06-01

    One of the strategies for the prevention of the obesity is the identification of critical periods of gain weight. Some studies confirm gain weight during the university period. The purpose of the present study was to determine the changes in the body weight of the university students in Navarre. Prospective cohort study. Public University of Navarre and the University of Navarre, in Pamplona. Study examined weight change among 452 students attending at university in Pamplona, during first and third course. Four hundred and fifty two students completed the questionnaire. Weight and height were measures and body mass index was calculated. The mean body weight increased 0,600 kg, 1,8 kg for males and no change in body weight was observed in female. 44,7 % of students gained weight (60,8 % of men and 36,8 % of women), and the gain weight was of 3,4 kg. University years are a critical factor for the gain weight, particularly males. Consideration of this, is necessary the development of effective weight gain prevention strategies during the university. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  7. 'Ethos' Enabling Organisational Knowledge Creation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsudaira, Yoshito

    This paper examines knowledge creation in relation to improvements on the production line in the manufacturing department of Nissan Motor Company and aims to clarify embodied knowledge observed in the actions of organisational members who enable knowledge creation will be clarified. For that purpose, this study adopts an approach that adds a first, second, and third-person's viewpoint to the theory of knowledge creation. Embodied knowledge, observed in the actions of organisational members who enable knowledge creation, is the continued practice of 'ethos' (in Greek) founded in Nissan Production Way as an ethical basis. Ethos is knowledge (intangible) assets for knowledge creating companies. Substantiated analysis classifies ethos into three categories: the individual, team and organisation. This indicates the precise actions of the organisational members in each category during the knowledge creation process. This research will be successful in its role of showing the indispensability of ethos - the new concept of knowledge assets, which enables knowledge creation -for future knowledge-based management in the knowledge society.

  8. Using Social Network and Dropbox in Blended Learning: an Application to University Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justo de Jorge Moreno

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of this study is to analyze the use of the Social Networking and dropbox in blended learning by University students. We try identifying this method, over the student’s performance. The results show that the implementation of blended learning has a positive effect on in learning outcomes. The use of the Knowledge Management process has enabled captures a three-factor structure that reflected the five types of knowledge. The segmentation of the student sample analyzed using cluster technique, has established a clear typology of four groups. Students with higher levels of learning are related to the increased use of resources used and more proactive in blended learning.

  9. University psychiatry in Italy: organisation and integration of university clinics and the National Health Service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pier Maria Furlan

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: In the Italian psychiatric system, community-based care has become increasingly important and widespread since the national reform of 1978. This report aims to provide an overview of the involvement of university medical schools in this process, considering their responsibility for teaching and training specialist practitioners and professionals. METHODS: The study was carried out between early 2010 and February 2011. An 18-items, self-administered, questionnaire was designed to investigate the number of faculty members that are responsible both for running a clinical ward and for providing community-based healthcare. RESULTS: Nine out of 53 faculty members (17% manage a Mental Health Department, 9 (17% manage a University Department, and 2 (3.8% manage both types of department. Less than half of the teachers have full responsibility (hospital and community; however the percentage reaches 73.2% if we include the hospital wards open to the community emergencies. The remaining 26.8% have no responsibility for community psychiatry. Moreover there were undoubtedly still too many universities with specialisation schools that are without an appropriate network of facilities enabling them to offer complex psychiatric training. DISCUSSION: As expected, there were several types of healthcare management that were not uniformly distributed throughout Italy and there were also marked differences between mental health care provision in the North, Centre, and South of Italy. The university involvement in clinical responsibility was great, but at the management level there was a lack of equality in terms of clinical care, which risks being reflected also on the institutional functions of teaching and research.

  10. Enabling and challenging factors in institutional reform: The case of SCALE-UP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foote, Kathleen; Knaub, Alexis; Henderson, Charles; Dancy, Melissa; Beichner, Robert J.

    2016-06-01

    While many innovative teaching strategies exist, integration into undergraduate science teaching has been frustratingly slow. This study aims to understand the low uptake of research-based instructional innovations by studying 21 successful implementations of the Student Centered Active Learning with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP) instructional reform. SCALE-UP significantly restructures the classroom environment and pedagogy to promote highly active and interactive instruction. Although originally designed for university introductory physics courses, SCALE-UP has spread to many other disciplines at hundreds of departments around the world. This study reports findings from in-depth, open-ended interviews with 21 key contact people involved with successful secondary implementations of SCALE-UP throughout the United States. We defined successful implementations as those who restructured their pedagogy and classroom and sustained and/or spread the change. Interviews were coded to identify the most common enabling and challenging factors during reform implementation and compared to the theoretical framework of Kotter's 8-step Change Model. The most common enabling influences that emerged are documenting and leveraging evidence of local success, administrative support, interaction with outside SCALE-UP user(s), and funding. Many challenges are linked to the lack of these enabling factors including difficulty finding funding, space, and administrative and/or faculty support for reform. Our focus on successful secondary implementations meant that most interviewees were able to overcome challenges. Presentation of results is illuminated with case studies, quotes, and examples that can help secondary implementers with SCALE-UP reform efforts specifically. We also discuss the implications for policy makers, researchers, and the higher education community concerned with initiating structural change.

  11. Huddersfield University Campus Grid: QGG of OSCAR Clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holmes, Violeta; Kureshi, Ibad

    2010-01-01

    In the last decade Grid Computing Technology, an innovative extension of distributed computing, is becoming an enabler for computing resource sharing among the participants in 'Virtual Organisations' (VO). Although there exist enormous research efforts on grid-based collaboration technologies, most of them are concentrated on large research and business institutions. In this paper we are considering the adoption of Grid Computing Technology in a VO of small to medium Further Education (FE) and Higher-Education (HE) institutions. We will concentrate on the resource sharing among the campuses of The University of Huddersfield in Yorkshire and colleges in Lancashire, UK, enabled by the Grid. Within this context, it is important to focus on standards that support resource and information sharing, toolkits and middleware solutions that would promote Grid adoption among the FE/HE institutions in the Virtual HE organisation.

  12. The development and validation of the core competencies scale (CCS) for the college and university students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruan, Bin; Mok, Magdalena Mo Ching; Edginton, Christopher R; Chin, Ming Kai

    2012-01-01

    This article describes the development and validation of the Core Competencies Scale (CCS) using Bok's (2006) competency framework for undergraduate education. The framework included: communication, critical thinking, character development, citizenship, diversity, global understanding, widening of interest, and career and vocational development. The sample comprised 70 college and university students. Results of analysis using Rasch rating scale modelling showed that there was strong empirical evidence on the validity of the measures in contents, structure, interpretation, generalizability, and response options of the CCS scale. The implication of having developed Rasch-based valid and dependable measures in this study for gauging the value added of college and university education to their students is that the feedback generated from CCS will enable evidence-based decision and policy making to be implemented and strategized. Further, program effectiveness can be measured and thus accountability on the achievement of the program objectives.

  13. Replication RCT of Early Universal Prevention Effects on Young Adult Substance Misuse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spoth, Richard; Trudeau, Linda; Redmond, Cleve; Shin, Chungyeol

    2014-01-01

    Objective For many substances, more frequent and problematic use occurs in young adulthood; these types of use are predicted by the timing of initiation during adolescence. We replicated and extended an earlier study examining whether delayed substance initiation during adolescence, resulting from universal preventive interventions implemented in middle school, reduces problematic use in young adulthood. Method Participants were middle school students from 36 Iowa schools randomly assigned to the Strengthening Families Program plus Life Skills Training (SFP 10–14 + LST), LST-only, or a control condition. Self-report questionnaires were collected at 11 time points, including four during young adulthood. The intercept (average level) and rate of change (slope) in young adult frequency measures (drunkenness, alcohol-related problems, cigarettes, and illicit drugs) across ages 19–22 were modeled as outcomes influenced by growth factors describing substance initiation during adolescence. Analyses entailed testing a two-step hierarchical latent growth curve model; models included the effects of baseline risk, intervention condition assignment, and their interaction. Results Analyses showed significant indirect intervention effects on the average levels of all young adult outcomes, through effects on adolescent substance initiation growth factors, along with intervention by risk interaction effects favoring the higher-risk subsample. Additional direct effects on young adult use were observed in some cases. Relative reduction rates were larger for the higher-risk subsample at age 22, ranging from 5.8% to 36.4% on outcomes showing significant intervention effects. Conclusions Universal preventive interventions implemented during early adolescence have the potential to decrease the rates of substance use and associated problems, into young adulthood. PMID:24821095

  14. Establishing a Business Process Reference Model for Universities

    KAUST Repository

    Svensson, Carsten

    2012-09-01

    Modern universities are by any standard complex organizations that, from an IT perspective, present a number of unique challenges. This paper will propose establishing a business process reference framework. The benefit to the users would be a better understanding of the system landscape, business process enablement, collection of performance data and systematic reuse of existing community experience and knowledge. For these reasons reference models such as the SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference), DCOR (Design Chain Operations Reference) and ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) have gained popularity among organizations in both the private and public sectors. We speculate that this success can be replicated in a university setting. Furthermore the paper will outline how the research group suggests moving ahead with the research which will lead to a reference model.

  15. Enabling physical teaching and learning environment for South African public schools

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Motsatsi, L

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available This presentation investigates the typology of learning environments that enable effective school teaching and learning. According to the National Education Policy Act (27/1996),research show that there is a direct link between the physical...

  16. The effectiveness of two techniques in teaching content words to EFL students at a Turkish university

    OpenAIRE

    Raif, Özge Tılsım

    1999-01-01

    Ankara : The Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent Univ., 1999. Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1999. Includes bibliographical refences. This relationship study aimed at investigating the effects of the mnemonic keyword technique on recall of vocabulary items in comparison to a dictionary-meaning supplied group. The study was conducted at Middle East Technical University, Department of Basic English. The participants were thirty-two Pre-Interme...

  17. The enabling approach for housing supply

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghada Farouk Hassan

    2011-12-01

    The paper attempts to highlight prerequisites needed to improve the success of the enabling approach in achieving adequate housing provision. Then the paper revisits the Egyptian experiences in the application of the enabling approach from 2005 till 2010. Finally, the paper highlights the main drops and lessons must be considered as promising approach after the revolution.

  18. Gender perspective and the role of universities in the XXI century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Inmaculada LÓPEZ-FRANCÉS

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article shows the emerging line of research and teaching being developed by the authors. It starts from the perceived needs of the students in two universities: the University of Valencia and the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos; data is collected through a questionnaire (designed ad hoc and validated and several discussion groups. The performance of teachers is considered a catalyst in the construction of new identities and ethical professionals capable of meeting the challenges of the XXI century. It explores and identifies some challenges to allow the development of teaching, research and management free of gender bias. It concludes by recognizing the interdependence and the need to care for cooperative action and networking in order to enable sustainable, equitable and reciprocal human development.

  19. Effect of evaporation on the shelf life of a universal adhesive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pongprueksa, P; Miletic, V; De Munck, J; Brooks, N R; Meersman, F; Nies, E; Van Meerbeek, B; Van Landuyt, K L

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate how evaporation affects the shelf life of a one-bottle universal adhesive. Three different versions of Scotchbond Universal (SBU, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany) were prepared using a weight-loss technique. SBU0 was left open to the air until maximal weight loss was obtained, whereas SBU50 was left open until 50% of evaporation occurred. In contrast, SBU100 was kept closed and was assumed to contain the maximum concentration of all ingredients. The degree of conversion (DC) was determined by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy on different substrates (on dentin or glass plate and mixed with dentin powder); ultimate microtensile strength and microtensile bond strength to dentin were measured as well. DC of the 100% solvent-containing adhesive (SBU100) was higher than that of the 50% (SBU50) and 0% (SBU0) solvent-containing adhesives for all substrates. DC of the adhesive applied onto glass and dehydrated dentin was higher than that applied onto dentin. Even though the ultimate microtensile strength of SBU0 was much higher than that of SBU50 and SBU100, its bond strength to dentin was significantly lower. Evaporation of adhesive ingredients may jeopardize the shelf life of a one-bottle universal system by reducing the degree of conversion and impairing bond strength. However, negative effects only became evident after more than 50% evaporation.

  20. The Global Interaction Research Initiative at the IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bardram, Jakob Eyvind; Bjørn, Pernille; Glenstrup, Arne John

    2011-01-01

    This showcase paper describes the Global Interaction Research Initiative – GIRI – recently inaugurated at the IT University of Copenhagen. It presents the motivation for this initiative, namely that the use of information technology is the core enabling factor for global collaboration and business...... initiative, and we invite other researchers to join....

  1. Comparison of enamel bond fatigue durability between universal adhesives and two-step self-etch adhesives: Effect of phosphoric acid pre-etching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suda, Shunichi; Tsujimoto, Akimasa; Barkmeier, Wayne W; Nojiri, Kie; Nagura, Yuko; Takamizawa, Toshiki; Latta, Mark A; Miyazaki, Masashi

    2018-03-30

    The effect of phosphoric acid pre-etching on enamel bond fatigue durability of universal adhesives and two-step self-etch adhesives was investigated. Four universal adhesives and three two-step self-etch adhesives were used. The initial shear bond strengths and shear fatigue strengths to enamel with and without phosphoric acid pre-etching using the adhesives were determined. SEM observations were also conducted. Phosphoric acid pre-etching of enamel was found to increase the bond fatigue durability of universal adhesives, but its effect on two-step self-etch adhesives was material-dependent. In addition, some universal adhesives with phosphoric acid pre-etching showed similar bond fatigue durability to the two-step self-etch adhesives, although the bond fatigue durability of universal adhesives in self-etch mode was lower than that of the two-step self-etch adhesives. Phosphoric acid pre-etching enhances enamel bond fatigue durability of universal adhesives, but the effect of phosphoric acid pre-etching on the bond fatigue durability of two-step self-etch adhesives was material-dependent.

  2. Facilitating the development of a shared purpose in a university department: the first stage towards developing a culture of shared governance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian McGowan

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background and context: The structure of higher education departments tends to be hierarchical or, at the other extreme, characterised as ‘a galaxy of individual stars’ (Handy, 1993 p 190. Ours was no exception. However, changes in the way nursing education was provided, internal growth and development followed by a period of austerity, presented our school with an unprecedented opportunity. We found ourselves in a position where we had the possibility to change. Aims: The aim of the paper is to share our reflections on the process and outcomes to date of a culture change project in a university department. The purpose of this opening part of the project was to enable creative and collegial opportunities to work together. Conclusions: An inclusive culture can make a difference to peoples’ lives and reflect the underpinning principles of person-centred practice. This project has enabled us to define our shared purpose, clarify our values, make commitments and set standards. Overall, though it has allowed us to see each other as people who have emerged from behind a faceless organisational structure. Implications for practice: The values of inclusiveness, integrity and professionalism are important for a shared understanding and effective collaborative functioning within university departments internationally, especially those that espouse person-centredness Staff teams can be structured around professional and personal development needs but these also provide a direct link to both departmental and organisational purposes aligned to education Managerial support, staff participation and an experienced facilitator are vital for successful cultural change. Our project has been UK based but we believe these experiences to be transferable and of interest to university departments elsewhere that aspire to create cultures that enable staff, and therefore students and the wider community, to flourish

  3. Enabling HST UV Exploration of the Low Surface Brightness Universe: A Pilot Study with the WFC3 X Filter Set

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thilker, David

    2017-08-01

    We request 17 orbits to conduct a pilot study to examine the effectiveness of the WFC3/UVIS F300X filter for studying fundamental problems in star formation in the low density regime. In principle, the broader bandpass and higher throughput of F300X can halve the required observing time relative to F275W, the filter of choice for studying young stellar populations in nearby galaxies. Together with F475W and F600LP, this X filter set may be as effective as standard UVIS broadband filters for characterizing the physical properties of such populations. We will observe 5 low surface brightness targets with a range of properties to test potential issues with F300X: the red tail to 4000A and a red leak beyond, ghosts, and the wider bandpass. Masses and ages of massive stars, young star clusters, and clumps derived from photometry from the X filter set will be compared with corresponding measurements from standard filters. Beyond testing, our program will provide the first sample spanning a range of LSB galaxy properties for which HST UV imaging will be obtained, and a glimpse into the ensemble properties of the quanta of star formation in these strange environments. The increased observing efficiency would make more tractable programs which require several tens to hundreds of orbits to aggregate sufficient numbers of massive stars, young star clusters, and clumps to build statistical samples. We are hopeful that our pilot observations will broadly enable high-resolution UV imaging exploration of the low density frontier of star formation while HST is still in good health.

  4. Enabling Sustainable Exploration through the Commercial Development of Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nall, Mark; Casas, Joseph

    2003-01-01

    The commercial development of space offers enabling benefits to space exploration. This paper examines how those benefits can be realized, and how the Space Product Development Office of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is taking the first steps towards opening the space frontier through vital and sustainable industrial development. The Space Product Development Office manages 15 Commercial Space Centers that partner with US industry to develop opportunities for commerce in space. This partnership directly benefits NASA exploration in four primary ways. First, by actively involving traditional and non-traditional companies in commercial space activities, it seeks and encourages to the maximum extent possible the fullest commercial use of space, as directed by NASA's charter. Second, the commercial research and technologies pursued and developed in the program often have direct applicability to NASA priority mission areas. This dual use strategy for research and technology has the potential to greatly expand what the NASA scientific community can do. Third, the commercial experiment hardware developed by the Commercial Space Centers and their industrial partners is available for use by NASA researchers in support of priority NASA research. By utilizing low cost and existing commercial hardware, essential NASA research can be more readily accomplished. Fourth, by assisting industry in understanding the use of the environment of space and in helping industry enhance the tools and technologies for NASA and commercial space systems, the market for commercial space utilization and the capability for meeting the future growing market needs is being developed. These two activities taken together form the beginning of a new space economy that will enable sustainable NASA exploration of the universe.

  5. Qudit-Basis Universal Quantum Computation Using χ(2 ) Interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Murphy Yuezhen; Chuang, Isaac L.; Shapiro, Jeffrey H.

    2018-04-01

    We prove that universal quantum computation can be realized—using only linear optics and χ(2 ) (three-wave mixing) interactions—in any (n +1 )-dimensional qudit basis of the n -pump-photon subspace. First, we exhibit a strictly universal gate set for the qubit basis in the one-pump-photon subspace. Next, we demonstrate qutrit-basis universality by proving that χ(2 ) Hamiltonians and photon-number operators generate the full u (3 ) Lie algebra in the two-pump-photon subspace, and showing how the qutrit controlled-Z gate can be implemented with only linear optics and χ(2 ) interactions. We then use proof by induction to obtain our general qudit result. Our induction proof relies on coherent photon injection or subtraction, a technique enabled by χ(2 ) interaction between the encoding modes and ancillary modes. Finally, we show that coherent photon injection is more than a conceptual tool, in that it offers a route to preparing high-photon-number Fock states from single-photon Fock states.

  6. Qudit-Basis Universal Quantum Computation Using χ^{(2)} Interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Murphy Yuezhen; Chuang, Isaac L; Shapiro, Jeffrey H

    2018-04-20

    We prove that universal quantum computation can be realized-using only linear optics and χ^{(2)} (three-wave mixing) interactions-in any (n+1)-dimensional qudit basis of the n-pump-photon subspace. First, we exhibit a strictly universal gate set for the qubit basis in the one-pump-photon subspace. Next, we demonstrate qutrit-basis universality by proving that χ^{(2)} Hamiltonians and photon-number operators generate the full u(3) Lie algebra in the two-pump-photon subspace, and showing how the qutrit controlled-Z gate can be implemented with only linear optics and χ^{(2)} interactions. We then use proof by induction to obtain our general qudit result. Our induction proof relies on coherent photon injection or subtraction, a technique enabled by χ^{(2)} interaction between the encoding modes and ancillary modes. Finally, we show that coherent photon injection is more than a conceptual tool, in that it offers a route to preparing high-photon-number Fock states from single-photon Fock states.

  7. Growth structures in a Friedmann universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barrow, J.D.; Silk, J.

    1981-01-01

    Motivated by observational evidence for the existence of flattened or striated structures of very large scale (approx.100 Mpc) in the universe, we study the evolution of nonspherical structures. We set up equations to describe the evolution of a rotating, dust ellipsoid in an expanding universe. We derive solutions for the shape and density evolutions as the ellipsoid expands along with a Friedmann background universe and show that deviations from spherical symmetry are preserved by adiabatic expansion. Analytic expressions are derived to describe the nonlinear evolution of pressure-free ellipsoids. We calculate details of ''pancake'' formation which are relevant for realistic theories of galaxy and cluster formation. In particular, the density collapse at turnaround and the collapse velocity at pancake formation are found to be reduced relative to the spherical case if the initial fluctuations are anisotropic: this may affect kinematic determinations of Ω in the local supercluster and also enable galaxies with massive halos to form during the fragmentation of pancakes whose dynamics are dominated by massive neutrinos. Significant deviations from spherical symmetry in the baryon irregularity spectrum might also be naturally associated with primordial isothermal inhomogeneities in a Friedmann universe and their possible origin at the epoch of ''grand unification.'' An exact model for a general relativistic pancake collapse is given, based on an exact solution to Einstein's equations found by Szekeres. This collapse does not pass through a series of ellipsoids and has no symmetries

  8. Effects of Cooperative Education on Student Adaptation to University.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrell, Suzanne E.; Rowe, Patricia M.

    1993-01-01

    In a comparison of cooperative education and regular students in arts, math, and science (n=267), co-op students reported better social adjustment and attachment to the university and greater commitment to educational goals. Arts students were better adapted to university than others. (SK)

  9. Spatially enabled land administration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Enemark, Stig

    2006-01-01

    enabling of land administration systems managing tenure, valuation, planning, and development will allow the information generated by these activities to be much more useful. Also, the services available to private and public sectors and to community organisations should commensurably improve. Knowledge....... In other words: Good governance and sustainable development is not attainable without sound land administration or - more broadly – sound land management. The paper presents a land management vision that incorporates the benefits of ICT enabled land administration functions. The idea is that spatial...... the communication between administrative systems and also establish more reliable data due to the use the original data instead of copies. In Denmark, such governmental guidelines for a service-oriented ITarchitecture in support of e-government are recently adopted. Finally, the paper presents the role of FIG...

  10. Health-system reform and universal health coverage in Latin America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atun, Rifat; de Andrade, Luiz Odorico Monteiro; Almeida, Gisele; Cotlear, Daniel; Dmytraczenko, T; Frenz, Patricia; Garcia, Patrícia; Gómez-Dantés, Octavio; Knaul, Felicia M; Muntaner, Carles; de Paula, Juliana Braga; Rígoli, Felix; Serrate, Pastor Castell-Florit; Wagstaff, Adam

    2015-03-28

    Starting in the late 1980s, many Latin American countries began social sector reforms to alleviate poverty, reduce socioeconomic inequalities, improve health outcomes, and provide financial risk protection. In particular, starting in the 1990s, reforms aimed at strengthening health systems to reduce inequalities in health access and outcomes focused on expansion of universal health coverage, especially for poor citizens. In Latin America, health-system reforms have produced a distinct approach to universal health coverage, underpinned by the principles of equity, solidarity, and collective action to overcome social inequalities. In most of the countries studied, government financing enabled the introduction of supply-side interventions to expand insurance coverage for uninsured citizens--with defined and enlarged benefits packages--and to scale up delivery of health services. Countries such as Brazil and Cuba introduced tax-financed universal health systems. These changes were combined with demand-side interventions aimed at alleviating poverty (targeting many social determinants of health) and improving access of the most disadvantaged populations. Hence, the distinguishing features of health-system strengthening for universal health coverage and lessons from the Latin American experience are relevant for countries advancing universal health coverage. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Low-energy effective models for two-flavor quantum chromodynamics and the universality hypothesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grahl, Mara

    2014-01-01

    Our thesis is centered around the question of which order the chiral phase transition of two-flavor QCD is. First of all we outline several general aspects of phase transitions which are of central importance for the understanding of the RG approach towards them. Our focus lies on reviewing the universality hypothesis, a crucial ingredient when it comes to the construction of effective theories for order parameters, the credibility of which often heavily depends on universality arguments. We finish the chapter with an attempt to formulate the latter more precisely than usually done. The next chapter discusses the chiral phase transition from a general point of view. We supplement well-known facts with a detailed discussion of the so-called O(4) conjecture. Thereafter we introduce the nonperturbative method we use, the FRG method. Furthermore, we discuss the relation between effective models for QCD and the underlying fundamental theory making use of the FRG perspective. The next chapter is concerned with a mathematical subject indispensable for our approach towards the study of phase transitions, namely the systematic construction of polynomial invariants characterizing a given symmetry. With this thesis we point out its relevance in the context of high-energy physics. We present a simple, but novel, brute-force algorithm to effectively construct invariants of a given polynomial order. The next chapter is devoted to RG studies of several dimensionally reduced theories which are capable to either predict or to rule out the possible existence of a second-order phase transition. Of main interest for us is the linear sigma model, particularly in presence of the axial anomaly. It turns out that the fixed-point structure of the latter is rather complicated, requiring a deeper understanding of the underlying method and its preconditions. This leads us to a careful analysis of the fixed-point structure of several models, which is of great benefit for our review of the

  12. Benefits and challenges of incorporating citizen science into university education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Nicola; Triska, Maggie; Liberatore, Andrea; Ashcroft, Linden; Weatherill, Richard; Longnecker, Nancy

    2017-01-01

    A common feature of many citizen science projects is the collection of data by unpaid contributors with the expectation that the data will be used in research. Here we report a teaching strategy that combined citizen science with inquiry-based learning to offer first year university students an authentic research experience. A six-year partnership with the Australian phenology citizen science program ClimateWatch has enabled biology students from the University of Western Australia to contribute phenological data on plants and animals, and to conduct the first research on unvalidated species datasets contributed by public and university participants. Students wrote scientific articles on their findings, peer-reviewed each other's work and the best articles were published online in a student journal. Surveys of more than 1500 students showed that their environmental engagement increased significantly after participating in data collection and data analysis. However, only 31% of students agreed with the statement that "data collected by citizen scientists are reliable" at the end of the project, whereas the rate of agreement was initially 79%. This change in perception was likely due to students discovering erroneous records when they mapped data points and analysed submitted photographs. A positive consequence was that students subsequently reported being more careful to avoid errors in their own data collection, and making greater efforts to contribute records that were useful for future scientific research. Evaluation of our project has shown that by embedding a research process within citizen science participation, university students are given cause to improve their contributions to environmental datasets. If true for citizen scientists in general, enabling participants as well as scientists to analyse data could enhance data quality, and so address a key constraint of broad-scale citizen science programs.

  13. GeoSpark SQL: An Effective Framework Enabling Spatial Queries on Spark

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhou Huang

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In the era of big data, Internet-based geospatial information services such as various LBS apps are deployed everywhere, followed by an increasing number of queries against the massive spatial data. As a result, the traditional relational spatial database (e.g., PostgreSQL with PostGIS and Oracle Spatial cannot adapt well to the needs of large-scale spatial query processing. Spark is an emerging outstanding distributed computing framework in the Hadoop ecosystem. This paper aims to address the increasingly large-scale spatial query-processing requirement in the era of big data, and proposes an effective framework GeoSpark SQL, which enables spatial queries on Spark. On the one hand, GeoSpark SQL provides a convenient SQL interface; on the other hand, GeoSpark SQL achieves both efficient storage management and high-performance parallel computing through integrating Hive and Spark. In this study, the following key issues are discussed and addressed: (1 storage management methods under the GeoSpark SQL framework, (2 the spatial operator implementation approach in the Spark environment, and (3 spatial query optimization methods under Spark. Experimental evaluation is also performed and the results show that GeoSpark SQL is able to achieve real-time query processing. It should be noted that Spark is not a panacea. It is observed that the traditional spatial database PostGIS/PostgreSQL performs better than GeoSpark SQL in some query scenarios, especially for the spatial queries with high selectivity, such as the point query and the window query. In general, GeoSpark SQL performs better when dealing with compute-intensive spatial queries such as the kNN query and the spatial join query.

  14. Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral-Theory-Based Skill Training on Academic Procrastination Behaviors of University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toker, Betül; Avci, Rasit

    2015-01-01

    This study examined the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT) psycho-educational group program on the academic procrastination behaviors of university students and the persistence of any training effect. This was a quasi-experimental research based on an experimental and control group pretest, posttest, and followup test model.…

  15. Perspectives on Modelling BIM-enabled Estimating Practices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Willy Sher

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available BIM-enabled estimating processes do not replace or provide a substitute for the traditional approaches used in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. This paper explores the impact of BIM on these traditional processes.  It identifies differences between the approaches used with BIM and other conventional methods, and between the various construction professionals that prepare estimates. We interviewed 17 construction professionals from client organizations, contracting organizations, consulting practices and specialist-project firms. Our analyses highlight several logical relationships between estimating processes and BIM attributes. Estimators need to respond to the challenges BIM poses to traditional estimating practices. BIM-enabled estimating circumvents long-established conventions and traditional approaches, and focuses on data management.  Consideration needs to be given to the model data required for estimating, to the means by which these data may be harnessed when exported, to the means by which the integrity of model data are protected, to the creation and management of tools that work effectively and efficiently in multi-disciplinary settings, and to approaches that narrow the gap between virtual reality and actual reality.  Areas for future research are also identified in the paper.

  16. Engaging and Supporting a University Press Scholarly Community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Megan Taylor

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we explore how the development of The University of Huddersfield Press, a publisher of open access scholarly journals and monographs, has enabled the sharing of research with a wider online audience. We situate the development of the Press within a wider research environment and growing community of New University Presses (NUPs where there is an increasing demand for demonstrating research impact, which drives the need for improved analysis and reporting of impact data, a task that often falls within the remit of library and academic support services. We detail the benefits of the University Press Manager role in terms of ensuring professional service that delivers consistency and sustainability. We go on to outline the experiences of engaging with different online spaces and detail the extensive support for student authors. We argue that in order for the Press to support building a strong and engaged scholarly community and provide new spaces for emerging research, continued investment in both platform development and infrastructure is required.

  17. University Involvement with Charter Schools: Unique Opportunities for Service and Support

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr. Julie Hentges

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Charter schools are a controversial, but vibrant, component of the current educational landscape, now serving over 3.1 million students in approximately 6900 schools across the United States.  A unique aspect of this movement has been the establishment of alternative authorizers, and specifically universities, to approve and provide oversight to these public schools.  Campus leaders and policy makers must consider numerous variables regarding a university’s involvement with charter schools.  What are the implications of school choice on university policies and practices? Should universities be “authorizers”, granting charters to schools in direct competition with the traditional public school system? Can universities provide the required “oversight” mandated by the charter school laws, as well as providing “support” for the schools? What opportunities for partnerships and practicum experiences exist?  The article provides an overview of issues that arise with public charter schools authorized by universities.  With 18 years of experiences as a public university on the forefront of enabling charter legislation and the “sponsorship” of inner-city public charter schools, the authors provide a historical perspective of the role of universities within the school choice movement, including oversight roles and supportive programs within the unique and growing phenomenon of school choice.

  18. Radiation technology enabled market access to Indian mango

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, Arun

    2009-01-01

    International trade in agricultural produce is subject to quarantine barriers imposed by importing countries to limit the entry of exotic pests and pathogens. Radiation technology provides an effective alternative to fumigants which are being gradually phased out. The technology has enabled market access to Indian mangoes in the US market after a gap of 18 years. The technology provides opportunity for export of other fruits and vegetables as well to countries like US, Australia and New Zealand. (author)

  19. INTERACTION BETWEEN ENTERPRISES AND UNIVERSITIES CIVIL AVIATION BASED TECHNOLOGIES OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. S. Ermakov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Distance education based on modern information technology as a tool for interaction between universities and enterprises of civil aviation. The introduction of the learning process real needs of civil aviation, enabling an airline to use scientific potential of educational institutions for the successful implementation of scientific research aimed at solving urgent problems.

  20. Lost in space: design of experiments and scientific exploration in a Hogarth Universe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lendrem, Dennis W; Lendrem, B Clare; Woods, David; Rowland-Jones, Ruth; Burke, Matthew; Chatfield, Marion; Isaacs, John D; Owen, Martin R

    2015-11-01

    A Hogarth, or 'wicked', universe is an irregular environment generating data to support erroneous beliefs. Here, we argue that development scientists often work in such a universe. We demonstrate that exploring these multidimensional spaces using small experiments guided by scientific intuition alone, gives rise to an illusion of validity and a misplaced confidence in that scientific intuition. By contrast, design of experiments (DOE) permits the efficient mapping of such complex, multidimensional spaces. We describe simulation tools that enable research scientists to explore these spaces in relative safety. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Development of the University of Washington Biofuels and Biobased Chemicals Process Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gustafson, Richard [University of Washington

    2014-02-04

    The funding from this research grant enabled us to design and build a bioconversion steam explosion reactor and ancillary equipment such as a high pressure boiler and a fermenter to support the bioconversion process research. This equipment has been in constant use since its installation in 2012. Following are research projects that it has supported: • Investigation of novel chip production method in biofuels production • Investigation of biomass refining following steam explosion • Several studies on use of different biomass feedstocks • Investigation of biomass moisture content on pretreatment efficacy. • Development of novel instruments for biorefinery process control Having this equipment was also instrumental in the University of Washington receiving a $40 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture for biofuels development as well as several other smaller grants. The research that is being done with the equipment from this grant will facilitate the establishment of a biofuels industry in the Pacific Northwest and enable the University of Washington to launch a substantial biofuels and bio-based product research program.

  2. Effect of Blended-Learning on Academic Achievement of Students in the University of Jordan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruba Obiedat

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of blended learning on the academic achievement of students in the University of Jordan. To gain in depth understanding of the phenomena under investigation, survey method is employed to collect natural data. For the sake of respondent convince all the questions asked in this survey are directed in Arabic language. Conventional sampling technique is employed due to the subjectivity of the issue. A sample of (427 students from King Abdulla II School for Information Technology at Jordan University are randomly selected. SPSS10 software is used to make statistical analysis. The robust checks of the result are made through arithmetic average, standard deviation statistics and Pearson correlation matrix. Statistical results of the study report that there is a significant and positive impact of blended learning on academic achievement of the students in university of Jordan.

  3. The MIMIC Code Repository: enabling reproducibility in critical care research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Alistair Ew; Stone, David J; Celi, Leo A; Pollard, Tom J

    2018-01-01

    Lack of reproducibility in medical studies is a barrier to the generation of a robust knowledge base to support clinical decision-making. In this paper we outline the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC) Code Repository, a centralized code base for generating reproducible studies on an openly available critical care dataset. Code is provided to load the data into a relational structure, create extractions of the data, and reproduce entire analysis plans including research studies. Concepts extracted include severity of illness scores, comorbid status, administrative definitions of sepsis, physiologic criteria for sepsis, organ failure scores, treatment administration, and more. Executable documents are used for tutorials and reproduce published studies end-to-end, providing a template for future researchers to replicate. The repository's issue tracker enables community discussion about the data and concepts, allowing users to collaboratively improve the resource. The centralized repository provides a platform for users of the data to interact directly with the data generators, facilitating greater understanding of the data. It also provides a location for the community to collaborate on necessary concepts for research progress and share them with a larger audience. Consistent application of the same code for underlying concepts is a key step in ensuring that research studies on the MIMIC database are comparable and reproducible. By providing open source code alongside the freely accessible MIMIC-III database, we enable end-to-end reproducible analysis of electronic health records. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.

  4. An extended cost-effectiveness analysis of schizophrenia treatment in India under universal public finance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raykar, Neha; Nigam, Aditi; Chisholm, Dan

    2016-01-01

    Schizophrenia remains a priority condition in mental health policy and service development because of its early onset, severity and consequences for affected individuals and households. This paper reports on an 'extended' cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) for schizophrenia treatment in India, which seeks to evaluate through a modeling approach not only the costs and health effects of intervention but also the consequences of a policy of universal public finance (UPF) on health and financial outcomes across income quintiles. Using plausible values for input parameters, we conclude that health gains from UPF are concentrated among the poorest, whereas the non-health gains in the form of out-of-pocket private expenditures averted due to UPF are concentrated among the richest income quintiles. Value of insurance is the highest for the poorest quintile and declines with income. Universal public finance can play a crucial role in ameliorating the adverse economic and social consequences of schizophrenia and its treatment in resource-constrained settings where health insurance coverage is generally poor. This paper shows the potential distributional and financial risk protection effects of treating schizophrenia.

  5. Change, technology and higher education: are universities capable of organisational change?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen Marshall

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Technology and change are so closely related that the use of the word innovation seems synonymous with technology in many contexts, including that of higher education. This paper contends that university culture and existing capability constrain such innovation and to a large extent determine the nature and extent of organisational change. In the absence of strong leadership, technologies are simply used as vehicles to enable changes that are already intended or which reinforce the current identity. These contentions are supported by evidence from e-learning benchmarking activities carried out over the past five years in universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

  6. Construction of Agricultural University Students’ Entrepreneurship Incubation Base – Taking Sichuan Agricultural University as a Case Study

    OpenAIRE

    Xia Yao; Jianping Xie; Linchun He

    2013-01-01

    In the recent years, as an effective practice in university students’ entrepreneurship education, construction of university students’ entrepreneurship incubation base has been rapidly developed in different universities. This paper takes construction of the entrepreneurship incubation base in Sichuan Agricultural University as a case study, analyzes the current status of university students’ entrepreneurship incubation base and makes a discussion on establishment of management institution, f...

  7. University Internationalization and University Autonomy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Turcan, Romeo V.; Gulieva, Valeria

    2016-01-01

    Turcan and Gulieva deepen our theoretical understanding of the process of university internationalisation by exploring the relationship between university internationalisation and university autonomy. They conjecture that the process of university internationalisation and its sustainability are d......, dissimilar, and sometimes conflicting dimensions of the financial, legal, organisational, staffing, and academic autonomy of the host country, are compromising key aspects of their own autonomy and core mission?......Turcan and Gulieva deepen our theoretical understanding of the process of university internationalisation by exploring the relationship between university internationalisation and university autonomy. They conjecture that the process of university internationalisation and its sustainability...... are determined by the structure and exercise of university autonomy settings at home and in the host countries, and that the process itself cannot be successfully achieved and maintained without changes in the autonomy settings. The key question the authors ask is to what degree universities, in embracing new...

  8. Engaging Élitism: The Mediating Effect of Work Engagement on Affective Commitment and Quit Intentions in Two Australian University Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrer, Justine L.; Morris, Leanne

    2013-01-01

    Some universities rely on their élitism as one mechanism to attract and retain talented faculty. This paper examines two groups of élite and non-élite universities and the mediating effect that work engagement has on affective commitment and intention to quit. Findings indicate partial support for the mediating effect of work engagement in the…

  9. One Hundred Dissertations: A Review of the Morale Research Project, University of New England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Kevin R.

    1987-01-01

    Describes the use of the "staff morale questionnaires" developed at University of New England from 100 graduate student dissertations on morale in a variety of educational institutions. The project helped off-campus students develop their academic critical abilities and enabled school administrators to understand the importance of…

  10. Rotavirus vaccines contribute towards universal health coverage in a mixed public-private healthcare system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loganathan, Tharani; Jit, Mark; Hutubessy, Raymond; Ng, Chiu-Wan; Lee, Way-Seah; Verguet, Stéphane

    2016-11-01

    To evaluate rotavirus vaccination in Malaysia from the household's perspective. The extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) framework quantifies the broader value of universal vaccination starting with non-health benefits such as financial risk protection and equity. These dimensions better enable decision-makers to evaluate policy on the public finance of health programmes. The incidence, health service utilisation and household expenditure related to rotavirus gastroenteritis according to national income quintiles were obtained from local data sources. Multiple birth cohorts were distributed into income quintiles and followed from birth over the first five years of life in a multicohort, static model. We found that the rich pay more out of pocket (OOP) than the poor, as the rich use more expensive private care. OOP payments among the poorest although small are high as a proportion of household income. Rotavirus vaccination results in substantial reduction in rotavirus episodes and expenditure and provides financial risk protection to all income groups. Poverty reduction benefits are concentrated amongst the poorest two income quintiles. We propose that universal vaccination complements health financing reforms in strengthening Universal Health Coverage (UHC). ECEA provides an important tool to understand the implications of vaccination for UHC, beyond traditional considerations of economic efficiency. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Enabling distributed collaborative science

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hudson, T.; Sonnenwald, Diane H.; Maglaughlin, K.

    2000-01-01

    To enable collaboration over distance, a collaborative environment that uses a specialized scientific instrument called a nanoManipulator is evaluated. The nanoManipulator incorporates visualization and force feedback technology to allow scientists to see, feel, and modify biological samples bein...

  12. The University of Zambia School Teaching Experience: Is It Effective?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Chomba Manchishi

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Teaching practice exercises serve the purpose of orienting the teacher into real classroom situations where the novice puts his or her skills into practice. Education students at the University of Zambia (UNZA go through the school teaching experience after their third year of study. This comes after they have arguably completed enough content and methodology courses to teach. The purpose of this study was to establish the effectiveness of the UNZA school teaching experience. The research instruments used were interview guides, observation checklists, and focus group discussions. The respondents included 80 serving teachers, 80 student teachers, and 10 head teachers drawn from 10 high schools in the Lusaka District. In addition, 10 lecturers from UNZA were also sampled. The findings revealed that the design and delivery of the UNZA student teaching experience was not effective.

  13. Universal slip dynamics in metallic glasses and granular matter - linking frictional weakening with inertial effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denisov, Dmitry V.; Lőrincz, Kinga A.; Wright, Wendelin J.; Hufnagel, Todd C.; Nawano, Aya; Gu, Xiaojun; Uhl, Jonathan T.; Dahmen, Karin A.; Schall, Peter

    2017-03-01

    Slowly strained solids deform via intermittent slips that exhibit a material-independent critical size distribution. Here, by comparing two disparate systems - granular materials and bulk metallic glasses - we show evidence that not only the statistics of slips but also their dynamics are remarkably similar, i.e. independent of the microscopic details of the material. By resolving and comparing the full time evolution of avalanches in bulk metallic glasses and granular materials, we uncover a regime of universal deformation dynamics. We experimentally verify the predicted universal scaling functions for the dynamics of individual avalanches in both systems, and show that both the slip statistics and dynamics are independent of the scale and details of the material structure and interactions, thus settling a long-standing debate as to whether or not the claim of universality includes only the slip statistics or also the slip dynamics. The results imply that the frictional weakening in granular materials and the interplay of damping, weakening and inertial effects in bulk metallic glasses have strikingly similar effects on the slip dynamics. These results are important for transferring experimental results across scales and material structures in a single theory of deformation dynamics.

  14. RESEARCH CAPACITIES OF UNIVERSITIES: ESTIMATION OF PARAMETERS AND MODELING OF THE DYNAMICS OF THE RESEARCH SYSTEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CAROLINA DELGADO HURTADO

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Research capacities are developed scientific skills that enable universities to accomplish the dissemination of high-quality scientific knowledge. Nowadays, the modeling of their dynamics is one of the most important concerns for the stakeholders related to the scientific activity, including university managers, private sector and government. In this context, the present article aims to approach the issue of modeling the capacities of the Universities’ research systems, presenting Systems Dynamics as an effective methodological tool for the treatment of data contained in intellectual capital indicators, allowing to estimate parameters, conditions and scenarios. The main contribution lays on the modeling and simulations accomplished for several scenarios, which display the critical variables and the more sensitive ones when building or strengthening research capacities. The establishment of parameters through regression techniques allowed to more accurately model the dynamics of the variables. This is an interesting contribution in terms of the accuracy of the simulations that later might be used to propose and carry out changes related to the management of the universities research. Future research with alternative modeling for social systems will allow to broaden the scope of the study.

  15. Universality for the parameter-mismatching effect on weak synchronization in coupled chaotic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, Woochang; Kim, Sang-Yoon

    2004-01-01

    To examine the universality for the parameter-mismatching effect on weak chaotic synchronization, we study coupled multidimensional invertible systems such as the coupled Henon maps and coupled pendula. By generalizing the method proposed in coupled one-dimensional (1D) noninvertible maps, we introduce the parameter sensitivity exponent δ to measure the degree of the parameter sensitivity of a weakly stable synchronous chaotic attractor. In terms of the parameter sensitivity exponents, we characterize the effect of the parameter mismatch on the intermittent bursting and the basin riddling occurring in the regime of weak synchronization. It is thus found that the scaling exponent μ for the average characteristic time (i.e., the average interburst time and the average chaotic transient lifetime) for both the bubbling and riddling cases is given by the reciprocal of the parameter sensitivity exponent, as in the simple system of coupled 1D maps. Hence, the reciprocal relation (i.e., μ = 1/δ) seems to be 'universal', in the sense that it holds in typical coupled chaotic systems of different nature

  16. Thriving or just surviving? Exploring student strategies for a smoother transition to university. A Practice Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amanda Richardson

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The first year of university study is one of the greatest transition periods in a student’s life. It is a time where they have to learn new academic skills as well as new social and independent living skills.  For many students, the struggle to balance the competing demands of study, work and personal commitments feels overwhelming and they report significant declines in their overall health and well-being.  However, some students appear to thrive in this new learning environment.  This presentation reports on the findings of a research project investigating the health and well-being of first year students in Australia.  It compares the experiences and coping strategies of “thriving” students with those who describe themselves as “just surviving.”  Forming close social relationships with peers, having good time management and organisational skills, together with effective coping strategies enable students to transition more successfully into university life.

  17. PACFEST 2004 : enabling technologies for maritime security in the Pacific region.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moore, Judy Hennessey; Whitley, John B.; Chellis, Craig (Pacific Disaster Center, Kihei, HI)

    2005-06-01

    In October of 2003 experts involved in various aspects of homeland security from the Pacific region met to engage in a free-wheeling discussion and brainstorming (a 'fest') on the role that technology could play in winning the war on terrorism in the Pacific region. The result was a concise and relatively thorough definition of the terrorism problem in the Pacific region, emphasizing the issues unique to Island nations in the Pacific setting, along with an action plan for developing working demonstrations of advanced technological solutions to these issues. Since PacFest 2003, the maritime dimensions of the international security environment have garnered increased attention and interest. To this end, PacFest 2004 sought to identify gaps and enabling technologies for maritime domain awareness and responsive decision-making in the Asia-Pacific region. The PacFest 2004 participants concluded that the technologies and basic information building blocks exist to create a system that would enable the Pacific region government and private organizations to effectively collaborate and share their capabilities and information concerning maritime security. The proposed solution summarized in this report integrates national environments in real time, thereby enabling effective prevention and first response to natural and terrorist induced disasters through better use of national and regional investments in people, infrastructure, systems, processes and standards.

  18. Black-hole universe: time evolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Chul-Moon; Okawa, Hirotada; Nakao, Ken-ichi

    2013-10-18

    Time evolution of a black hole lattice toy model universe is simulated. The vacuum Einstein equations in a cubic box with a black hole at the origin are numerically solved with periodic boundary conditions on all pairs of faces opposite to each other. Defining effective scale factors by using the area of a surface and the length of an edge of the cubic box, we compare them with that in the Einstein-de Sitter universe. It is found that the behavior of the effective scale factors is well approximated by that in the Einstein-de Sitter universe. In our model, if the box size is sufficiently larger than the horizon radius, local inhomogeneities do not significantly affect the global expansion law of the Universe even though the inhomogeneity is extremely nonlinear.

  19. Social-ecological enabling conditions for payments for ecosystem services

    OpenAIRE

    Heidi R. Huber-Stearns; Drew E. Bennett; Stephen Posner; Ryan C. Richards; Jenn Hoyle. Fair; Stella J. M. Cousins; Chelsie L. Romulo

    2017-01-01

    The concept of "enabling conditions" centers on conditions that facilitate approaches to addressing social and ecological challenges. Although multiple fields have independently addressed the concept of enabling conditions, the literature lacks a shared understanding or integration of concepts. We propose a more synthesized understanding of enabling conditions beyond disciplinary boundaries by focusing on the enabling conditions that influence the implementation of a range of environmental p...

  20. Nanomaterial-Enabled Wearable Sensors for Healthcare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Shanshan; Swetha, Puchakayala; Zhu, Yong

    2018-01-01

    Highly sensitive wearable sensors that can be conformably attached to human skin or integrated with textiles to monitor the physiological parameters of human body or the surrounding environment have garnered tremendous interest. Owing to the large surface area and outstanding material properties, nanomaterials are promising building blocks for wearable sensors. Recent advances in the nanomaterial-enabled wearable sensors including temperature, electrophysiological, strain, tactile, electrochemical, and environmental sensors are presented in this review. Integration of multiple sensors for multimodal sensing and integration with other components into wearable systems are summarized. Representative applications of nanomaterial-enabled wearable sensors for healthcare, including continuous health monitoring, daily and sports activity tracking, and multifunctional electronic skin are highlighted. Finally, challenges, opportunities, and future perspectives in the field of nanomaterial-enabled wearable sensors are discussed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Sharing of information and knowledge among staff in King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) library

    KAUST Repository

    Ramli, Rindra M.

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes strategies and initiatives undertaken by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) library in sharing information and knowledge among its staff. KAUST Library adopted several IT platforms to enable staff

  2. Integrated Photonics Enabled by Slow Light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mørk, Jesper; Chen, Yuntian; Ek, Sara

    2012-01-01

    In this talk we will discuss the physics of slow light in semiconductor materials and in particular the possibilities offered for integrated photonics. This includes ultra-compact slow light enabled optical amplifiers, lasers and pulse sources.......In this talk we will discuss the physics of slow light in semiconductor materials and in particular the possibilities offered for integrated photonics. This includes ultra-compact slow light enabled optical amplifiers, lasers and pulse sources....

  3. The effect of nanoparticle uptake on cellular behavior: disrupting or enabling functions?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miserocchi G

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Alice Panariti, Giuseppe Miserocchi, Ilaria RivoltaDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Milano Bicocca, Monza, ItalyAbstract: Nanoparticles (NPs are materials with overall dimensions in the nanoscale range. They have unique physicochemical properties, and have emerged as important players in current research in modern medicine. In the last few decades, several types of NPs and microparticles have been synthesized and proposed for use as contrast agents for diagnostics and imaging and for drug delivery; for example, in cancer therapy. Yet specific targeting that will improve their delivery still represents an unsolved challenge. The mechanism by which NPs enter the cell has important implications not only for their fate but also for their impact on biological systems. Several papers in the literature discuss the potential risks related to NP exposure, and more recently the concept that even sublethal doses of NPs may elicit a cell response has been proposed. In this review, we intend to present an overall view of cell mechanisms that may be perturbed by cell–NP interaction. Published data, in fact, emphasize that NPs should no longer be viewed only as simple carriers for biomedical applications, but that they can also play an active role in mediating biological effects.Keywords: nanoparticles, uptake, intracellular trafficking, bio compatibility

  4. A wireless sensor enabled by wireless power.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Da-Sheng; Liu, Yu-Hong; Lin, Chii-Ruey

    2012-11-22

    Through harvesting energy by wireless charging and delivering data by wireless communication, this study proposes the concept of a wireless sensor enabled by wireless power (WPWS) and reports the fabrication of a prototype for functional tests. One WPWS node consists of wireless power module and sensor module with different chip-type sensors. Its main feature is the dual antenna structure. Following RFID system architecture, a power harvesting antenna was designed to gather power from a standard reader working in the 915 MHz band. Referring to the Modbus protocol, the other wireless communication antenna was integrated on a node to send sensor data in parallel. The dual antenna structure integrates both the advantages of an RFID system and a wireless sensor. Using a standard UHF RFID reader, WPWS can be enabled in a distributed area with a diameter up to 4 m. Working status is similar to that of a passive tag, except that a tag can only be queried statically, while the WPWS can send dynamic data from the sensors. The function is the same as a wireless sensor node. Different WPWSs equipped with temperature and humidity, optical and airflow velocity sensors are tested in this study. All sensors can send back detection data within 8 s. The accuracy is within 8% deviation compared with laboratory equipment. A wireless sensor network enabled by wireless power should be a totally wireless sensor network using WPWS. However, distributed WPWSs only can form a star topology, the simplest topology for constructing a sensor network. Because of shielding effects, it is difficult to apply other complex topologies. Despite this limitation, WPWS still can be used to extend sensor network applications in hazardous environments. Further research is needed to improve WPWS to realize a totally wireless sensor network.

  5. More than a Master: Developing, Sharing, and Using Knowledge in School-University Research Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornelissen, Frank; Daly, Alan J.; Liou, Yi-Hwa; van Swet, Jacqueline; Beijaard, Douwe; Bergen, Theo C. M.

    2014-01-01

    Postgraduate master's programs for in-service teachers may be a promising new avenue in developing research partnership networks that link schools and university and enable collaborative development, sharing and use of knowledge of teacher research. This study explores the way these knowledge processes originating from master's students' research…

  6. Social identity, passion and well-being in university students, the mediating effect of passion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernabé, Miguel; Lisbona, Ana; Palací, Francisco José; Martín-Aragón, Maite

    2014-11-14

    Research on positive emotions associated with the performance of an activity, such as work or study, has increased exponentially in recent years. Passion is understood as an attitude and intense emotion in the performance of an activity, and it has shown both positive and negative consequences for well-being. A link between social identity and positive emotions through social category membership has been described. The aim of this work is to study the relationship between social identity, the dimensions of passion and the positive impact on university responses. A quasi-experimental design was used on a sample of 266 university students from different Spanish universities (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Universidad Miguel Hernández and Universidad de Alicante). Descriptive analyzes were performed on the study's variables using SPSS 18. Structural equation modeling was carried out with AMOS 18 and the mediational analysis with MODMED macro developed by Preacher, Rucker, and Hayes (2007). The results show that the identity of the studies had an indirect effect on positive responses mediated by passion for the studies (RMSEA = .07; CFI = .97; NFI = .96; TLI = .92). It is observed that the harmonious and obsessive dimensions of passion differ in the mediating effect on happiness and satisfaction with studies. Practical and theoretical implications for well-being are discussed.

  7. Effect of private tutoring on university entrance examination performance in Turkey

    OpenAIRE

    Tansel, Aysit; Bircan, Fatma

    2005-01-01

    There is an excess demand for university education in Turkey. Highly competitive university entrance examination which rations the available places at university programs is very central to the lives of young people. In order to increase the chances of success of their children in the university entrance examination parents spend large sums of money on private tutoring (dersane) of their children. In this study, we investigate the factors that determine participation in private tutoring and t...

  8. The effects of universally offered parenting interventions for parents with infants: A systematic review

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pontoppidan, Maiken; Klest, Sihu K; Patras, Joshua

    2016-01-01

    and supplemented by grey and hand search. Risk of bias was assessed, and effect sizes were calculated. Participants: Inclusion criteria were: 1) Randomized controlled trials of structured, psychosocial interventions offered to a universal population of parents with infants 0-12 months old in western OECD countries...

  9. Final Scientific/Technical Report from Hofstra University on DE-SC0001985

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farmer, E. Christa [Hofstra Univ., Hempstead, NY (United States)

    2016-12-20

    The U.S. Department of Energy award DE-SC0001985 funded the Hofstra University Center for Climate Study (HUCCS) from 29 September 2009 through 1 October 2016. This support enabled several activities over the period of the grant, including 1) the pursuit of several research projects, including sediment coring of coastal marshes, analysis of habitat impact due to climate change, and effects of raindrops of CO2 transfer; 2) support for multiple graduate and undergraduate students, and sponsorship of research projects that involved high school students; 3) fostering mentoring relationships and networking; 4) the design, creation, and installation of an exhibit on climate change at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, NY as an effort of public outreach. A total of 11 presentations at conferences, one book, and one peer-reviewed journal article resulted from these activities.

  10. Motivation, Psychology and Language Effect on Mobile Learning in Universiti Sains Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Issham Ismail

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine the motivation, psychology and language effect on Mobile learning in the School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. Mobile learning or m-learning is a new learning phenomenon in the open and distance learning environments. Moving from stationary to mobile learning allows informal collaboration and interaction between learners. Therefore, there is a necessity to revise people’s psychological factors, process and mechanisms that underlie M-learning so that the practice can move from technology-centred implementation to human-centred effective learning processes. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS Version 12.0 and Rasch Model Analysis was used to measure these items. The 5-point Likert scale questionnaires (12 items being sent to 105 distance education students from four courses including Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Science and Bachelor of Management which was distributed in tutorial sessions during the annual residential intensive course in the main campus of the Universiti Sains Malaysia by their respective course managers. The finding shows that a positive response from the learners as they feel happy to use this additional learning tools (mobile learning. Learner’s feel supported and motivated to use the mobile application with the usability of simple language.

  11. Social-ecological enabling conditions for payments for ecosystem services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heidi R. Huber-Stearns

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The concept of "enabling conditions" centers on conditions that facilitate approaches to addressing social and ecological challenges. Although multiple fields have independently addressed the concept of enabling conditions, the literature lacks a shared understanding or integration of concepts. We propose a more synthesized understanding of enabling conditions beyond disciplinary boundaries by focusing on the enabling conditions that influence the implementation of a range of environmental policies termed payments for ecosystem services (PES. Through an analysis of key literature from different disciplinary perspectives, we examined how researchers and practitioners refer to and identify enabling conditions within the context of PES. Through our synthesis, we identified 24 distinct enabling conditions organized within 4 broad themes: biophysical, economic, governance, and social-cultural conditions. We found that the literature coalesces around certain enabling conditions, such as strong ecosystem science and existing institutions, regardless of disciplinary background or journal audience. We also observed key differences in how authors perceive the direction of influence for property type, program objectives, and number of actors. Additionally, we noted an emphasis on the importance of the contextual nature of many enabling conditions that may cause certain conditions to have a disproportionate impact on successful implementation in some circumstances. Unraveling the relative importance of specific enabling conditions in diverse contexts remains a research frontier. Ultimately, no single disciplinary perspective is likely to provide all necessary insights for PES creation, and given the intertwined nature of enabling conditions, practitioners need to consider insights from multiple dimensions. Our work suggests opportunities to better connect diverse conversations through integration of concepts, a common vocabulary, and a synthetic framework.

  12. True Green and Sustainable University Campuses? Toward a Clusters Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giulia Sonetti

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Campus greening is often the first step universities take towards sustainability. However, the diffusion of sustainability reporting methodologies and rankings is still at an early stage, and is biased in mainly measuring energy efficiency indicators while omitting basic features enabling meaningful comparisons among centers or addressing social (users aspects related to long term sustainability transitions. This paper aims to introduce a critical perspective on sustainability university frameworks through: (i a review of current Campus Sustainability Assessments (CSAs; (ii performing and comparing the results obtained from the application of two internationally recognized CSAs (namely, Green Metric and ISCN to two case studies (the Politecnico di Torino, in Italy, and the Hokkaido University, In Japan and, finally, (iii proposing a new CSA approach that encompasses clusters of homogeneous campus typologies for meaningful comparisons and university rankings. The proposed clusters regard universities’ morphological structures (campuses nested within city centers versus outside of a city compact ones, climatic zones and functions. At the micro scale, the paper introduces the need for indicators beyond measuring pure energy efficiency, but which are attentive to local and societal constraints and provide long-term tracking of outcomes. This, better than a sheer record of sustainability priority actions, can help in building homogenous university case studies to find similar and scalable success strategies and practices, and also in self-monitoring progress toward achieving truly sustainable university campuses.

  13. Effect of Educational Intervention on Resource Usage in University Newcomers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tirgar A

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Aims: Investigating the situation of the utilization of the library sources indicates that the students are not familiar with the utilization of the sources and do not have enough skills in source searching. Based on the conducted studies, presenting training courses to make the students familiar with searching the library sources considerably enhance their abilities to utilize the sources. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of academic intervention on the freshmen students’ utilization of the library sources.  Instrument & Methods: In the cross-sectional study, Medical, Midwifery, and Nursing students (n=200 of Babol University of Medical Sciences enrolled in 2013 were studied at the 1st semester of 2013-14 academic year. Based on the former presence at the library familiarity workshops at the university entrance, the students were divided into two groups including “case group” (n=136 and “control group” (n=64. Data was collected, using a researcher-made form. In addition, book loan number during a year and number of the delayed days in returning the books were considered as indices to investigate the students’ performance. Data was analyzed in SPSS 18 software using Chi-square and Independent T tests.   Findings: Of 4865 book loan cases, 26.0±22.2 and 17.9±18.8 books were averagely borrowed by the trained students (case group and control group, respectively (p<0.05. Mean delayed time in “case group” (151.2±171.7 days was more than the mean time in “control group” (122.0±136.5 days; p<0.05. Conclusion: Conducting library familiarity training courses at the university entrance for the students positively and significantly affects the utilization of the scientific sources.

  14. Family Function and Self-esteem among Chinese University Students with and without Grandparenting Experience: Moderating Effect of Social Support

    OpenAIRE

    Jingyu Shi; Lu Wang; Yuhong Yao; Na Su; Xudong Zhao; Xudong Zhao; Xudong Zhao; Chenyu Zhan

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the association between family function and self-esteem of Chinese university students with grandparenting experience, and explores the moderating effects of social support in this link. Two thousand five hundred thirty university students (1372 males and 1158 females) from a Chinese university completed the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale, and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Six hundred and forty-five (25.69%) students reported grandp...

  15. [Neonatal screening - the challenge of an universal and effective coverage].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botler, Judy; Camacho, Luiz Antônio Bastos; da Cruz, Marly Marques; George, Pâmela

    2010-03-01

    Newborn screening programs (NSP) aim to detect carriers of several congenital diseases among asymptomatic infants in order to warrant effective intervention. Specimen collection is the first step of a process that should be done in an universal and timely manner. A review of coverage and time of collection was done in NSP of several countries. The search was made in various sources, from 1998 to 2008, with "neonatal screening" and "coverage" as key words. The lack of a typical study design did not allow to the rigor required for a systematic review. Data were grouped in macro-regions. Canada had coverage of 71% in 2006 while the European coverage was of 69% in 2004, with data of 38 countries. In Asia and Pacific region, there were data of 19 countries. In Middle East and North Africa, there were data of 4 countries. In Latin America, the coverage was 49% in 2005, with data of 14 countries. In Brazil, coverage was 80%. Twelve reports had information about timeliness. The conclusion is that epidemiological transition has contributed to NSP success. Developed regions had more universal and timelier collection. In Brazil, government initiative increased access to the NSP, but late collections lead to the need of educational actions and participation of professional organizations in developing specific guidelines definition.

  16. Intellectual and personality factors in the achievement of high exam effectiveness in first-year Russian university students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gorchakova, Olesya Yu.

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The goals set forth in regulatory documents for the development of Russian education presuppose quantitative evaluation of factors and conditions that ensure students’ achievement of high competence, personality development, and self-realization. Evaluation of intellectual and personality characteristics of first-year university students and study of the relationship among these characteristics thus become important tasks. The research objective was to evaluate relationships among social and abstractlogical types of intelligence, personality characteristics, and exam effectiveness (performance. The study sample was made up of 900 first-year university students (55.2% female and 44.8% male from Tomsk State University who filled in paper-and-pencil forms in Russian: The Evaluation of Choice in Conflict Situations Questionnaire, Raven’s Progressive Matrices, the Self-Organization of Activity, the Reflexivity Type Assessment Test, the Self-Determination Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the World Assumptions Scale. Scores on the Unified National Examination in Mathematics (UNE in Mathematics and the first exam results at the university were used to measure academic performance. The data were statistically processed using descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and factor analysis. The preference for compromising and collaborating strategies indicates a high level of social intelligence and contributes to socio-psychological adaptation of young people to conditions of university education that are new to them, which require greater independence and activity. Social intelligence and abstract-logical intelligence are relatively independent intelligence types. Social intelligence and personality characteristics are not determinants of scores on the UNE in Mathematics. Probably the process of educating students in mathematics in the graduating classes of Russian secondary schools is replaced by training to solve problems on the UNE, so

  17. Improving Assessment Methods in University Science Education with Negotiated Self- and Peer-Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poon, Wai-Yin; McNaught, Carmel; Lam, Paul; Kwan, H. S.

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether, in the Hong Kong context, self- and peer-assessment promote students' self-reflection and enable students to understand their own strengths and weaknesses better. A three-stage assessment strategy was employed in three Science courses at The Chinese University of Hong Kong: (1) students developing…

  18. The UCAR Africa Initiative: Enabling African Solutions to African Needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandya, R.; Bruintjes, R.; Foote, B.; Heck, S.; Hermann, S.; Hoswell, L.; Konate, M.; Kucera, P.; Laing, A.; Lamptey, B.; Moncrieff, M.; Ramamurthy, M.; Roberts, R.; Spangler, T.; Traoré, A.; Yoksas, T.; Warner, T.

    2007-12-01

    The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Africa Initiative (AI) is a coordinated effort aimed at building sustainable partnerships between UCAR and African institutions in order to pursue research and applications for the benefit of the African people. The initiative is based on four fundamental operating principles, concisely summarized by the overall philosophy of enabling African solutions to African needs. The four principles are: • Collaborate with African institutions • Focus on institutional capacity building and research support • Explore science research themes critical to Africa and important for the world • Leverage the research infrastructure in UCAR to add value These principles are realized in a set of pilot activities, chosen for their high probability of short-term results and ability to set the stage for longer-term collaboration. The three pilot activities are listed below. 1. A modest radar network and data-distribution system in Mali and Burkina Faso, including a data-sharing MOU between the Mail and Burkina Faso Weather Services. 2. A partnership among UCAR, the Ghana Meteorological Agency, and the Ghana university community to develop an operational Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for West Africa. The output is used by researchers and operational forecasters in Africa. Model output is also part of a demonstration project that aims to allow humanitarian agencies to share geo-referenced information in Africa via a web portal. 3. A workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from April 2-6, 2007, with the theme Improving Lives by Understanding Weather. The workshop, co-organized with Programme SAAGA and the Commité Permanent Inter-Etats de Lutte Contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel (CILSS), included over 80 participants from 18 countries, and produced a set of recommendations for continued collaboration. Our presentation will provide an update of these pilot activities and point to future directions. Recognizing

  19. Exploring the Digital Universe with Europe's Astrophysical Virtual Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    2001-12-01

    N° 73-2001 - Paris, 5 December 2001 The aim of AVO is to give astronomers instant access to the vast databanks now being built up by the world's observatories and forming what is in effect a "digital sky". Using AVO astronomers will be able, for example, to retrieve the elusive traces of the passage of an asteroid as it passes the Earth and so predict its future path and perhaps warn of a possible impact. When a giant star comes to the end of its life in a cataclysmic explosion called a supernova, they will be able to access the digital sky and pinpoint the star shortly before it exploded, adding invaluable data to the study of the evolution of stars. Modern observatories observe the sky continuously and data accumulates remorselessly in the digital archives. The growth rate is impressive and many hundreds of terabytes of data -corresponding to many thousands of billions of pixels - are already available to scientists. The real sky is being digitally reconstructed in the databanks. The volume and complexity of data and information available to astronomers are overwhelming. Hence the problem of how astronomers can possibly manage, distribute and analyse this great wealth of data. The Astrophysical Virtual Observatory will enable them to meet the challenge and "put the Universe online". AVO is a three-year project, funded by the European Commission under its Research and Technological Development (RTD) scheme, to design and implement a virtual observatory for the European astronomical community. The Commission has awarded a contract valued at EUR 4m for the project, starting on 15 November. AVO will provide software tools to enable astronomers to access the multi-wavelength data archives over the Internet and so give them the capability to resolve fundamental questions about the Universe by probing the digital sky. Equivalent searches of the "real" sky would, in comparison, both be prohibitively costly and take far too long. Towards a Global Virtual Observatory The

  20. Effectiveness of an Integrated Tertiary Software Mobile Information System for Student Registration and Admission at a University in Gauteng

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frans MASHABELA

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates whether the new online registration and admission system implemented at a Tertiary Institution in Gauteng, South Africa, was successful and effective. The Institution under study is the first in South Africa to implement this new online registration system from the 3rd of January 2013 using a system called the Integrated Tertiary Software (ITS Mobile information system. The information system enables students to apply online without physically visiting the institution and provides the status of their registration and admission applications via their smartphones. A total of one hundred 1st year students and ten personnel were sampled to respond to self-completed questionnaires. The efficiency of this new online system was evaluated using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM, the Web of System Performance (WOSP model and the DeLone and McLean IS Success model as well as the indicators of system ineffectiveness and attributes on the basis of which an information system was evaluated. Key findings emerging from the data analysis and interpretation show that the new online system met the expectations of most staff and students with the exception of few staff members and students. The findings show that the investment made on the new online registration system is benefiting the University and students. The implementation of the new online registration and admission system was a success to a larger extent because the expectations of most users were met. The online system is effective as it was evaluated using the conventional measuring methods and resulted in positive outcomes.

  1. Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive and physical performance in university students

    OpenAIRE

    Patrick, Yusuf; Lee, Alice; Raha, Oishik; Pillai, Kavya; Gupta, Shubham; Sethi, Sonika; Mukeshimana, Felicite; Gerard, Lothaire; Moghal, Mohammad U.; Saleh, Sohag N.; Smith, Susan F.; Morrell, Mary J.; Moss, James

    2017-01-01

    Sleep deprivation is common among university students, and has been associated with poor academic performance and physical dysfunction. However, current literature has a narrow focus in regard to domains tested, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a night of sleep deprivation on cognitive and physical performance in students. A randomized controlled crossover study was carried out with 64 participants [58% male (n?=?37); 22???4 years old (mean???SD)]. Participants were randomized i...

  2. Smart Grid Enabled EVSE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    2015-01-12

    The combined team of GE Global Research, Federal Express, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Consolidated Edison has successfully achieved the established goals contained within the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Capable Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment funding opportunity. The final program product, shown charging two vehicles in Figure 1, reduces by nearly 50% the total installed system cost of the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) as well as enabling a host of new Smart Grid enabled features. These include bi-directional communications, load control, utility message exchange and transaction management information. Using the new charging system, Utilities or energy service providers will now be able to monitor transportation related electrical loads on their distribution networks, send load control commands or preferences to individual systems, and then see measured responses. Installation owners will be able to authorize usage of the stations, monitor operations, and optimally control their electricity consumption. These features and cost reductions have been developed through a total system design solution.

  3. The integration of cyanide hydratase and tyrosinase catalysts enables effective degradation of cyanide and phenol in coking wastewaters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínková, Ludmila; Chmátal, Martin

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study was to design an effective method for the bioremediation of coking wastewaters, specifically for the concurrent elimination of their highly toxic components - cyanide and phenols. Almost full degradation of free cyanide (0.32-20 mM; 8.3-520 mg L(-1)) in the model and the real coking wastewaters was achieved by using a recombinant cyanide hydratase in the first step. The removal of cyanide, a strong inhibitor of tyrosinase, enabled an effective degradation of phenols by this enzyme in the second step. Phenol (16.5 mM, 1,552 mg L(-1)) was completely removed from a real coking wastewater within 20 h and cresols (5.0 mM, 540 mg L(-1)) were removed by 66% under the same conditions. The integration of cyanide hydratase and tyrosinase open up new possibilities for the bioremediation of wastewaters with complex pollution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Management by Results at Finnish Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuoppala, Kari

    2005-01-01

    The funding of Finnish Universities has been based on a "management by results" strategy since 1991. This paper analyses the effects of this strategy on university management and administration. Empirically the study is based on material collected from four multidisciplinary universities. Theoretically it is based on organization theory…

  5. Enabling Technology for Monitoring & Predicting Gas Turbine Health & Performance in IGCC Powerplants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kenneth A. Yackly

    2005-12-01

    The ''Enabling & Information Technology To Increase RAM for Advanced Powerplants'' program, by DOE request, was re-directed, de-scoped to two tasks, shortened to a 2-year period of performance, and refocused to develop, validate and accelerate the commercial use of enabling materials technologies and sensors for coal/IGCC powerplants. The new program was re-titled ''Enabling Technology for Monitoring & Predicting Gas Turbine Health & Performance in IGCC Powerplants''. This final report summarizes the work accomplished from March 1, 2003 to March 31, 2004 on the four original tasks, and the work accomplished from April 1, 2004 to July 30, 2005 on the two re-directed tasks. The program Tasks are summarized below: Task 1--IGCC Environmental Impact on high Temperature Materials: The first task was refocused to address IGCC environmental impacts on high temperature materials used in gas turbines. This task screened material performance and quantified the effects of high temperature erosion and corrosion of hot gas path materials in coal/IGCC applications. The materials of interest included those in current service as well as advanced, high-performance alloys and coatings. Task 2--Material In-Service Health Monitoring: The second task was reduced in scope to demonstrate new technologies to determine the inservice health of advanced technology coal/IGCC powerplants. The task focused on two critical sensing needs for advanced coal/IGCC gas turbines: (1) Fuel Quality Sensor to rapidly determine the fuel heating value for more precise control of the gas turbine, and detection of fuel impurities that could lead to rapid component degradation. (2) Infra-Red Pyrometer to continuously measure the temperature of gas turbine buckets, nozzles, and combustor hardware. Task 3--Advanced Methods for Combustion Monitoring and Control: The third task was originally to develop and validate advanced monitoring and control methods for coal/IGCC gas

  6. The Effect of the Research Assessment Exercise on Organisational Culture in English Universities: Collegiality versus Managerialism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokoyama, Keiko

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to identify the effect of the research assessment exercise (RAE) on the balance between collegiality and managerialism in English universities. The article examines the institutional strategies for the 2001 RAE and its effect on organisational culture, identifying change in governance, management and leadership in…

  7. Universities as Regional Centres for Lifelong Learning and Innovation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonius Schröder

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available On the background of the results of a still running German project the role of universities toimprove lifelong learning and innovation will be discussed not only from the perspective of a qualificationsupplier but as an enabler for a far-reaching and continuous social innovation process, including all therelevant stakeholders, institutions and policy makers. New education and training opportunities have to beconstructed overcoming existing borders between the different education and training systems, based onalready existing successful structures and institutions. Modulation and certification of education and training,non-formal and informal learning, transmission management etc. have to be coordinated where people areliving and using these: at the regional level. Within a social innovation process universities can successfullytake the role as a central actor in a regional field of qualification and innovation. They could act as acompetent partner matching qualification and innovation demands. In order to competently fulfil their role inthis matching process, universities will face both an internal development process and external challenges. Insummary, they will face and have to master a multi-faceted social innovation process.

  8. University Program Management Information System: NASA's University Program Active Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gans, Gary (Technical Monitor)

    2003-01-01

    As basic policy, NASA believes that colleges and universities should be encouraged to participate in the nation's space and aeronautics program to the maximum extent practicable. Indeed, universities are considered as partners with government and industry in the nation's aerospace program. NASA's objective is to have them bring their scientific, engineering, and social research competence to bear on aerospace problems and on the broader social, economic, and international implications of NASA's technical and scientific programs. It is expected that, in so doing, universities will strengthen both their research and their educational capabilities to contribute more effectively to the national well being. This annual report is one means of documenting the NASA-university relationship, frequently denoted, collectively, as NASA's University Program. This report is consistent with agency accounting records, as the data is obtained from NASA's Financial and Contractual Status (FACS) System, operated by the Financial Management Division and the Procurement Office. However, in accordance with interagency agreements, the orientation differs from that required for financial or procurement purposes. Any apparent discrepancies between this report and other NASA procurement or financial reports stem from the selection criteria for the data. This report was prepared by the Office of Education/N.

  9. P ersonal Attributes as Determinants of Sport Participation among Undergraduates in Selected Nigerian Universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yomi AWOSIKA

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This study focuses on personal attributes of undergraduates as determinants of sport participation in selected Nigerian universities which include age, gender and marital status. The instrument for the study is a self - developed, validated questionnaire. The subjects of the study are undergraduates in selected Nigerian universities. Analysis is the use of percentages and inferential statistics of chi square X 2 at 0.05 level of significance. The results derived from the study reveal that students’ personal attributes significantly determine their sport participation. Among other recommendations made is that it is highly imperative for university authorities to make frantic efforts to develop modalities capable of enco uraging students’ sport participation since most of them have sport potentials as evident in their post - primary school sport records. This will enable our universities groom healthy and academically sound graduates.

  10. Non-Planar Nano-Scale Fin Field Effect Transistors on Textile, Paper, Wood, Stone, and Vinyl via Soft Material-Enabled Double-Transfer Printing

    KAUST Repository

    Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Sevilla, Galo T.; Alfaraj, Nasir; Ghoneim, Mohamed T.; Kutbee, Arwa T.; Sridharan, Ashvitha; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

    2015-01-01

    The ability to incorporate rigid but high-performance nano-scale non-planar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics with curvilinear, irregular, or asymmetric shapes and surfaces is an arduous but timely challenge in enabling the production of wearable electronics with an in-situ information-processing ability in the digital world. Therefore, we are demonstrating a soft-material enabled double-transfer-based process to integrate flexible, silicon-based, nano-scale, non-planar, fin-shaped field effect transistors (FinFETs) and planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) on various asymmetric surfaces to study their compatibility and enhanced applicability in various emerging fields. FinFET devices feature sub-20 nm dimensions and state-of-the-art, high-κ/metal gate stack, showing no performance alteration after the transfer process. A further analysis of the transferred MOSFET devices, featuring 1 μm gate length exhibits ION ~70 μA/μm (VDS = 2 V, VGS = 2 V) and a low sub-threshold swing of around 90 mV/dec, proving that a soft interfacial material can act both as a strong adhesion/interposing layer between devices and final substrate as well as a means to reduce strain, which ultimately helps maintain the device’s performance with insignificant deterioration even at a high bending state.

  11. Non-Planar Nano-Scale Fin Field Effect Transistors on Textile, Paper, Wood, Stone, and Vinyl via Soft Material-Enabled Double-Transfer Printing

    KAUST Repository

    Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

    2015-05-01

    The ability to incorporate rigid but high-performance nano-scale non-planar complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics with curvilinear, irregular, or asymmetric shapes and surfaces is an arduous but timely challenge in enabling the production of wearable electronics with an in-situ information-processing ability in the digital world. Therefore, we are demonstrating a soft-material enabled double-transfer-based process to integrate flexible, silicon-based, nano-scale, non-planar, fin-shaped field effect transistors (FinFETs) and planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) on various asymmetric surfaces to study their compatibility and enhanced applicability in various emerging fields. FinFET devices feature sub-20 nm dimensions and state-of-the-art, high-κ/metal gate stack, showing no performance alteration after the transfer process. A further analysis of the transferred MOSFET devices, featuring 1 μm gate length exhibits ION ~70 μA/μm (VDS = 2 V, VGS = 2 V) and a low sub-threshold swing of around 90 mV/dec, proving that a soft interfacial material can act both as a strong adhesion/interposing layer between devices and final substrate as well as a means to reduce strain, which ultimately helps maintain the device’s performance with insignificant deterioration even at a high bending state.

  12. People avoid situations that enable them to deceive others

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shalvi, S.; Handgraaf, M.J.J.; de Dreu, C.K.W.

    2011-01-01

    Information advantage enables people to benefit themselves by deceiving their counterparts. Using a modified ultimatum bargaining game with an exit option, we find that people are more likely to avoid settings enabling them to privately deceive their counterparts than settings which do not enable

  13. Cost of childhood diarrhoea in rural South Africa: exploring cost-effectiveness of universal zinc supplementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chhagan, Meera K; Van den Broeck, Jan; Luabeya, Kany-Kany Angelique; Mpontshane, Nontobeko; Bennish, Michael L

    2014-09-01

    To describe the cost of diarrhoeal illness in children aged 6-24 months in a rural South African community and to determine the threshold prevalence of stunting at which universal Zn plus vitamin A supplementation (VAZ) would be more cost-effective than vitamin A alone (VA) in preventing diarrhoea. We conducted a cost analysis using primary and secondary data sources. Using simulations we examined incremental costs of VAZ relative to VA while varying stunting prevalence. Data on efficacy and societal costs were largely from a South African trial. Secondary data were from local and international published sources. The trial included children aged 6-24 months. The secondary data sources were a South African health economics survey and the WHO-CHOICE (CHOosing Interventions that are Cost Effective) database. In the trial, stunted children supplemented with VAZ had 2·04 episodes (95 % CI 1·37, 3·05) of diarrhoea per child-year compared with 3·92 episodes (95 % CI 3·02, 5·09) in the VA arm. Average cost of illness was $Int 7·80 per episode (10th, 90th centile: $Int 0·28, $Int 15·63), assuming a minimum standard of care (oral rehydration and 14 d of therapeutic Zn). In simulation scenarios universal VAZ had low incremental costs or became cost-saving relative to VA when the prevalence of stunting was close to 20 %. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were sensitive to the cost of intervention and coverage levels. This simulation suggests that universal VAZ would be cost-effective at current levels of stunting in parts of South Africa. This requires further validation under actual programmatic conditions.

  14. Junctionless Diode Enabled by Self-Bias Effect of Ion Gel in Single-Layer MoS2 Device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Muhammad Atif; Rathi, Servin; Park, Jinwoo; Lim, Dongsuk; Lee, Yoontae; Yun, Sun Jin; Youn, Doo-Hyeb; Kim, Gil-Ho

    2017-08-16

    The self-biasing effects of ion gel from source and drain electrodes on electrical characteristics of single layer and few layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) field-effect transistor (FET) have been studied. The self-biasing effect of ion gel is tested for two different configurations, covered and open, where ion gel is in contact with either one or both, source and drain electrodes, respectively. In open configuration, the linear output characteristics of the pristine device becomes nonlinear and on-off ratio drops by 3 orders of magnitude due to the increase in "off" current for both single and few layer MoS 2 FETs. However, the covered configuration results in a highly asymmetric output characteristics with a rectification of around 10 3 and an ideality factor of 1.9. This diode like behavior has been attributed to the reduction of Schottky barrier width by the electric field of self-biased ion gel, which enables an efficient injection of electrons by tunneling at metal-MoS 2 interface. Finally, finite element method based simulations are carried out and the simulated results matches well in principle with the experimental analysis. These self-biased diodes can perform a crucial role in the development of high-frequency optoelectronic and valleytronic devices.

  15. Establishment of the Slovenian Universities' Repositories and of the National Open Science Portal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milan Ojsteršek

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available AbstractThe paper presents the legal, organisational and technical perspectives regarding the implementation of the Slovenian national open access infrastructure for electronic theses and dissertations as well as for research publications. The infrastructure consists of four institutional repositories and a national portal that aggregates content from the university repositories and other Slovenian archives in order to provide a common search engine, recommendation of similar publications, and similar text detection. We have developed the software which is integrated with the universities' information and authentication systems and with the COBISS.SI. During the project the necessary legal background was defined and processes for mandatory submission of electronic theses and dissertations as well as of research publications were designed. The processes for data exchange between the institutional repositories and the national portal, and the processes for similar text detection and recommendation system were established. Bilingual web and mobile applications, a recommendation system and the interface suitable for persons with disabilities are provided to the users from around the world. The repositories are an effective promotion tool for universities and their researchers. It is expected that they will improve the recognition of Slovenian universities in the world. The complex national open access infrastructure with similar text detection support and integration with other systems will enable the storage of almost eighty percent of peer-reviewed scientific papers, annually published by Slovenian researchers. The majority of electronic theses and dissertations yearly produced at the Slovenian higher education institutions will also be accessible.

  16. Trade-offs and synergies between universal electricity access and climate change mitigation in Sub-Saharan Africa

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dagnachew, Anteneh G.; Lucas, Paul L.; Hof, Andries F.; van Vuuren, Detlef P.

    2018-01-01

    Access to electricity services is fundamental to development, as it enables improvements to the quality of human life. At the same time, increasing electricity access can have notable consequences for global climate change. This paper analyses trade-offs and synergies between achieving universal

  17. Effectiveness and feasibility of virtual reality and gaming system use at home by older adults for enabling physical activity to improve health-related domains: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Kimberly J; Adair, Brooke S; Pearce, Alan J; Said, Catherine M; Ozanne, Elizabeth; Morris, Meg M

    2014-03-01

    use of virtual reality and commercial gaming systems (VR/gaming) at home by older adults is receiving attention as a means of enabling physical activity. to summarise evidence for the effectiveness and feasibility of VR/gaming system utilisation by older adults at home for enabling physical activity to improve impairments, activity limitations or participation. a systematic review searching 12 electronic databases from 1 January 2000-10 July 2012 using key search terms. Two independent reviewers screened yield articles using pre-determined selection criteria, extracted data using customised forms and applied the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool and the Downs and Black Checklist to rate study quality. fourteen studies investigating the effects of VR/gaming system use by healthy older adults and people with neurological conditions on activity limitations, body functions and physical impairments and cognitive and emotional well-being met the selection criteria. Study quality ratings were low and, therefore, evidence was not strong enough to conclude that interventions were effective. Feasibility was inconsistently reported in studies. Where feasibility was discussed, strong retention (≥70%) and adherence (≥64%) was reported. Initial assistance to use the technologies, and the need for monitoring exertion, aggravation of musculoskeletal symptoms and falls risk were reported. existing evidence to support the feasibility and effectiveness VR/gaming systems use by older adults at home to enable physical activity to address impairments, activity limitations and participation is weak with a high risk of bias. The findings of this review may inform future, more rigorous research.

  18. Toxicological Implications of Released Particulate Matter during Thermal Decomposition of Nano-Enabled Thermoplastics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson-Wright, Christa; Singh, Dilpreet; Demokritou, Philip

    2017-01-01

    Nano-enabled thermoplastics are part of the growing market of nano-enabled products (NEPs) that have vast utility in several industries and consumer goods. The use and disposal of NEPs at their end of life has raised concerns about the potential release of constituent engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) during thermal decomposition and their impact on environmental health and safety. To investigate this issue, industrially relevant nano-enabled thermoplastics including polyurethane, polycarbonate, and polypropylene containing carbon nanotubes (0.1 and 3% w/v, respectively), polyethylene containing nanoscale iron oxide (5% w/v), and ethylene vinyl acetate containing nanoscale titania (2 and 5% w/v) along with their pure thermoplastic matrices were thermally decomposed using the recently developed lab based Integrated Exposure Generation System (INEXS). The life cycle released particulate matter (called LCPM) was monitored using real time instrumentation, size fractionated, sampled, extracted and prepared for toxicological analysis using primary small airway epithelial cells to assess potential toxicological effects. Various cellular assays were used to assess reactive oxygen species and total glutathione as measurements of oxidative stress along with mitochondrial function, cellular viability, and DNA damage. By comparing toxicological profiles of LCPM released from polymer only (control) with nano-enabled LCPM, potential nanofiller effects due to the use of ENMs were determined. We observed associations between NEP properties such as the percent nanofiller loading, host matrix, and nanofiller chemical composition and the physico-chemical properties of released LCPM, which were linked to biological outcomes. More specifically, an increase in percent nanofiller loading promoted a toxicological response independent of increasing LCPM dose. Importantly, differences in host matrix and nanofiller composition were shown to enhance biological activity and toxicity of LCPM

  19. Twitter Usage of Universities in Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yolcu, Ozgu

    2013-01-01

    Universities are among the users of the most popular social media networks. Usage of social media by especially students and many other people and institutions, which constitutes the target audience for universities, encourages the universities to effectively use this environment. Twitter is among these social media networks which facilitate the…

  20. Toward Theological Inclusivism: The Effects of a World Religions Course in a Mormon University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Properzi, Mauro

    2017-01-01

    Inclusivist, exclusivist, and pluralist attitudes toward other religions interact in complex ways within the Mormon faith. Hence, a course on the world's religions at LDS-sponsored Brigham Young University presents an interesting case study in this context. Through survey data and statistical analysis this article attempts to examine the effect of…

  1. Improving Innovation in University Spin-Offs. The Fostering Role of University and Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Prencipe

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available University spin-offs (USOs are companies created to commercialize knowledge or technology developed in academia; thus, their major contribution to the knowledge economy is their ability to generate innovation. Following the Resource-Based View of the Firm and the Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship, it was stated that fostering mechanisms at university level and at regional level may positively influence the USOs innovation. Based on a sample of 621 Italian USOs, we show that the positive impact of the university context is more crucial compared with those of the regional context. In particular, the university affiliated business incubators and Science Parks, jointly with the university financial resources, seem to promote the innovation efforts of USOs. These evidences rise the need of a resilient partnership among all the contextual players involved in the spillover processes, mainly at regional level, in order to effectively exploit the potential innovative efforts of the university start-ups.

  2. Physician communication via Internet-enabled technology: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barr, Neil G; Randall, Glen E; Archer, Norman P; Musson, David M

    2017-10-01

    The use of Internet-enabled technology (information and communication technology such as smartphone applications) may enrich information exchange among providers and, consequently, improve health care delivery. The purpose of this systematic review was to gain a greater understanding of the role that Internet-enabled technology plays in enhancing communication among physicians. Studies were identified through a search in three electronic platforms: the Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library, ProQuest, and Web of Science. The search identified 5140 articles; of these, 21 met all inclusion criteria. In general, physicians were satisfied with Internet-enabled technology, but consensus was lacking regarding whether Internet-enabled technology improved efficiency or made a difference to clinical decision-making. Internet-enabled technology can play an important role in enhancing communication among physicians, but the extent of that benefit is influenced by (1) the impact of Internet-enabled technology on existing work practices, (2) the availability of adequate resources, and (3) the nature of institutional elements, such as privacy legislation.

  3. Costo-efectividad de la vacunación universal antineumocócica en Uruguay Cost-effectiveness of universal pneumococcal vaccination in Uruguay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo Giachetto Larraz

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Evaluar la relación costo-efectividad del programa de vacunación universal con la vacuna antineumocócica conjugada heptavalente (VCN7 en niños menores de 5 años en Uruguay. MÉTODOS: Se desarrolló un modelo Markov simulando una cohorte de 48 000 niños nacidos en 2007 y su evolución hasta los 76 años de edad. El caso base usó un esquema de tres dosis con una duración estimada de protección de cinco años. La presunción de eficacia y efectividad de la vacuna se realizó acorde con estudios realizados en Estados Unidos con ajuste a la prevalencia-incidencia de serotipos en Uruguay. Los resultados se expresaron como costo incremental por año de vida ganado (AVG y por año de vida [ganado] ajustado por calidad (AVAC. RESULTADOS: Para el caso base, el costo incremental fue de US$ 7 334,6 por AVG y US$ 4 655,8 por AVAC, previniéndose 8 muertes y 4 882 casos de otitis, 56 bacteriemias-sepsis, 429 neumonías y 7 meningitis. El modelo muestra sensibilidad a variaciones en eficacia, costo de la vacuna y tasa de mortalidad por neumonía. CONCLUSIONES: El programa de vacunación universal con VCN7 en Uruguay es altamente costo-efectivo y, en consecuencia, recomendable para otros países con carga de enfermedad neumocócica y cobertura de serotipos similares a Uruguay.OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the cost-effectiveness ratio of the program for universal vaccination with heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7 in children under 5 years of age in Uruguay. METHODS: A Markov model was developed that simulated a cohort of 48 000 children born in 2007 and their progress to age 76. The baseline case used a regimen of three doses with estimated protection for five years. The presumption of vaccine efficacy and effectiveness was based on studies conducted in the United States with adjustment for serotype prevalence-incidence in Uruguay. The results were expressed as the incremental cost per life year gained (LYG and quality-adjusted life year

  4. 'Philosophy Lost': Inquiring into the effects of the corporatized university and its implications for graduate nursing education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Springer, Rusla Anne; Clinton, Michael Edward

    2017-10-01

    Drawing on a comprehensive, pan-national analysis of the corporatization of Canadian universities, as well as the notions of 'parrhesiastic' mentorship and practice, the authors examine the effects of the corporatized university, its implications for graduate nursing education and nursing's relative silence on the subject. With the preponderance of business interests, the increasing dependence of universities on industry funding, cults of efficiency, research intensivity, and the pursuit of profit so prevalent in today's corporatized university, we argue that philosophical presuppositions so crucial to critical teaching, research, and reflection on nursing as a discipline are troublingly losing ground. We lament the erosion and fragmentation of philosophy, politics, and ethics as foundations for graduate education, which are increasingly perceived as less valuable, problematic, and in some cases, even burdensome. The effect of corporatization is the suppression of the critical engagement required of faculty in the everyday workings of institutions. We argue that, when the ideals of intellectual freedom, academic responsibility, duty, and obligation, as supported by philosophical thought, are smothered by the normalizing power of corporatized research agendas, philosophical approaches to inquiry and knowledge development become marginalized as scholars find themselves floundering in the face of a seeming 'philosophy lost'. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. The ENABLER---based on proven NERVA technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Livingston, J.M.; Pierce, B.L.

    1991-01-01

    The ENABLER reactor for use in a nuclear thermal propulsion engine uses the technology developed in the NERVA/Rover program, updated to incorporate advances in the technology. Using composite fuel, higher power densities per fuel element, improved radiation resistant control components and the advancements in use of carbon-carbon materials; the ENABLER can provide a specific impulse of 925 seconds, an engine thrust to weight (excluding reactor shield) approaching five, an improved initial Mass In Low Earth Orbit (IMLEO) and a consequent reduction in launch costs and logistics problems. This paper describes the 75,000 lbs thrust ENABLER design which is a low cost, low risk approach to meeting tomorrow's space propulsion needs

  6. The ENABLER - Based on proven NERVA technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Livingston, J.M.; Pierce, B.L.

    1991-01-01

    The ENABLER reactor for use in a nuclear thermal propulsion engine uses the technology developed in the NERVA/Rover program, updated to incorporate advances in the technology. Using composite fuel, higher power densities per fuel element, improved radiation resistant control components and the advancements in use of carbon-carbon materials; the ENABLER can provide a specific impulse of 925 seconds, an engine thrust to weight (excluding reactor shield) approaching five, an improved initial mass in low Earth orbit and a consequent reduction in launch costs and logistics problems. This paper describes the 75,000 lbs thrust ENABLER design which is a low cost, low risk approach to meeting tommorrow's space propulsion needs

  7. The ENABLER - Based on proven NERVA technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Livingston, Julie M.; Pierce, Bill L.

    The ENABLER reactor for use in a nuclear thermal propulsion engine uses the technology developed in the NERVA/Rover program, updated to incorporate advances in the technology. Using composite fuel, higher power densities per fuel element, improved radiation resistant control components and the advancements in use of carbon-carbon materials; the ENABLER can provide a specific impulse of 925 seconds, an engine thrust to weight (excluding reactor shield) approaching five, an improved initial mass in low Earth orbit and a consequent reduction in launch costs and logistics problems. This paper describes the 75,000 lbs thrust ENABLER design which is a low cost, low risk approach to meeting tommorrow's space propulsion needs.

  8. Internet-enabled collaborative agent-based supply chains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Weiming; Kremer, Rob; Norrie, Douglas H.

    2000-12-01

    This paper presents some results of our recent research work related to the development of a new Collaborative Agent System Architecture (CASA) and an Infrastructure for Collaborative Agent Systems (ICAS). Initially being proposed as a general architecture for Internet based collaborative agent systems (particularly complex industrial collaborative agent systems), the proposed architecture is very suitable for managing the Internet enabled complex supply chain for a large manufacturing enterprise. The general collaborative agent system architecture with the basic communication and cooperation services, domain independent components, prototypes and mechanisms are described. Benefits of implementing Internet enabled supply chains with the proposed infrastructure are discussed. A case study on Internet enabled supply chain management is presented.

  9. "We Tend to Stick Together and Mostly We Stick to Our Own Kind": British Indian Women and Support Networks at University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhopal, Kalwant

    2011-01-01

    This paper will examine the support networks that are available to British Indian women studying at a "new" (post-1992) university in the South-East of England, UK. It will examine the support that women draw upon whilst at university and discuss the ways in which these support networks enable women to develop strategies for success.…

  10. Partnering Healthy@Work: an Australian university-government partnership facilitating policy-relevant research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jose, Kim; Venn, Alison; Jarman, Lisa; Seal, Judy; Teale, Brook; Scott, Jennifer; Sanderson, Kristy

    2017-12-01

    Research funding is increasingly supporting collaborations between knowledge users and researchers. Partnering Healthy@Work (pH@W), an inaugural recipient of funding through Australia's Partnership for Better Health Grants scheme, was a 5-year partnership between the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian State Service (TSS). The partnerships purpose was to evaluate a comprehensive workplace health promotion programme (Healthy@Work) targeting 30 000 public sector employees; generating new knowledge and influencing workplace health promotion policy and decision-making. This mixed methods study evaluates the partnership between policy-makers and academics and identifies strategies that enabled pH@W to deliver key project outcomes. A pH@W document review was conducted, two partnership assessment tools completed and semi-structured interviews conducted with key policy-makers and academics. Analysis of the partnership assessment tools and interviews found that pH@W had reached a strong level of collaboration. Policy-relevant knowledge was generated about the health of TSS employees and their engagement with workplace health promotion. Knowledge exchange of a conceptual and instrumental nature occurred and was facilitated by the shared grant application, clear governance structures, joint planning, regular information exchange between researchers and policy-makers and research student placements in the TSS. Flexibility and acknowledgement of different priorities and perspectives of partner organizations were identified as critical factors for enabling effective partnership working and research relevance. Academic-policy-maker partnerships can be a powerful mechanism for improving policy relevance of research, but need to incorporate strategies that facilitate regular input from researchers and policy-makers in order to achieve this. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions

  11. ENABLING KNOWLEDGE FLOW: RETAINING GRADUATE WOMEN IN THE SINGAPORE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florence Yean Yng Ling

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available As extensive resources are expanded in transferring knowledge from universities to undergraduates, it is important for them to enter the workforce upon graduation to enable the knowledge to flow to the industry. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which knowledge flow is disrupted because graduate women are not entering the Singapore construction industry to ensure its sustainable growth. This study used a structured questionnaire, with data collected from 116 construction-trained graduate women via postal survey. Results show that 58% of them chose not to enter or are considering leaving the construction industry. The disruption in knowledge flow is due to better prospects in other industries (pull factor and poor job conditions within the construction industry (push factor. To retain graduate women in the construction industry, it is recommended that employers: introduce flexible work schedule; allow graduate women to work from home; and give them the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

  12. Initiatives for Change in Korean Higher Education: Quest for Excellence of World-Class Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jean S.

    2015-01-01

    The establishment of World-Class Universities (WCUs) is noted as a paramount development in the realm of international higher education. The integration of higher education into a more international scheme has enabled for higher education institutions (HEIs) to have a broader impact on the states and their respective citizens. This study examines…

  13. The Effect of Service Compact (SERVICOM) on Service Delivery in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Nigeria

    OpenAIRE

    Jude Kennedy Emejulu; M. C. Muo; E. E.O. Chukwuemeka

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the effect of service compact (Servicom Service delivery) in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi. Questionnaire and face-to-face interviews were used in the collection of data. The hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistics. The study discovered among other things that with the inauguration of the SERVICOM Charter by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi identified key areas that requir...

  14. IT-enabled dynamic capability on performance: An empirical study of BSC model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adilson Carlos Yoshikuni

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available ew studies have investigated the influence of “information capital,” through IT-enabled dynamic capability, on corporate performance, particularly in economic turbulence. Our study investigates the causal relationship between performance perspectives of the balanced scorecard using partial least squares path modeling. Using data on 845 Brazilian companies, we conduct a quantitative empirical study of firms during an economic crisis and observe the following interesting results. Operational and analytical IT-enabled dynamic capability had positive effects on business process improvement and corporate performance. Results pertaining to mediation (endogenous variables and moderation (control variables clarify IT’s role in and benefits for corporate performance.

  15. Using mathematics to solve real world problems: the role of enablers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geiger, Vincent; Stillman, Gloria; Brown, Jill; Galbriath, Peter; Niss, Mogens

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this article is to report on a newly funded research project in which we will investigate how secondary students apply mathematical modelling to effectively address real world situations. Through this study, we will identify factors, mathematical, cognitive, social and environmental that "enable" year 10/11 students to successfully begin the modelling process, that is, formulate and mathematise a real world problem. The 3-year study will take a design research approach in working intensively with six schools across two educational jurisdictions. It is anticipated that this research will generate new theoretical and practical insights into the role of "enablers" within the process of mathematisation, leading to the development of principles for the design and implementation for tasks that support students' development as modellers.

  16. A Model of Nonsingular Universe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changjun Gao

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available In the background of Friedmann–Robertson–Walker Universe, there exists Hawking radiation which comes from the cosmic apparent horizon due to quantum effect. Although the Hawking radiation on the late time evolution of the universe could be safely neglected, it plays an important role in the very early stage of the universe. In view of this point, we identify the temperature in the scalar field potential with the Hawking temperature of cosmic apparent horizon. Then we find a nonsingular universe sourced by the temperature-dependent scalar field. We find that the universe could be created from a de Sitter phase which has the Planck energy density. Thus the Big-Bang singularity is avoided.

  17. Identification of the benefits, enablers and barriers to integrating junior pharmacists into the ward team within one UK-based hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Man Yui; Wright, David John; Blacklock, Jeanette; Needle, Richard John

    2017-01-01

    A high nurse-vacancy rate combined with high numbers of applications for junior pharmacist roles resulted in Colchester Hospital University National Health System Foundation Trust trial employing junior pharmacists into traditional nursing posts with the aim of integrating pharmacists into the ward team and enhancing local medicines optimization. The aim of the evaluation was to describe the implementation process and practice of the integrated care pharmacists (ICPs) in order to inform future innovations of a similar nature. Four band 6 ward-based ICPs were employed on two wards funded within current ward staffing expenditure. With ethical committee approval, interviews were undertaken with the ICPs and focus groups with ward nurses, senior ward nurses and members of the medical team. Data were analyzed thematically to identify service benefits, barriers and enablers. Routine ward performance data were obtained from the two ICP wards and two wards selected as comparators. Appropriate statistical tests were performed to identify differences in performance. Four ICPs were interviewed, and focus groups were undertaken with three junior nurses, four senior nurses and three medical practitioners. Service enablers were continuous ward time, undertaking drug administration, positive feedback and use of effective communication methods. Barriers were planning, funding model, career development, and interprofessional working and social isolation. ICPs were believed to save nurse time and improve medicines safety. The proportion of patients receiving medicine reconciliation within 24 hours increased significantly in the ICP wards. All ICPs had resigned from their role within 12 months. It was believed that by locating pharmacists on the ward full time and allowing them to undertake medicines administration and medicines reconciliation, the nursing time would be saved and medicines safety improved. There was however significant learning to be derived from the implementation

  18. Cohesive subgroup formation : enabling and constraining effects of social capital in strategic technology alliance networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duysters, G.M.; Lemmens, C.E.A.V.

    2002-01-01

    In this paper we will examine the role of embeddedness and social capital in the process of cohesive subgroup formation in strategic technology alliance networks. More in particular, we will investigate the social mechanisms that enable and enforce cohesive subgroup formation. We will argue that the

  19. Self-accelerated Universe Induced by Repulsive Effects as an Alternative to Dark Energy and Modified Gravities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luongo, Orlando; Quevedo, Hernando

    2018-01-01

    The existence of current-time universe's acceleration is usually modeled by means of two main strategies. The first makes use of a dark energy barotropic fluid entering by hand the energy-momentum tensor of Einstein's theory. The second lies on extending the Hilbert-Einstein action giving rise to the class of extended theories of gravity. In this work, we propose a third approach, derived as an intrinsic geometrical effect of space-time, which provides repulsive regions under certain circumstances. We demonstrate that the effects of repulsive gravity naturally emerge in the field of a homogeneous and isotropic universe. To this end, we use an invariant definition of repulsive gravity based upon the behavior of the curvature eigenvalues. Moreover, we show that repulsive gravity counterbalances the standard gravitational attraction influencing both late and early times of the universe evolution. This phenomenon leads to the present speed up and to the fast expansion due to the inflationary epoch. In so doing, we are able to unify both dark energy and inflation in a single scheme, showing that the universe changes its dynamics when {\\ddot{H}\\over H}=-2 \\dot{H}, at the repulsion onset time where this condition is satisfied. Further, we argue that the spatial scalar curvature can be taken as vanishing because it does not affect at all the emergence of repulsive gravity. We check the goodness of our approach through two cosmological fits involving the most recent union 2.1 supernova compilation.

  20. Cost-effectiveness analysis of universal maternal immunization with tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sartori, Ana Marli Christovam; de Soárez, Patrícia Coelho; Fernandes, Eder Gatti; Gryninger, Ligia Castellon Figueiredo; Viscondi, Juliana Yukari Kodaira; Novaes, Hillegonda Maria Dutilh

    2016-03-18

    Pertussis incidence has increased significantly in Brazil since 2011, despite high coverage of whole-cell pertussis containing vaccines in childhood. Infants cost-effectiveness of introducing universal maternal vaccination with tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) into the National Immunization Program in Brazil. Economic evaluation using a decision tree model comparing two strategies: (1) universal vaccination with one dose of Tdap in the third trimester of pregnancy and (2) current practice (no pertussis maternal vaccination), from the perspective of the health system and society. An annual cohort of newborns representing the number of vaccinated pregnant women were followed for one year. Vaccine efficacy were based on literature review. Epidemiological, healthcare resource utilization and cost estimates were based on local data retrieved from Brazilian Health Information Systems. Costs of epidemiological investigation and treatment of contacts of cases were included in the analysis. No discount rate was applied to costs and benefits, as the temporal horizon was one year. Primary outcome was cost per life year saved (LYS). Univariate and best- and worst-case scenarios sensitivity analysis were performed. Maternal vaccination of one annual cohort, with vaccine effectiveness of 78%, and vaccine cost of USD$12.39 per dose, would avoid 661 cases and 24 infant deaths of pertussis, save 1800 years of life and cost USD$28,942,808 and USD$29,002,947, respectively, from the health system and societal perspective. The universal immunization would result in ICERs of USD$15,608 and USD$15,590 per LYS, from the health system and societal perspective, respectively. In sensitivity analysis, the ICER was most sensitive to discounting of life years saved, variation in case-fatality, disease incidence, vaccine cost, and vaccine effectiveness. The results indicate that universal maternal immunization with Tdap is a cost-effective intervention for preventing

  1. Enabling MEMS technologies for communications systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubecke, Victor M.; Barber, Bradley P.; Arney, Susanne

    2001-11-01

    Modern communications demands have been steadily growing not only in size, but sophistication. Phone calls over copper wires have evolved into high definition video conferencing over optical fibers, and wireless internet browsing. The technology used to meet these demands is under constant pressure to provide increased capacity, speed, and efficiency, all with reduced size and cost. Various MEMS technologies have shown great promise for meeting these challenges by extending the performance of conventional circuitry and introducing radical new systems approaches. A variety of strategic MEMS structures including various cost-effective free-space optics and high-Q RF components are described, along with related practical implementation issues. These components are rapidly becoming essential for enabling the development of progressive new communications systems technologies including all-optical networks, and low cost multi-system wireless terminals and basestations.

  2. Short message service (SMS)-based intervention targeting alcohol consumption among university students: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Kristin; Bendtsen, Marcus; Linderoth, Catharina; Karlsson, Nadine; Bendtsen, Preben; Müssener, Ulrika

    2017-04-04

    Despite significant health risks, heavy drinking of alcohol among university students is a widespread problem; excessive drinking is part of the social norm. A growing number of studies indicate that short message service (SMS)-based interventions are cost-effective, accessible, require limited effort by users, and can enable continuous, real-time, brief support in real-world settings. Although there is emerging evidence for the effect of SMS-based interventions in reducing alcohol consumption, more research is needed. This study aims to test the effectiveness of a newly developed SMS-based intervention targeting excessive alcohol consumption among university and college students in Sweden. The study is a two-arm randomized controlled trial with an intervention (SMS programme) and a control (treatment as usual) group. Outcome measures will be investigated at baseline and at 3-month follow up. The primary outcome is total weekly alcohol consumption. Secondary outcomes are frequency of heavy episodic drinking, highest estimated blood alcohol concentration and number of negative consequences due to excessive drinking. This study contributes knowledge on the effect of automatized SMS support to reduce excessive drinking among students compared with existing support such as Student Health Centres. ISRCTN.com, ISRCTN95054707 . Registered on 31 August 2016.

  3. Universities scale like cities.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony F J van Raan

    Full Text Available Recent studies of urban scaling show that important socioeconomic city characteristics such as wealth and innovation capacity exhibit a nonlinear, particularly a power law scaling with population size. These nonlinear effects are common to all cities, with similar power law exponents. These findings mean that the larger the city, the more disproportionally they are places of wealth and innovation. Local properties of cities cause a deviation from the expected behavior as predicted by the power law scaling. In this paper we demonstrate that universities show a similar behavior as cities in the distribution of the 'gross university income' in terms of total number of citations over 'size' in terms of total number of publications. Moreover, the power law exponents for university scaling are comparable to those for urban scaling. We find that deviations from the expected behavior can indeed be explained by specific local properties of universities, particularly the field-specific composition of a university, and its quality in terms of field-normalized citation impact. By studying both the set of the 500 largest universities worldwide and a specific subset of these 500 universities--the top-100 European universities--we are also able to distinguish between properties of universities with as well as without selection of one specific local property, the quality of a university in terms of its average field-normalized citation impact. It also reveals an interesting observation concerning the working of a crucial property in networked systems, preferential attachment.

  4. Universities scale like cities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Raan, Anthony F J

    2013-01-01

    Recent studies of urban scaling show that important socioeconomic city characteristics such as wealth and innovation capacity exhibit a nonlinear, particularly a power law scaling with population size. These nonlinear effects are common to all cities, with similar power law exponents. These findings mean that the larger the city, the more disproportionally they are places of wealth and innovation. Local properties of cities cause a deviation from the expected behavior as predicted by the power law scaling. In this paper we demonstrate that universities show a similar behavior as cities in the distribution of the 'gross university income' in terms of total number of citations over 'size' in terms of total number of publications. Moreover, the power law exponents for university scaling are comparable to those for urban scaling. We find that deviations from the expected behavior can indeed be explained by specific local properties of universities, particularly the field-specific composition of a university, and its quality in terms of field-normalized citation impact. By studying both the set of the 500 largest universities worldwide and a specific subset of these 500 universities--the top-100 European universities--we are also able to distinguish between properties of universities with as well as without selection of one specific local property, the quality of a university in terms of its average field-normalized citation impact. It also reveals an interesting observation concerning the working of a crucial property in networked systems, preferential attachment.

  5. Does leadership effectiveness correlates with leadership styles in healthcare executives of Iran University of Medical Sciences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebadifard Azar, Farbod; Sarabi Asiabar, Ali

    2015-01-01

    Effective leadership is essential to passing through obstacles facing the health field.The current health care system in Iran has major problems and gaps in the field of effective leadership. The aim of this study was to evaluate hospital managers' leadership style through selfassessment and to determine the correlation between leadership styles with healthcare executives' leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness. In this cross-sectional study a self-administered questionnaire completed by all internal healthcare executives of all teaching and non-teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. Questionnaire was composed to determine demographic information, leadership style questions, leadership effectiveness and leadership readiness. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. According to the findings, the dominant style of healthcare executives was transformational leadership style (with a score of 4.34). The leadership effectiveness was estimated at about 4.36 that shows the appropriate level of leadership effectiveness. There was a significant correlation (correlation coefficient of 0.244) between leadership readiness and transformational leadership style (pleadership effectiveness with transformational (0.051) and transactional (0.216) styles. There was a correlation between leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness with leadership styles. Application of this research will be crucial to universities and healthcare executives. This study suggests that strengthening the scientific basis is essential for leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness in healthcare system.

  6. Mechanistic models enable the rational use of in vitro drug-target binding kinetics for better drug effects in patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Witte, Wilhelmus E A; Wong, Yin Cheong; Nederpelt, Indira; Heitman, Laura H; Danhof, Meindert; van der Graaf, Piet H; Gilissen, Ron A H J; de Lange, Elizabeth C M

    2016-01-01

    Drug-target binding kinetics are major determinants of the time course of drug action for several drugs, as clearly described for the irreversible binders omeprazole and aspirin. This supports the increasing interest to incorporate newly developed high-throughput assays for drug-target binding kinetics in drug discovery. A meaningful application of in vitro drug-target binding kinetics in drug discovery requires insight into the relation between in vivo drug effect and in vitro measured drug-target binding kinetics. In this review, the authors discuss both the relation between in vitro and in vivo measured binding kinetics and the relation between in vivo binding kinetics, target occupancy and effect profiles. More scientific evidence is required for the rational selection and development of drug-candidates on the basis of in vitro estimates of drug-target binding kinetics. To elucidate the value of in vitro binding kinetics measurements, it is necessary to obtain information on system-specific properties which influence the kinetics of target occupancy and drug effect. Mathematical integration of this information enables the identification of drug-specific properties which lead to optimal target occupancy and drug effect in patients.

  7. Explaining the effects of a point-of-purchase nutrition-information intervention in university canteens: a structural equation modelling analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoefkens, Christine; Pieniak, Zuzanna; Van Camp, John; Verbeke, Wim

    2012-09-11

    The importance of canteen meals in the diet of many university students makes the provision of simple point-of-purchase (POP) nutrition information in university canteens a potentially effective way to promote healthier diets in an important group of young adults. However, modifications to environments such as the posting of POP nutrition information in canteens may not cause an immediate change in meal choices and nutrient intakes. The present study aimed at understanding the process by which the POP nutrition information achieved its effects on the meal choice and energy intake, and whether the information was more effective in changing the meal choice of subgroups of university canteen customers. The POP nutrition-information intervention used a one-group pretest-posttest design. A sample of 224 customers of two university canteens completed the baseline and 6-months follow-up surveys. A multi-group structural equation modelling analysis was used to test mediation effects of individual difference variables (liking, understanding and use of the information, subjective knowledge and attitude) on the energy intake from canteen meals, moderated by the objective nutrition knowledge and motivation to change diet. Significant relations were identified between liking of the information and its use on one hand and a positive effect in attitude towards healthy canteen meals on the other hand. Motivation to change diet and sufficient objective nutrition knowledge were required to maintain a recommended energy intake from canteen meals or to lead to a decrease in energy intake. Participants with greater objective nutrition knowledge had a greater understanding of the POP nutrition information which also resulted in a more effective use of the information. The results suggest that nutrition-information interventions may be more effective when using nutrition information that is generally liked by the target population in combination with an educational intervention to

  8. Measuring Confidence Levels of Male and Female Students in Open Access Enabling Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atherton, Mirella

    2015-01-01

    The study of confidence was undertaken at the University of Newcastle with students selecting science courses at two campuses. The students were enrolled in open access programs and aimed to gain access to undergraduate studies in various disciplines at University. The "third person effect" was used to measure the confidence levels of…

  9. The Language Environments of Exchange Students at some Scandinavian Universities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Caudery, Tim; Petersen, Margrethe; Shaw, Philip

    Language Environments of Exchange Students at Scandinavian Universities One aspect of, and one reason for, the internationalisation of Scandinavian universities is the increasing number of exchange students and postgraduates from outside Scandinavia attending courses here. Few of these students...... are primarily motivated by a desire to learn the local language. In fact it is widely believed that many of them live in a lingua-franca English-speaking environment, so that Erasmus contributes to linguistic homogenisation rather than plurilingualism. This paper reports results of an ongoing study...... of the language environment and language learning experiences of some hundred (so far) Erasmus exchange students in two institutions in Sweden and two in Denmark. Subjects had French, German and Spanish as mother tongues. This design is intended to enable the identification of language/culturespecific factors...

  10. Barriers and enablers of physical activity engagement for patients with COPD in primary care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kosteli MC

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Maria-Christina Kosteli,1 Nicola R Heneghan,1 Carolyn Roskell,1 Sarah E Williams,1 Peymane Adab,2 Andrew P Dickens,2 Alexandra Enocson,2 David A Fitzmaurice,2 Kate Jolly,2 Rachel Jordan,2 Sheila Greenfield,2 Jennifer Cumming1 1School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, 2Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK Background: Given that physical activity (PA has a positive impact on COPD symptoms and prognosis, this study examined the factors that both encourage and limit participation in PA for individuals with COPD in a primary care setting from the perspective of social cognitive theory.Methods: A purposive sample of 26 individuals with a range of COPD severity (age range: 50–89 years; males =15 were recruited from primary care to participate in one of four focus groups. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify key concepts related to their self-efficacy beliefs.Results: Several barriers and enablers closely related to self-efficacy beliefs and symptom severity were identified. The main barriers were health related (fatigue, mobility problems, breathing issues caused by the weather, psychological (embarrassment, fear, frustration/disappointment, attitudinal (feeling in control of their condition, PA perception, older age perception, and motivational. The main enabling factors were related to motivation (autonomous or controlled, attitudes, self-regulation, and performance accomplishments.Clinical implications: When designing interventions for individuals with COPD, it is important to understand the patient-specific social cognitive influences on PA participation. This information can then inform individually tailored management planning. Keywords: COPD, social cognitive theory, self-efficacy, barriers, enablers, primary care

  11. Interaction university and school

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gionara Tauchen

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Considering that the interaction between universities and middle schools is fundamental for organization and the qualification of the education system, we conducted a qualitative study on twenty public municipal schools of Rio Grande, RS, designed to investigate and understand the effectiveness of university activities (teaching, research and extension in regard to the promotion and strengthening of the interactions between these institutions. We highlight the activities related to Pibid, the Education Observatory, extension, supervised internships, and to undergraduate and postgraduate research. From comprehensions about these activities, we discuss the interaction between school and university.

  12. Increasing Shore-based Participation of Scientists & Students in Telepresence-enabled Nautilus Expeditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, K. L. C.; Raineault, N.; Carey, S.; Eberli, G. P.; John, B. E.; Cheadle, M. J.; German, C. R.; Mirmalek, Z.; Pallant, A.

    2016-02-01

    As the US oceanographic research fleet shrinks, reducing seagoing opportunities for scientists and students, remote participation in cruises via telepresence will become increasingly vital. The Nautilus Exploration Program is improving the experience of shoreside participants through the development of new tools and methodologies for connecting them to expeditions in real time increasing accessibility to oceanographic cruises. The Scientist Ashore Program is a network of scientists around the world who participate in Exploration Vessel Nautilus expeditions from their own labs or homes. We have developed a suite of collaboration tools to allow scientists to view video and data in real time, as well as to communicate with ship-based and other shore-based participants to enable remote participation in cruises. Post-cruise, scientists and students may access digital data and biological and geological samples from our partner shore-based repositories: the University of Rhode Island Inner Space Center, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, and URI Marine Geological Samples Lab. We present examples of successful shore-based participation by scientists and students in Nautilus expeditions. In 2013, Drs. Cheadle and John stood watch 24/7 with ten undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Wyoming, recording geologic features and samples, during a cruise to the Cayman Rise. The Straits of Florida & Great Bahama Bank cruise was co-led by Dr. Eberli at the University of Miami in 2014, greatly complementing existing data. That same year, the ISC hosted four early career scientists and their twelve undergraduate students who led dives from shore in collaboration with Dr. Carey, Lead Scientist at sea on the Kick'em Jenny Volcano & the Barbados Mud Volcanoes cruise. In 2015, 12 Scientists Ashore worked in collaboration with the ship-based team on the exploration of Galapagos National Park, and more than 20 are working with OET on post-cruise data & sample analysis.

  13. Portable, universal, and visual ion sensing platform based on the light emitting diode-based self-referencing-ion selective field-effect transistor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiaowei; Han, Yanchao; Li, Jing; Zhang, Libing; Jia, Xiaofang; Wang, Erkang

    2014-02-04

    In this work, a novel and universal ion sensing platform was presented, which enables the visual detection of various ions with high sensitivity and selectivity. Coaxial potential signals (millivolt-scale) of the sample from the self-referencing (SR) ion selective chip can be transferred into the ad620-based amplifier with an output of volt-scale potentials. The amplified voltage is high enough to drive a light emitting diode (LED), which can be used as an amplifier and indicator to report the sample information. With this double amplification device (light emitting diode-based self-referencing-ion selective field-effect transistor, LED-SR-ISFET), a tiny change of the sample concentration can be observed with a distinguishable variation of LED brightness by visual inspection. This LED-based luminescent platform provided a facile, low-cost, and rapid sensing strategy without the need of additional expensive chemiluminescence reagent and instruments. Moreover, the SR mode also endows this device excellent stability and reliability. With this innovative design, sensitive determination of K(+), H(+), and Cl(-) by the naked eye was achieved. It should also be noticed that this sensing strategy can easily be extended to other ions (or molecules) by simply integrating the corresponding ion (or molecule) selective electrode.

  14. Effectiveness of rotavirus pentavalent vaccine under a universal immunization programme in Israel, 2011-2015: a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhsen, K; Anis, E; Rubinstein, U; Kassem, E; Goren, S; Shulman, L M; Ephros, M; Cohen, D

    2018-01-01

    The use of rotavirus pentavalent vaccine (RotaTeq ® ) as a sole vaccine within rotavirus universal immunization programmes remains limited. We examined the effectiveness of RotaTeq in preventing rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) hospitalization in Israel, after the introduction of universal immunization against the disease. A test-negative case-control study included age-eligible children for universal RotaTeq immunization (aged 2-59 months, born in 2011-2015). Cases (n = 98) were patients who tested positive for rotavirus by immunochromatography; those who tested negative (n = 628) comprised the control group. Information on rotavirus immunization history was obtained through linkage with a national immunization registry. Vaccination status was compared between cases and controls, adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were obtained from logistic regression models, and vaccine effectiveness calculated as (1 - aOR)*100. Immunization with RotaTeq was less frequent in RVGE cases (73.5%) than in controls (90.1%), p < 0.001; this association persisted after controlling for potential confounders. Effectiveness of the complete vaccine series was estimated at 77% (95% confidence interval (CI): 49-90) in children aged 6-59 months, and 86% (95% CI: 65-94) in children aged 6-23 months; whereas for the incomplete series, the respective estimates were 72% (95% CI: 28-89) and 75% (95% CI: 30-91). Vaccine effectiveness was estimated at 79% (95% CI: 45-92) against G1P[8]-associated RVGE hospitalizations and 69% (95% CI: 11-89) against other genotype-RVGE hospitalizations. High effectiveness of RotaTeq as the sole rotavirus vaccine in a universal immunization programme was demonstrated in a high-income country. Although partial vaccination conferred protection, completing the vaccine series is warranted to maximize the benefit. Copyright © 2017 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Some Recent Technology Developments From The Uk's National Nuclear Laboratory To Enable Hazard Characterisation For Nuclear Decommissioning Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farfan, E.; Foley, T.

    2010-01-01

    Under its programme of self investment Internal Research and Development (IR and D), the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is addressing the requirement for development in technology to enable hazard characterisation for nuclear decommissioning applications. Three such examples are described here: (1) RadBall developed by the NNL (patent pending) is a deployable baseball-sized radiation mapping device which can, from a single location, locate and quantify radiation hazards. RadBall offers a means to collect information regarding the magnitude and distribution of radiation in a given cell, glovebox or room to support the development of a safe, cost effective decontamination strategy. RadBall requires no electrical supplies and is relatively small, making it easy to be deployed and used to map radiation hazards in hard to reach areas. Recent work conducted in partnership with the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is presented. (2) HiRAD (patent pending) has been developed by the NNL in partnership with Tracerco Ltd (UK). HiRAD is a real-time, remotely deployed, radiation detection device designed to operate in elevated levels of radiation (i.e. thousands and tens of thousands of Gray) as seen in parts of the nuclear industry. Like the RadBall technology, the HiRAD system does not require any electrical components, the small dimensions and flexibility of the device allow it to be positioned in difficult to access areas (such as pipe work). HiRAD can be deployed as a single detector, a chain, or as an array giving the ability to monitor large process areas. Results during the development and deployment of the technology are presented. (3) Wireless Sensor Network is a NNL supported development project led by the University of Manchester (UK) in partnership with Oxford University (UK). The project is concerned with the development of wireless sensor network technology to enable the underwater deployment and communication of miniaturised probes allowing pond

  16. Synchrotron-based nu-XRF mapping and mu-FTIR microscopy enable to look into the fate and effects of tattoo pigments in human skin

    OpenAIRE

    Schreiver , Ines; Hesse , Bernhard; Seim , Christian; Castillo-Michel , Hiram; Villanova , Julie; Laux , Peter; Dreiack , Nadine; Penning , Randolf; Tucoulou , Remi; Cotte , Marine; Luch , Andreas

    2017-01-01

    International audience; The increasing prevalence of tattoos provoked safety concerns with respect to particle distribution and effects inside the human body. We used skin and lymphatic tissues from human corpses to address local biokinetics by means of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques at both the micro (mu) and nano (nu) scale. Additional advanced mass spectrometry-based methodology enabled to demonstrate simultaneous transport of organic pigments, heavy metals and titanium di...

  17. Enablers towards establishing and growing South Africa's waste to electricity industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amsterdam, Heinrich; Thopil, George Alex

    2017-10-01

    In South Africa the electricity generation mix is relatively un-diverse whereas globally the transformation of the sector is advancing rapidly. Coal remains the predominant fuel source and limited success has to date been achieved in the renewable energy sector. The electricity generation sector is therefore hindered from moving towards an electricity generation landscape where alternative fuel sources is utilised. This research is aimed at gaining insight into the enablers that led towards an increasing trend (observed globally) in exploiting waste as a fuel for electricity generation, and to outline the presence of obstacles that hinder separation of waste for electricity use in the South African context. Furthermore it is an attempt at informing what appropriate interventions (operational and policy) may be considered suitable for South Africa to overcome these barriers in order to enable a sustainable South African waste to electricity (WTE) Industry. Findings show that numerous barriers to a WTE exists in the South African context, however overcoming these barriers is not as simple as adopting the European model with the aim to modify the electricity generation mix and waste management landscape. Selected enablers deemed appropriate in the South African context are adapted from the European model, and are greatly influenced by the prevailing socio-economic status of South Africa. Primary enablers identified were, (i) government support is needed especially in the form of subsidisation for green energy, (ii) increase landfill costs through the implementation of a landfill tax, (iii) streamline the process for Independent Private Power Producers (IPPPs) to connect to the national grid with off-take guaranteed and the inclusion of WTE into an electricity roadmap (effectively government's strategy). The proposed enabling interventions would help in overcoming the barriers for a South African WTE industry. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. SUSTAINABILITY UNIVERSITY PROGRAM FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (PUEDES IN THE CITY OF ESTELÍ, NICARAGUA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beverly Castillo Herrera

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses the sustainability that has taken the program Company University for Sustainable Development (PUEDES which ran from 2008 to 2009 in the city of Estelí, Nicaragua. It highlights the success stories of MSMEs involved, enabling sustainability and strengthening the links between Estelí Multidisciplinary Regional School (Unite-FAREM-Estelí and employers organized in the Chamber of Commerce of Estelí. The methodology for this article includes desk research and interviews with the president of the Chamber of Industry and Trade of Estelí, businessmen and university professors involved in this experience.

  19. Organizational Enablers for Project Governance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Müller, Ralf; Shao, Jingting; Pemsel, Sofia

    and their relationships to organizational success. Based on these results, the authors discovered that organizational enablers (including key factors such as leadership, governance, and influence of project managers) have a critical impact on how organizations operate, adapt to market fluctuations and forces, and make......While corporate culture plays a significant role in the success of any corporation, governance and “governmentality” not only determine how business should be conducted, but also define the policies and procedures organizations follow to achieve business functions and goals. In their book......, Organizational Enablers for Project Governance, Ralf Müller, Jingting Shao, and Sofia Pemsel examine the interaction of governance and governmentality in various types of companies and demonstrate how these factors drive business success and influence project work, efficiency, and profitability. The data...

  20. SU-F-T-121: Abdominal Compression Effectively Reduces the Interplay Effect and Enables Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy of Liver Tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souris, K; Glick, A; Kang, M; Lin, H; McDonough, J; Simone, C; Solberg, T; Ben-Josef, E; Lin, L; Janssens, G; Sterpin, E; Lee, J

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To study if abdominal compression can reduce breathing motion and mitigate interplay effect in pencil beam scanning proton therapy (PBSPT) treatment of liver tumors in order to better spare healthy liver volumes compared with photon therapy. Methods: Ten patients, six having large tumors initially treated with IMRT and four having small tumors treated with SBRT, were replanned for PBSPT. ITV and beam-specific PTVs based on 4D-CT were used to ensure target coverage in PBSPT. The use of an abdominal compression belt and volumetric repainting was investigated to mitigate the interplay effect between breathing motion and PBSPT dynamic delivery. An in-house Matlab script has been developed to simulate this interplay effect. The dose is computed on each phase individually by sorting all spots according to their simulated delivery timing. The final dose distribution is then obtained by accumulating all dose maps to a reference phase. Results: For equivalent target coverage PBSPT reduced average healthy liver dose by 9.5% of the prescription dose compared with IMRT/SBRT. Abdominal compression of 113.2±42.2 mmHg was effective for all 10 patients and reduced average motion by 2.25 mm. As a result, the average ITV volume decreased from 128.2% to 123.1% of CTV volume. Similarly, the average beam-specific PTV volume decreased from 193.2% to 183.3%. For 8 of the 10 patients, the average motion was reduced below 5 mm, and up to 3 repainting were sufficient to mitigate interplay. For the other two patients with larger residual motion, 4–5 repainting were needed. Conclusion: We recommend evaluation of the 4DCT motion histogram following simulation and the interplay effect following treatment planning in order to personalize the use of compression and volumetric repainting for each patient. Abdominal compression enables safe and more effective PBS treatment of liver tumors by reduction of motion and interplay effect. Kevin Souris is supported by IBA and Televie Grant

  1. SU-F-T-121: Abdominal Compression Effectively Reduces the Interplay Effect and Enables Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy of Liver Tumors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Souris, K [Universite catholique de Louvain, Brussels (Belgium); University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Glick, A; Kang, M; Lin, H; McDonough, J; Simone, C; Solberg, T; Ben-Josef, E; Lin, L [University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Janssens, G [IBA, Louvain-la-neuve (Belgium); Sterpin, E [Universite catholique de Louvain, Brussels (Belgium); KU Leuven, Leuven (Belgium); Lee, J [Universite catholique de Louvain, Brussels (Belgium)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To study if abdominal compression can reduce breathing motion and mitigate interplay effect in pencil beam scanning proton therapy (PBSPT) treatment of liver tumors in order to better spare healthy liver volumes compared with photon therapy. Methods: Ten patients, six having large tumors initially treated with IMRT and four having small tumors treated with SBRT, were replanned for PBSPT. ITV and beam-specific PTVs based on 4D-CT were used to ensure target coverage in PBSPT. The use of an abdominal compression belt and volumetric repainting was investigated to mitigate the interplay effect between breathing motion and PBSPT dynamic delivery. An in-house Matlab script has been developed to simulate this interplay effect. The dose is computed on each phase individually by sorting all spots according to their simulated delivery timing. The final dose distribution is then obtained by accumulating all dose maps to a reference phase. Results: For equivalent target coverage PBSPT reduced average healthy liver dose by 9.5% of the prescription dose compared with IMRT/SBRT. Abdominal compression of 113.2±42.2 mmHg was effective for all 10 patients and reduced average motion by 2.25 mm. As a result, the average ITV volume decreased from 128.2% to 123.1% of CTV volume. Similarly, the average beam-specific PTV volume decreased from 193.2% to 183.3%. For 8 of the 10 patients, the average motion was reduced below 5 mm, and up to 3 repainting were sufficient to mitigate interplay. For the other two patients with larger residual motion, 4–5 repainting were needed. Conclusion: We recommend evaluation of the 4DCT motion histogram following simulation and the interplay effect following treatment planning in order to personalize the use of compression and volumetric repainting for each patient. Abdominal compression enables safe and more effective PBS treatment of liver tumors by reduction of motion and interplay effect. Kevin Souris is supported by IBA and Televie Grant

  2. Effective Communication to Aid Collaboration for Digital Collections: A Case Study at Florida Gulf Coast University Library

    Science.gov (United States)

    VandeBurgt, Melissa Minds; Rivera, Kaleena

    2016-01-01

    Effective communication is one of the most important resources for successful outreach efforts. This article addresses the benefits that can emerge from successful communication as well as the negative effects that may stem from ineffective communication. A case study of Florida Gulf Coast University Archives, Special Collections, & Digital…

  3. The Effect of Anomie on Academic Dishonesty among University Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caruana, Albert; Ramaseshan, B.; Ewing, Michael T.

    2000-01-01

    Following a review of the literature on anomie and academic dishonesty at the university level, this paper reports on a survey of 300 undergraduate business students in Australia which found the newly developed measure both reliable and valid for measuring actual cheating and plagiarism. Concludes that universities need to foster development of an…

  4. University Satellite Consortium and Space Education in Japan Centered on Micro-Nano Satellites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakasuka, S.; Kawashima, R.

    2002-01-01

    in Japan especially centered on micro or nano class satellites. Hands-on training using micro-nano satellites provide unique opportunity of space education to university level students, by giving them a chance to experience the whole space project cycle from mission creation, satellite design, fabrication, test, launch, operation through analysis of the results. Project management and team working are other important skills that can be trained in these projects. include 1) low cost, which allows one laboratory in university to carry out a project, 2) short development period such as one or two year, which enables students to obtain the results of their projects before they graduate, and 3) small size and weight, which enables fabrication and test within usually very narrow university laboratory areas. In Japan, several projects such as CanSat, CubeSat or Whale Observation Satellite have been carried out, proving that micro-nano satellites provide very unique and valuable educational opportunity. with the objective to make a university student and staff community of these micro-nano satellite related activities in Japan. This consortium aims for many activities including facilitating information and skills exchange and collaborations between member universities, helping students to use ground test facilities of national laboratories, consulting them on political or law related matters, coordinating joint development of equipments or projects, and bridging between these university activities and the needs or interests of the people in general. This kind of outreach activity is essential because how to create missions of micro-nano satellites should be pursued in order for this field to grow larger than a merely educational enterprise. The final objectives of the consortium is to make a huge community of the users, mission creators, investors and manufactures(i.e., university students) of micro-nano satellites, and provide a unique contribution to the activation of

  5. Nonfixed Retirement Age for University Professors: Modeling Its Effects on New Faculty Hires.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Richard C; Diaz, Mauricio Gomez

    2012-03-01

    We model the set of tenure-track faculty members at a university as a queue, where "customers" in queue are faculty members in active careers. Arrivals to the queue are usually young, untenured assistant professors, and departures from the queue are primarily those who do not pass a promotion or tenure hurdle and those who retire. There are other less-often-used ways to enter and leave the queue. Our focus is on system effects of the elimination of mandatory retirement age. In particular, we are concerned with estimating the number of assistant professor slots that annually are no longer available because of the elimination of mandatory retirement. We start with steady-state assumptions that require use of Little's Law of Queueing, and we progress to a transient model using system dynamics. We apply these simple models using available data from our home university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

  6. The Outreach Process in the Technical University Luis Vargas Torres, Esmeraldas, Ecuador

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harold Oyarvide-Ramirez

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available As part of the transformative process that takes place in the ecuadorian university is research that aims to improve the outreach model at the Technical University Luis Vargas Torres Esmeraldas developed. The need of jobs forces people to venture into small businesses, however, this process is done in an empirical way, without sufficient technical and administrative knowledge that will enable the company to manage efficiently and obtain funding sources. Hence the relevance of the study, which allows guide and train the business sector in order to conduct an efficient management and create new businesses that operate as a means for the transformation of the productive matrix. The research results are: the structure and function of outreach model, the key elements that support the creation of the Center for Business Development and Entrepreneurship Support and the socioeconomic impact achieved from the development of relations among universities, businesses and government.

  7. Origami-enabled deformable silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, Rui; Huang, Hai; Liang, Hanshuang; Liang, Mengbing [School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Tu, Hongen; Xu, Yong [Electrical and Computer Engineering, Wayne State University, 5050 Anthony Wayne Dr., Detroit, Michigan 48202 (United States); Song, Zeming; Jiang, Hanqing, E-mail: hanqing.jiang@asu.edu [School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Yu, Hongyu, E-mail: hongyu.yu@asu.edu [School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States)

    2014-02-24

    Deformable electronics have found various applications and elastomeric materials have been widely used to reach flexibility and stretchability. In this Letter, we report an alternative approach to enable deformability through origami. In this approach, the deformability is achieved through folding and unfolding at the creases while the functional devices do not experience strain. We have demonstrated an example of origami-enabled silicon solar cells and showed that this solar cell can reach up to 644% areal compactness while maintaining reasonable good performance upon cyclic folding/unfolding. This approach opens an alternative direction of producing flexible, stretchable, and deformable electronics.

  8. Origami-enabled deformable silicon solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Rui; Huang, Hai; Liang, Hanshuang; Liang, Mengbing; Tu, Hongen; Xu, Yong; Song, Zeming; Jiang, Hanqing; Yu, Hongyu

    2014-01-01

    Deformable electronics have found various applications and elastomeric materials have been widely used to reach flexibility and stretchability. In this Letter, we report an alternative approach to enable deformability through origami. In this approach, the deformability is achieved through folding and unfolding at the creases while the functional devices do not experience strain. We have demonstrated an example of origami-enabled silicon solar cells and showed that this solar cell can reach up to 644% areal compactness while maintaining reasonable good performance upon cyclic folding/unfolding. This approach opens an alternative direction of producing flexible, stretchable, and deformable electronics

  9. DEFINE: A Service-Oriented Dynamically Enabling Function Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tan Wei-Yi

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce an innovative Dynamically Enable Function In Network Equipment (DEFINE to allow tenant get the network service quickly. First, DEFINE decouples an application into different functional components, and connects these function components in a reconfigurable method. Second, DEFINE provides a programmable interface to the third party, who can develop their own processing modules according to their own needs. To verify the effectiveness of this model, we set up an evaluating network with a FPGA-based OpenFlow switch prototype, and deployed several applications on it. Our results show that DEFINE has excellent flexibility and performance.

  10. Developing Effective Guidelines for Faculty Teaching First-Year University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Irene; Leslie, Donald; Moore, Sarah

    2010-01-01

    First-year university students are a diverse group of individuals with various abilities and needs. Failure of the university and its teaching faculty to meet the needs of first-year students may result in abandonment of the pursuit of a degree. This project informs instructors about the practices that strengthen a learning-centred approach and…

  11. Baby universes with induced gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Yihong; Gao Hongbo

    1989-01-01

    In this paper some quantum effects of baby universes with induced gravity are discussed. It is proved that the interactions between the baby-parent universes are non-local, and argue that the induced low-energy cosmological constant is zero. This argument does not depend on the detail of the induced potential

  12. The Philosophy of University Housing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, James A.

    2012-01-01

    This article examines a stated philosophy of university housing and the philosophy's effect on the facilitation of the personal and intellectual growth of students residing in the residence halls and the development of a sense of community. This particular philosophy governs the housing operations at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.…

  13. Computer Security Systems Enable Access.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riggen, Gary

    1989-01-01

    A good security system enables access and protects information from damage or tampering, but the most important aspects of a security system aren't technical. A security procedures manual addresses the human element of computer security. (MLW)

  14. Radiation research in AINSE-affiliated universities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sangster, D. R.

    1997-01-01

    The Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) has enabled research workers from its member universities to make extensive use of the (sometimes unique) radiation facilities at Lucas Heights. This has resulted in a better understanding of the action of gamma, X-ray and electron beam radiation on physical, chemical and biological systems, and of the radical and excited species which are produced. A selection of the ensuing first class publications is described. Over the years the emphasis has changed from the obtaining of a fundamental understanding of the science and the refining of the techniques to utilising these in attacking problems in other fields. Examples are given of the use of radiation chemistry techniques in metal-organic, polymer, excited state and biological chemistry. In radiation biology, the early emphasis on genetics and on the production of chromosomal aberrations by radiation has given way to molecular biology and cancer treatment studies. In all of this, AAEC/ANSTO and CSIRO have played major roles. In addition, AINSE has organised a continuing series of specialist conferences which has facilitated interaction between research groups within the universities and involved other investigators in Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the world

  15. Mach's principle and rotating universes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, D.H.

    1990-01-01

    It is shown that the Bianchi 9 model universe satisfies the Mach principle. These closed rotating universes were previously thought to be counter-examples to the principle. The Mach principle is satisfied because the angular momentum of the rotating matter is compensated by the effective angular momentum of gravitational waves. A new formulation of the Mach principle is given that is based on the field theory interpretation of general relativity. Every closed universe with 3-sphere topology is shown to satisfy this formulation of the Mach principle. It is shown that the total angular momentum of the matter and gravitational waves in a closed 3-sphere topology universe is zero

  16. Enabling technologies built on a sonochemical platform: challenges and opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cintas, Pedro; Tagliapietra, Silvia; Caporaso, Marina; Tabasso, Silvia; Cravotto, Giancarlo

    2015-07-01

    Scientific and technological progress now occurs at the interface between two or more scientific and technical disciplines while chemistry is intertwined with almost all scientific domains. Complementary and synergistic effects have been found in the overlay between sonochemistry and other enabling technologies such as mechanochemistry, microwave chemistry and flow-chemistry. Although their nature and effects are intrinsically different, these techniques share the ability to significantly activate most chemical processes and peculiar phenomena. These studies offer a comprehensive overview of sonochemistry, provide a better understanding of correlated phenomena (mechanochemical effects, hot spots, etc.), and pave the way for emerging applications which unite hybrid reactors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. EO Domain Specific Knowledge Enabled Services (KES-B)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varas, J.; Busto, J.; Torguet, R.

    2004-09-01

    This paper recovers and describes a number of major statements with respect to the vision, mission and technological approaches of the Technological Research Project (TRP) "EO Domain Specific Knowledge Enabled Services" (project acronym KES-B), which is currently under development at the European Space Research Institute (ESRIN) under contract "16397/02/I- SB". Resulting from the on-going R&D activities, the KES-B project aims are to demonstrate with a prototype system the feasibility of the application of innovative knowledge-based technologies to provide services for easy, scheduled and controlled exploitation of EO resources (e.g.: data, algorithms, procedures, storage, processors, ...), to automate the generation of products, and to support users in easily identifying and accessing the required information or products by using their own vocabulary, domain knowledge and preferences. The ultimate goals of KES-B are summarized in the provision of the two main types of KES services: 1st the Search service (also referred to as Product Exploitation or Information Retrieval; and 2nd the Production service (also referred to as Information Extraction), with the strategic advantage that they are enabled by Knowledge consolidated (formalized) within the system. The KES-B system technical solution approach is driven by a strong commitment for the adoption of industry (XML-based) language standards, aiming to have an interoperable, scalable and flexible operational prototype. In that sense, the Search KES services builds on the basis of the adoption of consolidated and/or emergent W3C semantic-web standards. Remarkably the languages/models Dublin Core (DC), Universal Resource Identifier (URI), Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Ontology Web Language (OWL), and COTS like Protege [1] and JENA [2] are being integrated in the system as building bricks for the construction of the KES based Search services. On the other hand, the Production KES services builds on top of

  18. Roles of University Support for International Students in the United States: Analysis of a Systematic Model of University Identification, University Support, and Psychological Well-Being

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Jaehee; Yu, Hongsik

    2015-01-01

    Unlike previous research on international students' social support, this current study applied the concept of organizational support to university contexts, examining the effects of university support. Mainly based on the social identity/self-categorization stress model, this study developed and tested a path model composed of four key…

  19. Organizational Enablers for Governance and Governmentality of Projects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Müller, Ralf; Pemsel, Sofia; Shao, Jingting

    2014-01-01

    This study identifies the organizational enablers for governance in the realm of projects. We first conceptualize organizational enablers as comprising of process facilitators and discursive abilities, each with its own factors and mechanisms. Then we apply this concept to the literature on proje......, and through development of self-responsible, self-organizing people for governmentality in project settings. Questions for future research are indicated....... governance, governance of projects and governmentality. Outcomes indicate that governance is enabled through different forms of flexibility at different levels of governance, institutional setup and authority at the project level, flexible structures and mindsets of people at the organizational level...

  20. Effects of Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction on Repurchase Intention in Restaurants on University of Cape Coast Campus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ishmael Mensah

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This study sought to examine the effects of service quality and customer satisfaction on the repurchase intentions of customers of restaurants on University of Cape Coast Campus. The survey method was employed involving a convenient sample of 200 customers of 10 restaurants on the University of Cape Coast Campus. A modified DINESERV scale was used to measure customers’ perceived service quality. The results of the study indicate that four factors accounted for 50% of the variance in perceived service quality, namely; responsiveness-assurance, empathy-equity, reliability and tangibles. Service quality was found to have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. Also, both service quality and customer satisfaction had significant effects on repurchase intention. However, customer satisfaction could not moderate the effect of service quality on repurchase intention. This paper adds to the debate on the dimensions of service quality and provides evidence on the effects of service quality and customer satisfaction on repurchase intention in a campus food service context.