Using Contents and Containers to investigate problem solving strategies among toddlers

This study focused on the use of problem-solving strategies among toddlers using a qualitative research approach, and more specifically the case-study research design. The following three research questions were investigated: (1) What behaviors do toddlers exhibit as they begin their exploration with Contents and Containers?; (2a) What intrapersonal differences, if any, do toddlers display in their problem-solving approaches with Contents and Containers materials over the ten-session period?; and (2b) What interpersonal differences, if any, do the three toddlers display in their problem-solving approaches with Contents and Containers materials over the ten-session period? The participants of this study consisted of three toddlers ages 18, 21, and 23 months who attended a daycare center in a mid-size town in a Midwestern state. The toddlers interacted freely with Contents and Containers, which is an open-ended curriculum using commonly available materials including plastic containers of various sizes. The researcher analyzed existing data in the form of video recordings of the toddlers using materials twice each week for five weeks, yielding ten one-hour long sessions. The toddlers had been videotaped for a research project conducted by an early childhood center affiliated with a state university. Findings from this study indicated that toddlers’ problem-solving included a range of behaviors such as exploration, repetition, experimentation and finding solutions through strategies such as trial and error and means-ends analysis. Changes in problem- solving strategy use, namely from trial and error to means-ends analysis were observed both within and between the toddlers over the ten-session period. There were also themes that emerged from this study about problem solving including intentionality, competence, curiosity, perseverance, and reciprocal interaction between play and skills. Implications for parents, daycare providers and preschool teachers for fostering and supporting problem-solving thinking and behavior among toddlers are provided. Also, recommendations for future research directions to build upon and extend the findings of the present study are offered

Heuristics for NP-hard optimization problems

"jats:p" We provide several examples showing that local search, the most basic metaheuristics, may be a very competitive choice for solving computationally hard optimization problems. In addition, generation of starting solutions by greedy heuristics should be at least considered as one of very natural possibilities. In this critical survey, selected examples discussed include the traveling salesman, the resource-constrained project scheduling, the channel assignment, and computation of bounds for the Shannon capacity. Document type: Articl

Design Optimization for Spatial Arrangement of Used Nuclear Fuel Containers

Canada's proposed deep geological repository is a multiple-barrier system designed to isolate used nuclear fuel containers (UFCs) indefinitely with no release of radionuclides for at least one million years. Placing UFCs together as densely as possible is ideal for mitigating repository size and cost. However, due to heat generation from radioactive decay and material limitations, a key design criterion is that the maximum temperature inside the repository must not exceed 100 °C. To satisfy that criterion, design optimization for the spatial arrangement of UFCs in a crystalline rock repository is performed. Spatial arrangement pertains to: (i) the spacing between UFCs, (ii) the separation between placement rooms underground, and (iii) the locations of variously aged UFCs that generate heat at different rates. Most studies have considered UFCs to be identical in age during placement into the repository. Parameter analyses have also been performed to evaluate repository performance under probable geological conditions. In this work, the various ages of UFCs and the uncertainties in spacing-related design variables are of focus. Techniques for the actual placement of UFCs in the deep geological repository based on their age and methods for repository risk analysis using yield optimization are developed. The thermal evolution inside the deep geological repository is simulated using a finite element model. With many components inside the massive repository planned for upwards of 95,000 UFCs, direct optimization of the model is impractical or even infeasible due to it being computationally expensive to evaluate. Surrogate optimization is used to overcome that burden by reducing the number of detailed evaluations required to reach the optimal designs. Two placement cases are studied: (i) UFCs all having been discharged from a Canadian Deuterium Uranium reactor for 30 years, which is a worst-case scenario, and (ii) UFCs having been discharged between 30 and 60 years. Design options that have UFC spacing 1–2 m and placement room separation 10–40 m are explored. The placement locations of the variously aged UFCs are specified using either sinusoidal (cosine) functions or Kumaraswamy probability density functions. Yield optimization under assumed design variable tolerances and distributions is performed to minimize the probability of a system failure, which occurs when the maximum temperature constraint of 100 °C is exceeded. This method allows variabilities from the manufacturing and construction of the repository components that affect the design variables to be taken into account, incorporating a stochastic aspect into the design optimization that surrogate optimization would not include. Several distributions for the design variables are surveyed, and these include uniform, normal, and skewed distributions—all of which are approximated by Kumaraswamy distributions

The Sixth Annual Workshop on Space Operations Applications and Research (SOAR 1992)

This document contains papers presented at the Space Operations, Applications, and Research Symposium (SOAR) hosted by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) on 4-6 Aug. 1992 and held at the JSC Gilruth Recreation Center. The symposium was cosponsored by the Air Force Material Command and by NASA/JSC. Key technical areas covered during the symposium were robotic and telepresence, automation and intelligent systems, human factors, life sciences, and space maintenance and servicing. The SOAR differed from most other conferences in that it was concerned with Government-sponsored research and development relevant to aerospace operations. The symposium's proceedings include papers covering various disciplines presented by experts from NASA, the USAF, universities, and industry

Promoting reuse behaviour: Challenges and strategies for repeat purchase, low-involvement products

Reusable products offer reduced environmental impact compared to recycling, but producers mostly focus on strategies such as light-weighting, recyclability and eco-labelling. A reasonable number of innovative reusable products and business models exist for repeat purchase, low-involvement products, but they are largely restricted to niche health-food stores. Therefore, this research primarily attempts to understand consumer attitudes and behaviour towards reuse of household care products (e.g. air fresheners, domestic cleaning products). Focus groups with UK consumers are utilised to examine reusable/refillable spray products and the data are triangulated with global archival data on various refill business models, reusable products and recycling initiatives. The study offers useful guidelines for both producers and policy makers to encourage reusable products. First, we recommend that eco-innovations have a familiar design congruent with well-known brands, to reduce uncertainties for consumers. Second, if the innovation has an unfamiliar design, to mitigate, producers should offer new functional benefits. Third, and most important, producers must place greater emphasis on aesthetic aspects that could evoke product attachment, thus encouraging reuse. Fourth, if reusable products are to become mainstream, ‘well-known brands’ have to promote the transition from one-off sales to a service model built on durable products. Finally, a successful outcome is dependent on government interventions in designing new life cycle policy instruments, in particular de-marketing the current recycling norm and emphasising reusing over recycling

Multi-objective optimisation in the retail banking industry with stochastic discrete-event simulation

How can the service level of the researched ATM network, operated by the particular bank, be maximised at minimum cost using industrial engineering techniques?Final year project (BEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cash management is a multi-objective optimisation problem which aims to maximise the service level provided to customers at minimum cost. The topic of du Toit's (2011) masters thesis was automated teller machice (ATM) cash management for a specific South African retail bank. Focus was placed on an ATM network which primarily provides cash to blue collar laborers in the rural Eastern Cape. The aim of this final year project is to refine the work done by du Toit through the specific investigation into the effect of applying a combination of the vehicle routing problem (VRP) and continuous review policy for inventory management to the retail banking industry. A decision support system (DSS) in the form of a stochastic, discrete-event simulation model is developed. 90 different scenarios are experimented with using the DSS. Results show that the application of the VRP consistently yields high service levels at low cost when compared to two other routing approaches: first-in- first-out routing and direct replenishment. It is concluded that use of the VRP is especially beneficial when the bank has substantial control over transportation cost. The principal recommendation is therefore that cost control should be maximised to fully exploit the advantages obtainable from effective cash management. Finally, it is argued that the benefits to be gained from effective cash management (higher service levels at lower cost) can lead to the improvement of the lives of many a South African wage earner. These benefits could also lead to an increased profit margin - life is all about choices.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kontantbestuur is multi-doelstelling optimeringsprobleem waarvan die doelwit is om die diensvlak wat aan kliënte gelewer word, te maksimeer, terwyl koste minimeer word. Die onderwerp van du Toit (2011) se meesters tesis was outomatiese tellermasjien (OTM) kontantbestuur vir 'n spesifieke Suid-Afrikaanse kleinhandelbank. Fokus is geplaas op 'n OTM netwerk wat hoofsaaklik kontant aan arbeiders in die landelike Oos-Kaap voorsien. Die doel van hierdie finale jaar projek is om du Toit se werk te verfyn deur spesifiek ondersoek in te stel na die effek wat die toepassing wat 'n kombinasie van die voertuigskeduleringsprobleem en die deurlopende hersieningsbeleid vir voorraadbestuur sal hê. 'n Stogastiese, diskrete-gebeurtenis simulasie model is ontwikkel om as besluitnemings ondersteuningstelsel te dien. 90 verskillende eksperimente is met die simulasie model voltooi. Resultate toon dat die toepassing van die voertuigskeduleringsprobleem deurlopend hoë diensvlakke teen vergelykende lae koste tot gevolg het. Die voertuigskeduleringsprobleem word vergelyk met twee ander skeduleringstegnieke: eerste-in-eerste-uit skedulering en direkte aanvulling. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat gebruik van die voertuigskeduleringsprobleem veral voordelig is wanneer die bank aansienlike beheer oor vervoerkoste het. Die hoof aanbeveling is daarom dat kostebeheer gemaksimeer behoort te word om ten volle munt te slaan uit die voordele wat moontlik gemaak word deur effektiewe kontantbestuur. Ten slotte word daar aangevoer dat die voordele wat sal volg uit effektiewe kontantbestuur (hoër diensvlakke teen laer koste), die lewens van vele Suid-Afrikaanse loonwerkers kan verbeter. Die voordele kan ook lei tot 'n vergrote winsmarge -- die lewe is vol keuses

Management, Technology and Learning for Individuals, Organisations and Society in Turbulent Environments

This book presents the collection of fifty papers which were presented in the Second International Conference on BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY 2011 - Management, Technology and Learning for Individuals, Organisations and Society in Turbulent Environments , held in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, from 22ndto 24thof June, 2011.The main motive of the meeting was growing awareness of the importance of the sustainability issue. This importance had emerged from the growing uncertainty of the market behaviour that leads to the characterization of the market, i.e. environment, as turbulent. Actually, the characterization of the environment as uncertain and turbulent reflects the fact that the traditional technocratic and/or socio-technical approaches cannot effectively and efficiently lead with the present situation. In other words, the rise of the sustainability issue means the quest for new instruments to deal with uncertainty and/or turbulence. The sustainability issue has a complex nature and solutions are sought in a wide range of domains and instruments to achieve and manage it. The domains range from environmental sustainability (referring to natural environment) through organisational and business sustainability towards social sustainability. Concerning the instruments for sustainability, they range from traditional engineering and management methodologies towards “soft” instruments such as knowledge, learning, and creativity. The papers in this book address virtually whole sustainability problems space in a greater or lesser extent. However, although the uncertainty and/or turbulence, or in other words the dynamic properties, come from coupling of management, technology, learning, individuals, organisations and society, meaning that everything is at the same time effect and cause, we wanted to put the emphasis on business with the intention to address primarily companies and their businesses. Due to this reason, the main title of the book is “Business Sustainability 2.0” but with the approach of coupling Management, Technology and Learning for individuals, organisations and society in Turbulent Environments. Also, the notation“2.0” is to promote the publication as a step further from our previous publication – “Business Sustainability I” – as would be for a new version of software. Concerning the Second International Conference on BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY, its particularity was that it had served primarily as a learning environment in which the papers published in this book were the ground for further individual and collective growth in understanding and perception of sustainability and capacity for building new instruments for business sustainability. In that respect, the methodology of the conference work was basically dialogical, meaning promoting dialog on the papers, but also including formal paper presentations. In this way, the conference presented a rich space for satisfying different authors’ and participants’ needs. Additionally, promoting the widest and global learning environment and participation, in accordance with the Conference's assumed mission to promote Proactive Generative Collaborative Learning, the Conference Organisation shares/puts open to the community the papers presented in this book, as well as the papers presented on the previous Conference(s). These papers can be accessed from the conference webpage (http://labve.dps.uminho.pt/bs11). In these terms, this book could also be understood as a complementary instrument to the Conference authors’ and participants’, but also to the wider readerships’ interested in the sustainability issues. The book brought together 107 authors from 11 countries, namely from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Switzerland, and United States of America. The authors “ranged” from senior and renowned scientists to young researchers providing a rich and learning environment. At the end, the editors hope, and would like, that this book to be useful, meeting the expectation of the authors and wider readership and serving for enhancing the individual and collective learning, and to incentive further scientific development and creation of new papers. Also, the editors would use this opportunity to announce the intention to continue with new editions of the conference and subsequent editions of accompanying books on the subject of BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY, the third of which is planned for year 2013.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Student Expectations: The effect of student background and experience

CONTEXT The perspectives and previous experiences that students bring to their programs of study can affect their approaches to study and the depth of learning that they achieve Prosser & Trigwell, 1999; Ramsden, 2003). Graduate outcomes assume the attainment of welldeveloped independent learning skills which can be transferred to the work-place. PURPOSE This 5-year longitudinal study investigates factors influencing students’ approaches to learning in the fields of Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Science, at two higher education institutes delivering programs of various levels in Australia and New Zealand. The study aims to track the development of student approaches to learning as they progress through their program. Through increased understanding of students’ approaches, faculty will be better able to design teaching and learning strategies to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body. This paper reports on the first stage of the project. APPROACH In August 2017, we ran a pilot of our survey using the Revised Study Process Questionnaire(Biggs, Kember, & Leung, 2001) and including some additional questions related to student demographics and motivation for undertaking their current program of study. Data were analysed to evaluate the usefulness of data collected and to understand the demographics of the student cohort. Over the period of the research, data will be collected using the questionnaire and through focus groups and interviews. RESULTS Participants provided a representative sample, and the data collected was reasonable, allowing the questionnaire design to be confirmed. CONCLUSIONS At this preliminary stage, the study has provided insight into the student demographics at both institutes and identified aspects of students’ modes of engagement with learning. Some areas for improvement of the questionnaire have been identified, which will be implemented for the main body of the study

Deep Time Iterations: Familiarity, Horizons, and Pattern Among Finland's Nuclear Waste Safety Experts

This ethnography reconsiders nuclear waste risk’s deep time horizons’ often-sensationalized aesthetics of horror, sublimity, and awe. It does so by tracking how Finland’s nuclear energy and waste experts made visions of distant future Finlands appear more intelligible through mundane corporate, regulatory, financial, and technoscientific practices. Each chapter unpacks how informants iterated and reiterated traces of the very familiar to establish shared grounds of continuity for moving forward in time. Chapter 1 explores how Finland’s energy sector’s “mankala” cooperative corporate form was iterated and reiterated to give shape to political and financial time horizons. Chapter 2 explores how workplace role distinctions between recruit/retiree and junior/senior were iterated and reiterated to reckon nuclear personnel successions’ intergenerational horizons. Chapter 3 explores how input/output and part/whole distinctions were iterated and reiterated to help model distant future worlds in a portfolio of “Safety Case” evidence made to demonstrate the Olkiluoto repository’s safety to Finnish nuclear regulator STUK. Chapter 4 explores how Safety Case experts iterated and reiterated memories of a deceased predecessor figure in everyday engagements with deep time. What emerges are three insights about how futures attain discernible features – insights about the “continuity,” “thinkability,” and “extensibility” of expert thought – that, I argue, can help twenty-first century experts better navigate not only deep time, but also unknown futures of nuclear technologies, planetary environment, and expertise itself