10,049 research outputs found

    Ember Alerts: Assessing Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) Messages in Wildfires Using the Warning Response Model

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    When evacuation is necessary in a wildfire event, affected communities must be alerted and warned of the imminent danger and instructed on what to do to protect themselves. One channel available to message providers in the United States is Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) disseminated via IPAWS. Recent wildfire events have shed light on the need to improve WEA strategies and messages when alerting exposed populations of imminent fire threat. The purpose of this article is to assess how, when and where WEAs have been used in US wildfires; whether they comply with guidance set out by Mileti and Sorensen’s Warning Response Model (WRM); and whether the expansion in characters (from 90 to 360) of WEA messages has influenced compliance with the WRM. A quantitative content analysis was conducted of WEA messages sent during US wildfires from January 2020-April 2022. A total of 1,284 messages were manually coded based upon the content and style categories identified in the WRM. Descriptive analyses (and Chi-square tests) were performed to illustrate how 90-character and 360-character WEA messages differ by key content and style features. Results showed that certain content features (i.e., location, guidance, and the name of the hazard) were included more often than others (i.e., source, hazard description, hazard consequences, and timing information) and that the inclusion of most content features increased with increasing message character length. Additionally, when assessing message ‘completeness’, the use of acronyms was prevalent in both 90- and 360-character wildfire WEAs; whereas the inclusion of URLs was linked to increased message length. Wildfire WEAs also displayed inconsistency both within and across states in their use of terminology to trigger evacuation. These findings, among others, have implications for theory highlighting a growing need to confirm that message receivers understand and can act on the messages sent, regardless of the language used. In addition, for message creators, recommendations for effective WEA messages for wildfires are provided

    Action research to reassess the acceptance and use of technology in a blended learning approach amongst postgraduate business students

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    This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Cogent Education on 18/11/2022, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2145813Although the pedagogy of blended learning in higher education has been well-accepted since 2000, its dimension has been changing, mainly due to the incessant technological innovations. The impact recorded on students’ experience has been reliant on various factors. Some of these factors are cultural diversity, technical abilities, level of organisational support, language difficulties, educational background, learning environment, and instructional design, among others. In this study, the acceptance and use of technology by international MBA students have been reassessed in the blended learning environment. The motivation for the selection of the cohort of international MBA students as a sample was to enable the inclusion of diversity as one of the focal points of the study. A two-cycle model of action research was adopted to reassess the use of technology and compare the attainment of learning outcomes between the blended and traditional learning approaches. Moreover, multiple regressions were employed using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to test the significance of each variable collected from the survey on the students’ learning experience and engagement. Our results have suggested that students’ engagement is determined by positive learning experience without any bias toward traditional or blended learning approach. Students’ age group was found to be relevant in the determination of behavioural intention, social influence, effort expectancy, performance expectancy and facilitating conditions towards the effective use of technology and blended learning. Students’ gender was an irrelevant factor in the success of a blended learning approach

    Proof-of-concept study of compartmentalized lung ventilation using system for asymmetric flow regulation (SAFR)

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    Asymmetrical distribution of acute lung injury in mechanically ventilated patients can result in a heterogeneity of gas distribution between different regions, potentially worsening ventilation-perfusion matching. Furthermore, overdistension of healthier, more compliant lung regions can lead to barotrauma and limit the effect of increased PEEP on lung recruitment. We propose a System for Asymmetric Flow Regulation (SAFR) which, combined with a novel double lumen endobronchial tube (DLT) may offer individualized lung ventilation to the left and right lungs, better matching each lung's mechanics and pathophysiology. In this preclinical experimental model, the performance of SAFR on gas distribution in a two-lung simulation system was tested. Our results indicate that SAFR may be a technically feasible and potentially clinically useful although further research is warranted

    Heat-setting parameters optimisation of cotton/elastane fabric using response surface methodology 

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    The effect of heat-setting treatment on the performance of cotton/elastane fabric has been studied. Response surface methodology has been used to design the experiments where temperature (°C), time (s) and fabric width extension (%) are taken as factor variables. Fabric dimension (lengthwise and widthwise), fabric areal density and fabric tension decay are taken as response variables. The findings establish that the optimum heat-setting parameters are 190 °C temperature, 75 s process time and 13.5% width extension. It is necessary to optimise the heat-setting parameters to achieve better fabric dimensional stability, as overheating damages and deteriorates some of the elastane filaments, resulting in reduced recovery properties after a certain temperature point.

    Transnational Collaboration Within Higher Education in China: Context, Characteristics, and Challenges

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    This paper discusses the development of transnational collaboration in Chinese higher education (TNHE). TNHE refers to arrangements and institutional partnerships between Educational Institutions, in which the students are located in different countries from the one in which the awarding institution is based. Through analyzing the cases of TNHE in China, we found that the convergence/globalization model and the borrowing/localization model are two main TNHE prototypes. TNHE in China is guided by the Government, which is aiming to enhance China’s international competitiveness, in a globalizing world. This paper discusses the consumers and the operation of TNHE in China. In addition to the context analysis, critical factors for the success of TNHE in China are addressed, consisting of the long-term strategic vision, governance, management, and strategy. TNHE in China faces several challenges, including duplication of similar projects, quality assurance and legal status. Based on the comprehensive analysis, a business model of TNHE of China is proposed

    New Pathways to support social-ecological Systems in Change

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    Klimawandel und Biodiversitätsverlust sowie Verstädterung und demografischer Wandel haben tiefgreifende Auswirkungen auf Städte und ihre Ökosysteme und damit auf die Lebensbedingungen der Mehrheit der Menschheit. Die Geschwindigkeit des Wandels und die Dringlichkeit der Folgen macht Umweltmonitoring zu einem potentiell interessanten Tool für nachhaltige und resiliente Stadtentwicklung. Der erste Artikel gibt einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der Fernerkundung in Bezug auf Stadtökologie und zeigt, dass Fernerkundung relevant für nachhaltige Stadtplanung ist. Es bestehen jedoch bestehen Mängel, da viele Studien nicht direkt umsetzbar sind. Der zweite Artikel zeigt, dass eine wachsende Stadt Möglichkeiten für den Ausbau der grünen Infrastruktur bieten kann. Im dritten Artikel wird untersucht, wie sich die städtische Dichte auf die Bereitstellung von Ökosystemdienstleistungen der grünen Infrastruktur auswirkt. Es wird gezeigt, dass eine hohe Siedlungsdichte nicht zwangsläufig zu einem geringeren Biodiversitätspotenzial oder einer geringeren Kühlkapazität führt. Allerdings sind dicht bebaute Gebiete mit geringer Vegetationsbedeckung besonders auf grüne Infrastruktur angewiesen. Der vierte Artikel befasst sich mit der Frage, wie naturbasierte Lösungen durch eine bessere Vernetzung der Beteiligten gestärkt werden können. Auf der Grundlage einer gezielten Literaturrecherche über Informationstechnologie zur Unterstützung sozial-ökologischer Systeme wird ein Instrument zur Entscheidungshilfe entwickelt. Dieses kombiniert ökologische und soziale Indikatoren, um Klimawandeladaption in Übereinstimmung mit den sozio-ökologischen Bedingungen entwickeln zu können. Der fünfte Artikel bietet eine grundsätzliche Perspektive zur Unterstützung der städtischen Nachhaltigkeit, die auf dem ökologischen-Trait Konzept basiert. Zusammen bieten die fünf Artikel Wege für die Fernerkundungswissenschaft und die angewandte Raumplanung für nachhaltige und resiliente Entwicklungen in Städten.Climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as urbanisation and demographic change, are major global challenges of the 21st century. These trends have profound impacts on cities and their ecosystems and thus on the living conditions of the majority of humanity. This raises the need for timely environmental monitoring supporting sustainable and resilient urban developments. The first article is an overview of the state of the art of remote sensing science in relation to urban ecology. The review found that remote sensing can contribute to sustainable urban policy, still insufficiencies remain as many studies are not directly actionable. The second article shows that a growing city can provide opportunities for an increase in green infrastructure. Here, remote sensing is used for long-term analysis of land-use in relation to urban forms in Berlin. The third article examines how urban density affects ecosystem service provision of urban green infrastructure. It is shown that residential density does not necessarily lead to poor biodiversity potential or cooling capacity. However, dense areas with low vegetation cover are particularly dependent on major green infrastructure. The fourth article explores ways to reinforce nature-based solutions by better connecting and informing stakeholders. Based on a focussed literature review on information technology supporting urban social-ecological systems, a decision support tool is developed. The tool combines indicators based on ecological diversity and performance with population density and vulnerability. This way, climate change adaptation can be developed in accordance with socio-ecological conditions. The concluding fifth article offers an outlook on a larger framework in support of urban sustainability, based on the ecological trait concept. Together the five research papers provide pathways for urban remote sensing science and applied spatial planning that can support sustainable and resilient developments in cities

    Organizational identity design: A multimodal discourse analysis of Australian university homepages

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    This thesis studies web homepages to understand the complex social practice of organizational identity communication on a digital medium. It examines how designs of web homepages realize discourses of identity through the mobilization and orchestration of various semiotic resources into multimodal ensembles, addressing critical organizational visual identity elements (‘logo,’ ‘corporate name,’ ‘color,’ ‘typography,’ ‘graphic shapes,’ and ‘images’), communicative content of the page, and navigation structures. By examining these three ‘strata’ of organizational identity communication, it investigates how a homepage uses formal design elements and more abstract principles of composition, such as spatial positioning and content ordering, as resources for making meaning. The data consists of three complementary sets drawn from thirty-nine web homepages of Australian university websites in 2020. Data set #1 includes four homepages for an in-depth study of organizational identity designs; data set #2 consists of 400 images from the ‘above the fold’ web area as the most strategic space on four homepages between the years 2015 and 2021; data set #3 is comprised of eight historical versions of a selected web homepage between the years 2000 and 2021, with three most representative designs for an in-depth investigation. Grounded in the discourse-analytic approach informed by multimodal social semiotics, the thesis adopts a mixed-method approach to data analysis. It applies multimodal discourse analysis combining the Genre and Multimodality model (Bateman, 2008; Bateman et al., 2017) to document the structural design patterns and social semiotic (metafunctional) approach to address the meaning potentials of the identified patterns; (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2021); content analysis (Bell, 2001; Rose, 2016) and visual social actor framework (van Leeuwen, 2008) to identify key representational tropes and visual personae. The study reveals the role of design as a mediating tool between the participants of discourse – the rhetor-institution/designer and envisaged audiences – and offers systematic insights into the uses of semiotic resources, both material (e.g., formal design elements and navigation structures) and nonmaterial (e.g., spatial considerations and content structuring), all contributing to the production of meanings and fostering identification with such meanings in the form of association with the university’s identity. Addressing the subtle differences and shifts in the form and function of key layout structures and strategies of viewer engagement, the study concludes that is plural – each university constantly revises semiotic choices and their multimodal composition to achieve specific rhetorical purposes. Together with several visual design choices, five identified strategies of viewer engagement – proximation, alignment, equalization, objectivation, and subjectivation – promote the university as a place of opportunity, achievement, sociality, and intellectual growth for a student as an individual and as a member of the community. The current research contributes to the emerging collaboration between multimodality, organization studies, and branding, recognizing the complexities and importance of multimodal communication in web-mediated texts amidst the critically increased roles of marketization and social presence in the current higher education landscape

    Copyright literacy and LIS education: analysis of its inclusion in the curricula of master's degree programs

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    The close relationship between copyright laws and the development of library activities has become more intense and complex in recent years due to the impact of the digital setting. For this reason, librarians must have adequate knowledge about copyright, whether it be to carry out their own functions and tasks, or to help co-workers and users as efficiently as possible. The aim of the present paper is to determine the type of copyright instruction offered, plus its focus and depth, to students of master's programs in library and information studies at today's outstanding universities in this field. The results show that very few LIS programs provide the minimal training required for professionals to be copyright literate. Very few courses are dedicated specifically to copyright issues, as these subjects are usually studied in an excessively generic and superficial manner within broader courses dedicated to information policy, information ethics, or legal issues regarding information. If we also bear in mind that most of these courses are elective, not required, the conclusion is that very few LIS graduates attain the minimal instruction required. The best results are obtained by US and Canadian universities accredited by the American Library Association (ALA), since copyright issues are included in the list of core competences required to achieve accreditation. The solution to this problem may lie in two complementary approaches. One would be to follow the ALA model and the IFLA recommendation and include copyright contents in the LIS curricula worldwide, and the other would be to provide institutional support for those professionals interested in obtaining the required training
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