138 research outputs found
Factors Contributing to the Success of Female Self-initiated Expatriate Service Workers in the United Arab Emirates
Research into self-initiated expatriate (SIE) success is important when a nation’s workforce is overwhelmingly comprised of expatriates. We examined the direct effect of perceived organizational support and adjustment on intent to stay and job engagement and the mediation effect of adjustment for lower-skilled, female SIEs in the UAE. Hypotheses were tested using correlation, multiple regression and bootstrapped mediation analysis. Perceived organizational support and work adjustment demonstrated a significant, positive, direct effect on intent to stay and engagement. Work adjustment partially mediated the effect of perceived organizational support on engagement and intent to stay. Results and implications are discussed
Secondary implementation of interactive engagement teaching techniques: Choices and challenges in a Gulf Arab context
We report on a "Collaborative Workshop Physics" instructional strategy to
deliver the first IE calculus-based physics course at Khalifa University, UAE.
To these authors' knowledge, this is the first such course on the Arabian
Peninsula using PER-based instruction. A brief history of general university
and STEM teaching in the UAE is given. We present this secondary implementation
(SI) as a case study of a novel context and use it to determine if PER-based
instruction can be successfully implemented far from the cultural context of
the primary developer and, if so, how might such SIs differ from SIs within the
US. With these questions in view, a pre-reform baseline of MPEX, FCI, course
exam and English language proficiency data are used to design a hybrid
implementation of Cooperative Group Problem Solving. We find that for students
with high English proficiency, normalized gain on FCI improves from =
0.16+/-0.10 pre- to = 0.47+/-0.08 post-reform, indicating successful SI. We
also find that is strongly modulated by language proficiency and discuss
likely causes. Regardless of language skill, problem-solving skill is also
improved and course DFW rates drop from 50% to 24%. In particular, we find
evidence in post-reform student interviews that prior classroom experiences,
and not broader cultural expectations about education, are the more significant
cause of expectations at odds with the classroom norms of well-functioning
PER-based instruction. This result is evidence that PER-based innovations can
be implemented across great changes in cultural context, provided that the
method is thoughtfully adapted in anticipation of context and culture-specific
student expectations. This case study should be valuable for future reforms at
other institutions, both in the Gulf Region and developing world, facing
similar challenges involving SI of PER-based instruction outside the US.Comment: v1: 28 pages, 9 figures. v2: 19 pages, 6 figures, includes major
reorganization and revisions based on anonymous peer review. v3: 19 pages, 6
figures, minor revisions based on anonymous peer revie
Atomic structure and charge-density waves of blue bronze K0.3MoO3 (20[overline 1]) by variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy
Blue bronze (K0.3MoO3) has been the focus of a number of scattering, transport, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and theoretical studies that have provided insight into the relation between atomic structure and charge-density wave (CDW) formation. However, the full extent of a relation of the CDWs to the atomic lattice and the microscopic origin of CDW pinning are still not completely resolved. In this study STM is used to distinguish the atomic structure and CDWs at the (201) surface. Within the STM\u27s spatial resolution, the CDWs are incommensurate with the lattice at midrange temperatures and approach commensurability at low temperatures. Incommensurate CDWs are present on the surface and the degree of the incommensurability between blue bronze lattice and CDW lattice agree well with those determined from bulk scattering technique
Effect of cholecalciferol on unsaturated model membranes
Vitamin D plays an important role in many physiological processes, particularly calcium and phosphorous homeostasis. The biochemistry of vitamin D is also complex, encompassing a range of active molecules that may be either endogenous or dietary in origin. The role of lipids and fats in the production, processing and use of vitamin D is an interesting one, with a relative paucity of model studies into the interactions of vitamin D with lipidic systems such as micelles and vesicles. Here, we have studied the effect of vitamin D3 in simple unsaturated phospholipid systems. We used NMR and FTIR spectroscopy to investigate the effect of increasing vitamin D concentration on the structure and dynamics of the lipid chains and interfacial region. In order to link these model studies with more complex biomimetic environments, we compare results in the presence of buffer and vitamin D binding protein. We have also used DLS to determine that vitamin D3-DOPC vesicles can retain their size distribution for varying amounts of time in different conditions. We find that the acyl chain region of vitamin D3-DOPC membranes are generally disordered, and that the addition of buffer and/or protein alters the properties of the interfacial region
Time-resolved ferromagnetic resonance in epitaxial Fe1-xCox films
Magnetodynamics in epitaxial Fe1-xCox films on GaAs (100) are studied using
time-resolved ferromagnetic resonance, in which the free precession of the
magnetization after an impulsive excitation is measured using the polar Kerr
effect. The sample is rotated with respect to the static and pulsed field
directions, providing a complete mapping of the free energy surface and
characteristic relaxation times. The magnetic response can be simulated with a
simple coherent rotation model except in the immediate vicinity of switching
fields. Bulk and surface anisotropies are identified, and unusual dynamics
associated with the coexistence of cubic and uniaxial anisotropies are
observed.Comment: PDF - 4 figure
Electron Spin Dynamics and Hyperfine Interactions in Fe/Al_0.1Ga_0.9As/GaAs Spin Injection Heterostructures
We have studied hyperfine interactions between spin-polarized electrons and
lattice nuclei in Al_0.1Ga_0.9As/GaAs quantum well (QW) heterostructures. The
spin-polarized electrons are electrically injected into the semiconductor
heterostructure from a metallic ferromagnet across a Schottky tunnel barrier.
The spin-polarized electron current dynamically polarizes the nuclei in the QW,
and the polarized nuclei in turn alter the electron spin dynamics. The
steady-state electron spin is detected via the circular polarization of the
emitted electroluminescence. The nuclear polarization and electron spin
dynamics are accurately modeled using the formalism of optical orientation in
GaAs. The nuclear spin polarization in the QW is found to depend strongly on
the electron spin polarization in the QW, but only weakly on the electron
density in the QW. We are able to observe nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at
low applied magnetic fields on the order of a few hundred Oe by electrically
modulating the spin injected into the QW. The electrically driven NMR
demonstrates explicitly the existence of a Knight field felt by the nuclei due
to the electron spin.Comment: 19 Figures - submitted to PR
Coverage and Energy Analysis of Mobile Sensor Nodes in Obstructed Noisy Indoor Environment: A Voronoi Approach
The rapid deployment of wireless sensor network (WSN) poses the challenge of
finding optimal locations for the network nodes, especially so in (i) unknown
and (ii) obstacle-rich environments. This paper addresses this challenge with
BISON (Bio-Inspired Self-Organizing Network), a variant of the Voronoi
algorithm. In line with the scenario challenges, BISON nodes are restricted to
(i) locally sensed as well as (ii) noisy information on the basis of which they
move, avoid obstacles and connect with neighboring nodes. Performance is
measured as (i) the percentage of area covered, (ii) the total distance
traveled by the nodes, (iii) the cumulative energy consumption and (iv) the
uniformity of nodes distribution. Obstacle constellations and noise levels are
studied systematically and a collision-free recovery strategy for failing nodes
is proposed. Results obtained from extensive simulations show the algorithm
outperforming previously reported approaches in both, convergence speed, as
well as deployment cost.Comment: 17 pages, 24 figures, 1 tabl
A compact system for simultaneous stimulation and recording for closed-loop myoelectric control
Background.Despite important advancements in control and mechatronics of myoelectric prostheses, the communication between the user and his/her bionic limb is still unidirectional, as these systems do not provide somatosensory feedback. Electrotactile stimulation is an attractive technology to close the control loop since it allows flexible modulation of multiple parameters and compact interface design via multi-pad electrodes. However, the stimulation interferes with the recording of myoelectric signals and this can be detrimental to control.The work in this study was supported by the project ROBIN (8022-00243A and 8022-00226B) funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark
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