Flow and transport modeling in large river networks

textThe work presented in this dissertation discusses large scale flow and transport in river networks and investigates advantages and disadvantages of grid-based and vector-based river networks. This research uses the Mississippi River basin as a continental-case study and the Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers and Seine basin in France as regional-case studies. The first component of this research presents an extension of regional river flow modeling to the continental scale by using high resolution river data from NHDPlus dataset. This research discovers obstacles of flow computations for river a network with hundreds of thousands river segments in continental scales. An upscaling process is developed based on the vector-based river network to decrease the computational effort, and to reduce input file size. This research identifies drainage area as a key factor in the flow simulation, especially in a wet climate. The second component of this research presents an enhanced GIS framework for a steady-state riverine nitrogen transport modeling in the San Antonio and Guadalupe river network. Results show that the GIS framework can be applied to represent a spatial distribution of flow and total nitrogen in a large river network with thousands of connected river segment. However, time features of the GIS environment limit its applicability to large scale time-varied modeling. The third component shows a modeling regional flow and transport with consideration of stream-aquifer interactions at a regional scale at high resolution. The STICS- Eau-Dyssée combined system is implemented for entire seine basin to compute daily nitrate flux in the Seine grid river network. Results show that river-aquifer exchange has a significant impact on river flow and transport modeling in larger river networks.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin

Participation and community development.

This paper tries to put forward the argument that participation is a vehicle of community development. In order to achieve development in the community, community members should be involved directly in the process of development. Participation is participating in decision making, to choose a community project, plan it, implement it, manage it, monitor it, control it. The paper focuses on the definition of community development and participation in order to elaborate them. The main argument in this paper is: Participation is a vehicle to achieve to development that community members can involve directly in development process. This paper is theoretical in nature and the review is based on secondary materials

Effect of combined teaching method (role playing and storytelling) on creative thinking of fourth-grade students in the course of heaven gifts

Background and Purpose: Storytelling promotes imagination and satisfies curiosity in children and creates learning opportunities in them. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of combined teaching method (role playing and storytelling) on creative thinking of fourthgrade female students in the course of Heaven Gifts.Research Method: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with pretest-posttest design with control group on 60 fourth-grade female students in primary schools of the city of Khash in the academic year of (2013-2014) who were selected randomly. Students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (30 students in each group). Research tools included Torrance creativity questionnaire (1989). The data were analyzed by independent ttest and analysis of covariance at significance level of 0.05.Findings: The results showed that the teaching method of role playing/storytelling has significant impact on the creative thinking in general as well as flexibility, innovation and fluid of fourth-grade female students. But the mean score of creative thinking in the in the development aspect after the intervention in students of control and experimental groups did not differ significantly.Conclusion: Based on these findings, we recommend teachers to use the teaching method of role playing and storytelling in the classroom to develop creative thinking in students.Keywords: creative thinking, combined teaching method, storytelling, role playing

The effect of using partnership care model on the quality of life in the school-age children with β-thalassemia

زمینه و هدف: تالاسمی از شایع ترین بیماری های ژنتیک است که بر کیفیت زندگی اثر دارد. با توجه به لزوم یافتن بهترین روشهای اداره تالاسمی از طریق درگیری تمام ارکان مراقبتی، تحقیق حاضر با هدف تعیین تأثیر مدل مراقبت مشارکتی بر کیفیت زندگی کودکان سن مدرسه مبتلا به تالاسمی انجام گرفته است. روش بررسی: در این پژوهش تجربی 72 کودک مبتلا به تالاسمی ماژور به صورت در دسترس انتخاب و به صورت تصادفی در دو گروه آزمون و شاهد قرار گرفتند. پرسشنامه های دموگرافیک و کیفیت زندگی عمومی کودک (گزارش کودک و والدین) (Peds-QOL)، قبل از مداخله در هر دو گروه تکمیل و مدل مراقبت مشارکتی بر اساس مراحل انگیزش، آماده سازی، درگیرسازی و ارزشیابی، در گروه آزمون و با حضور مراقبت دهنده اصلی در منزل به مدت 2 ماه اجرا شد. میانگین نمرات کیفیت زندگی 3 ماه بعد از مداخله با اطلاعات قبل از مداخله به کمک آزمون های آماری کای دو، فیشر و t مستقل و t زوجی مقایسه گردید. یافته‌ها: نتایج نشان داد که تفاوت معنی‌داری در کیفیت زندگی کودکان بین دو گروه قبل از مداخله وجود ندارد، میانگین نمره کیفیت زندگی پس از مداخله در همه ابعاد (گزارش والدین و کودک) به جز عملکرد جسمی والدین در گروه آزمون بالاتر از گروه شاهد بود (001/0

The influence of subjective norm on intention to use of learning management system among Malaysian higher education students

In recent years, the use of learning management system by universities has been increasingly growing. However, the results of several studies have revealed that students do not fully use the information systems. The present study proposes a model which investigates the influence of three constructs of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and subjective norm on behavior intention to use of learning management system. The sample size was 216 Malaysian undergraduate students. The results of the study revealed that the proposed model accounts for 31.1 % variance of behavior intention to use

The social capacity to develop a community.

The basic purpose of the research is to assess the concept of social capital, community development and relationship that exist between them. A community is constituted by the relationships in which people interact on an everyday basis. In order for people of the same community to have shared norms, values and interests, they need to have the capacity to come together, share, relate, and talk about their norms, values and interests. This capacity is social capital. Social capital is the means by which individual of community interrelate together. Community development is the process by which the efforts of the people themselves are united to improve the quality and quantity of life of the community. The main issue of this paper is “group of people with the high stock of social capital is characterized by trust, norms, values and interests that lead to development of the community and then enable to resolve its problems.” This paper is theoretical in nature and the review is based on secondary materials. Findings show in any community, it is necessary that there be social trust, norms, and networks that people can draw upon to community development to solve their common problems

An assessment of task-technology fit, subjective norm and internet experience of Learning Management System in views of Malaysian higher education Students

In recent years, the use of Learning Management System (LMS) in higher education has dramatically increased. However, many students use LMS for limited purposes such as downloading course materials. There are many factors that may affect LMS utilization by students. In the present study three factors, namely Internet experience, subjective norm, and task-technology fit were examined. The participants of the study were 216 undergraduate students of faculty of education in one of the local universities in Malaysia. The results revealed that the constructs of Internet experience and subjective norm obtained a high mean value. This result suggests students who used LMS have a sufficient internet experience which could easily help them in using it. University and lecturer support seems to be the most important sources that encourage them to use LMS. Students also responded their satisfaction with the functionality of LMS to assists them in the process of learning

Behaviour intention to use the learning management: integrating technology acceptance model with task-technology fit

In recent years many higher education institutes have equipped themselves with Learning Management System (LMS). Although LMS supports the process of teaching and learning, its utilization by students is limited. The present study integrated task-technology fit with Technology Acceptance Model to predict behavior intention to use of Learning Management System among higher education students. The sample size of the study included 316 undergraduate students from two local university nearby in Malaysia. To find the better fit, partially-mediated and fully-mediated models were compared through Structural Equation Model. The results of data analysis revealed that the partially-mediated model got the better fit