Education as sustainable development : Mangaia, Cook Islands

Listed in 2016 Dean's List of Exceptional ThesesSustainable development (SD) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) became prominent in the 1990s. Problematically, these western centric constructs have sometimes been used to justify greater economic growth despite concern about the environment. Simultaneously, greater awareness of the pivotal role culture plays in development has demanded the rethinking of SD in terms of culturally responsive and contextually relevant ‘alternatives to’ development. Using the case of Mangaia in the Cook Islands the aim of this research was to draw out Mangaians own visions for SD and their consequent expectations for the type of ESD delivered to students in the classroom. Situating the research within a hopeful postdevelopment framework a culturally responsive, open ended, critical research methodology was used to gain an understanding of what constitutes a Mangaian SD worldview. Using participatory semi structured interviews underpinned by Mangaian uriuri manako (reflective problem solving) preliminary frameworks for Mangaian SD and ESD were co-constructed. This thesis highlights that to Mangaian people SD is complex and multi modal consisting of an indigenous development centred on oraanga Mangaia and alternative modernities, embedded in culture, operating at the margins of the global economy. This Mangaian view of SD, interacting with externally driven development, is continually reinvented by the Mangaian people using both indigenous and western knowledge, in response to issues of sustainability. The study argues that current western centric ‘Education about’ and ‘Education for’ SD programmes do not reflect the cultural and contextual reality of SD in the Global South. Instead, Education as Sustainable Development (EasSD) is presented as a novel concept, which embraces learning taking place within culture and is able to respond to the context and dynamism of hopeful post-development settings: it is argued that this approach would provide students with the knowledge to be able to fashion community-based sustainable futures. An EasSD approach would expose students to a broader range of livelihoods options and have the ability to strengthen a student’s language, culture and identity while potentially improving their academic outcomes. A strength based implementation that draws on the support of all development and education stakeholders offers the best chance of actualising EasSD and so empowering students with the ability to participate in, and lead, their own communities’ SD

Drug Abuse in Sports and Its Psychological Effects on Athletes

The paper examined drugs and its abuses in competitive sports.  The type of drugs that are banned in sports, that are performance-enhancing drugs such as psycho-stimulant, sympathomimethic aminos (Amino substances) central nervous system stimulators, narcotics etc. Effects of doping drugs on the athlete and the psychological implication, which include deterioration of performance with constant use indiscipline and some times destitution may result.  Suggestions were made on ways of curbing drugs abuse in competitive sports including counseling.  The paper concluded that if the suggested measures are adopted, drug use in sports will be reduced to the barest minimum or totally climinated from sports; that the use of drugs in sports if not curbed may result in more negative psychological consequences on both the athlete and society in general. (Journal of Vocational, Science & Educational Development, 4(1). April, 2003: 66 – 71

Drug Abuse in Sports and Its Psychological Effects on Athletes

The paper examined drugs and its abuses in competitive sports.  The type of drugs that are banned in sports, that are performance-enhancing drugs such as psycho-stimulant, sympathomimethic aminos (Amino substances) central nervous system stimulators, narcotics etc. Effects of doping drugs on the athlete and the psychological implication, which include deterioration of performance with constant use indiscipline and some times destitution may result.  Suggestions were made on ways of curbing drugs abuse in competitive sports including counseling.  The paper concluded that if the suggested measures are adopted, drug use in sports will be reduced to the barest minimum or totally climinated from sports; that the use of drugs in sports if not curbed may result in more negative psychological consequences on both the athlete and society in general. (Journal of Vocational, Science & Educational Development, 4(1). April, 2003: 66 – 71

Evaluation under Laboratory Conditions of the Efficacy of Four Extracts of Spontaneous Plants from the Mzab Valley (Algeria) against the Date Palm Mite (Oligonychus afrasiaticus)

Trials were conducted to test the hydrosols of 4 spontaneous plants on the date palm mite, Oligonychus afrasiaticus, a key pest of date palm in Algeria. Extracts from those plants (basil, harmel, colocynth and hyssop) tested against date palm mite showed promising results. The quantities of essential  oils extracted from the 4 plants were extremely low, that is why only hydrosols were used. The results obtained change depending on the number of  sprays and the reading time after treatment. The hyssop extract caused a high mortality rate of 91%, followed by colocynth and basil extracts with  average mortality rates of 64% and 62%, respectively. The lowest mortality rate, 6%, occurred when applying harmel extract

CAMPUR KODE DALAM PROSES PERKAWINAN ETNIS KULISUSU DI DESA LAKANSAI KECAMATAN KULISUSU UTARA KABUPATEN BUTON UTARA

Masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah bagaimana bentuk-bentuk campur kode, serta faktor-faktor penyebab terjadinya campur kode dalam Prosesi Adat Perkawinan Etnis Kulisusu. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bentuk-bentuk campur kode dan faktor-faktor penyebab terjadinya campur kode pada Prosesi Adat Perkawinan Suku Kulisusu di Desa lakansai kecamatan Kulisusu Utara Kabupaten Buton Utara .Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian l apangan, metode yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif kualitatif.Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data lisan yang diperoleh dari Prosesi adat Perkawinan.Teknik pengumpulan data dalam penelitian ini menggunakan teknik rekam, teknik simak, teknik catat dan teknik wawancara. Berdasarkan hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan ada beberapa bentuk campur kode yang terdapat  berupa penyisipan kata, frasa, dan klausa. Adapun faktor yang penyebab terjadinya campur kode campur kode yaitu: 1. Campur kode karena penutur lupa bahasa daerahnnya, 2. Campur kode karena penutur melakukan penegasan dan penjelasan, 3. Campur kode karena pengaruh perkembangan zaman, 4. Campur kode terjadi karena pengaruh sengaja atau tidak sengaja menggunakan bahasa Indonesia, 5. Campur kode karena faktor gengsi dan akademik, 6. Campur kode karena faktor tidak memiliki padanan bahasa Kulisusu.   Kata kunci : Campur kode, Etnis Kulisusu, Perkawina

STRUKTUR KLAUSA DERIVASI BAHASA KULISUSU DIALEK WAWONII KABUPATEN KONAWE KEPULAUAN

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui Struktur Klausa Derivasi Bahasa Kulisusu Dialek Wawonii Kabupaten Konawe Kepulauan. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Studi Kasus yang akan diuraikan secara deskriptif dari hasil jaringan pengumpulan data yang diperoleh dari beberapa metode, yaitu Metode Tes, Wawancara dan Observasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa struktur klausa derivasi bahasa Kulisusu Dialek Wawonii Kabupaten Konawe Kepulauan sebagai berikut (1) Klausa derivasi nonkausatif yang terdiri dari (a) Klausa pasif derivasi dari klausa aktif transitif, dengan prefiks sebagai pemerkah dari klausa pasif; (b) Klausa resiprok derivasi dari klausa aktif transitif, dengan prefiks meka- sebagai pemerkah resiprok; (c) Klausa refleksi dengan struktur formal terdiri atas S : FN, P: FVref, dan O: FN; (d) Klausa refleksif dengan prefiks pa-, ku-, di- sebagai pemerkah klausa bitransitif dan (2) Klausa derivasi kausatif terdiri dari (a) Kausatif dari akar verba intransitif dengan prefiks pa- sebagai pembentuk kausatif dan (b) Kausatif dari akar verba transitif dengan konfiks pa-o dan pa-e sebagai pembentuk kausatif

Rate-dependent toughness in soft materials via microscopic scratch testing

Although fracture processes are rate-sensitive in a wide variety of biological and engineering systems, such as protein materials and bulk metallic glasses, the exact contribution of the prescribed mechanical loading rate to the measured fracture resistance is not fully understood. In this study, we formulate a novel energy-based framework for crack propagation in nonlinear viscous solids, using microscopic scratch tests. The scratch test consists in pushing a tool across the surface of a weaker material at a given penetration depth, and is relevant to several fields of science and engineering ranging from quality control of thin films and coatings to fracture characterization of cementitious materials. A hybrid experimental and theoretical study on amorphous and semicrystalline polymers shows that the apparent fracture toughness increases with the prescribed scratching speed up to an asymptotic value that is independent on the prescribed loading rate. Nonlinear viscoelastic fracture mechanics reveals that, because of the bulk viscous dissipation, the crack propagation processes can inhibited or delayed, resulting in a coupling between the intrinsic fracture energy and the material viscoelastic properties. Moreover, by combining indentation and scratch tests to decouple creep and fracture, it becomes possible to represent with a single master curve the evolution of the apparent fracture toughness for three loading rates, 0, 45, and 90 N/min, and for scratching speeds ranging from 0 to 20 mm/min. Overall, by considering a dual dissipation mode, viscous and fracture dissipation, we can capture the scaling of the scratch forces over a wide range of loading rates and scratching speeds in order to assess the intrinsic rate-independent and geometry independent fracture toughness of the tested material. Given the scalability of scratch tests, this new development open new venues for the characterization of the fracture toughness of soft materials at the microscopic scale

Corak hilang upaya dalam kalangan pekerja di Malaysia: kajian kes bagi pencarum PERKESO

Kecederaan yang berkait dengan pekerjaan merupakan suatu isu yang perlu diambil berat untuk mengurangkan permasalahan hilang upaya dan kematian di tempat kerja. Pekerja sihat dan berproduktiviti tinggi merupakan salah satu faktor yang penting kepada peningkatan ekonomi sesebuah negara. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti corak hilang upaya bagi pekerja yang dilindungi Skim Bencana Pekerjaan di bawah Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial Malaysia (PERKESO) untuk tahun 2009-2013. Berdasarkan perihalan diskriptif yang diperoleh, sebanyak 80% daripada jumlah keseluruhan pekerja yang mengalami masalah hilang upaya atau kematian di tempat kerja merupakan pekerja lelaki. Selain itu, pekerja yang berumur 25 tahun dan ke atas lebih terdedah kepada kecederaan dan kematian yang berkait dengan pekerjaan. Dapatan kajian ini menunjukkan faktor sosiodemografi seperti jantina dan umur, serta tahap hilang upaya merupakan beberapa faktor penting yang perlu dipertimbangkan dalam mengenal pasti corak hilang upaya dalam kalangan pekerja

Revolutionising concrete and composites through micro- and nano-engineering for circular economy solutions in railway and other civil construction

This BRIDGE project built on research strengths of both the University of Birmingham (UoB) and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) to perform fundamental investigations on performance, dynamic damping, durability, dielectric property, and dynamic resistance of micro- and nano-engineered CRC (crumbed rubber concrete). Both in the UK and USA, millions of tons of non-biodegradable waste rubber is produced annually. Significant researches into the recycle of waste rubber in structural concrete have been carried out over recent years; however, most research still shows that the increase in damping is achieved while sacrificing strength. In this project, for the first time, micro and nano-sized rubber inclusions with various surface characteristics along with silica fume are used in order to achieve high strength (over 50 MPa) while maintaining high damping for real-world solutions