Examining teachers’ technological pedagogical and content knowledge in the era of cloud pedagogy

With the ongoing innovation of instructional technologies there has been an emerging call to examine what types of knowledge teachers require to survive in the era of cloud pedagogy. In response to this call we proposed a research model – TLPACK – which is based on technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), information communication technologies - technological pedagogical content knowledge (ICT-TPCK), and education technology, pedagogy and didactics, academic subject-matter discipline, educational psychology and educational sociology knowledge (TPACK-XL), to explore the types of knowledge that teachers at various levels – from kindergarten to post-secondary level – should equip themselves with in detail. TLPACK consists of five constructs (technology knowledge, learner knowledge, pedagogy knowledge, academic discipline, content knowledge, and context knowledge) but in total the TLPACK scale comprises 39 items. All items were converged based on the viewpoints of five experts from academia and practice following six rounds of the Delphi method, and the finalised version was prepared for reliability and validity examination. Proportional stratified sampling was adopted to conduct a questionnaire survey among teachers from kindergarten to post-secondary levels in Taiwan (n = 301). Rigorous statistical analyses were undertaken to examine the reliability and validity of this new model. Based on the results of statistical analyses, including item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis, it is reasonable to state that the proposed TLPACK scale has good reliability and validity for practical use. The conclusion and limitations of this study were drawn based on the extracted results, and suggestions for future study are reported at the end of this report.Keywords: Delphi method; hospitality education; ICT-TPCK; TLPACK; TPACK; TPACK-X

Inundation simulation for urban drainage basin with storm sewer system

Copyright © 2000 Elsevier. NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Hydrology . Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Hydrology Vol. 234 (2000), DOI: 10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00237-7An urban inundation model, combining a storm sewer model SWMM, two-dimensional (2D) diffusive overland-flow model and operations of pumping stations, has been developed to simulate inundation in urban areas caused by the surcharge of storm sewers and outlet pumping stations. The movement of water in the studied urban watershed is characterized by two components, namely, the storm sewer flow component and the surcharge-induced inundation component. SWMM is employed to solve the storm sewer flow component and to provide the surcharged flow hydrographs for surface runoff exceeding the capacity of the storm sewers. The 2D diffusive overland-flow model considering the non-inertia equation with Alternative Direction Explicit numerical scheme is then used to calculate the detailed inundation zones and depths due to the surcharged water on overland surface. Drainage by pumping stations at outlets of the storm sewer system has also been taken into consideration. The parameters of the model are calibrated and verified for discrete storms. The combined model is suitable for analysis of inundation on urban areas due to overflow of storm sewers and flooding caused by failure of pumping stations. Simulated results can be applied to establish flood-mitigation measures

Debris Flow Risk Assessment and Land-Use Planning – A Case Study of Jhonglun Hot Spring Area

The Jhonglun Scenic Area in Chiayi County, is famous for its hot spring, the region was hit by debris flow with tremendous losses and resulted with dramatic change of the landscape during Typhoon Morakot in 2009. The most effective strategy for reducing natural hazard risks is through land-use planning. Following the concept of Risk=Hazard*Exposure*Vulnerability, this study conducted risk identification through the collection of landslide inventory and history debris flow hazard mapping of Chiayi DF051 potential debris flow torrent. Together with elements at risk information from field investigations, the risk analysis was conducted with several return periods debris flow simulation to recognize the possible economic losses and fatalities by debris flow. The identified high risk areas in Jhonglun Scenic Area were compared to the current special district planning to understand the spatial distribution of high risk areas. The result shows that some of the designated zones were among the areas with high debris flow risks, which further indicates that land-use planning should consider the consequences of natural hazards. The result of this study provides one of the first steps for land use planning restrictions within the potential debris flow region

Economic Growth, Oil Consumption and Import Intensity: Factor Decomposition of Imported Crude Oil Model Approach

Taiwan became a member of the WTO in 2002. Trade is the engine of growth in Taiwan, accounting for nearly 96.41% of GDP in 2016. Taiwan's economy is highly export-oriented. On the other hand, Taiwan depends on imports for near 98 percent of its energy consumption. This paper analyzes the changes in the intensity of crude oil imports between 1981 and 2016. This research sets several main topics: i) Estimating the imported crude oil intensity of final demand for a quantity analysis. ii) Measure of imported crude oil intensity of final demand. iii) Factor decomposition model for the imported crude oil intensity of final demand. iv) The study could provide an understanding of the properties and production technologies of various industries. The result shows that imported goods intensity is the largest in the crude oil and gas sector. Changes in imported crude oil intensity factors mainly from domestic production structure and final demand structure. Keywords: Economic growth, Imported Crude Oil intensity, Factor Decomposition JEL Classifications: C51, F14, Q4

POE Lubricant Candidates For Low GWP Refrigerants

Several series of polyol ester (POE) refrigeration lubricants have been investigated for low GWP refrigerant R32 (R-410A replacement) and HFO-1234ze (R-134a replacement). The main problem of R32/HFO refrigeration lubricant development can be summarized as balancing between miscibility, solubility and lubricity. Generally speaking, refrigerant-lubricant mixture with highly miscible property in low temperature evaporator will lead to more soluble phenomenon in high temperature compressor. Therefore, when refrigerant is well miscible with refrigeration lubricant, dissolved refrigerant will reduce working viscosity of refrigerant-oil mixture in compressor, and thus results in lower lubricity, wear of sliding parts, and compressor durability shortage. In our studies, the key factor which result in aforementioned phenomenon was found, and can be controlled independently by using optimized chemical structure. For R32 compressor system, we have successfully developed a series of POE refrigeration lubricant, with viscosities ranging from 32cSt to 90cSt at 40°C, and with a wide range of miscibility (20% oil) from -40℃ to 2℃. From results of PVT experiments and lubricity tests (Falex P/V and four ball), it demonstrated to be possible to develop a POE oil with high miscibility, low solubility and high working viscosity. All results in R32 system were better than traditional refrigeration lubricant in R410A system. Meanwhile, we also were able to identify the relationship between surface tension of chemical structure and lubricity. For HFO-1234ze compressor system, incumbent refrigeration lubricants suitable for R134a are almost fully miscible in HFO-1234ze, which could lead to severe refrigerant dilution of lubricant viscosity and poor lubricity due to high solubility. Through studies of chemical structure of refrigeration lubricants, reliable experimental tests and rigorous thermodynamic calculation, we created a range of POE lubricants (ISO68 to ISO220) with miscibility (20% oil) from -33℃ to -13℃, all the while, maintaining solubility and working viscosity on par with the common POE refrigeration lubricants currently used in R-134a system