The evolution of a national research plan for computers in education in The Netherlands

This paper describes the evolution of a national research plan for computers and education in The Netherlands. This approach was initiated in 1983 and includes two phases: one from 1984 until 1988 and one from 1989 until 1992. The paper describes the research plans for the second phase, based upon the experiences of the first, and draws some general conclusions about the development of national research plans for computers in education

Material growth and characterization for solid state devices

Manganese was used as the dopant for p-type InGaAs layers grown on semi-insulating (Fe-doped) and n-type (Sn-doped) InP substrates. Optical, electrical (Hall) and SIMS measurements were used to characterize the layers. Mn-diffusion into the substrate (during the growth of In GaAs) was observed only when Fe-doped substrates were used. Quaternary layers of two compositions corresponding to wavelengths (energy gaps) of approximated 1.52 micrometers were successfully grown at a constant temperature of 640 C and InP was grown in the temperature range of 640 C to 655 C. A study of the effect of pulses on the growth velocity of InP indicated no significant change as long as the average applied current was kept constant. A system for depositing films of Al2O3 by the pyrolysis of aluminum isopropoxide was designed and built. Deposited layers on Si were characterized with an ellipsometer and exhibited indices of refraction between 1.582 and 1.622 for films on the order of 3000 A thick. Undoped and p-type (Mn-doped) InGaAs epitaxial layers were also grown on Fe-doped InP substrates through windows in sputtered SiO2 (3200 A thick) layers

Material growth and characterization directed toward improving III-V heterojunction solar cells

In addition to the existing materials growth laboratory, the photolithographic facility and the device testing facility were completed. The majority of equipment for data acquisition, solar cell testing, materials growth and device characterization were received and are being put into operation. In the research part of the program, GaAs and GaA1As layers were grown reproducibly on GaAs substrates. These grown layers were characterized as to surface morphology, thickness and thickness uniformity. The liquid phase epitaxial growth process was used to fabricate p-n junctions in Ga(1-x)A1(x)As. Sequential deposition of two alloy layers was accomplished and detailed analysis of the effect of substrate quality and dopant on the GaA1As layer quality is presented. Finally, solar cell structures were formed by growing a thin p-GaA1As layer upon an epitaxial n-GaA1As layer. The energy gap corresponding to the long wavelength cutoff of the spectral response characteristic was 1.51-1.63 eV. Theoretical calculations of the spectral response were matched to the measured response

Review of aquaculture and fish consumption in Bangladesh

Fish play a crucial role in the Bangladeshi diet, providing more than 60% of animal source food, representing a crucial source of micro-nutrients, and possessing an extremely strong cultural attachment. Fish (including shrimp and prawn) is the second most valuable agricultural crop, and its production contributes to the livelihoods and employment of millions. The culture and consumption of fish therefore has important implications for national food and nutrition security, poverty and growth. This review examines the current state of knowledge on the aquaculture sector and fish consumption in Bangladesh, based on extensive analysis of secondary sources (including unpublished data unavailable elsewhere), consultation with various experts and specially conducted surveys. The review is comprised of three sections. Section 1 describes the main systems of aquaculture production in terms of their technical and social characteristics and outputs. Section 2 addresses issues relating to seed and feed. The final section analyses fish consumption patterns and demand, and attempts to estimate the volumes of fish produced from a range of sources.Food fish, Aquaculture, Food consumption, Fish consumption, Pond culture, Rice field aquaculture, Bangladesh,

A fistful of dollars or the sting? Considering academic–industry collaborations in the production of feature films

Increasingly universities and film schools are looking for ways to provide richer experiences for students to enhance their employability as well as find ways to make their programmes stand out in a competitive marketplace. Likewise, economic pressure on commercial feature film production companies, particularly independents, is forcing them to consider alternative means of production and new sources of cost-effective project support. This paper looks at the emergence of formal academic-industry collaboration in the creation, production and support of commercial feature films. Looking at a wide range of examples from collaborations worldwide, it considers three basic models: University as film production company with 'soft' investment; University as film production company with 'hard' investment; and University as film production service provider. It is argued that all three models can be viable but that alignment with corporate and institutional objectives, as well as realistic expectations, are essential to success

Facial expression of affect in children with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome

Background: Individuals with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) have been reported to show comparatively high levels of flat and negative affect but there have been no empirical evaluations. In this study, we use an objective measure of facial expression to compare affect in CdLS with that seen in Cri du Chat syndrome (CDC) and a group of individuals with a mixed aetiology of intellectual disabilities (ID). Method: Observations of three groups of 14 children with CdLS, CDC and mixed aetiology of ID were undertaken when a one-to-one interaction was ongoing. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in the duration of positive, negative or flat affect. However, the CdLS group displayed a significantly lower ratio of positive to negative affect than children in the other groups. Discussion: This difference partially confirms anecdotal observations and could be due to the expression of pain caused by health problems associated with CdLS or neurological expression of the CdLS gene in facial muscles related to expression of positive affect. However, further research is needed to directly test these possible associations. </p

By design : negotiating flexible learning in the built environment discipline

The term &lsquo;flexible education&rsquo; is now firmly entrenched within Australian higher education discourse, yet the term is a contested one imbued with a multiplicity of meanings. This paper describes a process designed to elucidate how the idea of flexible education can be translated into teaching models that are informed by the specific demands of disciplinary contexts. The process uses a flexible learning &lsquo;matching&rsquo; tool to articulate the understandings and preferences of students and academics of the Built Environment to bridge the gap between student expectations of flexibility and their teacher&rsquo;s willingness and ability to provide that flexibility within the limits of the pedagogical context and teaching resources. The findings suggest an informed starting point for educators in the Built Environment and other creative disciplines from which to traverse the complexities inherent in negotiating flexibility in an increasingly digital world

Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction in Sri Lanka: What Methodology?

Research methodology is the procedural framework within which the research is conducted. This includes the overall approach to a problem that could be put into practice in a research process, from the theoretical underpinning to the collection and analysis of data. Choice of methodology depends on the primary drivers: topic to be researched and the specific research questions. Hence, methodological perspectives of managing stakeholder expectations of PDHR context are composed of research philosophies, research strategy, research design, and research techniques. This research belonged to social constructivism or interpretivism within a philosophical continuum. The nature of the study was more toward subjectivism where human behavior favored voluntary stance. Ontological, methodological, epistemological, and axiological positioning carried the characteristics of idealism, ideographic, anti-positivism, and value laden, respectively. Data collection comprises two phases, preliminary and secondary. Exploratory interviews with construction experts in the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka were carried out to refine the interview questions and identify the case studies. Case study interviews during the secondary phase took place in Sri Lanka. Data collected at the preliminary stage were used to assess the attributes of power, legitimacy/proximity, and urgency of stakeholders to the project using Stakeholder Circle™ software. Moreover, the data collected at secondary phase via case studies will be analyzed with NVivo 8. This article aims to discuss these methodological underpinnings in detail applied in a post-disaster housing reconstruction context in Sri Lanka

Goal-oriented a posteriori error estimation for the travel time functional in porous media flows

In this article we consider the a posteriori error estimation and adaptive mesh refinement for the numerical approximation of the travel time functional arising in porous media flows. The key application of this work is in the safety assessment of radioactive waste facilities; in this setting, the travel time functional measures the time taken for a non-sorbing radioactive solute, transported by groundwater, to travel from a potential site deep underground to the biosphere. To ensure the computability of the travel time functional, we employ a mixed formulation of Darcy's law and conservation of mass, together with Raviart-Thomas H(div) conforming finite elements. The proposed a posteriori error bound is derived based on a variant of the standard Dual-Weighted-Residual approximation, which takes into account the lack of smoothness of the underlying functional of interest. The proposed adaptive refinement strategy is tested on both a simple academic test case and a problem based on the geological units found at the Sellafield site in the UK

Proline-Rich Peptides with Improved Antimicrobial Activity against E. coli, K. Pneumoniae, and A. Baumannii.

Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) are promising agents to combat multi-drug resistant pathogens due to a high antimicrobial activity, yet low cytotoxicity. A library of derivatives of the PrAMP Bac5(1-17) was synthesized and screened to identify which residues are relevant for its activity. In this way, we discovered that two central motifs -PIRXP- cannot be modified, while residues at N- and C- termini tolerated some variations. We found five Bac5(1-17) derivatives bearing 1-5 substitutions, with an increased number of arginine and/or tryptophan residues, exhibiting improved antimicrobial activity and broader spectrum of activity while retaining low cytotoxicity toward eukaryotic cells. Transcription/translation and bacterial membrane permeabilization assays showed that these new derivatives still retained the ability to strongly inhibit bacterial protein synthesis, but also acquired permeabilizing activity to different degrees. These new Bac5(1-17) derivatives therefore show a dual mode of action which could hinder the selection of bacterial resistance against these molecules