Bridging Western Theories and Indigenous Perspectives to Implement STEM in Outdoor Early Childhood Educational Settings

During the Covid-19 pandemic, educators were obliged to rethink traditional classroom settings and explore alternative learning environments. Consequently, numerous outdoor education programs and forest schools emerged in North America during that time. These outdoor alternatives were met with great enthusiasm given that these programs offered a unique advantage during the pandemic, as they could easily enforce physical distancing while also providing a natural space with fresh air circulation. Concurrently, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education has become a popular focus in 21st-century classrooms. By incorporating STEM subjects into outdoor education programs, children are given the opportunity to develop their problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills in a natural environment. By engaging in STEM activities such as building structures, observing and analyzing natural phenomena, and experimenting with technology, children can develop an appreciation and develop a deeper understanding and sense of belonging with the natural world while also gaining important skills for the future. This article emphasizes on how combining outdoor education and STEM subjects can result in a holistic approach to education that addresses the needs of the whole child. Children are not only able to learn about the natural world but also to develop fundamental skills that will help them in their future education and careers. Additionally, outdoor education can provide children with a sense of well-being and connectedness to the natural world, which can have positive effects on their mental and physical health. Keywords:STEM learning, Indigenous, Outdoor Learning, Forest School, Land-Based Learning, Western Theories, Early Childhood Education. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-9-01 Publication date:March 31st 202

Moodle and e-learning Tools

Ivory Coast - Abidjan: MarketColorVolume 69, Page 1

Techniques for Enhancing the Temporal Predictability of Real-Time Embedded Systems Employing a Time-Triggered Software Architecture.

This thesis is concerned with the design and implementation of single-processor embedded real-time systems with highly predictable behaviour and strict constraints on resource usage. The main aim of this research is to identify the sources of unpredictable behaviour in such systems – exhibited as timing jitter - when a time-triggered pre-emptive task scheduling approach is adopted, and then provide software based techniques to enhance their temporal predictability. The thesis provides a review of related previous work on predictable real-time task scheduling, as well as resource-access control methods for maintaining predictable real-time system behaviour through the prevention of priority inversion and other related problems. The design and implementation of the time-triggered hybrid (TTH), time-triggered rate-monotonic (TTRM), and time-triggered deadline-monotonic (TTDM) task schedulers is discussed in detail as they provide the most predictable behaviour within the category of pre-emptive task schedulers. For that reason, they will be used as the software platforms in the experimental part of this research. Two novel software techniques for enhancing the temporal predictability in systems utilising time-triggered schedulers are introduced. The first software technique presented is a resource-access control protocol named Timed Resource-Access Protocol (TRAP). This protocol is designed to avoid the problems of priority inversion, chained blocking and deadlocks while coercing system tasks to exhibit timing predictability that is proportional to their significance in the system. This appears in the decreasing levels of task finishing jitter as the significance of tasks in the system increases. The second technique is named Planned Pre-emption (PP). This technique is aimed at eliminating the scheduling unpredictability due to variable timer interrupt service time in time-triggered scheduling systems. The impact of this technique appears in the considerable reduction in scheduler task release jitter. Finally, the thesis is concluded by a discussion and a summary of the work presented

Techniques for enhancing the temporal predictability of real-time embedded systems employing a time-triggered software architecture

This thesis is concerned with the design and implementation of single-processor embedded real-time systems with highly predictable behaviour and strict constraints on resource usage. The main aim of this research is to identify the sources of unpredictable behaviour in such systems – exhibited as timing jitter - when a time-triggered pre-emptive task scheduling approach is adopted, and then provide software based techniques to enhance their temporal predictability. The thesis provides a review of related previous work on predictable real-time task scheduling, as well as resource-access control methods for maintaining predictable real-time system behaviour through the prevention of priority inversion and other related problems. The design and implementation of the time-triggered hybrid (TTH), time-triggered rate-monotonic (TTRM), and time-triggered deadline-monotonic (TTDM) task schedulers is discussed in detail as they provide the most predictable behaviour within the category of pre-emptive task schedulers. For that reason, they will be used as the software platforms in the experimental part of this research. Two novel software techniques for enhancing the temporal predictability in systems utilising time-triggered schedulers are introduced. The first software technique presented is a resource-access control protocol named Timed Resource-Access Protocol (TRAP). This protocol is designed to avoid the problems of priority inversion, chained blocking and deadlocks while coercing system tasks to exhibit timing predictability that is proportional to their significance in the system. This appears in the decreasing levels of task finishing jitter as the significance of tasks in the system increases. The second technique is named Planned Pre-emption (PP). This technique is aimed at eliminating the scheduling unpredictability due to variable timer interrupt service time in time-triggered scheduling systems. The impact of this technique appears in the considerable reduction in scheduler task release jitter. Finally, the thesis is concluded by a discussion and a summary of the work presented.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Μεταφορά και απόσβεση ενέργειας σε μη γραμμικούς ταλαντωτές

In the following thesis we study a three degree of freedom autonomous system with damping, composed of two linear coupled oscillators with an essentially nonlinear lightweight attachment. A similar work was done by Vakakis. He studied the dynamic interactions between traveling waves propagating in a linear lattice and a lightweight, essentially nonlinear and damped local attachment through slow-fast partitions of the dynamics and Melnikov analysis. He proved that for damping below a critical threshold relaxation oscillations of the attachment exist. These oscillations are associated with enhanced targeted energy transfer from the traveling wave to the attachment. Moreover, in the limit of weak or no damping, he proved the existence of subharmonic oscillations of arbitrarily large periods, and of chaotic motions. In our work we study, with the help of the Slow Invariant Manifold (SIM) approach, how the parameters of the original problem influence the asymptotic behavior of the orbits of the system. This is accomplished with the application of Tikhonov's theorem. We classify the different cases of the dynamics according to the values of the parameters and the theoretically predicted asymptotic behavior of the orbits. In the next step we study the dynamical behavior of the slow flow of the system. The dynamics of the slow flow can be either simple (having regular oscillations in the region of the stable branches of the SIM), having relaxation oscillations or chaotic behavior. The study of the slow flow and the bifurcations of the SIM are related with the Targeted Energy Transfer of the initial problem. The classification of the different cases of the SIM gives us, in a way, a way to control the dynamics of the system. Furthermore, an electric circuit that implements the nonlinear reduced system is presented. This electric circuit can be used for the experimental study as well as for developing applications that use the rich dynamics of the above system. This thesis is organized as follows. In the next chapter we present some basic concepts, theorems and tools that we use in our study. The third chapter presents the bifurcations of the SIM and a classification for the different cases. In the fourth chapter we present the dynamics of the slow flow. The effect of the SIM and the slow flow dynamics on the energy transfer and dissipation of the initial system is presented in the fifth chapter. The sixth chapter presents an electrical circuit that implements the reduced nonlinear system. Finally, in the seventh chapter, we present the conclusions of our work and suggestions for further work.Στην παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή μελετάμε ένα σύστημα τριών συζευγμένων ταλαντωτών με τριβή, δύο γραμμικών με έναν μη γραμμικό. Τέτοια συστήματα ταλαντωτών έχουν μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον ιδιαίτερα όταν η μάζα του μη γραμμικού ταλαντωτή είναι πολύ μικρότερη από τους γραμμικούς με συνέπεια ο μη γραμμικός ταλαντωτής να λειτουργεί ως καταβόθρα ενέργειας.Αυτού του είδους τα συστήματα, στα οποία συνυπάρχουν ένας αργός και ένας γρήγορος χρόνος μπορούν να μελετηθούν με τη βοήθεια της singularity analysis, των αναλλοίωτων πολλαπλοτήτων, ενώ σημαντική πληροφορία για τη δυναμική του συστήματος δίνεται και από την δυναμική της αργής ροής (Slow Flow) του συστήματος. Στην παρούσα διατριβή μελετάμε το σύστημα μέσω της μελέτης της αργής αναλλοίωτης πολλαπλότητας (Slow Invariant Manifold- SIM-). Με τη βοήθεια του θεωρήματος του Tikhonov κατηγοριοποιούμε τις διάφορες περιπτώσεις της αργής αναλλοίωτης πολλαπλότητας και ορίζουμε αναλυτικά τις συνθήκες με τις οποίες μπορούμε να οδηγηθούμε στην κάθε περίπτωση. Σε επόμενο βήμα μελετάμε την δυναμική της αργής ροής και παρατηρούμε ότι η δυναμική της είναι πλούσια αφού οι τροχιές της μπορούν να είναι κανονικές, να κάνουν ταλαντώσεις ηρεμίας (relaxation oscillations), ή να είναι χαοτικές. Από την μελέτη της ενέργειας που αποθηκεύεται στον μη γραμμικό ταλαντωτή και από τον ρυθμό απόσβεσης της συνολικής ενέργειας του συστήματος παρατηρούμε ότι τόσο η ύπαρξη διακλαδώσεων της αργής αναλλοίωτης πολλαπλότητας, όσο και η δυναμική της αργής ροής παίζουν καθοριστικό ρόλο στην μεταφορά ενέργειας από τον γραμμικό στον μη γραμμικό ταλαντωτή. Επίσης, στις περιπτώσεις που βλέπουμε μεταφορά ενέργειας παρατηρούμε ότι ο ρυθμός απόσβεσης της συνολικής ενέργειας του συστήματος είναι μεγαλύτερος από τον ρυθμό απόσβεσης όταν δεν μεταφέρεται ενέργεια στον μη γραμμικό ταλαντωτή. Η μελέτη του συστήματος των τριών συζευγμένων ταλαντωτών κλείνει με την πρόταση ενός μη γραμμικού ηλεκτρικου κυκλώματος το οποίο υλοποιεί την μη γραμμική διαφορική εξίσωση δεύτερης τάξης με την οποία προσεγγίσαμε το αρχικό σύστημα. Το συγκεκριμένο κύκλωμα έχει ενδιαφέρον γιατί μας δίνει τη δυνατότητα να μελετήσουμε και πειραματικά διάφορα από τα φαινόμενα που είδαμε στην θεωρητική μας ανάλυση

Intrathecal pethidine: an alternative anaesthetic for transsurethral research of prostate?

We aimed to determine the usefulness of intrathecal pethidine as the sole anaesthetic for transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) while comparing the incidence of hypotension with intrathecal bupivacaine. A double-blinded randomized prospective trial was conducted involving 40 patients for TURP. The patients were divided equally into two groups; Group A received 2ml 0.5% bupivaccine intrathecally and group B received 40mg pethidine intrathecally. Changes in blood pressure and heart rate were measured over the first 30 minutes. The highest sensory block and the time to reach it were documented. The degree of motor blockade was also recorded. There was no significant difference in the incidence of hypotension. The pethidine group had significantly greater reduction in heart rate, a lower degree of motor block, shorter period before requests for postoperative analgesia but a higher incidence of sedation, nausea and vomiting. Intrathecal pethidine did not offer any advantage over intrathecal bupivaccine for TURP. Keywords: intrathecal pethidine, transurethral resection, prostate Mary Slessor Journal of Medicine Vol. 5 (1), 2005: 61-6

Risks and Remedies in ISRA University e-Learning System

Information technology brought radical changes in various aspects of contemporary life and education sector in general and in higher education particularly. Our institute (Isra University) decided to be more responsive to these dramatic changes and rapid developments and effectively employ information technology and modern communications to improve the quality of teaching and learning through a gradual shift from web-enhanced courses towards blended learning, distance learning, and open learning to achieve better learning outcomes excellence and competition. Our institution uses Moodle system to offer web-enhanced courses with timed on-line quizzes as well as a vehicle for students to submit homework assignments and gain access to different course related resources. Isra university e-learning center (IUELC) investigated the risks at Isra university e-learning system (IUELS) may encounter at this level of offering web-enhanced courses and the suitable solutions to these risks. This paper outlines the identified risks (IUELS-risks) and their remedies (IUELS-remedies)