A Descriptive Analysis of Job Satisfaction among Faculty Members: Case of Private Vocational and Technical Education Institutions, Baabda, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon

The study aimed to assess Job Satisfaction (JS) among teaching staff in private vocational and technical education institutions in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon. The study is descriptive and analytic, using a sample of 200 teachers from 13 schools and institutes chosen according to the coordinated random method. A questionnaire created and validated by Warr, Cook, and Wall is adopted to measure job satisfaction. This questionnaire includes personal information like job status, educational level, number of years of work, monthly income, age, gender, and social status. Using a seven-level Likert scale, it also contains 15 items to measure various dimensions of job satisfaction (internal and external factors). Results show a low overall mean of 4.69 out of 7 with a standard deviation of 1.15 for job satisfaction, based on data analysis using the SPSS program. Also, the majority of respondents are not satisfied with the wage received (the overall mean of job satisfaction=3.83, with a standard deviation of 2.00); there is a low level of JS among teachers concerning the degree of job security (mean=4.13 with a standard deviation of 1.91); there are no statistically significant differences in JS among teachers due to demographics. Capitalizing on the results, recommendations are made

Intermixing at the InxSy/Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 Heterojunction and Its Impact on the Chemical and Electronic Interface Structure

We report on the chemical and electronic structure of the interface between a thermally co-evaporated InxSy buffer and a Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) absorber for thin-film solar cells. To date, such cells have achieved energy conversion efficiencies up to 8.6%. Using surface-sensitive X-ray and UV photoelectron spectroscopy, combined with inverse photoemission and bulk-sensitive soft X-ray emission spectroscopy, we find a complex character of the buffer layer. It includes oxygen, as well as selenium and copper that diffused from the absorber into the InxSy buffer, exhibits an electronic band gap of 2.50 ± 0.18 eV at the surface, and leads to a small cliff in the conduction band alignment at the InxSy/CZTSSe interface. After an efficiency-increasing annealing step at 180 °C in nitrogen atmosphere, additional selenium diffusion leads to a reduced band gap at the buffer layer surface (2.28 ± 0.18 eV)

Restructuring of amygdala subregion apportion across adolescence

Total amygdala volumes develop in association with sex and puberty, and postmortem studies find neuronal numbers increase in a nuclei specific fashion across development. Thus, amygdala subregions and composition may evolve with age. Our goal was to examine if amygdala subregion absolute volumes and/or relative proportion varies as a function of age, sex, or puberty in a large sample of typically developing adolescents (N = 408, 43 % female, 10–17 years). Utilizing the in vivo CIT168 atlas, we quantified 9 subregions and implemented Generalized Additive Mixed Models to capture potential non-linear associations with age and pubertal status between sexes. Only males showed significant age associations with the basolateral ventral and paralaminar subdivision (BLVPL), central nucleus (CEN), and amygdala transition area (ATA). Again, only males showed relative differences in the proportion of the BLVPL, CEN, ATA, along with lateral (LA) and amygdalostriatal transition area (ASTA), with age. Using a best-fit modeling approach, age, and not puberty, was found to drive these associations. The results suggest that amygdala subregions show unique variations with age in males across adolescence. Future research is warranted to determine if our findings may contribute to sex differences in mental health that emerge across adolescence

Demonstrating Rapid Response for Remote Sensing Applications Using Automation and Intelligent Software on GEOStare SV2

We conducted a campaign to demonstrate rapid responsiveness by tasking a nanosatellite with in-transit plane and ship image captures. By utilizing open-source information, approximate routes can be generated using ANSYS\u27s Systems Tool Kit (STK) Software for these vehicles1. GEOStare SV2 was leveraged for this effort by utilizing a new imaging mode for tracking and sweeping between coordinate locations ( nodes ). GEOStare SV2 is a 6U CubeSat in a mid-latitude LEO orbit with a dual camera remote sensing payload. The satellite is operated by Terran Orbital, with the payload designed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). Since launching in May 2021, it has taken over 100,000 images of ground and space-based targets, including landmarks, environmental disasters, war zones, satellites, and asteroids at an average cadence of several thousand images per month. The capabilities of GEOStare SV2\u27s attitude determination and control system (ADCS) enable unique imaging modes such as mosaics that can quickly and easily be leveraged by ground operators. For this campaign, mosaics was used to attempt to track and image the position of vehicles of interest. Mosaics is designed to sweep between several nodes at specified timestamps to command the line-of-sight of the camera such that it coincides with a location of interest at a given point in time. This imaging mode allows the spacecraft to capture more information within a given image session by ensuring a moving object remains in frame or by capturing larger portions of the terrain. A ground scheduling system was used to build command parameters and send them to the spacecraft without an operator in the loop. Ground tools include filters based on the team\u27s experimental findings for improving image integrity, such as weather and exposure times. The images can be downlinked and moved to a desired location without operator intervention. Upon receiving the images, the team is immediately able to view and determine the quality and contents of an image, then schedule new images or deliver them to customers

Impact of the thickness of Nickel oxide film for nitrogen dioxide gas sensing Applications

Nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were formed by RF reactive magnetron sputtering onto glass substrates. The Argon and Oxygen partial pressure were (3.2×10-3 torr) and (2.12×10-2 torr) respectively at room temperature. The thickness of the films deposited was in the range of 50-150 nm. The thickness necessity structural, electrical and sensing properties of (NiO) films were methodically examined. X-ray diffraction method which shows polycrystalline landscape with preferred reflection peak at (200) plane. Scanning electron microscope analysis revealed that the growth of nanorods in all the films. The gas sensitivity of nitrogen dioxide gas was (67 %). It was observed that the gas sensitivity for (NiO) films was increased as film thickness increases

RNA Biol

The HIV-1 Vif protein plays an essential role in the regulation of the infectivity of HIV-1 virion and in vivo pathogenesis. Vif neutralizes the human DNA-editing enzyme APOBEC3 protein, an antiretroviral cellular factor from the innate immune system, allowing the virus to escape the host defence system. It was shown that Vif is packaged into viral particles through specific interactions with the viral genomic RNA. Conserved and structured sequences from the 5'-noncoding region, such as the Tat-responsive element (TAR) or the genomic RNA dimerization initiation site (DIS), are primary binding sites for Vif. In the present study we used isothermal titration calorimetry to investigate sequence and structure determinants important for Vif binding to short viral RNA corresponding to TAR and DIS stem-loops. We showed that Vif specifically binds TAR and DIS in the low nanomolar range. In addition, Vif primarily binds the TAR UCU bulge, but not the apical loop. Determinants for Vif binding to the DIS loop-loop complex are likely more complex and involve the self-complementary loop together with the upper part of the stem. These results suggest that Tat-TAR inhibitors or DIS small molecule binders might be also effective to disturb Vif-TAR and Vif-DIS binding in order to reduce Vif packaging into virions

Quality Management Initiatives in Europe: an Empirical Analysis according to Their Structural Elements

"This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Total Quality Management and Business Excellence on 10 June 2010, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14783363.2010.483064."In recent years, managers have opted for implementing Quality Management in their firms. The market offers different alternatives for QM implementation, such as EFQM model, ISO standards, Malcolm Baldrige or the recent Six Sigma methodology. Implementation difficulty of each initiative varies from case to case. This article designs a criterion for choosing among four alternatives (Quality Control, EFQM, Six Sigma and ISO 9000), according to the degree of development required for the elements that structure the alternatives. To do so, using an ANOVA analysis and mean comparison T-tests, it analyses 234 organizations in Europe that have implemented the four alternatives mentioned and observes the degree of development of nine of the elements that compose them. From the research, one can conclude that Quality Control is the simplest initiative, followed by ISO 9000 and, finally, the EFQM model and Six Sigma methodology

INRISCO: INcident monitoRing in Smart COmmunities

Major advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) make citizens to be considered as sensors in motion. Carrying their mobile devices, moving in their connected vehicles or actively participating in social networks, citizens provide a wealth of information that, after properly processing, can support numerous applications for the benefit of the community. In the context of smart communities, the INRISCO [1] proposal intends for (i) the early detection of abnormal situations in cities (i.e., incidents), (ii) the analysis of whether, according to their impact, those incidents are really adverse for the community; and (iii) the automatic actuation by dissemination of appropriate information to citizens and authorities. Thus, INRISCO will identify and report on incidents in traffic (jam, accident) or public infrastructure (e.g., works, street cut), the occurrence of specific events that affect other citizens' life (e.g., demonstrations, concerts), or environmental problems (e.g., pollution, bad weather). It is of particular interest to this proposal the identification of incidents with a social and economic impact, which affects the quality of life of citizens.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Government through the projects INRISCO under Grant TEC2014-54335-C4-1-R, Grant TEC2014-54335-C4-2-R, Grant TEC2014-54335-C4-3-R, and Grant TEC2014-54335-C4-4-R, in part by the MAGOS under Grant TEC2017-84197-C4-1-R, Grant TEC2017-84197-C4-2-R, and Grant TEC2017-84197-C4-3-R, in part by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and in part by the Galician Regional Government under agreement for funding the Atlantic Research Center for Information and Communication Technologies (AtlantTIC)

Expansion-enhanced super-resolution radial fluctuations enable nanoscale molecular profiling of pathology specimens

Expansion microscopy physically enlarges biological specimens to achieve nanoscale resolution using diffraction-limited microscopy systems1. However, optimal performance is usually reached using laser-based systems (for example, confocal microscopy), restricting its broad applicability in clinical pathology, as most centres have access only to light-emitting diode (LED)-based widefield systems. As a possible alternative, a computational method for image resolution enhancement, namely, super-resolution radial fluctuations (SRRF)2,3, has recently been developed. However, this method has not been explored in pathology specimens to date, because on its own, it does not achieve sufficient resolution for routine clinical use. Here, we report expansion-enhanced super-resolution radial fluctuations (ExSRRF), a simple, robust, scalable and accessible workflow that provides a resolution of up to 25 nm using LED-based widefield microscopy. ExSRRF enables molecular profiling of subcellular structures from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues in complex clinical and experimental specimens, including ischaemic, degenerative, neoplastic, genetic and immune-mediated disorders. Furthermore, as examples of its potential application to experimental and clinical pathology, we show that ExSRRF can be used to identify and quantify classical features of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the murine ischaemic kidney and diagnostic ultrastructural features in human kidney biopsies.</p

The impact of technological innovation on building a sustainable city

By 2050, the population living in major cities, especially in developing countries, will have increased twofold. With the increasing majority of the population occurring in urban areas, it is crucial to focus on how technological innovation can help to deliver a sustainable future. A sustainable city strives to create a sustainable living environment through the use of technology. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to review the impact of technological innovation on building a more sustainable city. Technological innovation has changed the overall effectiveness and benevolence over time and with regard to sustainability. A sustainable city involves development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development encompasses all aspects of environmental stewardship, social development, and economic progress