259 research outputs found
Trade and the environment: A dichotomy?
Over the past decades, anti-globalization groups have denounced trade as a major source of environmental degradation in both the developed and developing worlds. From heated debates on trade in endangered species to the more recent public concern about the global climate, the international community has been struggling over maintaining a balance between economic growth and environmental protection in the context of globalization. Drawing on panel data of more than 170 countries, my research investigates whether trade openness results in more environmental and climate degradation. More specifically, I look at how different levels of development interact with trade openness and domestic value added ratio. These interactions have important implications for environmental and climate outcomes.Independent Study for the Degree of B.A., Professor David Deese
Teaching English idioms of happiness and sadness through conceptual metaphors in Vietnamese context
Idioms have long been regarded as a big challenge for EFL learners. With recent developments in cognitive linguistics, the method of teaching idioms has shifted from rote learning to raising the learner’s awareness of conceptual metaphors (CM). This paper provides support for the adoption of CM in teaching idioms thanks to its effectiveness in enhancing the comprehension and retention of idioms. Because specific techniques of this approach have not been thoroughly explored, the paper attempts to provide and analyze CM-related activities for teaching idioms in EFL classrooms, more specifically teaching English idioms of happiness and sadness in Vietnamese context
New criteria for exponential stability of linear neutral differential systems with distributed delays
summary:We present new explicit criteria for exponential stability of general linear neutral time-varying differential systems. Particularly, our results give extensions of the well-known stability criteria reported in [3,11] to linear neutral time-varying differential systems with distributed delays
EFFECTIVENESS OF POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON VOCABULARY RETENTION OF EFL FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION
Vocabulary learning plays an important role in language learning. To many language learners, lack of vocabulary is one of the biggest obstacles that prevent them from mastering the language. Moreover, there have been a lot of studies conducted to find out the way to help language learners acquire and retain learned vocabulary. Among them, PowerPoint is suggested by many researchers as one good way to help learners learn vocabulary retention through reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of PowerPoint on vocabulary retention in reading comprehension of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) first-year students at Long An University of Economics and Industry (DLA), Long An Province, Vietnam. Besides, this study investigates learners’ attitudes towards the use of PowerPoint in learning vocabulary. The participants were 60 non-English major students at DLA. Two instruments were (1) the tests on English vocabulary, (2) the questionnaire on the participants’ attitudes towards the use of PowerPoint in teaching and learning vocabulary, were investigated. The results demonstrated a significant difference in learners’ vocabulary retention: the participants in the experimental group remembered vocabulary longer than those in the control group. The study showed that the learners had positive attitudes towards the use of PPT (PowerPoint Presentation) in learning vocabulary retention. Article visualizations
Challenges and Opportunities for Septage Management in the Urban Areas of Indonesia â Case Study in Bandung City
Because of the burgeoning urban population, there is huge pressure on both natural resources and basic urban infrastructure, especially sewerage systems, with Indonesia as no exception. It is estimated that about 95% of human waste in Indonesia ends up untreated or partially treated in septic tanks before being discharged in the natural environment, contaminating the living environment as well as adversely affecting human health and economic development. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation on septage management in Bandung City, Indonesia, to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities for improved performance of on-site sanitation systems as well as septage management across its sanitation service chain. The results showed that the following issues are the main reasons behind poor sanitation in Bandung city: a) poor design and construction of septic tanks with no or only partial lining, resulting in leaking (>90% of septic tanks are malfunctioning); b) irregular desludging, i.e. about 2/3 of population desludge their septic tanks only once in more than 5 years; c) lack of proper guidelines and awareness about the benefits of regular monitoring and operation of septic tanks; d) lack of good sanitation service providers; and e) lack of funds for building sufficient capacity of septage treatment plants
Numerical modeling of thermal dust polarization from aligned grains in the envelope of evolved stars with updated POLARIS
Magnetic fields are thought to influence the formation and evolution of
evolved star envelopes. Thermal dust polarization from magnetically aligned
grains is potentially a powerful tool for probing magnetic fields and dust
properties in these circumstellar environments. In this paper, we present
numerical modeling of thermal dust polarization from the envelope of IK Tau
using the magnetically enhanced radiative torque (MRAT) alignment theory
implemented in our updated POLARIS code. Due to the strong stellar radiation
field, the minimum size required for RAT alignment of silicate grains is . Additionally, ordinary paramagnetic grains can achieve
perfect alignment by MRAT in the inner regions of due to
stronger magnetic fields of mG - 1G, producing thermal dust
polarization degree of . The polarization degree can be enhanced
to for grains with embedded iron inclusions. We also find that
the magnetic field geometry affects the alignment size and the resulting
polarization degree due to the projection effect in the plane-of-sky. We also
study the spectrum of polarized thermal dust emission and find the increased
polarization degree toward due to the alignment of
small grains by MRAT. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of rotational
disruption by RATs (RAT-D) and find the RAT-D effect cause a decrease in the
dust polarization fraction. Finally, we compare our numerical results with
available polarization data observed by SOFIA/HAWC+ for constraining dust
properties, suggesting grains are unlikely to have embedded iron clusters and
might have slightly elongated shapes. Our modeling results suggest further
observational studies at far-infrared/sub-millimeter wavelengths to understand
the properties of magnetic fields and dust in AGB envelopes.Comment: 27 pages, 23 figures, 1 table, to be submitte
Damage assessment in beam-like structures by correlation of spectrum using machine learning
Damage assessment in the actual operating process of the structure is a modern and exciting problem of construction engineering due to several practical knowledge about the current condition of the inspected structures. However, the problem faced is the difficulty in controlling the excitation in structures. Therefore, the output-based structural damage identification method is becoming attractive because of its potential to be applied to an actual application without being constrained by the collection of the information excitation source. An approach of damage assessment based on supervised Machine Learning is introduced in this study by using the correlation of spectral signal as an input feature for artificial neural network (ANN) and decision tree. The output of machine learning algorithms consists of the appearance of new cuts, the level of cutting and the cutting position. A supported beam model was constructed as an experiment to determine if the method is reasonable for engineering structures. Two machine learning algorithms have been applied to check the relevance of the proposed feature from vibration data. This study contributes a standard in the damage identification problem based on spectral correlation
Students’ Perceptions on Blended Synchronous Learning in the Postcrisis Era
With the severe impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the educational systems have to be reformed and evolved. Blended synchronous learning has become an attractive tendency in education worldwide as the technology has mushroomed recently and attracts a vast number of users and researchers. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate students’ overall perceptions of blended synchronous learning as well as its benefits and challenges. 163 participants in the study have experienced ENT courses in a blended synchronous learning environment for 105 hours within 7 weeks. The instrument employed in the quantitative phase was 27 items adapted from studies by Rahman et al. (2015), López-Pérez et al. (2011), and Wu et al. (2010). Additionally, semi-structured interviews were used to have a deeper understanding of the research issues. Results indicate that more than half of participants had good perceptions about the blended synchronous learning environment and perceived various benefits as well as challenges of it. Moreover, these findings are supplemented with illustrative quotes from interview transcripts to compare and contrast with previous findings reported in the literature, and therefore this study contributes to the field by offering the learners\u27 voices
Isolation endophytic bacteria from elephant grass (pennisetum purpureum schumach) and their potential application
In this study, 25 endophytic bacteria were isolated and purified from rhizome, stem and leaf of the elephant grass, which were tested for their biological control properties. The number of living and dead brown plant hoppers were recorded and the mortality rate was analyzed by using Abbott’s formula. The results indicated that three endophytic bacteria including VBL1, VBT1 and VBT5 showed the highest biological control of Nilaparvata lugens at the mortality rate 46.95%, 55.02% and 55.02%, respectively after 8 days of screening and significant difference compared to other isolates (
AI-assisted Learning for Electronic Engineering Courses in High Education
This study evaluates the efficacy of ChatGPT as an AI teaching and learning
support tool in an integrated circuit systems course at a higher education
institution in an Asian country. Various question types were completed, and
ChatGPT responses were assessed to gain valuable insights for further
investigation. The objective is to assess ChatGPT's ability to provide
insights, personalized support, and interactive learning experiences in
engineering education. The study includes the evaluation and reflection of
different stakeholders: students, lecturers, and engineers. The findings of
this study shed light on the benefits and limitations of ChatGPT as an AI tool,
paving the way for innovative learning approaches in technical disciplines.
Furthermore, the study contributes to our understanding of how digital
transformation is likely to unfold in the education sector
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