Improving Teaching and Learning in Polytechnics with ICT

This paper presents the use of ICT as a tool for improving teaching and learning in the polytechnics of Ghana. It looks at the need for polytechnics to ‘catch up’ with the global trends in ICT deployment, utilization and exploitation in support of its academic activities. The paper also looks at the present state of ICT use in polytechnics in relation to initiatives, projects, opportunities, challenges, players and stakeholders’ roles and finally what the implications are to policy makers, management, teachers and learners within the polytechnic environment

Stratification of the elements in the atmospheres of blue horizontal-branch stars

Blue horizontal-branch (BHB) stars with $T_{\rm eff}$ approximately larger than 11500 K show several observational anomalies. In globular clusters, they exhibit low rotational velocities, abundance anomalies (as compared to cluster abundances), photometric jumps and gaps and spectroscopic gravities lower than predicted by canonical models. It is commonly believed that the low rotational velocities of these stars permit atomic diffusion to be efficient in their atmosphere thereby causing the observed anomalies. Recent detections of vertical stratification of iron (and some other chemical elements) in several BHB stars concur with this framework. In this paper, improved model atmospheres that include the vertical stratification of the elements are applied to BHB stars to verify if they can explain their observational anomalies. The results from theoretical model atmospheres are consistent with the photometric jumps and gaps observed for BHB stars in globular clusters. It is found that iron stratification in the theoretical models and that obtained from observations have similar tendancies. Our results also show that the spectroscopic gravities obtained while using chemically homogeneous model atmospheres to fit observations are underestimated. These results significantly strengthen the belief that atomic diffusion is responsible for these BHB-star anomalies.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Time series analysis of factors affecting the demand for local rice in Malaysia

The own price, income and price of a substitute are the determinants of demand in the classical theory of consumer behavior. We used the theory to analyze the demand for local rice in Malaysia by using time series variables. We examined whether there is a long run relationship among the variables by using the unit root and cointegration tests. We then conducted the Granger causality, variance decomposition and impulse response function tests to examine their directions of causality as well as short term dynamics. The results show that there is a long run relationship among the variables and a unidirectional causality from price and income to demand. There are also lagged and short term dynamics among the variables

A Rapid and Computationally Inexpensive Method to Virtually Implant Current and Next-Generation Stents into Subject-Specific Computational Fluid Dynamics Models

Computational modeling is often used to quantify hemodynamic alterations induced by stenting, but frequently uses simplified device or vascular representations. Based on a series of Boolean operations, we developed an efficient and robust method for assessing the influence of current and next-generation stents on local hemodynamics and vascular biomechanics quantified by computational fluid dynamics. Stent designs were parameterized to allow easy control over design features including the number, width and circumferential or longitudinal spacing of struts, as well as the implantation diameter and overall length. The approach allowed stents to be automatically regenerated for rapid analysis of the contribution of design features to resulting hemodynamic alterations. The applicability of the method was demonstrated with patient-specific models of a stented coronary artery bifurcation and basilar trunk aneurysm constructed from medical imaging data. In the coronary bifurcation, we analyzed the hemodynamic difference between closed-cell and open-cell stent geometries. We investigated the impact of decreased strut size in stents with a constant porosity for increasing flow stasis within the stented basilar aneurysm model. These examples demonstrate the current method can be used to investigate differences in stent performance in complex vascular beds for a variety of stenting procedures and clinical scenarios

Using visual support in preschool phonemic segmentation training

Contains fulltext : 29733.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

A System Out of Breath: How Hypoxia Possibly Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by vascular alterations and immunological disturbances and fibrosis, the order of which remains to be fully determined. Clinically, patients show clear signs of hypoxia in skin and internal organs. The low oxygen tension is potentially caused by a yet to be indentified circuitry involving the three features that typify SSc. In addition, once present, the hypoxia creates a vicious circle of ongoing pathology. In this paper, we provide an overview of the evidence that points towards the mechanisms causing hypoxia in SSc. In addition, data that suggest how hypoxia itself may orchestrate worsening of symptoms is presented. Altogether, it is clear that hypoxia is an important hallmark in SSc patients. By providing an overview of the mechanisms at play and the possible therapeutic avenues that have emerged, we hope to stimulate researchers to provide novel clues into the conundrum in SSc patients