Technology usage versus technology integration in ESL classrooms: Drivers and Barriers

Technology integration is a significant aspect of teaching and learning in the 21st century. This study examines faculty technology integration in the Department of English Language Instruction (ELI) at the American University in Cairo (AUC). It also explores the factors that facilitate or inhibit their computer usage, and also their perceptions about the professional development opportunities in technology that are available to them. Using a case-study design, the researcher used semi-structured interviews conducted with 19 ELI instructors to understand the phenomenon at hand. Eight of the 19 instructors also served dual administrative roles as department chair, committee and program coordinators. Thematic analysis revealed that all ELI instructors are using technology in their teaching to various levels, and that quantity and quality of integration is on the rise. Seven factors emerged as drivers or challenges to technology integration at the ELI. These are: 1) policy and curriculum integration, 2) recognition and reward, 3) technology support and infrastructure, 4) value added to the classroom, 5) comfort with technology, 6) age, and 7) time. Finally, instructors at the ELI enjoy a multitude and variety in professional development opportunities. Although most of them appreciate these opportunities, there is room for growth. The capstone project ends with recommendations for future technology integration efforts and professional development

Campus-based student volunteering in Egypt: A case study of students in a private university

This qualitative study aims to identify the motivations and constraints that undergraduate students experience in volunteering in different student-run organizations. The study applies models of volunteer function inventory and leisure constraints to the Egyptian context with focus on one private not-for-profit institution. The study highlighted the pivotal role of educational institutions in encouraging and implementing campus-based volunteering activities among students. The study identifies three groups of motivational factors to student volunteerism in this context: social motivation; personal enhancement; and career motivations. The study also identifies three constraints to student volunteerism. These refer to structural constraints; intrapersonal constraints; and interpersonal constraints. The study concludes with policy recommendations to increase and encourage student campus-based volunteerism in Egypt involving the Ministry of Higher Education, university administrations, and civil society organizations

The coverage of children’s issues in Egyptian Newspapers

This research is about analyzing a sample of the Egyptian newspaper’s coverage on issues related to children in order to determine the dominant subjects, images, and sources used to cover news/articles about or related to children. The purpose of the content analysis research is to give advocates a thorough grounding in the way children’s issues are being portrayed in the news. It is important to understand the current representation of the issues related to children in the Egyptian newspapers, to enhance childhood coverage in the future. Frames used in presenting news/articles and images used in portraying children, were discussed by applying the framing theory. Media hype concept was investigated as well in relation to the type and frequency of the news presenting children’s issues. In order to find out, the researcher examined three composite weeks of news coverage on children in four Egyptian major newspapers. The “victim frame” was most likely dominating both the independent and the governmental newspapers with 56% from the total news covered about children. Results also show that children’s social issues and problems received minimal coverage, as the percentage of portraying children as endangered was 13.4% from the total news/articles covered about children. Also, the distribution of news/articles according to the examined months assures that there is a relation between the type of news covered and hyping news

Spatiotemporal visualization of subcellular dynamics of carbon nanotubes

To date, there is no consensus on the relationship between the physicochemical characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their biological behavior; however, there is growing evidence that the versatile characteristics make their biological fate largely unpredictable and remain an issue of limited knowledge. Here we introduce an experimental methodology for tracking and visualization of post-uptake behavior and the intracellular fate of CNTs based on the spatial distribution of diffusion values throughout the plant cell. By using raster scan image correlation spectroscopy (RICS), we were able to generate highly quantitative spatial maps of CNTs diffusion in different cell compartments. The spatial map of diffusion values revealed that the uptake of CNTs is associated with important subcellular events such as carrier-mediated vacuolar transport and autophagy. These results show that RICS is a useful methodology to elucidate the intracellular behavior mechanisms of carbon nanotubes and potentially other fluorescently labeled nanoparticles, which is of relevance for the important issues related to the environmental impact and health hazards

Potentially curative treatment in patients with hepatocellular cancer—results from the liver cancer research network

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92135/1/apt5174.pd

Effects of selected additives on a luminous diffusion flame

Imperial Users onl

Evaluation of fire resistance of plastering applied to reinforced concrete

Concrete is one of the most resistant construction materials to heat and fire. It is known to retain heat for a relatively long time, thus limiting crack propagation from penetrating deeply. Furthermore, it can be repaired if exposed to fire for a limited time. However it loses its strength dramatically when exposed to elevated temperatures for long duration. With the increase in the use of concrete in structures, a demand arises to assess the fire resistance of concrete structural members and to develop means of improving the fire characteristics of these elements. One of the methods to increase the fire resistance of a building is to coat the structural elements with fire retardant plasters to delay failure. This work presents results of an experimental investigation aimed at evaluating the fire resistance of reinforced concrete columns coated with variable thicknesses of materials that has potential for fire resistance. Four types of coating materials were investigated namely; Perlite, Vermiculite, Rock wool, and conventional cement plaster. The tested columns had three various dimensions, four coating materials, and three coating thickness. Each column was loaded at half its working load and was simultaneously subjected to fire from four sides in a specially prepared furnace. The time needed to reach a specific temperature specified by ASTM-El19 and the post­fire strength were recorded. The results show the impact of the type of coating and column size on the fire resistance characteristics of the reinforced concrete columns in terms of time, and temperature. Relationships reflecting time-temperature correlation at the concrete surface and the coating thickness for each type are presented. On the whole, Perlite yielded superior results than the rest of the three coating materials with the conventional cement paste as the least effective fire protective coatings. The resistance to fire seems to enhance upon increasing coating thickness although de­bonding took place when applying large coat thickness. Further work needs to be conducted involving new materials and techniques, and involving micro-structural analysis of concrete and coating layers

Violation of Latino Civil Rights Resulting from INS and Local Police\u27s Use of Race, Culture and Class Profiling: The Case of the Chandler Roundup in Arizona

The case of the Chandler Roundup provides a unique window into law enforcement practices including the planning, staging and procedures employed in removing undocumented immigrants from a specific urban space. We begin with an overview of the Chandler Roundup and community protests resulting from the five-day immigration raid. This section provides a general outline of the five day raid, including incidents leading up to the joint operation, official investigations conducted and lawsuits filed. The basis of the lawsuits filed was that individuals were stopped and interrogated by the Chandler Police Department based exclusively on the fact that their physical characteristics suggested that they were of Mexican ancestry. The next section analyzes data collected by the Independent Investigation into the Chandler Police Department\u27s participation. Because there is no documentation of all the stops that occurred during the joint operation, these data are the most complete source available. Coding data for patterns of who, where and when individuals were stopped identifies strategies applied by law enforcement in their policing practice of determining reasonable suspicion of illegal entry into the U.S., and thus, suggests blueprints for constructing citizenship status among individuals residing in urban areas. Data analysis investigates the specific activities individuals were engaged in at the time of the stop in order to evaluate actual police practices in determining reasonable suspicion. The third section presents our findings of personal and community violations reported in witness accounts taken by the Attorney General\u27s office. Witness accounts are also analyzed for statements indicating changes and modifications that citizens and legal residents made in response to racial affronts encountered during the five-day raid. These patterns suggest how meaning and practices of citizenship and urban space were altered. We conclude with a discussion on the limits of Mexican American and legal residents\u27 citizenship participation resulting from micro and macroaggressions endured from ongoing immigration law enforcement