The Evolution of Note Taking: A Study on Traditional Hard Copy Methods vs The Emerging Soft Copy Method

Being that we both have grown up in the midst of the digital age, we have seen many things evolve, develop, and go electronic; including the way students choose to learn in the classroom. It seems that more and more students are choosing to take notes via laptop, tablet, or smart phone, but with that said it also appears that just as many students are choosing to stick with the more traditional pen and paper way of note taking as well. For our research, we have studied the benefits that may attract students to either note taking method, as well as, researched the cons that may cause students to reject adopting either of the two. Finally, we discuss where note taking may be headed in the future. The answer matters to us because through our research we have been able to come across several studies in which discuss the benefits on digital devices in the classroom. We also find this topic interesting to research and see if the findings in the studies are true and if there are better methods for students to learn in a college classroom environment

Tourism for pro-poor and sustainable growth: economic analysis of tourism projects

Despite the increasing importance of tourism in economic development and the rise of “pro-poor” tourism development strategies, properly designing and implementing tourism projects remain generally a difficult process. There are both theoretical and practical challenges in justifying public sector investments in tourism and properly measuring the projects’ benefits and sustainability. There is a need to come up with an analytical framework that would address these challenges and help evaluate a tourism project’s economic viability. This technical note introduces a simple framework that could underpin the systematic economic analysis of tourism projects.tourism; economic development; pro-poor growth; economic analysis

Optimization of Energy Distribution in Solar Panel Array Configurations by Graph Theory and Minkowski’s Paths

Nowadays, the development of the photovoltaic (PV) technology is consolidated as a source of renewable energy. The research in the topic of maximum improvement on the energy efficiency of the PV plants is today a major challenge. The main requirement for this purpose is to know the performance of each of the PV modules that integrate the PV field in real time. In this respect, a PLC communications based Smart Monitoring and Communications Module, which is able to monitor at PV level their operating parameters, has been developed at the University of Malaga. With this device you can check if any of the panels is suffering any type of overriding performance, due to a malfunction or partial shadowing of its surface. Since these fluctuations in electricity production from a single panel affect the overall sum of all panels that conform a string, it is necessary to isolate the problem and modify the routes of energy through alternative paths in case of PV panels array configuration.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Exploratory Study on Selected Philippine Agricultural Commodity Import Statistics vis-Ã -vis Export Statistics of the Exporting Countries

Using the import data compiled by the Philippines and comparing these with data as reported by the exporting countries, this study aims to determine the disparity of the statistics from the two sources on the quantity and value of selected agricultural commodities for the years 2000 to 2005. The products covered by this study consist of wholly or semi-milled rice, maize (corn), live poultry, domestic fowls, ducks, geese, frozen meat of bovine animals, apples, oranges, onions and shallots, and garlic. The differences in statistics on the bilateral transactions─in terms of FOB values, quantities, and derived unit prices─are examined by using percentage differences, the implicit minimal measurement error (IMME), and the Wilcoxon Matched-Pair Signed-Ranks (Wilcoxon-MPSR) test. Results show that considerable discrepancies between import and export statistics do exist. The discrepancy may reflect both legitimate conceptual differences between Philippine imports and exports statistics of the exporting countries, as well as errors in reporting. The discrepancy is further substantiated by the results of the Wilcoxon-MPSR test, which show that these differences are significant.

Leveson Editorials: Newspapers anxious over Inquiry’s outcome

In an analysis of national newspaper editorials covering the Leveson Inquiry, Noelle De Guzman finds an increasingly critical press at the tail end of the Inquiry

Regulation of Cardiac Fibroblast Metalloprotease Secretion

Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes secreted by cardiac fibroblasts. Altered expression of MMPs plays an important role in congestive heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases1,2. Emerging evidence has led us to consider the role of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PtdIns 4-kinase) in regulating MMP secretion in cardiac fibroblast cells3-7. PtdIns 4-kinase is a lipid kinase involved in various cellular processes including protein secretion. This project was designed to test the hypothesis that PtdIns 4-kinase controls MMP secretion. Techniques such as cardiac cell culture, transfection, and in-gel zymography were used for this experiment. Results demonstrated that PtdIns 4-kinase regulates MMP secretion. This research will provide insights in revealing molecular details of congestive heart failure and will contribute to the development of strategies against cardiovascular diseases