Response of sugarcane ratoons to nitrogen rates and methods of application in Guneid Sugar Scheme, Sudan

   Three experiments were conducted during the periods 2007 to 2013 at the farm of the Sugarcane Research Center-Guneid (SCRCG), Sudan. The objective was to investigate the response of sugarcane ratoon crops to different rates of nitrogen in the form of urea in addition to splitting the rate during the long season of sugarcane crop. The first experiment included 150, 200 and 250 kg urea/feddan            (feddan, f=4200m2). Treatments in the second experiment were zero, 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg urea/ f, while the third experiment consisted of zero, 100, 150, 175 and 200 kg urea/f, for the first, second and third ratoons. The treatments of the second experiment were coupled with splitting the dose of urea versus the full dose       (two thirds at the age of 20 to 30 days; and one third at the age of three to four months). Treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replicates in experiment I and III and a factorial arrangement for experiment II with four replicates. The results revealed that there were no significant differences in yield components and total cane yield of the ratoon crop between the rates of nitrogen of the first experiment. In the second experiment, yield components and total cane yield increased significantly for rates of urea from zero to 100, 50 to 150 and 100 to 200 kg urea/ f. In the third experiment, only cane yield increased with the increase of N rate but significant only between zero and 150 to 200 kg urea/f in the first ratoon, zero and 100 to 200 kg urea /f in the second ratoon, and zero and 100; 100 and 150 to 200 kg urea/f in the third ratoon. Brix, pol% cane and ERS%, decreased significantly with the increased rate of N in all experiments. No significant differences in yield and quality parameters were found in response to splitting the rate of N. The rates of 150 and 200 kg urea/f seemed satisfactory for both cane and sugar yields for the ratoon crops.  However, under field conditions where many factors interact it is seen as advisable to have some N reserves. In this sense, 200 kg urea /f is recommended as the dose to be endorsed as an official dose for the ratoon crops in the Guneid Sugar Scheme. أجريت ثلاث تجارب (I وII و III) بمزرعة مركز بحوث قصب السكر- الجنيد، السودان خلال المواسم 2007 إلى 2013. هدفت الدراسة لبحث إستجابة محاصيل خلف قصب السكر لجرعات مختلفة من السماد الآزوتى (النيتروجين) في شكل يوريا، إضافة لتقسيم الجرعات خلال الموسم الطويل لقصب السكر. تضمنت التجربة الأولى الجرعات150 و200 و250 كجم يوريا للفدان (الفدان=4200م2). وكانت معاملات التجربة الثانية صفر و50 و100 و150 و200 كجم يوريا للفدان. بينما كانت معاملات التجربة الثالثة 100 و150 و175 و200 كجم يوريا للفدان. أجريت كل التجارب للخلفة الأولى والثانية والثالثة. أضيفت معاملة تقسيم الجرعة إلى معاملات التجربة الثانية حيث أضيفت ثلثا الجرعة في عمر خلفة القصب من 20 إلى 30 يوم و أضيف الجزء الأخير من الجرعة في عمر 3 إلى 4 شهور. وقد أستخدم تصميم القطاعات العشوائية الكاملة مع أربعة مكررات في التجربة I وIII وتصميم عاملين بأربعة مكررات للتجربة II. أبانت النتائج عدم وجود إختلافات معنوية في إنتاجية القصب ومكوناتها لجرعات اليوريا 150 و200 و250 كجم للفدان للخلفة الأولى والثانية والثالثة للتجربة الأولى. وفي التجربة الثانية، زادت إنتاجية القصب  ومكوناتها معنويا بزيادة الجرعة من صفر إلى 50 و100 و150 و200 كجم يوريا للفدان.  بينما زادت فقط إنتاجية القصب في التجربة الثالثة بزيادة جرعة اليوريا ولكن كانت الزيادة معنوية فقط بين جرعة صفر و150 إلى 200 كجم للفدان في الخلفة الأولى، وبين صفر و100 إلى 200 كجم للفدان في الخلفة الثانية، وبين صفر و100 كجم للفدان، وبين 100 و150 و200 كجم للفدان في الخلفة الثالثة. نقصت مؤشرات جودة قصب السكر بصورة معنوية و أحيانا بصورة غير معنوية، بزيادة جرعة اليوريا بصورة عامة في كل الدراسة. لم تحدث فروقات معنوية في مكونات جودة وإنتاجية القصب في معاملة تقسيم الجرعة مقارنة مع إضافتها كاملة. في هذه الدراسة بدت الجرعتان 150 و 200 كجم يوريا للفدان مناسبتان لإنتاجية القصب والسكر لخلفات قصب السكر. إلا أنه في ظروف الحقل تتداخل عوامل كثيرة و يعتقد أنه من  الأوفق أن يكون هنالك زيادة إحتياطية من عنصر السماد النيتروجيني. وعليه يوصى بتبني جرعة 200 كجم يوريا للفدان لتطبق أساساً على محاصيل خلفات قصب السكر في مشروع سكر الجنيد بالسودان. &nbsp

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION IN JORDANIAN HEALTHCARE SECTOR

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of creativity and innovation on the critical success factors of total quality management TQM implementation in the Jordanian healthcare sector. A survey conducted through distributing 377 questionnaires to healthcare managers working at six different Jordanian hospitals. 292 questionnaires were returned and the response rate was 77.4%. One way- ANOVA test was used to examine the difference in the patterns of creativity and innovation among healthcare managers with respect to the critical success factors of TQM implementation, and multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the impact of independent variable on dependent variables. The results found that there is a statistically significant difference between the different patterns of creativity and innovation concerning the critical success factors of TQM implementation. Additionally the study concluded for a positive and significant effect for the patterns of creativity and innovation on the critical success factors of TQM implementation (β=1.54, t=5.09, p=0.000)

THE IMPACT OF CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION ON THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT BENEFITS AMONG HEALTHCARE MANAGERS IN JORDAN

This study aims to investigate the effect of creativity and innovation on the level of knowledge and understanding of total quality management TQM benefits in healthcare sector. A survey conducted through selfadministered questionnaires distributed among healthcare managers working in six Jordanian hospitals. The questionnaire consisted of three parts; demographic variables, creativity and innovation data, and TQM level of knowledge and understanding data. Study sample included 292 respondents. The results found that there is a statistically significant impact for the patterns of creativity and innovation on the overall level of knowledge and understanding of TQM benefits in the Jordanian healthcare secto

Relationship between Reading and Writing in English as a Second Language in the Context of Performance, Perceptions and Strategy Use

This study investigated the relationship between reading and writing in terms of the performance, perception and strategy use of university ESL students. The subjects of the study were students of English language from the Faculty of Education at Sudan University of Science and Technology. The subjects attempted two reading tests and two writing tests to provide indicators of their performance that potentially reflected the reading and writing connection. They also responded to a structured questionnaire that investigated their perceptions about the connection between what they read and what they wrote to shed light on their affective responses towards the connection deemed important to foster language growth. From the subjects, 12 students were chosen based on the good readerlwriter and poor readerlwriter criterion and were asked to recall in writing two reading texts. They were also interviewed to investigate ESL learner strategy use in making this connection. The findings of the study showed that there was a relatively high degree of correlation between the students' reading and writing performance (r=O .741; p = .000). The findings also showed that the relationship between reading performance and writing performance differed according to the learners' levels of language proficiency which supports the bidirectional hypothesis. On the whole, the participants also showed positive attitudes towards integrating reading and writing skills. In response to the questionnaire, the students reported making connection between what they read and what they wrote by making notes/summary of what they had read, developing topics of their reading into paragraphs and using the main ideas of their reading texts to help them in their writing activities. However, the findings also showed that the culture of 'always-practising' good strategies appears to be underdeveloped among Sudanese tertiary students. Therefore, it is argued that further effort is needed on the part of instruction to help students improve the use of good reading and writing strategies. The analysis of the recall protocols also revealed that good writers recall better compared to good readers. Therefore, good writers are better readers in terms of recall compared to good readers. Accordingly, it is argued on the basis of the recall efforts that a good writer is more likely a better reader compared to a good reader being a better writer which further supports the results of the reading and writing performance tests as well as the analysis of the students' responses to the questionnaire. Furthermore, the students' interviews showed that all the interviewees practised some common strategies when reading and writing. Goodlpoor readers and goodlpoor writers prepared themselves for reading by checking the title and pictures first. However, good readers, poor readers and poor writers seemed to have similar plans for reading, whereas good writers had a clearer plan to approach reading (skimming for main ideas, scanning for details or reading the introduction first, among possible often strategies). There were however also no clear techniques used by the interviewees to generate ideas for their writing. The research shows a close connection between the constructs of reading and writing. It supports the contention that writing is generally the better indicator of reading ability. The findings point to work that can be done to nurture greater success in reading and writing abilities and to exploit the connections for the benefits of ESL language students

A Framework to Incorporate a Structural Capacity Indicator into the State of Louisiana Pavement Management System

Non-structural factors such as surface distresses and ride quality have been commonly used as the main indicators of in-service pavement conditions. In the last decade, the concept of implementing a structural condition index in Pavement Management System (PMS) to complement functional condition indices has become an important goal for many highway agencies. The Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) provides the ability to measure pavement deflection while operating at the posted speed limits causing no user delays. The objective of this study was two-fold. First, this study developed a model to predict pavement structural capacity at a length interval of 0.16 km (0.1 mi.) based on RWD measurements and assessed its effectiveness in identifying structurally deficient pavement sections. Second, this study introduced a framework, along with the required implementation tools, for incorporating pavement structural conditions into the Louisiana PMS decision matrix at the network level. The proposed framework aims at filling the gap between network level and project level decisions and eventually, allowing more accurate budget estimation. To achieve these objectives, RWD data collected from 153 road sections (more than 1,600 km) in District 05 of Louisiana were utilized in this study. The predicted Structural Number (SNRWD0.1) showed an acceptable accuracy with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.8 and coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.80 in the validation stage. Core samples showed that sections that were predicted to be structurally-deficient suffered from asphalt stripping and material deterioration distresses. Results support that the developed model is a valuable tool that could be used in PMS at the network level to predict pavement structural condition with an acceptable level of accuracy. With respect to the implementation of RWD in Louisiana PMS, two enhanced decision trees, for collectors and arterials, were developed, such that both functional and structural pavement conditions are considered in the decision-making process. Implementation of RWD in the decision-making process is demonstrated and is expected to improve the overall performance of the pavement network. Furthermore, the enhanced decision trees are expected to reduce the total maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) construction costs if applied to relatively high volume roads (e.g., Interstates, Arterials, and Major Collectors). Based on the results of this study, a one-step enhanced decision-making tool, which considers both structural and functional pavement conditions in treatment selection, was developed. In the developed tool, the predicted structural number based on RWD measurements was utilized to calculate a pavement structural health indicator known as the Structural Condition Index (SCI). Finally, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based pattern recognition system was trained and validated using pavement condition data and RWD measurements-based SN to arrive at the most optimum maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) decisions

Students\u27 participation in private tutoring activities in Egypt in Egyptian lower primary schools: A qualitative investigation

This research investigates the phenomenon of private tutoring in the lower primary stage in public schools in Egypt by examining the views and experiences of teachers and parents. The phenomenological qualitative approach is used in this study to present a rich and vivid portrait of the phenomenon that may contribute to a better understanding of its nature. The analysis depends on semi-structured interviews to serve the methodological essence of the qualitative approach. The outcomes of the research uncovered a rich perception of how the phenomenon of private tutoring at this early age occurs. The participants were 15 teachers and 20 parents in three different primary schools in Cairo. The teachers teach Arabic, Math, and English to grades 1, 2, and 3. They were different in gender and age. The parents were 18 females and 2 males, most of them were in their thirties of age. Findings revealed that parents realized the serious defect in the public schooling system in Egypt which made them lose trust in its significance and used private tutoring as an alternative. The main drive for being involved in this phenomenon was that they believe Education is a public good and the main path for their children to have a better future. Parents pay money for private tutors seeking foundation for their children. They think that if their children have competence in the basic language and numerical literacy at this early age, they would go through the next educational phases more smoothly. Teachers revealed their own reasons for being involved in the phenomenon. The financial factor appears to be the only drive. Private tutoring is the only way for fulfilling their financial needs as they are severely underpaid and the gap between their salaries and needs is huge. They sometimes expressed it plainly saying, we need money, other times they mixed it with anger and agony. There is a prevailing sense of despair and mistrust among public school teachers on increasing their salaries. They feel negligence, marginalization, and a lack of a serious intention to improve their financial status. Teachers see that they should be the Ministry of Education\u27s priority to reform education in Egypt. They claim that the huge sums of money spent on developing new curriculums, assessment tools, and professional development programs are of no use as long as their salaries remain the same and their voices are unheard. Keywords: Private tutoring, education in Egypt, education reform in Egypt, foundation, financial drive, social justice

Using games to learn vocabulary in Arabic as a foreign language classroom: A study of teacher and student beliefs

Vocabulary has been always neglected in most of foreign language classrooms. Many strategies, techniques and activities were suggested to make vocabulary acquisition easier and sustained. Games are one of these tools offered to help in learning and teaching vocabulary. Since beliefs are the core of every discipline that deals with learning and behavior. It is important to understand what teachers and students think of games, in other words what are their beliefs towards games. This study explored student and teacher beliefs about using games in learning vocabulary in the Arabic as a Foreign Language classroom. The study aimed to answer three research questions. The first investigated students’ beliefs towards the use of games in learning vocabulary in the AFL classroom. The second explored teachers’ beliefs towards the use of games in teaching vocabulary in the AFL classroom. And the third aimed at detecting any variations between students’ and teachers’ beliefs. The study adopted a mixed-methods applied design. The research involved 97 participants; 88 students from different disciplines learning Arabic and 9 teachers teaching Arabic in the 2015 spring semester at University of California, Berkeley. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through their responses to a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire, close-ended questions, and open-ended questions. Results of this study showed that students and teachers share many general beliefs about using games in learning vocabulary. However, student and teacher beliefs also differed at times. The study discusses the importance of addressing the mismatch of student and teacher beliefs about this pedagogical practice. The research also suggests that there may be a gap between beliefs and actual practice. Findings and pedagogical implications are discussed

Social capital as a survival strategy: the case of El Bab villagers in Syria

This research seeks to investigate the impact and externalities of social capital in sixteen villages in El Bab district in Aleppo, Syria. El Bab villages are located in the North Eastern region, which has the largest agricultural sector in Syria, and the highest level of rural poverty. It is part of a region that faces various challenges, primarily due to the occurrence of droughts, depletion of natural resources, and changing state policies. Consequently rural populations developed their own coping strategies through heavily relying on the informal sector to access resources which are otherwise inaccessible through formal channels. This research hence attempts to provide answers for the following questions: What are the livelihoods strategies of rural populations in Al-Bab village? What is the role of local institutions and social networks, and to what extent do they facilitate access to resources? What is the role of trust in facilitating reciprocal transactions in each villager\u27s network? Can social capital contribute to improving household income? Toward this end, the research bases its line of enquiry on four main themes which are: livelihood strategies of villagers, the impact of local level institutions and social networks on rural livelihoods, the role of trust and norms in facilitating access to resources and restraining opportunism, and common forms of cooperative and reciprocal activities prevalent among El Bab villagers. Through administering semi-structured interview questions to 62 of El Bab villagers, The research findings indicate that informal institutions are the main channels for securing farmers needs for credit and financial loans needed to buy feed and input for the agricultural production process as well as household expenses. Trust plays a major role in facilitating informal credit transactions and instigating cooperative relations between villagers. However, social capital through the several indicators used in the study was found to have no impact on income level partly due to the informal market\u27s credit ceilings and the very high interest rates charged. The research concludes that the existing forms of social capital are a coping strategy that is not sustainable on the long run, due to the occurrence of climatic shocks that affect whole communities, as well as the endless cycle of debts for villagers due to relying primarily on the informal market for input and credit. The research calls for investing on existing social capital through building cross cutting ties and creating links with external networks such as the government, civil society and NGOs that can contribute towards offering more sustainable solutions, and collectivizing efforts of local communities for more efficient management of resources

Computational biomechanics of acute myocardial infarction and its treatment

The intramyocardial injection of biomaterials is an emerging therapy for myocardial infarction. Computational methods can help to study the mechanical effect s of biomaterial injectates on the infarcted heart s and can contribute to advance and optimise the concept of this therapy. The distribution of polyethylene glycol hydrogel injectate delivered immediately after the infarct induction was studied using rat infarct model. A micro-structural three-dimensional geometrical model of the entire injectate was reconstructed from histological micro graphs. The model provides a realistic representation of biomaterial injectates in computational models at macroscopic and microscopic level. Biaxial and compression mechanical testing was conducted for healing rat myocardial infarcted tissue at immediate (0 day), 7, 14 and 28 days after infarction onset. Infarcts were found to be mechanically anisotropic with the tissue being stiffer in circumferential direction than in longitudinal direction. The 0, 7, 14 and 28 days infarcts showed 443, 670, 857 and 1218 kPa circumferential tensile moduli. The 28 day infarct group showed a significantly higher compressive modulus compared to the other infarct groups (p= 0.0055, 0.028, and 0.018 for 0, 7 and 14 days groups). The biaxial mechanical data were utilized to establish material constitutive models of rat healing infarcts. Finite element model s and genetic algorithms were employed to identify the parameters of Fung orthotropic hyperelastic strain energy function for the healing infarcts. The provided infarct mechanical data and the identified constitutive parameters offer a platform for investigations of mechanical aspects of myocardial infarction and therapies in the rat, an experimental model extensively used in the development of infarct therapies. Micro-structurally detailed finite element model of a hydrogel injectate in an infarct was developed to provide an insight into the micromechanics of a hydrogel injectate and infarct during the diastolic filling. The injectate caused the end-diastolic fibre stresses in the infarct zone to decrease from 22.1 to 7.7 kPa in the 7 day infarct and from 35.7 to 9.7 kPa in the 28 day infarct. This stress reduction effect declined as the stiffness of the biomaterial increased. It is suggested that the gel works as a force attenuating system through micromechanical mechanisms reducing the force acting on tissue layers during the passive diastolic dilation of the left ventricle and thus reducing the stress induced in these tissue layers