COMPUTER INTEGRATION IN PALESTINIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS: THEORY AND PRACTICE

The overarching exploratory question that guides this study is: “How can Palestinian secondary schools move forward and integrate computer technology effectively into education?” For the purpose of this study, computer technology integration is defined as the use of computing devices such as desktop computers, laptops, software applications and the Internet, and peripheral devices, such as printers, scanners, digital cameras, and overhead projectors for instructional purposes in Palestinian secondary schools in the cities of Ramallah & Al Bireh and Qalqilia & Azoon. The purpose of this study is to identify ways to help teachers working at the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) integrates computer technology into their teaching. This study will explore how teachers use computer technology in schools as well as how the Palestinian MoEHE stance computer integration into schools. The study also provides recommendations for ways to help close the gap between the vision and practice. To achieve the above, a Triangulation mixed method design was used to converge both quantitative data from surveys and qualitative data in the form of interviews and document analysis. Although the Palestinian MoEHE sees computer technology the primary means of improving the educational process and moving toward a student-centered approach, this study has found that integration of technology into Palestinian schools is still oriented toward a traditional approach. This study presents some recommendations to help break that disparity between the vision and the real practice of computer integration

Confinement interaction in nonlinear generalizations of the Wick-Cutkosky model

We consider nonlinear-mediating-field generalizations of the Wick-Cutkosky model. Using an iterative approach and eliminating the mediating field by means of the covariant Green function we arrive at a Lagrangian density containing many-point time-nonlocal interaction terms. In low-order approximations of $\phi^3{+}\phi^4$ theory we obtain the usual two-current interaction as well as a three-current interaction of a confining type. The same result is obtained without approximation for a version of the dipole model. The transition to the Hamiltonian formalism and subsequent canonical quantization is performed with time non-locality taken into account approximately. A relativistic three-particle wave equation is derived variationally by using a three-particle Fock space trial state. The non-relativistic limit of this equation is obtained and its properties are analyzed and discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, LaTe

InterCloud: Utility-Oriented Federation of Cloud Computing Environments for Scaling of Application Services

Cloud computing providers have setup several data centers at different geographical locations over the Internet in order to optimally serve needs of their customers around the world. However, existing systems do not support mechanisms and policies for dynamically coordinating load distribution among different Cloud-based data centers in order to determine optimal location for hosting application services to achieve reasonable QoS levels. Further, the Cloud computing providers are unable to predict geographic distribution of users consuming their services, hence the load coordination must happen automatically, and distribution of services must change in response to changes in the load. To counter this problem, we advocate creation of federated Cloud computing environment (InterCloud) that facilitates just-in-time, opportunistic, and scalable provisioning of application services, consistently achieving QoS targets under variable workload, resource and network conditions. The overall goal is to create a computing environment that supports dynamic expansion or contraction of capabilities (VMs, services, storage, and database) for handling sudden variations in service demands. This paper presents vision, challenges, and architectural elements of InterCloud for utility-oriented federation of Cloud computing environments. The proposed InterCloud environment supports scaling of applications across multiple vendor clouds. We have validated our approach by conducting a set of rigorous performance evaluation study using the CloudSim toolkit. The results demonstrate that federated Cloud computing model has immense potential as it offers significant performance gains as regards to response time and cost saving under dynamic workload scenarios.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, conference pape

Screening for Color Vision Deficiency in Health Science Students

Purpose: Various professions require employees to be able to detect different shades of color accurately when visually reading test results with colorimetric end points. To prepare health science students to better meet this requirement, a screening test for color vision deficiency (CVD) was administered to detect any major or minor errors as part of the undergraduate student experience. Method: Screening for color vision deficiency was administered using the Farnsworth D-15 Color Vision Test. Students completed the test and their results were scored and interpreted at the time of completion. Results: Students (n=85) from nine different health science programs completed the Farnsworth D-15 Color Vision Test. Ages of the participants ranged from 18-63 years with 70% of the participants in the age range of 18-23 years. Seventy-one percent of the participants identified as female, 28% identified as males, and 1% identified as non-binary. Two students (one female and one male) had a minor error resulting in a crossover within the test circle on the Gulden test score sheet. There were no major errors identified in the 85 participants. Conclusion: While two minor errors were detected in this population, this data is not consistent with other CVD studies. This most likely is due to screening predominately female students, and/or the amount of time allotted for each individual test to be completed. Future studies will include expanding the participant numbers, with a focus on testing more male participants, limiting the number of minutes to complete the screening process, and collecting additional demographic data

Contra-thermodynamic hydrogen atom abstraction in the selective C−H functionalization of trialkylamine N‑CH3 groups

We report a simple one-pot protocol that affords functionalization of N-CH3 groups in N-methyl-N,N-dialkylamines with high selectivity over N-CH2R or N-CHR2 groups. The radical cation DABCO+•, prepared in situ by oxidation of DABCO with a triarylaminium salt, effects highly selective and contra-thermodynamic C−H abstraction from N-CH3 groups. The intermediates that result react in situ with organometallic nucleophiles in a single pot, affording novel and highly selective homologation of N-CH3 groups. Chemoselectivity, scalability, and recyclability of reagents are demonstrated, and a mechanistic proposal is corroborated by computational and experimental results. The utility of the transformation is demonstrated in the late-stage site-selective functionalization of natural products and pharmaceuticals, allowing rapid derivatization for investigation of structure−activity relationships

Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks and Encephaloceles

Encephaloceles and cereberospinal fluid (CSF) leaks of the ventral skull base resulting from trauma (surgical and non-surgical), neoplasm, congenital, and spontaneous are a complex problem typically managed by rhinologists/skull base surgeons. Conservative management is often the first step in managing these complex problems. Endoscopic repair of CSF leaks and encephaloceles has greatly evolved with the evolution of endoscopic visualization and instrumentation. Endoscopic repairs of CSF leaks are effective and offer decreased morbidity compared to open approaches with comparative success rates. Meticulous technique is key to success in repair of skull base defects. Materials used are often less important than quality of repair

Infusing a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) into an Allied Health Curriculum

Purpose: Infusion of a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) into an existing research design course in an applied science curriculum allowed medical laboratory science students (n=22) to each be a contributing team member in a hand’s-on research experience, where most of the work was completed during the class time on campus. This design allowed for equal access, an equitable experience, and inclusion of all students enrolled in the course. Methods: Students and instructors worked together to develop a research question. The group agreed that the research question would be to determine the number of environmental specimens that were positive for mycobacteria species in residential plumbing specimens from different faucets and showerheads within residences in local areas. Before the actual collection of specimens, students reviewed the literature and completed more traditional modules in research ethics and Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training. Once that was completed, students designed and assembled the collection kits, collected and processed the specimens, and reported their results. Results: Students completed most tasks during the designated class time, and those tasks that had to be completed outside of class were not overwhelming for the students either in time or effort. The students’ reflections as the human subjects in this CURE indicated that 1) 90% of the students agreed they had a better understanding of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process, 2) 100% of the students agreed the collection process was easily completed, 3) 100% of the students agreed the specimen testing was easily completed and interpreted, and 4) 100% of the students agreed the required parameters of a CURE were met. Conclusion: A CURE can be infused successfully into an applied science course allowing every student to become a contributing member of the research team

VALIDATION OF LIGHTSAY LEG POWER FORMULA

The purpose of this study was to compare the results obtained through Lightsey's formula for the calculation of approximate leg power from height data measured fro filmed standing vertical jump performances with those obtained from precise force-platform measures of the same performances

FLIGHT AS A MEASURE OF LEG POWER

A basic motor ability involved in many different motor tasks is anaerobic muscular power. Defined as the ability to rapidly generate and apply large amounts of force and thereby impart high velocity to the body, its segments and/or external objects, this ability is involved in the successful performance of virtually all running, jumping and throwing events for which muscle strength and speed are important

Variational Derivation of Relativistic Fermion-Antifermion Wave Equations in QED

We present a variational method for deriving relativistic two-fermion wave equations in a Hamiltonian formulation of QED. A reformulation of QED is performed, in which covariant Green functions are used to solve for the electromagnetic field in terms of the fermion fields. The resulting modified Hamiltonian contains the photon propagator directly. The reformulation permits one to use a simple Fock-space variational trial state to derive relativistic fermion-antifermion wave equations from the corresponding quantum field theory. We verify that the energy eigenvalues obtained from the wave equation agree with known results for positronium.Comment: 25 pages, accepted in Journal of Mathematical Physics (2004