Cause Of Difficulties Research Articles

Language of Learning and Teaching as one of the Causes for Difficulties in Learning Fractions

This paper evolved from a larger study and aimed to test the fractions skills of entry-level students at a South African comprehensive university. The focus in the paper is on the language of learning and teaching as one of the causes for difficulties in learning fractions for entry level science and engineering students. The sample consisted of 94 entry level students out of a population of 120, who enrolled for national diplomas in science and engineering. The survey instrument consisted of 20 items and the data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2013. The main findings were that entry-level students enrolled for engineering and science diploma courses struggled to apply fraction arithmetic and that the problems associated with the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) caused difficulties. This study provided important information to school- and university-level mathematics educators by confirming that language difficulties can negatively impact upon the success in learning fractions.

Tooth Size Discrepancy among Different Malocclusion Groups in a Sudanese Sample

Introduction: The standard model of orthodontic treatment can be divided into three different stages as stated by Proffit, namely leveling and alignment, working and finishing phases. Each of these presents different challenges. In particular the final, or “finishing” phase, constitutes the most complicated for the complexity of the various factors that need to be taken into account if an optimum result is to be achieved at the end of treatment. One of these factors, often a primary cause of difficulty, is Tooth Size Discrepancy (TSD). Problems arising from this can be alleviated if the existence of TSD forms part of the initial diagnosis and is considered when formulating a treatment plan for the individual patient. Objectives: The present research aimed at determining the extent and prevalence in a representative orthodontic population in Sudan and to investigate the dimensions of TSD in this population that comprised a clinically significant factor. Materials and methods: The sample comprised 107 pretreatment study casts with fully erupted and complete permanent dentitions from first molar to first molar, which were selected randomly from records of the orthodontic patients. The mesiodistal diameters of the teeth were measured at contact points using a stainless steel digital caliper and Bolton analysis was carried out on them. Results: A clinically and statistically significant anterior TSD (p=0.002) existed in comparison to Bolton’s anterior tooth ratio. Measurements of the overall and anterior TSD between malocclusion groups showed no significant differences (P=0.572, P=0.976 respectively). In terms of gender, no significant differences were observed for the overall TSD data (P=0.102). In Class II division 1 mean overall ratio was lower than Bolton’s, and Class II division 2 mean overall ratio higher than Bolton’s [overall ratio (91.3%, SD ± 2), anterior ratio (77.2, SD ± 2)]. Conclusion: Class II division 1 patients showed a tendency towards excessive maxillary tooth material and Class II division 2 patients showed a tendency towards excessive mandibular tooth material.

複数フレームのCSP係数を用いたTDOA推定による複数人物定位·追跡

In this paper, multi-speaker localization methods using voice signal are proposed. Sound source localization systems consisting of many microphones have been widely researched. In our laboratory, we have researched sound source localization of persons based on TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival) between distributed microphones for the purpose of efficient use of air conditioner and lighting in the office . Localization systems based on sound such as footsteps or voice are superior to those based on image data in terms of privacy-consciousness and utility in the dark. As sound source localization methods, beamforming, subspace methods and TDOA-based methods are widely used. CSP (Cross-power Spectrum Phase) analysis is one of the most famous method to estimate TDOA. We have researched sound source localization methods using CSP analysis because it spends less calculation cost than beamforming or subspace methods. However, CSP analysis doesn't work well by itself in the real office environment because of sound lasting for a long time, reverberations, low SNR, and so on. The main cause of difficulty in sound source localization in such a case is the “weak correlation” between different sound signals. In this paper, it is shown that the bad effect of the “weak correlation” can be improved by our proposed methods, Wiener-filter-based CSP analysis and H-CSP (Histogram-CSP) analysis. H-CSP analysis is a statistics data analysis method for CSP coefficients which uses the histogram of CSP coefficients. In this research, the effectiveness of proposed methods are shown by sound source localization experiments in the case sound sources are stable and the case sound sources are moving.

Compulsory and private pension insurance: The analysis of users' attitudes

The aging of population and the problem of unemployment are the two main causes of difficulties for the pension systems of many countries - both the developed ones and those that have finished or are currently in the process of transition. Problems related to the operation of pension systems, including some serious crises of pension systems, call for some major reforms. In this respect, Serbia is no different from other countries. In most countries and especially in "countries in transition", the pension insurance systems are in crisis and they are trying to establish a model of sustainable functionality with reforms. In the period from 2001 to 2014, Serbia was reforming the pension system in order to deal with numerous problems such as: high deficit, debt, the employed to retired population ratio, negative demography, etc. In this paper we have presented our research results with the aim to evaluate the opinions of Serbia's citizens about the existent compulsory pensions insurance funds and the trust in private insurance funds, as well as the opinions about the need for additional reforms of the system. The "H0" Hypothesis has been proven to be correct: The citizens are not satisfied with the existing state of the pension insurance funds. They are con­cerned that the pension fund is empty and that it cannot guaranty reliable pen­sions. This means that reforms carried out until the present moment are simply not sufficient and they need to be continued.

Effect of Weed Biomass on Cassava Yield Related to Weeding Times

It is well known that poor weeding is cause of difficulty of weed growth reduction and reduce root yield of cassava. This study conducted to confirm quantitatively relationship of weed biomass and cassava root yield under difference weeding frequency. Field experiment was carried out in Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, Lao PDR from May 2014 to March 2015. The experiment was laid out in RCBD with four replications. The treatments consisted of four types of manual weed control; no weeding, 1 time weeding at 2 MAP, 2 times weeding at 1.5 and 3 MAP, and 3 times weeding at 1, 2, 3 MAP. The plot size was 36 m2 and plant density was 10, 000 stands ha-1. Chemical fertilizer was applied 100-50-50 kg N-P2O5-K2O ha-1. Soil property was estimated before experimental establishment. Fresh weight of weed of above ground was measured at 6 MAP to determine DM. Cassava root yield was measured fresh weight at 10 MAP. Weed biomass was significant decrease by increasing the weeding time (p≤0.05). The no weeding treatment was covered by a lot of weed. The 1 time weeding reduced uncertainly weed growth. More than 2 times weeding restricted weeds growth. Cassava root yield was significantly increased by increasing the weeding time (p≤0.05). Cassava root yield was high in the 2 times and 3 times weeding. The 1 time weeding varied widely cassava root yield. With the no weeding, cassava root yield was 15% compared with 3 times weeding. Relationship between the weed biomass and the cassava root yield was highly contributed (R2=0.811). Extension of weeding to farmers should be based on weed biomass not the time of weeding for labor saving on cassava cultivation.

CRISIS HUMANITY: HERMENEUTICS-PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Hermeneutics-phenomenological methodology can be used to solve the challenges that face today by modern civilization. Hermeneutics and Phenomenology offers a distinctive solution to exit the crisis: instead of rational abstractions to return to the life world of man in all its concrete fullness. Within the framework of philosophical analysis is proposed to use the hermeneutic-phenomenological methodology in dealing with the challenges that are currently facing modern civilization. Studied theoretical and methodological aspects of the culture crisis, as well as his hermeneutic-phenomenological analysis of E. Husserl. His works reflect the general manifestations of the crisis «crisis consciousness». Husserl and Heidegger attributed the crisis to the oppression of the inner nature of man. According to Husserl, the problem of the crisis is based on the idea of the loss of sciences significance, their importance, mankind, having lost faith in the universal philosophy, at the same time has lost all meaning and telos (purpose) of existence. «Crisis», in Husserl, can be explained as seeming collapse of rationalism and cause of difficulties of rational culture, which is not the essence of rationalism by itself, but only in his coverage, in his distortion of «naturalism» and «objectivism.» Husserl believes that there are two ways out of the crisis of European existence: the decline of Europe in alienating its rational sense of life, the hatred of spirit and relapsing into barbarism, or «revival of Europe in keeping with the philosophy thanks to definitively overcome naturalism heroism of reason. Attention is drawn to the fact that one of the important and still largely unexplored problems of its phenomenology – the thesis of Husserl about any coherent meaning more or less adequately by means of a «single intuition» may be subjectively marked in principle, based on the act or intuitive perception of continuous imaging in which the structure and the meaning of other significant features can be read from the corresponding intuitive implementation. Certain contemporary philosophical views on the concept of «crisis consciousness» have been considered, which incorporates different conceptions about the global crisis of modern society and its culture, reflects the general anthropological crisis, and at the same time is an organic part of it; «Crisis outlook», which is interpreted as a crisis of consciousness in two ways: as an experience of the philosophy of the crisis and as a reflection of the crisis of philosophy. It is proved that the central problem of phenomenology becomes a problem of philosophical study of the world as existing independently, but the problem «of sense» of the world, i.e., the disclosure of the activities of consciousness, through which the world appears to us as a hierarchy of meanings. And this semantic interpretation of the phenomenology is based on the method of analysis of intentional consciousness.

Rediscovering Husserl: Perspectives on the Epoché and the Reductions

The processes associated with implementing a phenomenological study in the Husserlian interpretation can seem daunting to the new researcher. This is especially true if the researcher intends to implement Husserl’s concepts with intentionality and reflexivity. A leading cause of difficulty lies in the tendency for Husserl to change how he described key elements of his phenomenology, particularly the epoché and the associated reductions. Although many very good manuals exist within which a new researcher will find a host of prescriptions for the execution of a phenomenological study, an essential difficulty exists for those who want a deeper understanding of the intentions of phenomenology, not only as a research method, but as a personal orientation for the scholar-practitioner. The intention of this paper is to provide perspectives useful to the new researcher beginning the process of developing a personal orientation to Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology.

GENETIC VARIABILITY OF Rottboellia cochinchinensis POPULATIONS IN SUGARCANE FIELDS

ABSTRACT The hypothesis assumed was the existence of biotypes within populations, which has been the cause of difficulties in itchgrass control by farmers. For that, the genetic variability of three populations of Rottboellia cochinchinensis in sugarcane fields in the state of São Paulo was investigated by using the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) technique. Six primers were used to obtain molecular characterization data. AFLP gels were analyzed based on marker presence (1) and absence (0). Using NTSYs (Numerical Taxonomy and Multivariate Analysis System) software, the genetic similarity was calculated by the Jaccard coefficient and, from that, a dendrogram was built through the UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method Arithmetic averages) method, besides determining the isopolymorphic marks. The average genetic similarities seen in the region was 0.742 for Igarapava, 0.793 for Mococa and 0.808 for Piracicaba. Between regions it was 0.730 (Igarapava vs Mococa), 0.735 (Mococa vs Piracicaba) and 0.694 (Igarapava vs Piracicaba). In line with the dendrogram, it is possible to detect the formation of two groups, one with 8 plants from Igarapava and Mococa and the other with 21 plants from Igarapava, Mococa and Piracicaba, as well as the presence of 1 discriminant individual from Piracicaba. It can be concluded that the genetic similarity among itchgrass populations from the state of São Paulo was high (72%), which denotes that the difficulties in chemical management are not only due to different biotypes but also due to other characteristics linked to tolerance of the species to herbicides. However, biotype existence cannot be discarded because of the polymorphic marks generating 22% average genetic variability.

Influence of Interval Uncertainty on the Behavior of Geometrically Nonlinear Elastoplastic Structures

AbstractThis paper proposes an interval analysis scheme to map out the complete bound spectrum of the most maximum and most minimum responses of geometrically nonlinear elastoplastic structures subjected to both interval applied loads and interval inelastic material properties. The proposed heuristic method uses a finite-step holonomic formulation under pseudodisplacement control. Geometric nonlinearity is modeled using a conventional second-order approximation. The analysis thus determines directly the most maximum and most minimum bound solutions by processing a pair of optimization problems, known as interval mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints or interval MPECs. The simultaneous presence of complementarity constraints and interval data is the main cause of difficulties (associated with nonconvex and/or nonsmooth optimization programs) underpinning the interval MPECs considered. The simple solution approach proposed reformulates the interval MPECs into their noninterval nonlinear program...

Analysis of difficulties occurring during the early auditory screening in children.

It is assumed that the critical period for diagnosis of hearing disorders is the baby's first three months of life and that appropriate course and implementation of treatment and/or rehabilitation should begin before a child is six months old. However various kinds of problems may occur during auditory screening of a child may exceed this interval. This problem is particularly pronounced among children with development and health problems and leads to unreliable and varied results. The aim of this study was an analysis of prevalence of difficulties occurring during the first year of auditory screening among groups of children with congenital hearing impairment. Patients were examined in The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program in the years 2012 - 2013 in Level III NICUs in Krakow. Results from 250 cases were analyzed retrospectively. Medical exam results of patients with high risk of hearing loss were also included in our analysis. The groups of children included in our study were: children with Down Syndrome, children with nervous system disorders , children with cleft palate or both cleft palate and lip and children with congenital CMV. In the group of children with cleft palate or both cleft palate and lip the most frequent cause of not conducting objective audiometric tests was bad health condition of a child which precluded his arrival for administering the tests. The most common cause of difficulties in performing hearing tests was the emotional state of children from groups with Down Syndrome. In the group of children with congenital CMV the most common cause of difficulties was a lack of availability of their parents. 1. We encountered the greatest diagnostic difficulties during the child's first year of life in chosen high-risk groups of children with congenital hearing loss in children with cleft palate or both cleft palate and lip. 2. The highest prevalence of not finished tests was in III and IV interval for all chosen high-risk groups with congenital hearing loss.

Beyond Uncertainty: Lower Courtss Defiance in Insider Trading Cases in Taiwan

Taiwan promulgated its insider trading law in 1988. Prosecutions against insider traders were rare until the late 1990s. As enforcement actions increase, high-profile cases often shock the public and unsettle the business community about how to implement trading without incurring any legal risks. On the other hand, only a small number of prosecuted defendants are finally convicted. Judgments by the second-instance high courts are often reversed and remanded by the Supreme Court. That the conviction rate and the non-reversal rate are low means that prosecutors and judges from different levels of the judicial hierarchy are often unable to agree on the alleged violations and the interpretation of the law. Hence, legal uncertainty is unreasonably high. In this paper, conventional wisdom is challenged regarding the causes of difficulties enforcing insider trading laws in Taiwan, arguing that evaluating the defiance of the lower courts can elucidate these enforcement problems. It is suggested that lower courts’ obedience to precedents be partly premised on the condition that higher courts are more skillful interpreters of the law and can offer superior solutions to legal questions. From this angle, hierarchical legitimacy has become an increasing challenge since specialized panels were established in lower courts, but not in the Supreme Court. This paper does not favor a specialist court system. Instead, it suggests that, to improve communication between the Supreme Court and the lower courts, academics can play a much more important role than they do now.

Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Difficulties in Understanding Special Relativity Topics

The aim of this study is to identify the reasons why pre-service physics teachers have difficulties related to special relativity topics. In this study conducted with 25 pre-service physics teachers, the case study method, which is a qualitative research method, was used. Interviews were held with the participants about their reasons for difficulties in understanding special relativity topics. We used content analysis with the interview data and created eight categories. By doing so, we tried to identify the causes of difficulties experienced by the participants. As a result, it can be said that students are biased against relativity subjects and consider them to be difficult. Although the students found the subject interesting, problems such as mathematical difficulties, problems related to determining the reference system and transition from classical physics to relativistic physics made the learning process difficult for them. Additionally, we identified positive and negative opinions about the teaching method.

Which factors are associated with difficult surgical extraction of impacted lower third molars?

ObjectivesThe aim of this retrospective study was to investigate factors associated with increased difficulty in the surgical extraction of impacted lower third molars and to improve identification of difficult cases.Materials and MethodsA total of 680 patients who required 762 surgical extractions of impacted lower third molars from 2009 to 2014 were enrolled in the study. Demographic factors, clinical factors, radiographic factors, surgical extraction difficulty, and presumed causes of difficulty were collected. Data were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.ResultsAge, sex, depth of impaction, and blurred radiographic image influenced difficulty in surgical extraction. The position of the impacted tooth influenced surgical difficulty, especially when it was accompanied by other factors.ConclusionIt is challenging to design a reliable and practical instrument to predict difficulty in surgical extraction of impacted lower third molars. To identify very difficult cases, root investigation using computed tomography is advised when impacted tooth position suggests difficult extraction.

Management of Difficult Patients in the Emergency Service

Aim: Our objective is to investigate cases described as difficult by the emergency room physician because of the problems experienced in diagnose, treatment and management, analyzing the causes of difficulties of these cases and to propose solutions to overcome these challenges. Material and Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study and physicians working in the second and third level emergency departments of public hospitals in the Sakarya, Kayseri and Bursa provinces. Survey data were obtained through a questionnaire prepared by the researchers. Result: “Rude and aggressive patients”, “Multiple Trauma Patients” and “The Old General Internal Medicine patients” are the groups considered most difficult patients. The difficulties evaluated for all patients; “security concerns”, “failure to embrace patients of a consultant, “uncertainty of the patient admitted by which branch” and “failure of patients admittion because of absence of bed” were four most important reasons come to the forefront. .

Strengths and weaknesses of small and medium sized enterprises regarding the implementation of lean manufacturing

The purpose of this article is to explore the difficulties experienced when implementing Lean Manufacturing in small and medium sized enterprises (SME). In this work, we draw up a dual evaluation focusing first on the key characteristics of SMEs and then on the management principles of Lean Manufacturing. Based on an analysis of the scientific literature, we observe a number of conflicts between the characteristics identified for SMEs and Lean Manufacturing. The absence of functional organization, lack of methodology and deficiency of formal procedures are often the cause of difficulties experienced by SMEs during the implementation of Lean practices. The analysis of the literature suggests that the notions of leadership, expertise and decision-making are crucial when implementing Lean Manufacturing. However, in the framework of SMEs, these elements tend to be concentrated under the responsibility of the head of the enterprise, leading to several strengths and weaknesses for such implementation.

Rodzinne wzorce komunikacyjne a kompetencje językowe dzieci z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną w wizji sukcesu edukacyjnego

Learning disabilities are a problem of education in each country. Still there are no effective methods to counter the phenomenon. Research results indicate that learning disabilities are a common cause of dropping out of school. B. Fatyga in her scientific research shows that are other (most important, in the teachers’ opinions) reasons, for example – negligent parenting, lack of child care. Analysis shows that it is not due to pathology in the family, the poor economic situation of the family or a low level of education of the parents. It is possible that the cause of diffi culties in learning (in some of the children) are dysfunctional communication patterns learned from the family environment.

Perspectives on object manipulation and action grammar for percussive actions in primates.

The skill of object manipulation is a common feature of primates including humans, although there are species-typical patterns of manipulation. Object manipulation can be used as a comparative scale of cognitive development, focusing on its complexity. Nut cracking in chimpanzees has the highest hierarchical complexity of tool use reported in non-human primates. An analysis of the patterns of object manipulation in naive chimpanzees after nut-cracking demonstrations revealed the cause of difficulties in learning nut-cracking behaviour. Various types of behaviours exhibited within a nut-cracking context can be examined in terms of the application of problem-solving strategies, focusing on their basis in causal understanding or insightful intentionality. Captive chimpanzees also exhibit complex forms of combinatory manipulation, which is the precursor of tool use. A new notation system of object manipulation was invented to assess grammatical rules in manipulative actions. The notation system of action grammar enabled direct comparisons to be made between primates including humans in a variety of object-manipulation tasks, including percussive-tool use.

The Trauma Risk Management Approach to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the British Military: Masculinity, Biopolitics and Depoliticisation

This paper discusses the political implications of the British military's Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) approach to personnel suffering from combat-related mental debilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Drawing on narratives that emerged from qualitative interviews with trained TRiM practitioners and military welfare workers, I tease out some of the assumptions and beliefs about mental health and mental illness that underpin this mental health intervention programme. I explore TRiM as a biopolitical strategy targeted towards the construction of a particular conceptualisation of mental wellness and militarised masculine personhood. As a biopolitical strategy, I argue that TRiM plays an important role in the construction of ideas around mental well-being and mental frailty that best enable the operation of military power in the contemporary British context. I discuss the narrative of transformation in militarised models of masculinity that emerge from discussions of TRiM, and highlight the important political function that this plays in enabling and legitimating militarism. Finally, I draw attention to the ways in which the focus on individual and cultural factors, rather than war as the primary cause of difficulties for servicemen experiencing psychological distress, functions to neutralise the potential trouble that could be instigated for the British military by the bodies of servicemen psychologically damaged by their experiences of conflict.

A qualitative study on debugging under an enterprise IDE

ContextModern enterprise Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) like Microsoft Visual Studio significantly changed the programming practice from revolving around writing code to including many practices such as the visual design of the UI and database schemas. Despite the surge of productivity in many areas of development, enterprise IDEs still suffer from a high cost of debugging. ObjectiveIn order to identify the causes of difficulties associated with debugging under enterprise IDEs, we studied a group of programmers in a company using an IDE to develop medium size 3-tier software systems. We also elicited possible alleviations for those difficulties. MethodThe qualitative results were generated using the Grounded Theory research approach. The study involved observing 17 programmers debugging stubborn bugs. We coded the major tasks involved in debugging, and then we categorized these tasks in four categories and evaluated the time spent on each of these categories. We then involved those programmers to get an explanation of the causes of those difficulties and to get recommended alleviations. ResultsThe results showed that most of the programmers’ time during debugging is spent on categories of tasks that are directly related to the nature of the enterprise IDE as opposed to classical programming. ConclusionsThe enterprise IDE platform for software development is more than a “better” development tool; it radically reshapes the development landscape shifting the time allocation of developers to new areas. Thus, corresponding fundamental changes and adaptation are needed in the IDE tools, in the way organizations manage their accumulated expertise and even in the programming techniques.

Work-life balance/imbalance: the dominance of the middle class and the neglect of the working class.

The paper was stimulated by the relative absence of the working class from work-life debates. The common conclusion from work-life studies is that work-life imbalance is largely a middle-class problem. It is argued here that this classed assertion is a direct outcome of a particular and narrow interpretation of work-life imbalance in which time is seen to be the major cause of difficulty. Labour market time, and too much of it, dominates the conceptualization of work-life and its measurement too. This heavy focus on too much labour market time has rendered largely invisible from dominant work-life discourses the types of imbalance that are more likely to impact the working class. The paper's analysis of large UK data-sets demonstrates a reduction in hours worked by working-class men, more part-time employment in working-class occupations, and a substantial growth in levels of reported financial insecurity amongst the working classes after the 2008-9 recession. It shows too that economic-based work-life imbalance is associated with lower levels of life satisfaction than is temporal imbalance. The paper concludes that the dominant conceptualization of work-life disregards the major work-life challenge experienced by the working class: economic precarity. The work-life balance debate needs to more fully incorporate economic-based work-life imbalance if it is to better represent class inequalities.