Excellent Environment Research Articles

A competency-based Internal Medicine course in an emergency education setting

IntroductionAt the beginning of 2020, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 arrived, triggering the COVID-19 pandemic that affected every aspect of daily life including global education systems. This dire public health situation across the planet forced the accelerated implementation of emergency remote teaching at all education levels. Educational institutions and hospitals adopted virtual classes, webinars, tutorials, and virtual libraries to continue academic activities. Other useful tools researchers used were standardizing patients and clinical simulation. The central objective of this study was to analyze how an Internal Medicine competency-based course, with a theoretical and a practical block, responded to an emergency education environment from June to December of 2020. Material and methodsStudents and teachers completed written evaluations, the students completed the DREEM questionnaire and teachers recorded their personal insights. The authors conducted focus groups and analyzed transcripts of the virtual activities. ResultsAll 60 students (100%) participated in the study. The students’ average score of the DREEM questionnaire on education environment was 177.8/200, and the students’ average teaching evaluation was 6.38/7. All students passed the final exam. The authors also categorized the favorable and unfavorable findings from both the theoretical and the practical blocks of the course on three dimensions: organization, pedagogy, and technology. ConclusionThe results indicate that the students perceived an excellent educational environment. Several points for improvement emerged such as teacher training in computer technologies, the socialization of learning objectives, and the feedback that students receive from teachers to achieve the proposed learning objectives.

Development Status and Countermeasures of Chinese Music Art

As an important part of Chinese traditional culture, Chinese music art has made great progress in recent years. However, there are still some problems, such as the public's low awareness of traditional music, insufficiently excellent creative environment, and insufficient training of professional talents. This paper analyses the current situation of Chinese music art, discusses the reasons for these problems, and puts forward corresponding countermeasures, aiming to promote the further development of Chinese music art.

Neural Networks Applicability for Design of Reinforced Concrete Sections for Bending

Solving engineering design tasks requires the use of analytical formulas and dependencies. The direct inclusion of mathematical expressions in the artificial neural network (ANN) is not possible. This research studies the possibility of applying the neural networks method for designing of single or double-side reinforced concrete sections. A Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro was developed in the MS Excel environment to solve the task of determining the required area of the reinforcement by given geometric dimensions and bending moment and applying classical analytical formulas for reinforced concrete sections design. The training of the pre-configured neural network is performed by approximately 34000 sets of matching input parameters. The presented results from the trained ANN are compared and analysed against the exact analytical solutions. The study presents an approach to the application of structural design calculations. The results suggest that the approach is applicable to more complicated structural design problems.

Enquiry as a way of being: a practical framework to support leaders in both embracing the complexity of and creating the conditions for meaningful professional learning

ABSTRACTThere is strong evidence that professional learning in schools can positively impact learner experience and outcomes. This conceptual paper draws on key literature focused on understandings of high-quality professional learning and what makes an excellent environment in which to learn. This literature informed and spoke to the sense-making of our experiences of working directly with school leaders in Wales to adopt and promote enquiry as a way of being to support the professional learning of their staff. It examines the complex nature of meaningful professional learning and the culture and conditions leaders need to create to successfully enable the professional growth and expertise of their staff.This paper presents a rationale for why leaders should adopt, promote and grow cultures that value enquiry as a way of being. It outlines key considerations and understandings that can empower school leaders to create the necessary culture and conditions for impactful professional learning. It also provides a practical framework to support leaders in developing contextualised, sustained and meaningful professional learning to nurture enquiry as a way of being. We highlight how leadership practice which fails to model these ways of working authentically presents the danger of staff disillusionment and disengagement with professional learning more broadly.

畜禽舍空间相控分裂导线复合除尘杀菌装置设计研究

Livestock scale breeding is the inevitable trend of future livestock and poultry husbandry. Closed breeding requires excellent environment and livestock and poultry housings contain a lot of dust, pathogenic microorganisms and harmful gases, affecting the health of livestock and poultry and breeding personnel. Most of the common sterilization and dust collection devices for livestock and poultry housings on the market are too high energy consumption, and easy to cause secondary pollution. Therefore, an environmental purification device was designed to absorb dust in the air and kill harmful bacteria by using high voltage pulsed electric field. The device was designed using phase control principle and bundled conductor. COMSOL Multiphysics software was used to simulate the layout of single conductor, twin bundled conductor and quad bundled conductor. It was found that when the conductor was designed as twin bundled conductor or quad bundled conductor, the gradient distribution of spatial electric field intensity was more uniform and the downward trend of electric field was slower, which could effectively improve the dust collection and sterilization efficiency of the device. At the same time, a variety of electric field environments can be set up by using phase difference to meet different environmental requirements of livestock and poultry. The compound dust collection and sterilization device with phase-controlled bundled conductor for livestock and poultry housing space includes high voltage pulse generator, bundled conductor, high voltage special timer, insulator and other parts, which can effectively reduce the dust content in the air, the concentration of pathogenic bacteria, harmful gases, etc. after assembly test and can also reduce the humidity in the livestock and poultry housings.

A self-reinforced tough and multifunctional polyvinyl alcohol fabric composite hydrogel

It is particularly challenging to prepare hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties that are comparable to those of strong biological tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Here, we present a facile method to fabricate tough and multifunctional hydrogels by freeze-thawing the self-reinforced polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite prepared from acetal hydrolysis of commercial polyvinyl formal (PVFM) fabric. The resultant hydrogels exhibit simultaneously high tensile strength (18.5 MPa), toughness (14.7 ± 2.9 MJ/m3), tearing resistance (35 N/mm), flexibility and excellent environment adaptability without compromising transparency. In addition, this hydrogel has good ionic conductivity, which can be applied to strain sensors and touch screens, and with proper design, it is successfully applied in flexible actuators. These results indicate this hydrogel has great potential for applications in different fields such as smart wearable devices and bionic actuators. The preparation method proposed in this paper is simple and controllable, and the material properties can be customized to meet specific needs, opening up possibilities for large-scale production of hydogels.

Structure and function: how to design integrated anatomy and physiology modules for the gross anatomy laboratory.

Physicians must be able to integrate knowledge across disciplines. Therefore, educators need to provide opportunities for students to cognitively integrate information across the medical school curriculum. Literature has shown that specifically pointing out these connections helps students create cause and effect models and ultimately improve their performance. The gross anatomy laboratory provides an excellent environment for students to integrate information by establishing structure and function relationships. This article presents simple steps to create modules which help students cognitively integrate physiology and anatomy at the session level in the gross anatomy laboratory. Driven by backward design, these steps include establishing objectives, creating assessments, and developing activities that can be implemented in a specific learning environment. An example of a flexible module which could be implemented in a number of gross anatomy lab settings (e.g., prosection, dissection, models, virtual) is presented along with a template for the design of future modules. This is followed by a discussion of challenges encountered by educators attempting to integrate structure and function in the gross anatomy lab. Each of these considerations will be addressed with potential solutions for educators seeking to implement these types of integrated activities.

Pembuatan Video Profile TK Kartika I-1 Medan Helvetia

This Community Service focuses on creating a video profile for TK Kartika I-1 Medan Helvetia, a pre-school educational institution committed to providing quality education to young children. The aim of this research is to create an engaging and informative video profile that serves as an effective means of introducing the school to the wider community, prospective students, and parents. The research involves collaboration between the research team, the production team, and the school. The research process begins with in-depth interviews with the headmaster, teachers, staff, and parents to gather relevant information about the school's excellence, educational programs, and learning environment at TK Kartika I-1 Medan Helvetia. Additionally, footage is captured at various locations within the school to showcase teaching and learning activities, creative endeavors, and social interactions in a fun-filled ambiance. Diligent editing is carried out to craft the video profile with appropriate audio-visual elements, suitable background music, and engaging narration to enhance its appeal and emotional impact. The result of this endeavor is a comprehensive video profile that showcases the uniqueness and excellence of TK Kartika I-1 Medan Helvetia. The video provides a clear picture of the school's holistic educational approach, positive learning environment, supportive facilities, and the successes of students both inside and outside the classroom. It is anticipated that this video profile will serve as an effective tool in promoting TK Kartika I-1 Medan Helvetia to prospective students and parents and improving the school's image in the eyes of the community. Through broader promotion on social media and other online platforms, this video profile is expected to reach a wider audience of prospective students and families, thereby supporting the school's efforts to shape a generation that is creative, competent, and ready to face future challenges.

Firm Behavior Under Conditions of Final Offer Arbitration: An Empirical Analysis of Major League Baseball’s Salary Negotiation Structure

Abstract: This paper explores the use of final offer interest arbitration (FOA) in Major League Baseball (MLB) and whether arbitrated salaries differ meaningfully from private settlements. MLB provides an excellent environment to analyze FOA because it is common practice for eligible players and their teams to announce official intended arbitration figures well in advance of hearings but ultimately privately negotiate a contract in the interim. This allows for consideration of the bounded arbitrated salary environment even when a hearing is avoided. Results reaffirm the findings of Burgess and Marburger (1993), which suggested that arbitrated salaries are of “low quality” in that the distribution range is wider for arbitration compared to private negotiation. Second, this paper contributes to existing literature by expanding analysis to including quantile regression, which indicates that not only is contract length positively correlated with players’ salaries but also statistically significant differences in this effect exist throughout the distribution.

The impacts of altruism levels on the job preferences of medical students: a cross-sectional study in China

BackgroundRational allocation of human resources for health is crucial for ensuring public welfare and equitable access to health services. Understanding medical students’ job preferences could help develop effective strategies for the recruitment and retention of the health workforce. Most studies explore the relationship between extrinsic incentives and job choices through discrete choice experiments (DCEs). Little attention has been paid to the influence of intrinsic altruism on job choice. This study aimed to explore the heterogeneous preferences of medical students with different levels of altruism regarding extrinsic job attributes.MethodsWe conducted an online survey with 925 medical students from six hospitals in Beijing from July to September 2021. The survey combined job-choice scenarios through DCEs and a simulation of a laboratory experiment on medical decision-making behavior. Behavioral data were used to quantify altruism levels by estimating altruistic parameters based on a utility function. We fit mixed logit models to estimate the effects of altruism on job preference.ResultsAll attribute levels had the expected effect on job preferences, among which monthly income (importance weight was 30.46%, 95% CI 29.25%-31.67%) and work location (importance weight was 22.39%, 95% CI 21.14%–23.64%) were the most salient factors. The mean altruistic parameter was 0.84 (s.d. 0.19), indicating that medical students’ altruism was generally high. The subgroup analysis showed that individuals with higher altruism levels had a greater preference for non-financial incentives such as an excellent work environment, sufficient training and career development opportunities, and a light workload. The change in the rate of the uptake of a rural position by individuals with lower levels of altruism is sensitive to changes in financial incentives.ConclusionsMedical students’ altruism was generally high, and those with higher altruism paid more attention to non-financial incentives. This suggests that policymakers and hospital managers should further focus on nonfinancial incentives to better motivate altruistic physicians, in addition to appropriate economic incentive when designing recruitment and retention interventions. Medical school administrations could attach importance to the promotion of altruistic values in medical education.

Multi-mode resonance plasmonic solar absorber based on pyramid multiary-grating

In the manuscript, a broad-band perfect absorber based on multilayer-grating and MDM film structure is proposed and numerically studied. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations indicate the absorption performances are originated from Fabry–Perot (FP) resonance effect, localized, and propagating surface plasmons (LSPs and PSPs) effect. The designed absorber possesses over 95% absorption from 697 nm to 2906 nm, and an average absorption of 98.7% is achieved with TM-polarized. For TM-polarized, the designed absorber possesses over 95% between 534 nm and 2475 nm when the oblique-angle is up to 45°, while for a TE-polarized light, the corresponding average absorption remains 80.48% when the oblique-angle is up to 30°. The average absorption is larger than 94% in different environment refractive indexes (1 < RI < 1.5), which illustrates the designed absorber possesses excellent environment RI stability. Another absorber with triple layer grating of different sizes is also designed, and the absorber has more than 95% absorption between 400 nm and 2376 nm, based on the high absorption and waveband, the absorber can find potential applications in solar energy capture. It is believed the proposed work can be applied in plasmonic solar absorber design, thermal emitter, and plasmonic imaging.

COST ANALYSIS OF DEPLOYING FEMTOCELLS IN SPEED TRAINS IN NIGERIA TO IMPROVE INDOOR COVERAGE AND CAPACITY OF LTE NETWORK

The cost analysis of deployment of femtocells in speed trains along Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge railway line to improve the coverage and capacity of Long Term Evolution (LTE) network for 5000 commuters using that route daily is presented in this paper. Additional cost will include the cost of femtocells procurement, license, installation, backhaul, operation &amp; maintenance. The cost analysis is carried out using techno-economic model to determine the business viability of embarking on such a project by LTE network providers in Nigeria. The estimated capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) as well as the projected revenues accrues from this project form the cash outflows and cash inflows used to simulate the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) in MS Excel environment on a discount rate and tax rate of 22% and 30% respectively to determine the feasibility of the investment. The results of their NPV values which are positive show that the macro-femtocell arrangement in speed train plying AbujaKaduna railway route is cost effective for a life time of 10 years and is feasible up to an IRR 40% which exceeds the estimated discount rate of 22%. The value of the payback period indicates that it will not take long for any LTE network provider in Nigeria to recover their investment. The result of the NPV sensitivity analysis shows how various cost and non-cost parameters affect the costeffectiveness of such investment.

An Educational Philosophy Perspective On Teaching in Contemporary Curriculum Development

Current research supports the significance of critical consciousness development in the educational process. The research on reflective participatory learning and critical consciousness to foster critical consciousness in higher education may be far superior, notwithstanding a few shortcomings. More research is needed to determine the nature of critical consciousness in the higher education curriculum's philosophy of education and the best ways to support these students' vital development of consciousness. The critical consciousness technique was used in this investigation, and critical consciousness as a theoretical paradigm in education philosophy seeks to address multi-systemic oppression. All educational initiatives, including curricular decisions are grounded on philosophy. Critical consciousness encourages educators and students to consider other identities' viewpoints when reading and evaluating texts. It extends the goal of education to a more excellent social environment; this content critique and analysis method humanizes the learning process. Philosophy looks for and makes visible the good that all people should pursue and focus their deliberate education toward. In philosophy, the curriculum is prescriptive since it specifies the broad guidelines, courses, and disciplines that should be completed to earn a particular grade or standard. Like philosophy, the curriculum is normative and has guiding ideas and theories. Philosophy becomes a benchmark by which to evaluate the objectives, curriculum choices, and education delivery methods. Curriculum must be understood that they are constantly faced with making decisions about curricula and that philosophy plays a significant role in the decision-making process.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ НЕПОЛНОЙ ЛИНЕЙНОЙ РЕГРЕССИОННОЙ МОДЕЛИ ТЕРМИЧЕСКОГО СОПРОТИВЛЕНИЯ КОНТАКТНОЙ ПСЕВДОСРЕДЫ

The problems of analyzing the thermal pattern of the spindle assembly of the machine are considered. A technique for obtaining regression models in MS Excel environment is developed. A linear regression model of changing the contact thermal resistance is proposed without taking into account the interaction of factors in the thermal model of the joints of machine parts. Using the Correlation tool, a comparative assessment of the significance and elimination of some factors are performed by analyzing matching linear correlation coefficients. With the help of the Regression tool based on the least squares method (LSM), a numerical evaluation of the parameters of the proposed models and their quality check are performed; the homoscedasticity of the regression residues is proved; the statistical equivalence of the constructed models is analyzed.

Runaway reaction investigation of di‑tert‑butyl peroxide using adiabatic calorimetry

Thermal safety assessment is an effective means to put an end to frequent chemical accidents. The conventional safety assessment generally uses differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) or accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC), while in this work the adiabatic calorimetry technique is applied to study the thermal runaway reaction for the first time. Adiabatic calorimeter (AC) has an excellent adiabatic and vacuum environment, and the process simulation of adiabatic runaway is more real in theory. The thermal decomposition reaction of 20% di‑tert‑butyl peroxide (DTBP) /toluene solution was measured, and the kinetic parameters and model of DTBP decomposition in the adiabatic reaction process were obtained by fitting the temperature rise rate-temperature data in the thermal runaway process. These research results not only show that the adiabatic calorimetry is competent for the determination and thermal risk assessment of adiabatic runaway reactions, but also provide an important reference for broadening the application of adiabatic calorimetry.

Bioinspired Environment-Adaptable and Ultrasensitive Multifunctional Electronic Skin for Human Healthcare and Robotic Sensations.

Multifunctional electronic skins (e-skins) that can sense various stimuli have demonstrated increasing potential in many fields. However, most e-skins are human-oriented that cannot work in hash environments such as high temperature, underwater, and corrosive chemicals, impairing their applications, especially in human-machine interfaces, intelligent machines, robotics, and so on. Inspired by the crack-shaped sensory organs of spiders, an environmentally robust and ultrasensitive multifunctional e-skin is developed. By developing a polyimide-based metal crack-localization strategy, the device has excellent environment adaptability since polyimide has high thermal stability and chemical durability. The localized cracked part serves as an ultrasensitive strain sensing unit, while the non-cracked serpentine part is solely responsible for temperature. Since the two units are made of the same material and process, the signals are decoupled easily. The proposed device is the first multifunctional e-skin that can be used in harsh environments, therefore is of great potential for both human and robot-oriented applications.

Catalytic degradation of carbamazepine by surface-modified zerovalent copper via the activation of peroxymonosulphate: mechanism, degradation pathways and ecotoxicity

ABSTRACT In this research work, surface-modified nano zerovalent copper (nZVC) was prepared using a simple borohydride reduction method. The spectroscopic and crystallographic results revealed the successful synthesis of surface-modified nano zerovalent copper (nZVC) using solvents such as ethanol (ETOH), ethylene glycol (EG) and tween80 (T80). The as-synthesized material was fully characterized for morphological surface and crystal structural properties. The results indicated that EG provides an excellent synthesis environment to nZVC compared to ETOH and T80 in terms of good dispersion, high surface area and excellent catalytic properties. The catalytic efficiency of nZVC/EG was investigated alone and with peroxymonosulphate (PMS) in the absence of light. The degradation results demonstrated that the involvement of PMS synergistically boosted the catalytic efficiency of synthesized nZVC/EG material. Furthermore, the degradation products (DPs) of CBZ were determined by GC−MS and subsequently, the degradation pathways were proposed. The ecotoxicity analysis of the DPs was also explored. The proposed (nZVC/EG/PMS) system is economical and efficient and thus could be applied for the degradation of CBZ from an aquatic system after altering the degradation pathways in such a way that results in harmless products.

Model for Reinvestment Policy in Risk-Free Assets with Various Maturities

Abstract Logistic tasks are aimed at the optimal distribution of material, energy, financial and human resources. This research has a narrow field aimed at optimal management of financial resources and their redistribution. Specifically, a reinvestment policy model is derived by maximizing the profit of a business entity. Reinvestment is done with risk-free assets, but they have different maturity periods. This makes it difficult to assess the optimal investment strategy, as reinvestment can be done at the end of the maturity period. This study develops a model for a dynamic control process, which leads to the formalization of a discrete integer time optimization problem. Its solution gives a sequence of investments and a total optimal return. The solution to the problem is illustrated in an EXCEL environment. The added value of this study stems from the formalization and quantification of the model for the reinvestment strategy in the optimization problem.

Change and Driving Factor Analysis of Eco-Environment of Typical Lakes in Arid Areas

In arid regions with scarce water resources, lakes play an extremely vital role in maintaining the ecological environment. Therefore, the Chinese government has launched an ecological water conveyance project in the Tarim River basin in Xinjiang with the aim of restoring the ecological environment of the area. In previous studies, there was no complete evaluation system used to quantify changes in the ecological environment of arid regions after ecological water conveyance. In this paper, Lake Taitema was selected as the study area, which is both a terminal lake in the Tarim River basin and an object of the ecological water conveyance project. This study utilized Landsat TM/OLI satellite remote sensing images and MODIS datasets to build a remote sensing ecological index model and systematically evaluated the changes in the ecological environment and land use types in the Taitema Lake area. A structural equation model was constructed to analyze the correlation between the area of Taitema Lake and its driving factors. The results show that over the selected 20 years, the proportion of pixels with an upward trend (Zc &gt; 0) of the RSEI was 56.5%, while the proportion of pixels with a downward trend (Zc &lt; 0) of the RSEI was 43.5%. The area proportion of regions with poor ecological environment quality decreased by about 40%, and the area proportions of regions with moderate, good, and excellent ecological environment quality increased by 29.7%, 10%, and 0.6%, respectively. By comparing the land use data from 2000 and 2020, the proportion of grassland increased by 6%, the proportion of water area increased by 4.4%, and the proportion of unused land decreased by 9.6%. In summary, after the implementation of the ecological water conveyance project, the ecological environment quality of the Lake Taitema area gradually improved, and ecological water conveyance was the main driving factor of the area change in Lake Taitema.

Evidence for Urbanization Effects on Eco-Environmental Quality: A Case Study of Guyuan City, China

Achieving sustainable development and a good quality of life depends largely on the state of the ecological environment. This research is centered on Guyuan City and examines the changes in the ecological environment quality across space and time, based on Landsat imagery and the remote sensing ecological environment index (RSEI) between 2000 and 2019. Correlation analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to investigate the environmental and human factors that affect the quality of the ecological environment. The results indicate a significant reduction in areas with a very-poor-quality ecological environment and a significant increase in excellent ecological environment management from 2000 to 2019, especially in eastern Guyuan City. The low-value area of the RSEI index gradually shifted from eastern counties to western areas relative to Guyuan City, exhibiting a significant change from a high-cluster distribution to a significantly discrete distribution. Elevation, precipitation, and total organic carbon showed significantly positive correlations with the RSEI, while temperature, land use, and pH showed significantly negative correlations. This study also reveals that topography and climate change have a positive impact on ecological changes, and urbanization is becoming less limiting for ecological improvement. In future ecological construction processes, emphasis should be placed on the terrain and climatic conditions to maximize the restoration of the ecological environment affected by urban construction. This work provides regional guidance for future sustainable development and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin.