Foundation Level Research Articles

Numerical Analysis on Effects of Soil Improvement on Pile Forces on Existing High-Rise Building

Nowadays, seismic codes are regularly updated with new knowledge and a better understanding of the earthquake phenomenon. With these updates, existing buildings require a reevaluation of their stability and a process of reinforcement and/or retrofitting. This study investigated the effects of two types of ground improvement which use cement-mixing soil surrounding the foundation structure to reduce and redistribute forces acting on piles. This is especially important when the reevaluation of high-rise buildings leads to increased forces in the piles. Typically, buildings are designed while assuming fixed base boundary conditions at the foundation level, without considering soil–pile–structure interaction (SPSI). SPSI significantly influences the response of high-rise buildings supported by soft soil. Increasing the lateral resistance of the surrounding soil can reduce the influence of SPSI. In this study, a detailed dynamic numerical analysis was used to investigate the dynamic response of an SPSI system of a high-rise building under seismic load. A dynamic analysis was conducted on a modified layout of a real building, using real-time earthquake motion. The finite element program DIANA FEA was used to perform nonlinear 3D FEM numerical simulations, taking into account the essential SPSI phenomena, gap-slip between the piles and the soil, and free-field boundary conditions. A comparison of the data suggests that the bending moment and shear forces in the piles are reduced in magnitude and evenly distributed along the upper part of the pile, which reduces the stress concentration of the bending moment and shear forces at the contact between the piles and the pile cap.

Enhancing Novice Educator Confidence to Teach Synchronously Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Educators’ perceptions of their teaching competence contribute to feelings of wellbeing and teaching effectiveness, which in turn impacts the quality of student learning. In the context of emergency remote online teaching brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, introductory workshops on educating using Zoom videoconferencing software were conducted at a large Australian university. The workshops sought to equip educators with the skills and confidence needed to make the transition to online teaching, thus reducing educator anxiety and improving their wellbeing. Attendees of the workshops were surveyed (104 responses) to understand what influenced educator confidence development, perceptions of successful online teaching approaches, and advice for new online educators. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework was used to analyse educators’ open-text responses. The study demonstrated that both professional development and practical experience increased novice online educator confidence and expertise in using videoconferencing software to engage learners. Educators required a foundational level of technological knowledge before they could develop a deeper understanding of how the technology could be used for pedagogical purposes. Short just-in-time workshops were identified as an influential factor in fostering initial confidence and expertise, which worked to reduce educator apprehension about using the technology, ultimately contributing to enhanced wellbeing and student outcomes.

A study on the effectiveness of direct current video (e-DC) improving learning outcomes of students and motivation towards learning Physics

COVID-19 is seen as a transformational agent for the widespread implementation of online learning at the school and higher education levels. A conducive learning environment, with the help of digital technologies, is essential to be incorporated into our learning process to enhance student’s understanding of each course taken. The topic of Direct Current, in electricity, for foundation and matriculation level, is quite dense with formulas of electric current, resistance, and resistivity including the analysis of a simple Direct Current circuit. Therefore, we proposed the video of interactive notes (e-DC) which aims to improve students' understanding of the topic of Direct Current (DC). The notes created contain terminologies, formulas, and a brief description of electric parameters such as electric current, resistivity, and conductivity. The current study was carried out among 183 pre-university students to highlight the effectiveness of the e-DC. To achieve the objective of the study, two pre-university centres namely the Centre for Defence Foundation Studies, UPNM, and Kolej Matrikulasi Pahang (KMPh) were selected through convenient sampling. The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference in the achievement between the students’ scores using e-DC. The pretest-posttest comparison was used to test the effectiveness of the e-DC. The result indicated more improvement between their pre-test and post-test data causing the null hypothesis to be rejected. The findings of the study also found that most students (96%) stated their agreement that the learning process becoming more engaging and fun with the use of e-DC and students are motivated to learn Physics.

Discovering the Digital: Reimagining a Module and Co-creating Assessment at Foundation Level

Discovering the Digital: Reimagining a Module and Co-creating Assessment at Foundation Level

TAHAP PENERIMAAN DAN KEBERKESANAN KURSUS TASAWWUR ISLAM DALAM KALANGAN MAHASISWA ASASI DI UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH

The offer of basic studies at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is the same as that offered at other local universities, namely to students who are graduates of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). In pursuing the foundation level at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Muslim students need to follow the subject of Tasawwur Islam as one of the compulsory subjects. The subject of Tasawwur Islam is a continuation of the application of religious knowledge to Muslim students to provide added value to their lives. The question that arises here is does this Tasawwur Islam course have an encouraging impact on the lives of students? Therefore, this study was conducted to see the level of acceptance and effectiveness of Tasawwur Islam courses among students at UMS. This study uses quantitative methodologies based on questionnaires distributed through Google Form. There were 50 respondents among the students at UMS who had taken the time to participate in their views and perceptions on the level of acceptance and effectiveness of the Tasawwur Islam course at the foundation level. The results of the Tasawwur Islam course offering at the foundation level showed that 84% of the students can increase their knowledge especially in the ins and outs of Islam, 60% of students can apply the knowledge gained in everyday life and 42% of students can transform themselves into a better person than before. Overall, the offering of Tasawwur Islam courses at this fundamental level has a positive impact on the lives of students in the coming days.

Лингвосемиотический портрет кёнигсбергского затворника: Иммануил Кант

The aim of the research is to identify the general linguistic, general cultural and ethnocultural features of the linguistic personality of the 19th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant. The scientific novelty of the research consists in highlighting the features of the cognitive-discourse constructions of the Königsberg thinker’s linguistic personality in line with the study of the linguo-semiotic mechanisms of functioning of special terms, both in the space of a complete utterance and at the level of the universal foundation of a philosophical narrative. One of the key points of the work is the development of the concept of linguo-semiotic interpretation of the category “linguistic personality”, which is considered as a semiotic integrity and axiological construct functioning in the synergy of two formats: individual and universal identity. The basic element of identifying the signs of a linguistic personality of this type is the linguistic analysis of the discourse, which generates authentic parameters for the functioning of the philosopher’s linguistic cognition. The cognitive and epistemic dimension of knowledge lays the foundation for the potential development of research thought in line with conducting a conceptual and linguistic analysis of the text space. The research findings showed the predominance of the universal characteristics of the German thinker’s philosophical discourse and also made it possible to discover the information about the elements of his worldview and mentality as a native speaker of a national language at the level of linguistic personality. The data obtained made it possible to identify the features of Immanuel Kant’s linguistic personality that are relevant for modern methods of overcoming crisis and stress situations on the paths of existential stabilization of behavioral cognition and communication models.

Disability Justice and Anti-ableism for the Pediatric Clinician

The impact of ableism on health care, and specifically the health of people with disabilities, is not only underrecognized, but misunderstood at a foundational level due to socially acceptable denial of anti-disability bias. For the pediatrician that seeks to learn about the value of anti-ableist approaches to health care and how it can promote child health, this article reviews the relationship between medical jargon and anti-disability bias, and provides a primer on disability justice, the medical versus social models of disability, and other scholarly concepts related to anti-ableism. The authors provide narrative examples of disability bias in clinical scenarios, and the article concludes with actionable recommendations on anti-ableist language etiquette and clinical best practices. Although ableism is a societal issue, pediatricians have a responsibility to recognize and address ableism as a threat to child health.

Institutional principles of state financial control development

Relevance of the research topic. In the conditions of transformative transformations, the need to increase the quality level of the institutional foundations of state financial control, taking into account foreign experience, is increasing. It is expedient to improve the approaches to determining the priority directions for the development of state financial control, which will contribute to strengthening the level of manageability of the state finance system. Formulation of the problem. State financial control must meet the important tasks of increasing the efficiency of the use of budget funds, the effectiveness of budget expenditures, which will contribute to social development. Analysis of recent research and publications. The question of the development of state financial control is quite widespread in scientific research. These are the scientific works of well-known domestic and foreign scientists: P. Samuelson, I. Chugunov, L. Lysiak, V. Makogon, V. Oparin, M. Pasichny, V. Pihotskyi, I. Stefanyuk, V. Fedosov, O. Shevchuk and others. Highlighting unexplored parts of the general problem. It is important to increase the level of efficiency of state financial control, the effectiveness of budget expenditures. It is necessary to use state financial control as an effective component of the state financial policy of social development. Setting the task, the goal of the research. The main tasks of the research are to reveal the essence of state financial control in the conditions of social transformation; development of provisions on increasing the level of efficiency of state financial control, the effectiveness of the use of budget funds. The purpose of the study is to reveal the institutional foundations of the development of state financial control. Method or methodology of research. The article uses a set of methods and approaches of scientific research: systemic, factorial, comparative, synthesis, generalization, scientific abstraction and others. Presentation of the main material (results of work). The essence of the institutional foundations of the development of state financial control in the conditions of social transformation is revealed; received further development of the provision on increasing the level of efficiency in the use of budget funds. The mechanisms of the functioning of state financial control as a component of the state finance management system have been improved. Field of application of results. The results of the study can be used in the process of developing the system of state financial control, improving the efficiency of the use of budget funds. Conclusions according to the article. State financial control in the system of regulation of economic relations is an important tool for the implementation of financial and budgetary policy. In order to increase the efficiency of the use of budget funds, it is important to substantiate scientific approaches to the formation of the institutional foundations of the state financial control system, taking into account economic transformations.

Analysis and Design of Earthquake Resisting Building with Shear Walls by Using ETAB Software

The present study shows the seismic behaviour of buildings under the action of earthquake load by performing Non-linear Static analysis. Nowadays buildings with shear walls are more popular than buildings without shear walls in earthquake-prone areas due to their resistance during earthquakes. So, this study aims to find the prime location of the shear wall and then investigate the effectiveness of the best shear wall for the RCC structure. In this study, G+13 & G+5 RCC building is considered for the analysis under zone I to zone IV with suitable load combination. The structure is analyzed for earthquakes in the type of structural system using ETABS software. The shear wall starts from the foundation level and should continue throughout the building.

The role of dialogue in meaningful classroom interaction in South Africa

The importance of meaningful classroom dialogue in the foundation and early intermediate levels of education in creating effective literacy skills is well documented. Despite comments in a recent paper that there is a dearth of research on classroom observations around print in South Africa since 1994 at foundation level, there have actually been several studies that have observed classroom practice in this area post-1994. This paper discusses three particularly important ones that spanned some three decades in South Africa and observed the role and practice of dialogue in classroom teaching around text at foundation and early intermediate schooling levels. All three studies indicate that teaching styles have changed very little to date, and that meaningful classroom interaction between teacher and learner remains largely absent. The Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of the participating teachers continues to restrict student agency in the area of classroom interaction. Although each of the researchers captured the evidence in different ways, they all came to the same conclusion: that all teachers are still teaching restrictively and do not ask the type of open, extended questions necessary to engage in dialogue which helps develop critical thinking or the vocabulary necessary to develop effective literacy skills in learners.

Fostering learning outcomes in a non-reading culture at foundational level of education: the role of information technology and pupil engagement

PurposeThis paper examines the role of Information Technology and pupil engagement in fostering learning outcomes in a non-reading culture context at foundation level of education.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted a cross-sectional survey design with quantitative approaches. A sample of 412 was drawn from a population of 1,692 Primary Schools. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS software.Findings Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) usage had positive and significant effects on pupil engagement and pupil learning outcomes. Pupil engagement moderated in the relationship between ICT usage and pupils' learning outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross-sectional design used in data collection may not monitor learning outcomes of the given samples over a longer period of time. Future studies should consider longitudinal research designs so that the behaviors of the learners can be observed over a long period of time.Practical implicationsDeliberate efforts to advocate for and promote the use of ICTs in primary schools are important if the schools are to foster pupils' engagements and register better learning outcomes.Originality/valueThe study confirms pupil engagement as a moderator in the relationship between ICT usage and learning outcomes at foundational levels of education in a resource poor country with a non-reading culture.

The role of soil in structure response of a building damaged by the 26 December 2018 earthquake in Italy

Local soil conditions can significantly modify the seismic motion expected on the soil surface. In most cases, the indications concerning the influence of the underlying soil provided by the in-force European and Italian Building Codes underestimate the real seismic amplification effects. For this reason, numerical analyses of the local seismic response (LSR) have been encouraged to estimate the soil filtering effects. These analyses are generally performed in free-field conditions, ignoring the presence of superstructures and, therefore, the effects of dynamic soil-structure interaction (DSSI). Moreover, many studies on DSSI are characterised by a sophisticated modelling of the structure and an approximate modelling of the soil (using springs and dashpots at the foundation level); while others are characterised by a sophisticated modelling of the soil and an approximate modelling of the structure (considered as a simple linear elastic structure or a single degree of freedom system). This paper presents a set of finite element method (FEM) analyses on a fully-coupled soil-structure system for a reinforced concrete building located in Fleri (Catania, Italy). The building, designed for gravity loads only, was severely damaged during the 26 December 2018 earthquake. The soil was modelled considering an equivalent visco-elastic behaviour, while the structure was modelled assuming both the visco-elastic and visco-inelastic behaviours. The comparison made between the results of the FEM analyses and the observed damage is valuable. • Soil filtering phenomena are a key aspect for structure seismic response. • FEM modelling of the soil cannot ignore the dynamic properties of the bedrock. • Modelling of the structures should be performed in the inelastic range. • Earthquake damage is not necessarily a "physical" process for vulnerable buildings. • FEM analyses of DSSI must be encouraged for all buildings.

A Social Ecological Approach to Latino Immigrant Trauma and Intervention: An Integrative Review.

This paper presents an application that can be taken when conducting mental health intervention within the Latino immigrant population. Using a social ecological lens, it provides an overview of experiences and factors to detail the characteristics, trauma, and resilience factors present within this population. Utilizing Ungar's framework on resilience, that decenters the individual from experiences of trauma to position them alongside their social network and resources, it proposes an application for future intervention and research efforts. Addressing intervention at a foundational level allows for the supplementing and shaping of current methods to address the mental health needs of this community.

Widening participation students’ experience and perception of flipped learning statistics compared with traditional teaching in higher education

This paper presents data from a study comparing student experience and attainment when teaching statistics using Traditional Teaching (TT) and Flipped Learning (FL) approaches on a Foundation level module at a UK university. A survey of students’ experience and perception of FL was conducted at the end of the year. The results showed that the students liked the flexibility of FL and believed that studying asynchronously encouraged them to improve their independent learning skill and motivated them to search for more information for the subject, a finding broadly supported by other studies (Price and Walker, 2021). However, what was surprising, is that students believed they learned ‘better’ with TT than with FL, a perception supported by student overall attainment data. The study concludes that careful considerations must be made to make FL effective. These include the student demographic and their mathematics competency, the module contents and difficulty level. Otherwise, the use of FL may reduce students’ engagement and academic performance in Maths at Foundation level.

The Effect of Soil Liquefaction and Lateral Spreading to the Seismic Vulnerability of RC Frame Buildings Considering SSI

ABSTRACT Evidence of past earthquakes highlighted the seismic vulnerability to buildings due to soil liquefaction and lateral spreading phenomena. Damage to buildings on a liquefiable site, especially on a gently sloping site, can be severe. The liquefied soil can undergo permanent lateral ground displacements as large as several meters in some cases, which can be severely disastrous to buildings. Recent physical tests and effective stress analyses of nonlinear dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI) proved that simplified empirical processes are often improper for evaluating liquefaction-induced building settlements. A better understanding of the SSI effects is also essential in cases where the underlying soil is susceptible to liquefaction. In this respect, the interaction of the earthquake excitation and ground failure (i.e. soil liquefaction and lateral spreading) for buildings considering SSI is investigated herein. Typical low-code reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings of different heights with shallow spread footings on liquefiable level-ground or sloping soils subjected to ground shaking are considered. The direct SSI approach is implemented. Predictive relationships are established between the maximum normalized differential displacements (horizontal or settlement) and the permanent ground displacement (PGD) vector at the level of foundation for low-code RC frame buildings with shallow spread footings on soils with high liquefaction potential subjected to ground shaking. Finally, vulnerability is expressed in terms of fragility and vulnerability curves as well as in terms of fragility surfaces as a function of two intensity measures.

Entrepreneurship Education at Higher Learning Institutions (HLI): Policy Mismatch and Recommendations

Recognizing the importance of entrepreneurship as one of the engines of economic growth. The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has launched MOHE Guide to Entrepreneurship Integrated Education (EIE) Entrepreneurship Action Plan 2021 – 2025. The main aim of the plan is to form holistic entrepreneurial ecosystem that will encourage young entrepreneurs to venture into business upon their graduation. Past studies on youth entrepreneurship development mainly concentrated on the public universities in Malaysia. Studies on the youth entrepreneurial development at the private universities still untrodden. Despite various efforts and policy initiated by the government, the youth entrepreneurship achievement is still unsatisfactory. Hence, the objectives of this paper are to review the impact of youth entrepreneurship policy at the higher learning institutions particularly at the private universities; to identify issues and challenges of youth entrepreneurial development programmes; and finally, this paper will give recommendations to enhance entrepreneurial education development at the private universities. This paper reviewed past literatures on entrepreneurial development at higher education in Malaysia. The findings of this paper revealed that the private universities were unable to leverage to the youth entrepreneurship development programmes designed by the government; there is lack of synchronization of entrepreneurship curriculum and modules from foundation level to master’s degree level; and there were insufficient support systems to nurture young entrepreneur at the tertiary level. Lastly, this paper able to provide several policy recommendations that can be considered to improve the youth entrepreneurship development particularly at private higher learning institutions in Malaysia.

Future directions in neuropsychology: Training, education, clinical practice, and advocacy for Asians and Asian Americans

Objective: Given the need for increased equity, justice, and inclusion in neuropsychology, this paper aimed to present an initial perspective on key areas of understanding necessary to provide ethically and culturally responsive services and training to Asians and Asian Americans. Method: We first reviewed the terms Asian and Asian American and established the large multitude of individuals these terms encompass. Second, a brief review of the foundations for Asian American psychology is provided to set the stage for the unique considerations when evaluating individuals of Asian descent. Lastly, the necessity of using the social justice lens in education and training pipelines needed to propel the field forward is emphasized. Conclusions: Overall, this paper reviewed key information to provide a foundational level of understanding regarding the nuances of working with persons of Asian descent in the field of neuropsychology.

Research on the Difficulties and Countermeasures Faced by Classroom Teaching Management in Higher Vocational Colleges in China

Higher vocational education is an important part of China's higher education, and its main goal is to train compound technical and technical talents who serve the needs of economic and social development and face the front line of economic and social development and production service. According to the empirical research, this study reveals the current difficulties of classroom teaching management in higher vocational colleges, which mainly include: low level of students and weak learning foundation; Students are not interested in their majors and are not optimistic about their employment prospects; The dependence on smart mobile devices is high, and the classroom order is difficult to standardize; Teachers' professional skills are insufficient, and the teaching content emphasizes theory over practice; School teaching management is imperfect. According to the current difficulties of classroom teaching management in higher vocational colleges, we need to take corresponding countermeasures and suggestions, mainly including: cultivating students' good study habits; Improve students' sense of professional belonging and enhance their learning motivation; Improve classroom teaching management skills and strengthen students' sense of discipline; Carefully prepare teaching contents and diversify teaching methods; Establish a "double-qualified" teacher team to improve teachers' professional skills; Further improve the school classroom teaching management system. Through the mutual restriction and promotion of teachers, students and schools, the maximum teaching force is finally formed, the classroom teaching management level of teachers is improved, the learning ability of students is improved, and the classroom teaching quality of higher vocational colleges is finally improved.

Generative Adversarial Networks: A Brief History and Overview

Over the past decade, research in the field of Deep Learning has brought about novel improvements in image generation and feature learning; one such example being a Generative Adversarial Network. However, these improvements have been coupled with an increasing demand on mathematical literacy and previous knowledge in the field. Therefore, in this literature review, I seek to introduce Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to a broader audience by explaining their background and intuition at a more foundational level. I begin by discussing the mathematical background of this architecture, specifically topics in linear algebra and probability theory. I then proceed to introduce GANs in a more theoretical framework, along with some of the literature on GANs, including their architectural improvements and image-generation capabilities. Finally, I cover state-of-the-art image generation through style-based methods, as well as their implications on society.

Experimental study of local scour around non-uniform twin piers

ABSTRACT Prediction of scour at complex or non-uniform piers has been mostly aimed at single piers, while most bridges are constructed on a group of non-uniform piers. The novelty of this study is to investigate the effect of foundation level and piers’ distance on local scour around the non-uniform twin-piers. The experiments were carried out considering five foundation levels, under and above the bed, with various piers distances in clear-water conditions. Results show that for the case of foundation level above the bed, scour depth at non-uniform twin piers is larger than that of uniform configuration, and distance between piers has no significant influence on scour depth. For the case of foundation at bed level, the distance between piers has no remarkable effect on scour depth while the scour depth around non-uniform twin piers is found to be less than that of uniform ones. When the foundation is under the bed level, the presence of the foundation reduces the scour depth around both front and rear piers, and the distance between piers has a direct effect on the scour depth. In this zone, the foundation delays the scour process and the scour time increases with increasing foundation depth. This study highlights that a proper design of the foundation level increases the duration of scouring and decreases the scour depth.