Strong Development Research Articles

Philip Sidney's 'An Apology for Poetry': A Scholarly Analysis

In this article, an attempt was made to present a scholarly analysis of “An Apology for poetry” written by Philip Sidney. Sidney in his work expressed critical guidelines to create understanding about the poetry among readers. According to him, poetry is a particular form of communication, particularly when addressing complex relationships that require additional rhetorical effort, such as persuasion and art. He subdivided the creative poetry to make a clear sense to his readers and made strong arguments about the creative nature of imitative poetry. Poetry is noble to all sciences and it comes from the poet’s heart and ideas of imagination. He defended the accusations against poetry and established the environment of understanding about poetry’s importance and excellence for his readers for the sake of the audience’s stronger development in understanding and deep effective learning.

Role of Caffeine in Inducing Anxiety by Reducing Brain Serotonin Synthesis Blocking Adenosine Receptors (A1, A2A, A2B, and A3)

Abstract: Caffeine is well-known for its stimulant characteristics and is included in a wide variety of foods, drinks, and pharmaceutical formulations worldwide. However, the methods by which caffeine exerts its effects on the brain were unknown until the past decade, when the development of strong research tools enabled scientists to explore the drug's neuropharmacological and biochemical characteristics. Serotonin, especially in sensitive people, also tends to decrease anxiety. Most of their biological effects are caused by antagonising all kinds of adenosine receptors (ARs): A1, A2A, A2B, and A3. Serotonin is a key Central Nervous System (CNS) neurotransmitter. The deregulation of the transmission of serotonin in the CNS is known to be associated with many human mental illnesses, including impulsive aggressiveness, depression, and anxiety disorders.

Quantum Wolf Pack Evolutionary Algorithm of Weight Decision‐Making Based on Fuzzy Control

In the traditional quantum wolf pack algorithm, the wolf pack distribution is simplified, and the leader wolf is randomly selected. This leads to the problems that the development and exploration ability of the algorithm is weak and the rate of convergence is slow. Therefore, a quantum wolf pack evolutionary algorithm of weight decision-making based on fuzzy control is proposed in this paper. First, to realize the diversification of wolf pack distribution and the regular selection of the leader wolf, a dual strategy method and sliding mode cross principle are adopted to optimize the selection of the quantum wolf pack initial position and the candidate leader wolf. Second, a new non-linear convergence factor is adopted to improve the leader wolf's search direction operator to enhance the local search capability of the algorithm. Meanwhile, a weighted decision-making strategy based on fuzzy control and the quantum evolution computation method is used to update the position of the wolf pack and enhance the optimization ability of the algorithm. Then, a functional analysis method is adopted to prove the convergence of the quantum wolf pack algorithm, thus realizing the feasibility of the algorithm's global convergence. The performance of the quantum wolf pack algorithm of weighted decision-making based on fuzzy control was verified through six standard test functions. The optimization results are compared with the standard wolf pack algorithm and the quantum wolf pack algorithm. Results show that the improved algorithm had a faster rate of convergence, higher convergence precision, and stronger development and exploration ability.

Variation of Radar-Observed Precipitation Characteristics in Relation to the Simultaneous Passages of a Madden–Julian Oscillation Event and Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves during the Years of the Maritime Continent Pilot Study

AbstractIn this study, we examined the variations of precipitation morphology and rainfall in relation to the simultaneous passages of a Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) event and convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEWs) observed during the Years of the Maritime Continent pilot study. We utilized globally merged infrared brightness temperature data and the radiosonde and radar data observed aboard the Research Vessel Mirai at 4°4′S, 101°54′E. As well as the observed MJO event, equatorial Rossby waves (ERWs), Kelvin waves (KWs), and mixed Rossby–gravity waves (MRGWs) were identified. The radar data exhibited high-frequency variation, mainly caused by KWs and MRGWs, and low-frequency variation, mainly caused by the MJO and ERWs. The MRGWs predominantly modulated convective echo areas and both convective and stratiform volumetric rainfall. In contrast, the MJO event had little influence on the variance of convective echoes. Moreover, stratiform echo areas and volumetric rainfall were more strongly modulated by the combined effects of the MJO, ERWs, KWs, and MRGWs than their convective counterparts. The intense development of stratiform echo areas and volumetric rainfall was coherent with the superimposition of the active phases of the MJO event and all the analyzed CCEWs. The strongest development and a significant reduction of convective echo-top heights before and after the peak MJO date, respectively, were coherent with the passages of ERWs and MRGWs, which were the dominant wave types in modulating echo-top heights. Thus, it appears that the superimposition of the CCEWs on the MJO event exerted complex modulations on the convective activities within the MJO event.

Has healthcare rationalisation been rationale? Hospital beds and Covid-19 in Italy

The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the existence of a hospital bed shortage in Italy, as a result of a longstanding trend. The article analyses this process by an international comparison with other Western European countries, highlighting the intensity of hospital bed reduction in Italy, as a fundamental component of NHS rationalisation. Although it was based on solid grounds, international data suggest that hospital bed reduction was probably excessive, depriving the NHS of organisational slack. Moreover, de-hospitalisation would have been matched with a stronger development of primary and community care. The relative shortage of these services, along with the lack of integrated networks between hospital and non-hospital care, explains many difficulties experienced by hospitals in tackling Covid patients. Beyond investments in health care, these elements call to re-think the organisation of health care provision at local level, questioning the purchaser-provider split.

Photosynthetic pigments content and parameters of oxidative stress in the amaranth species with increasing water deficiency

The dynamics of the photosynthetic pigments content and parameters of oxidative stress with an increasing water deficit in the leaves of 40-days-old plants of two amaranth species - Amaranthus paniculatus L. (cv. Rubin) and Amaranthus caudatus L. (cv. Chyrvony aksamit), grown in a pot culture, was studied. Specific features of the development of water deficiency in amaranth leaves were revealed: amaranth plants Amaranthus paniculatus L. showed a stronger development of water deficit in leaves than Amaranthus caudatus L. after 4-days soil drought, which after 8 days increased in two species to 73.7 and 55.7 %, respectively. Under moderate drought, the amount of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids) based on dry leaf weight increased in two amaranth species, but after 8 days of soil drought, the content of Chl (a + b) was reduced by 2.0-2.1 times, and carotenoids - 1.8-1.9 times relative to the physiological level. As a result of a 4-days soil drought in the leaves of Amaranthus paniculatus L., there was a significant decrease in the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the activity of lipid peroxidation (LPO), while in Amaranthus caudatus L. an increase in the levels of ROS and LPO was observed. With an increase in the pressure of the stress factor in the leaves of amaranth of the two studied species, a decrease in the ROS content and LPO activity relative to physiological values was revealed. A conclusion was made about the different mechanisms of ROS generation and the flow of LPO processes at different stages of soil drought in the leaves of different amaranth species.

Social Entrepreneurship and Development of Local Self-Governments – Evidence from Montenegro

Main aim of the paper is to investigate the correlation between social entrepreneurship and development of local self-governments, in order to effectively and efficiently steer the potential of this form of entrepreneurship towards greater inclusion of socially vulnerable groups and improved development of local self-governments. Authors have developed a conceptual model that investigates the effects of social entrepreneurship on self-government development, as well as the impacts of self-government development on the perception and attitudes towards this type of entrepreneurship. The research results show that the respondents think that activities of social entrepreneurship have a positive influence on the development of local self-government; they also believe that main barriers to stronger development of social entrepreneurship in local self-governments are vague status of social enterprises, poor access to funding and a general lack of entrepreneurial spirit. The results provide an important contribution to policy makers to identify and understand the link between the development of social entrepreneurship and local self-governments.

Does spatiotemporal nutrient variation allow more species to coexist?

Temporal heterogeneity in nutrient availability is known to increase phytoplankton diversity by allowing more species to coexist under different resource niches. Spatial heterogeneity has also been positively correlated with species diversity. Here we investigated how temporal and spatial differences in nutrient addition together impact biodiversity in metacommunities varying in the degree of connectivity among the patches. We used a microcosm experimental design to test two spatiotemporal ways of supplying nutrients: synchronously (nutrients were added regionally—to all four patches at the same time) and asynchronously (nutrients were added locally—to a different patch each time), combined with two different degrees of connectivity among the patches (low or high connectivity). We used three species of algae and one species of cyanobacteria as the primary producers; and five ciliate and two rotifer species as the grazers. We expected higher diversity in metacommunities receiving an asynchronous nutrient supply, assuming stronger development of heterogeneous patches with this condition rather than with synchronous nutrient supply. This result was expected, however, to be dependent on the degree of connectivity among patches. We found significant effects of nutrient addition in both groups of organisms. Phytoplankton diversity increased until the fourth week (transiently) and zooplankton richness was persistently higher under asynchronous nutrient addition. Our results were consistent with our hypothesis that asynchronicity in nutrient supply would create a more favorable condition for species to co-occur. However, this effect was, in part, transient and was not influenced by the degree of connectivity.

Making ethics teaching more effective with a three step model

In this study, the impacts of two different “methods” for teaching ethics as part of the religious education in the Swedish upper secondary school were compared by means of a non-randomized controlled trial in two parts, involving 542 students. The question was which “method” had the greatest capacity to generate long-term ethical awareness in the students. The intervention condition consisted of students whose teachers were instructed to teach according to the Three Step Model, a teaching method influenced by research concerning how moral autonomy and ethical awareness could be increased by means of instruction and training. The control condition consisted of students whose teachers were instructed to teach basically as usual but with some added guidelines. During the trial, all students were given a pre-test before the ethics section had started and a post-test 10–12 weeks after it was finished. When quantified and summarized, the results showed an advantage of the intervention condition in measure B (development of demonstrable knowledge) but an advantage of the control condition in measure A (self-assessed ethical awareness); however, the advantage of the intervention condition was clearer and stronger. Even though the intervention students did not experience a stronger development, they appeared to have learned significantly more, not least in terms of procedural knowledge in ethical problem solving. The tentative conclusion is therefore that the Three Step Model is a more effective method for increasing ethical awareness, at least if one defines ethical awareness and measures it the way it was done in this study.

Using tasks to develop pre-service teachers’ knowledge for teaching mathematics with digital technology

Teacher education is central to the development of the professional knowledge of pre-service teachers. The main goal of this paper is to reflect on the development that the analysis (done by a group of pre-service secondary teachers) of a set of tasks, based on elements related to domains of KTMT—Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics with Technology—can bring to the knowledge of pre-service teachers of mathematics. Specifically, the goal was to investigate the following questions: (1) What are the factors that guide the pre-service teachers’ task discussion? (2) Which KTMT domains are emphasized by pre-service teachers during task discussion? The elements taken into account are the characteristics of the tasks (focus on cognitive level, structuring level and technology role), the use of representations (focus on balance and articulation of representations), and the equilibrium between experimentation (focus on digital technology affordances) and justification (focus on argumentation and proof). The methodology of this case study involves a qualitative approach. The main conclusions suggest that influences in the pre-service teachers’ discussion of tasks fell into the following categories: the potentialities of technology, the type of tasks, and the prospective teachers’ experience with a set of tasks, and analysis of some real students’ reports. With regard to KTMT, although it was possible to identify some global development, Teaching and Learning and Technology Knowledge was the domain in which stronger development took place.

Estimation of the Smart Land Index: application to the rural context of the Crati Valley

ABSTRACTThe smart land model plans, in a territorial perspective, to connect cities and minor suburban areas, integrating all aspects of the urban sphere and services to give rise to a stronger development system. The present research proposes a viable methodology on a territorial scale that, on the basis of a series of evaluation items, factors and variables, and measurable quantities, indicators, allows the expression and quantification of the degree of smartness in the area of interest. Specifically, in order to support the development of the implementation area, the Crati Valley (Italy), into a smart land, aspects relating to the ‘Territory’ factor which encompass the ‘Smart Environment’ thematic area were explored, since it is considered a key element for the implementation of a sustainable process of economic and productive growth, especially for a context, such as the one in question, with a rural vocation. These are the first results of research whose continuation envisages adopting a similar approach for all the other factors identified, in order to obtain a model that is able not only to quantitatively measure the level of ‘intelligence’ of the territory, but, above all, is able to highlight, qualitatively, any critical issues and suggest operational development strategies.

Особености на физическото развитие и физическите качества на 12–14-годишни баскетболисти, които се подготвят за играта „Баскетбол 3 х 3“

The aim is to explore the peculiarities of the physical development and physical qualities of 12–14- year-old basketball players preparing for the 3 x 3 basketball game. The tasks are limited to: Studying and analyzing the peculiarities of the physical development and physical qualities of 12–14-year-old basketball players, according to information sources. Development and approbation of a specialized methodology for teenage basketball players aged 12–14, practicing basketball 3 to 3. Establishing the influence of the applied methodology on the physical development and physical qualities of the young basketball players. Upon completion of the impact, the physical development of the experimental group of basketball and basketball players 3 x 3 using the methodology we use shows stability. The coefficient of variation (V) is less than 10% in the tests “Growth”, “Expansion Stage”, “Expansion Seating”, marks a homogeneity that confirms the assertion that the selection of basketball players in this group is appropriate. Regarding the physical qualities it is evident that for the strength of the upper and lower limbs is worked, as it has a credible improvement but generally this quality develops later in the boys due to the peculiarities of the male organism and the sensational periods, stronger development after 15-16 years of age. The same applies to speed-hopping options. There is a credible improvement in test results jumping length from spot and rebound height.

BR-163: from “landless men” to “manless land”

In 1970, the Brazilian government started the project of building the large highways in the Amazon, highlighting the Transamazon, linking the region from East to West, and BR-163, known as Cuiabá-Santarém, from South to North — highways that crossed each other opened axes of penetration and integration. On the 16th of June, 1970, the Plan of National Integration (PIN) was created. The displacement of peasants from areas submitted to “demographic pressure” is made official and the speech of connecting the landless man of the Northeast to the manless land of the Amazon is put into practice in a chaotic and socially unfair way. In December 1974, the highway Cuiabá-Santarém was opened to the public. In Mato Grosso, the road would motivate the penetration of large agricultural projects and the colonization commanded by private groups. In the state of Pará, in the stretch between Santarém and Rurópolis (at the crossing of Cuiabá-Santarém and Transamazon), the colonization directed to small landowners is predominant, commanded by the National Institute of Colonization and Land Reform (INCRA). Along all the road, the appreciation of the land, the attraction of migratory currents and the land speculation had immediate impacts to the local population — especially the indigenous ones. Our final consideration allow us, for the sake of concluding, to claim that the successive changes in the “development plans” according to the political and economic conjunctures, contributed to the failure of the great majority of colonization projects. Our conclusion is directed to some variables that points to the unsustainability of the regional development model: An excluding model: in the effort of choosing an image which is revealing of the environment of the present frontier I would say that it is of exclusion. A productivist model: after twenty year it is agribusiness that, notably in Mato Grosso, has the strongest development, supported by the necessity of Brazil obtaining income from exportable goods such as soybean. Deforesting and continuous fragmentation of Amazon forest.

Students’ perceptions of employability following a capstone course

Purpose Graduate employability represents a fundamental outcome of higher education. The purpose of this paper is to explore and compare students’ perceptions of their employability through their experience of a simulated or real-life project. The context of the project is a capstone course, implemented in an Australian university, which was designed to enhance employability and foster transferable graduate attributes, including professional communication, interpersonal and leadership skills. Design/methodology/approach The authors designed and conducted quantitative research to capture and measure students’ perceptions of their employability at the conclusion of a capstone course over three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017. Findings The results of this paper show that students undertaking a real-life project which makes a social contribution reported a significantly stronger development of work-ready skills in managing projects than students undertaking a simulation project. Specifically, interaction with industry and leadership were reported to be more developed. Originality/value The study contributes to knowledge of the relationship between capstone learning and students’ perceptions of employability. It advances the understanding of capstone course design and pedagogy which strengthens the link between learning and work.

Research on green credit risk measurement based on Pair Copula grouping model--From the perspective of Commercial Banks

In order to measure the portfolio credit risk of commercial banks in energy saving and environmental protection industry accurately, this paper proposes the value VaRGP of green credit risk and constructs a related model based on Pair Copula grouping model, VaR method (combined with enumeration algorithm).The results show that the credit schemes that commercial banks focus on investing in two areas of industrial emission reduction and environmental restoration is consistent with the conclusion that the two fields have the strongest development momentum.Besides, at different levels of confidence, all of VaRGP have passed the return test, which fully shows that the model is feasible and effective to measure the credit risk in different green fields and to formulate the optimal combination strategy.

A World Overview of the Organic Rankine Cycle Market

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology is a reliable way to convert heat into electricity, either for renewable energy applications (biomass, geothermal, solar), or industrial energy efficiency. ORC systems range from micro-scale (a few kW) for domestic cogeneration to large multi-megawatt geothermal power plants. After a slow initial start, the technology has experienced a much stronger development since the 1970s, mainly because of economic incentives and surging energy prices. However, the large range of applications, manufacturers, and countries make it hard to track the evolution of the technology over the world.Information about more than 700 projects has been collected, cross-validating 27 manufacturers’ data with publications and testimonies, allowing to build the first reliable and exhaustive database of ORC plants. As a result, this work analyses the evolution of the ORC market over the years, with today 2.7 GW of cumulated installed capacity. After introducing the ORC technology with a focus on its history, working principle and main applications, the current state and the new trends of the ORC market are presented with a detailed analysis of each application. The evolution of each market is discussed considering the present installed capacity, historical data and macro-economic trends. Finally, future perspectives and growth potential of the ORC market are evaluated, with a special focus on Waste Heat Recovery applications.

Weblogs in Teacher Education Internships: Promoting Reflection and Self-Efficacy While Reducing Stress?

The study examines the use of weblogs in teacher education internships and its impact on student stress levels, self-efficacy, and reflective abilities. One hundred and seventy-six student teachers were randomly assigned to five groups. Four groups used weblogs (a) with emotion-focused or with problem-focused writing assignments in combination (b) with or without peer feedback during a 4-week teaching practice on a daily basis. The control group wrote a final reflection paper instead of blogging. Multilevel linear modeling of longitudinal questionnaire data shows that students with problem-focused weblog writing assignments show a stronger development of self-efficacy during the internship than the other groups, especially when combined with peer feedback on blog postings. Groups do not differ with regard to stress levels and ability for reflection.

Use of Squid as an Alternative to Human Skin for Studying the Development of Hit Marks on Clothes

The development of latent skin impressions on a variety of fabrics (cotton, rayon, polyester, nylon, and acrylic fabrics in five colors; white, black, yellow, blue and red) has been studied. Squid soaked in artificial sweat solution or de-ionized water was used as an alternative to human skin to make skin impressions on the fabric. A piece of squid was subjected to a constant force, to transfer the skin components onto the fabric. The fabrics bearing the skin impressions were treated with various reagents such as ninhydrin, 1,8-diazafluoren-9-one (DFO), 1,2-indanedione/ Zn (1,2-IND/Zn), Amido black and Hungarian red, to know the most effective method for developing the skin impressions on the fabrics. Comparing the sensitivity of the reagents, stronger development was observed from the impressions made with the artificial sweat soaked squid than the de-ionized water soaked squid. These results show that the development quality of the latent hit mark is influenced by the sweat, as well as other skin components. Also, the development efficiency of the reagents varied depending on the chemistry, color and texture of the fabric. Therefore, before the development of skin impressions on the evidence fabrics, it is suggested to perform a preliminary experiment with different methods on a similar fabric to decide the most sensitive method.

The Application of Digital Information Technology in the Volleyball Game

In this paper, the author starts from the application of digital information technology in making a further promotion of the scientific development in the China’s volleyball game, exploring the application of digital information technology in our scientific volleyball course selection, training and matches. At the final conclusion, the author thinks that digital information technology will achieve a better, faster, more precise and stronger development in our volleyball game.

The Idea of Philosophy and Its Relation to Social Science

This article takes up Winch’s exploration of a certain dialectic in philosophical accounts of social inquiry, the poles of which I refer to as the under-laborer and over-laborer conceptions of philosophy. I argue that these conceptions, shown in Risjord and Reed, respectively, are caught in a dialectic of treating philosophy’s roles as either modestly clarifying or broadly determining the claims of social science. A third conception of philosophy, the therapeutic conception, is exemplified by Read et al.’s “New Wittgensteinian” interpretation of Winch’s work as a way out of the dialectic. Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the latter, I conclude that a stronger development of the therapeutic approach is needed to move past the dialectic.