Technical Aids Research Articles

Initiatives on Education Diplomacy/Linkages: The Chequered Experience in Nigeria

Purpose of the study: The study provided clear indications from the studies of comparative education that Nigeria’s educational system is not highly rated when compared to many other educational systems around the globe. Research evidences are also rife on the use of education diplomacy and international linkages for bridging the gaps of educational inequalities between developed and developing nations. Methodology: As a qualitative study, the paper adopted historical research design, relying on documentary analysis to establish the tenets of education diplomacy/ linkages are not only capable of improving Nigeria’s educational system, but can equally be used to elevate it to a point of global relevance and reference. Main Findings: Revealed in the study are the four major purposive initiatives that are corollaries of education diplomacy/ linkages are depicted in the praxes associated with Foreign Aid packages, Technical Aids Corps, Foreign Studentship schemes and Internalization programme in higher education. The treatise critical appraises the exploration and use of these initiatives for educational image-making and cautious integration of the country’s educational system with global best practices. Despite the chequered experiences identifiable with the initiatives, the inherent derivatives of these initiatives are extremely gainful to the overall development of education in Nigeria. Novelty/Originality of this study: Finally, the paper strongly advocated that Nigeria needs to carefully re-engage and follow through the gains in these initiatives, so as to unlock and tap from the intrinsic benefits and humongous opportunities derivable from the thrusts of education diplomacy linkages.

Successful ability to stay at home - an interview study exploring multiple diagnosed older persons and their relatives’ experiences

BackgroundSociety places increased demands on regions and municipalities to jointly carry out activities for multi-diagnosed older persons with extensive coordination needs. Interprofessional collaboration is reported as an important success factor for the overall health care of this group of patients. This project focuses on older persons with multiple diagnoses and their relatives’ own experiences of what is most important for safety and security in their homes. The aim of the study was: to illuminate the meaning of success for the ability to stay at home as experienced by older persons with multiple diagnoses and their relatives.MethodsThe project had a descriptive explorative design with a phenomenological hermeneutic approach based on analysis of 14 in-depth interviews with older people and their relatives.FindingsOwn resources were identified such as belief in the future, spiritual belief, social network, having loved ones and pets. Technical aids were seen as helpful resources, working as indoor and outdoor security safeguards. These resources included having good telephone contact with social and professional networks as well as other forms of personal equipment such as a personal alarm. The professional network was a resource, acting as support when the patient’s own abilities were not sufficient. Finally, having personnel who had the time and interest to listen was seen as crucial to experience safety.ConclusionsThe main reason for being able to continue homecare was the person’s self-care system, their personal, social, and technical resources. Professional care development should anchor team work to the patient’s own system of self and informal care.

THE EDUCATIONAL USE OF INTERACTIVE ELECTRONIC TEXTBOOKS IN PRIMARY FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING

This article is devoted to the problem of developing foreign language communicative competence of primary school students on the basis of an interactive electronic textbook and provides an example of a training course developed based on an electronic textbook. The specificity of teaching a foreign language lies in the fact that students master the language in an artificial language environment due to the lack of a natural one. New information technologies are not only new technical means, but also new forms and methods of teaching, a new approach to the learning process. This situation involves the widespread use of computer technology and various technical teaching aids. The use of computer technology in foreign language lessons in primary school can be presented in different variations: working with specialized sites, watching authentic videos, etc. А very effective and relatively affordable method for teaching foreign languages is using of the electronic textbook. An electronic textbook allows you to implement the principles of a differentiated and individual approach to learning. Therefore, it is quite natural that in the teaching of a foreign language, new opportunities for using information and communication technologies have found a wide variety of applications. Despite the presence of various approaches to the problem of implementation new learning technologies in primary foreign language education, the educational use of electronic textbooks in primary ELT requires a more complete consideration.

The Construction of Data Usability

ABSTRACT Technical communication aids in helping people envision the usability of technology. A similar need exists for constructing the usability of data sets, but the rhetorical work is less well documented. This article reports on how writers attribute meaning and usability to a geolocation data set and its derivative objects. This rhetorical work connects the data to existing and potential social realities, which provide a framework for thinking of that data set’s usability.

Effect of Meteorological Elements and Air Pollutants on Ozone in Yinchuan City Park

To examine the underlying determinants of ozone （O3） in Yinchuan's urban park during varying seasons and to ascertain the role played by meteorological events and air contaminants in influencing O3 concentrations at high altitudes, data on O3, meteorological factors, and air pollutants were collected through prolonged positional observations carried out at the Ningxia Yinchuan National Urban Ecosystem Research Station. Pearson correlation analysis and a structural equation model were utilized to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution patterns, trends, and the primary factors influencing O3. The findings demonstrated a notable seasonal variability in O3 levels in Yinchuan's urban park, displaying an "unimodal type" with the O3 concentration peaking in summer （131.18 μg·m-3） and bottoming out in winter （71.45 μg·m-3）. Among the meteorological factors, the highest impact on O3 was attributed to temperature and wind speed （temperature mainly through direct effects and wind speed mainly through indirect effects）. Conversely, air pollutants such as NOx and SO2 greatly affected O3 primarily through direct effects. Wind speed was identified as the primary influencing factor on O3 during spring and summer, potentially contributing 29% and 24.7%, respectively. Conversely, NO2 was implicated as the primary factor during autumn and winter, with an estimated contribution of 26.6% and 29.7%, respectively. Thus, a structural equation model can efficiently reveal the primary determinants behind O3 variations throughout various seasons, which could furnish a scientifically rigorous foundation and technical aid for mitigating and managing O3 levels in high-altitude regions.

Introduction, Part Two: Science Diplomacy, Technical Aid, and the Cold War

Introduction, Part Two: Science Diplomacy, Technical Aid, and the Cold War

Redefining South Korean ODA (Official Development Assistance): How Technical Aid Emerges from its Contexts (1954-1965)

This paper considers the origins of South Korean ODA (official development assistance), working through the lens of KOICA’s (Korea International Cooperation Agency) two main predecessor institutions in the early 1960s. In contrast to KOICA (1991-prsent), associated with a rich Korea, this earlier period was dominated by small-scale efforts at outreach with neighboring countries, especially in Southeast Asia and Africa.In this context, two arguments emerge. First, Korean aid began earlier than is generally assumed, with the first outreach to African partners coming under discussion as early as 1960. Second, when the nation began its official in-country workshops a few years later, these were heavily influenced by the experiences Koreans had themselves undergone with the US in the form of “third-county training,” in which the US paired its partners to speed up the transfer of knowledge. In brief, Korean aid at its start point took place most frequently with new post-colonial partners, whether for diplomatic recognition, or for the exchange of knowledge, and went on to shape a new network as KODCO (Korean Overseas Development Corporation, 1965-1991) became a reality in the mid-1960s.

Training of information retrieval in the State university of Vilnius: some contential and technological aspects of education in the field of librarianship and bibliography

The article deals with the problem of professional education of librarians at the University of Vilnius. The changing role of information, which is becoming one of the natural resources of the country, and the rapid development of computer technology reveal new professional demands for librarians. As a result of this tendency, teaching online bibliographical searching has become of great importance in the library education curriculum. Specific conditions of development and practical needs of libraries and information services, main traits, and opportunities of higher education in Lithuania are revealed. This makes it possible to create an original conception of automated information retrieval training. The problems of information retrieval are studied in subjects such as Librarianship, Bibliography, Information Retrieval Systems, Information, and Technical Aids for Library Work, which are based on a specially created training automated information retrieval system (AIRS). Three different kinds of connections between the revealed subjects are presented in a scheme and commented upon. The choice of education technology is discussed. The main forms are various practical studies, realized on the basis of AIRS. These also help overcome the psychological barrier that arises when working with computers.

A spatio-temporal multi-scale fusion algorithm for pine wood nematode disease tree detection

Pine wood nematode infection is a devastating disease. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing enables timely and precise monitoring. However, UAV aerial images are challenged by small target size and complex surface backgrounds which hinder their effectiveness in monitoring. To address these challenges, based on the analysis and optimization of UAV remote sensing images, this study developed a spatio-temporal multi-scale fusion algorithm for disease detection. The multi-head, self-attention mechanism is incorporated to address the issue of excessive features generated by complex surface backgrounds in UAV images. This enables adaptive feature control to suppress redundant information and boost the model’s feature extraction capabilities. The SPD-Conv module was introduced to address the problem of loss of small target feature information during feature extraction, enhancing the preservation of key features. Additionally, the gather-and-distribute mechanism was implemented to augment the model’s multi-scale feature fusion capacity, preventing the loss of local details during fusion and enriching small target feature information. This study established a dataset of pine wood nematode disease in the Huangshan area using DJI (DJ-Innovations) UAVs. The results show that the accuracy of the proposed model with spatio-temporal multi-scale fusion reached 78.5%, 6.6% higher than that of the benchmark model. Building upon the timeliness and flexibility of UAV remote sensing, the proposed model effectively addressed the challenges of detecting small and medium-size targets in complex backgrounds, thereby enhancing the detection efficiency for pine wood nematode disease. This facilitates early preemptive preservation of diseased trees, augments the overall monitoring proficiency of pine wood nematode diseases, and supplies technical aid for proficient monitoring.

Shifting Paradigms: Exploring the Tapestry of Global Assistance and Its Resonance within Nigeria's Fiscal Framework"

This study critically explores the Tapestry of Global Assistance and Its Resonance within Nigeria's Fiscal Framework from 1981 to 2021, the study objectively explored the degree to which various forms of foreign aid—such as official development assistance, foreign grants, and technical aid—impact public expenditure growth within a shifting economic paradigm. Employing statistical measures such as the Coefficient of Determination (R²), F-statistics, and the Durbin-Watson statistic. Incorporating variables such as foreign technical cooperation (FTECH), foreign grants (FGRANT), official development assistance (FODA), multilateral foreign aids (MFAID), and exchange rates (EXR), the study employs time-series data from the World Bank Development Indicators and a modified regression approach. The analysis seeks to delineate the complex dynamics between external financial inputs and internal fiscal outcomes over the period from 1981 to 2021. The findings reveal a nuanced landscape where foreign aid, though impactful, does not singularly dictate fiscal changes, suggesting a need for broader, more inclusive economic strategies that leverage both external and internal resources. Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) tests confirm the stationarity of these variables, validating their reliability in modeling economic impacts. The ARDL bound test results indicate no long-term sustainable relationship between foreign aid components and public expenditure growth, pointing to a more nuanced interaction between foreign aid inflows and Nigeria’s fiscal strategies, whether expansive or restrictive.

Innovative Approach on Teaching and Learning with Technical Aids for STEM Education at the Primary Level

Education is a constantly evolving field that encompasses various approaches to teaching and learning. In our paper, we focused on qualitative research conducted with future primary level teachers using a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) approach. The research involved classroom observation, analysis of the student work, and obtaining interpretations from the students via report protocols and focused interviews. We examined the students’ learning and problem-solving strategies within STEAM-based activities as well as their perspectives on its use in primary education. Students participated in the research activity in two stages. In the first stage, further referred to as Activity 1, they followed a predetermined algorithm, instructions to construct an electronic device. The instructions for this device were developed to serve as a resource for primary education and to prepare the students for the second stage. In the second stage, further known as Activity 2, the students were tasked with creating a new electronic device together with providing the instructions. The new device was required to have a practical application. Following the completion of these activities, we collected and analyzed the procedural reflections and didactic interpretations from students. Within these interpretations, we also sought their opinions on how STEAM projects like these could help develop various aspects of STEAM competencies in children such as technical skills and knowledge, algorithmic thinking, and device architecture as well as mathematical and scientific thinking.

Small-holder Fish Farming in the Upper Kuttanad and Brackish Water Villages of Alappuzha District, Kerala, India

In Kerala, smallholder aquaculture emerges as an alluring and significant part of rural lives, improving livelihoods and ensuring a sustainable supply of inland fish. One hundred and four smallholder fish farms were surveyed from the upper Kuttanad and brackish water villages of Alappuzha, the state's leading district for inland fish production. Personal interviews and questionnaires were employed to get primary data on species farmed, culture method, feed, and the challenges smallholder farmers faced. The most common fish species cultured in smallholder fish farms is Oreochromis niloticus (GIFT) (34%), followed by Etroplus suratensis (31%), Pangasius pangasius (15%), Anabas testudineus (6%), Channa striata (6%), Labeo rohita (4%), and Heteropneustes fossilis (4%). In the brackish water villages, 60% of the fish cultured are Etroplus suratensis. Eighty-one per cent of the farmers used ponds, 11% used biofloc, and 8% used cages. Sixty-six percent of farmers used commercially manufactured pellet feed, 21% poultry waste, 12% used food waste, and 1% live Black soldier flies. Fish cultured using the bio floc method are the most affected by the fungal disease, gill rot. Anabas testudineus cultured at high stocking density in bio floc showed tail-biting behaviour followed by bacterial infection. Fifty-one percent of farmers reported a lack of appropriate technical and financial aid from the government, including the withdrawal of subsidies for feed purchases. Even though the 2018 flood seriously affected the fish farms, only 8% of farmers reported the flood as a problem affecting their farms. The major challenges brackish water farmers faced were the intrusion of saline water from the nearby lake and the poaching of juvenile and mature fish from natural ponds. Apart from the monetary assistance provided by the government for starting farms under the "Jankeeya Matsya Krishi" Project, smallholder farmers should need additional help with insurance and subsidies to promote sustainable aquaculture.

Transnational co-production of technology: Sino-Soviet cooperation in the construction of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, 1950–1957

ABSTRACT Using the construction of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge as a case study, this paper explores transnational co-production of technology between the Soviet Union and China in the 1950s. Focusing on the invention of the non-caisson method, it argues that non-state actors played an important role in the process, because successful construction of the bridge could not be separated from reciprocal wills and long-term face-to-face interactions between Chinese and Soviet engineers. Moreover, by examining Chinese workers’ contribution, this paper enriches the idea of hybrid technology, including not only the mingling of national identities in the process of knowledge making but also the combining of knowledge of both elites and masses. As a core project of China’s First-Five-Year Plan, the cooperation boosted China’s confidence in technological development and the Chinese Communist Party started to re-evaluate the Soviet technical aid, which to some extent influenced China’s science and technology policies afterwards.

Decriminalization Path of Net Neutrality Assisting Actions: A Perspective from Aiding and Abetting Cybercrimes

Network neutrality assistance actions pertain to the provision of technical or service aid in an online environment to third parties, which may result in harm to others or facilitate unlawful conduct. However, when attempting to regulate such online assistance activities, traditional complicity theories encounter numerous challenges. This is primarily due to the inherent differences between online actions and conventional criminal behaviors, rendering the traditional notions of complicity difficult to apply directly. Analyzing from the perspective of aiding and abetting crimes, the decriminalization path determination of network neutrality assistance actions also confronts issues, such as defining responsibility boundaries and discerning behavioral intent. To address this, this paper adopts the "Restricted Punishment Theory" for the decriminalization path, rationally weighing the benefits and risks of network neutrality assistance actions. Utilizing empirical research, case study analysis, and comparative research methodologies, and based on the overlap analysis of the constitutive elements of aiding and abetting crimes and the refusal to fulfill cyber security management obligations, it's suggested to categorize network service providers. This provides a clearer and more rational basis for their decriminalization.

Experience from radon in soil gas comparison measurements held in Czech Republic and in other countries, 1992–2022

Radon 222Rn, an inert natural radioactive gas, a daughter product in the 238U natural decay series, a source of alpha radiation, together with its short-lived decay products is a dominant source of absorbed radiation doses in the population. Rocks and building materials are fundamental sources of radon in dwellings. Elevated indoor radon activity concentration in houses and workplaces, surpassing recommended reference levels, is not desirable. Since radon penetrates into the houses from the geological basement, various technical aids for protection of houses have been developed. Their individual application derives from the radon potential of a building site. Radon risk mapping of building sites became a standard procedure for gauging the local radon potential. Various instruments and techniques of measurements of radon activity concentration in soil gas (Bq/m3) at building sites are available. Since radon in soil gas and radon measurement techniques are affected by several natural and technical conditions, resultant values of radon risk mapping by individual organizations vary, sometimes fundamentally. Radon comparison measurements at selected reference sites are an important tool for single organizations to verify their radon measuring procedures and reliability of their reported results. Based on legislative regulations, comparison measurements at established radon reference sites are a part of the obligatory activities for radon risk mapping at building sites in the Czech Republic. Experience and analyses of 30-year radon in soil gas comparison measurements in the Czech Republic show the dispersion of values reported by participating organizations and indicate that more than 10% of participants do not fulfill the established local criteria. This paper introduces requirements for the establishment of radon reference sites, documents their natural variability, recommends the procedure of radon comparison measurement, and analyses its results. A long-term experience was gained by testing organizations from the Czech Republic (1992–2022) as well as from the international comparison measurements organized in the Czech Republic and in several other countries (2010–2021).

КЛЮЧОВІ ПОНЯТТЯ МІЖНАРОДНОЇ ДОПОМОГИ У СФЕРІ БЕЗПЕКИ І ОБОРОНИ УКРАЇНИ

The article examines the content of such key concepts of international aid in the paradigm of defense capability of Ukraine as “international aid”, “international technical aid”, “military aid”, “humanitarian aid”, “charitable activity”. It was found that the system of ensuring the defense capability of the state is not limited by internal resources, but actively attracts external resources for the needs of the security and defense sphere. It is pointed out that there is no concept of “international aid” in the legislation of Ukraine, but the definition of the content of international technical aid, humanitarian aid and charitable activities. It was determined that the concept of “military aid” is also absent in national legislation, but in scientific doctrine it is considered as a type of international aid, and in conditions of armed aggression as assistance to Ukraine in ensuring the realization of its national interests. Forms of providing military aid to Ukraine by partner countries were considered. It was noted that the meaning of the concept of “military aid” is not limited to the provision of weapons and military equipment, but also includes the training and training of military personnel, the construction of infrastructure facilities, the provision of assistance in the development of battle plans, etc. It was emphasized that today military aid is provided by donor countries as international technical assistance, humanitarian aid or charity in accordance with the terms of the concluded agreement. A conclusion was drawn on the expediency of the legislative separation of military aid, as well as the development of a regulatory basis for its attraction, accounting, distribution, and use, which, taking into account the volume and importance of such aid to support Ukraine’s defense capabilities, will simplify its receipt from donor countries. Keywords: international aid, international technical aid, military aid, humanitarian aid, charitable activity.

IT Skills of Young and Older People: A Qualitative Study

Both younger and older people have different ways of using and interacting with technical devices (smartphones, laptops and tablets). This study compares both user groups and explores how the technical aids are used in everyday life, what barriers exist and how technical problems are handled. In July and August 2021, 20 semi-structured interviews with young and old people were conducted and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results show that young people continue to use smartphones more frequently than the older participants and that smartphone functions such as making phone calls are more important for the older participants. Older people prefer a personal support by family members when technical problems occur, whereas the younger study participants favour the more impersonal option via hotlines etc. Finally, it seems to be useful to involve older people in the development process of new technologies, so that the applications can be designed to be as user-friendly as possible.

The role of occupational therapy in Parkinson's disease

Occupational therapy works with Parkinson's sufferers and their caregivers to help them maintain or resume their activities of daily living and their independence, by recommending environmental adaptations, technical aids, compensation strategies and functional training.

Editor’s Introduction: South Korean Technical Aid and Scientific Cooperation

Editor’s Introduction: South Korean Technical Aid and Scientific Cooperation

Indications and surgical strategy for bowel resection in mesenteric ischemia : Resection margins considering current guidelines and literature as well as the influence of new technical possibilities

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is still atime-critical and life-threatening clinical picture. If exploration of the abdominal cavity is necessary during treatment, an intraoperative assessment of which segments of the intestines have asufficient potential for recovery must be made. These decisions are mostly based on purely clinical parameters, which are subject to high level of uncertainty. This review article provides an overview of how this decision-making process and the determination of resection margins can be improved using technical aids, such as laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence angiography or hyperspectral imaging (HSI). Furthermore, this article compiles guideline recommendations on the role of laparoscopy and the value of aplanned second-look laparotomy. In addition, an overview of strategies for preventing short bowel syndrome is given and other aspects, such as the timing and technical aspects of placement of apreternatural anus and an anastomosis are highlighted.