Blended learning in entrepreneurship education in the Asia-Pacific : a grounded theory approach to entrepreneurship pedagogy

Using a grounded theory approach, this pedagogical study explores “What are the key content areas and pedagogical interventions around which to build a blended learning method for Generation Y (also known as the Net Generation) entrepreneurship students (as opposed to other business students)?” The study uses a variety of “information-rich cases” and presents the argument that entrepreneurs learn
differently from other students. The author develops the Etappe Method of Training Entrepreneurs, a blended learning approach for the technology-savvy generation under the motto “Teaching is best done online and learning is best done in the classroom”. Drawing upon the theory of experiential learning as concretised by learning styles inventories, this learning method provides entrepreneurs, in their unique teachable moments, with active and concrete pedagogical interventions that can be enhanced through a blended learning environment of online and face-to-face modalities leading them step-by-step through deepening learning in the theory, process and practice of entrepreneurship. In conclusion, the author presents suggestions for further research that can verify this emerging theory in an empirical fashion.

The letter S

In 'The Letter S' Paul Carter overlays a number of parallel journeys. A group of actors meet with a young playwright to work on a his new play: theirs is an artistic journey. The playwright's father wrote a radio play which they listen to: it is Memory As Desire about the journey in search of the inland sea, and the mutual incomprehension of indigenous and European cultures. His new play is based on the Odyssey and in particular the relationship between father and son: the son searching for the lost father. Just as the search for the inland sea is ill-fated, so to the cast of actors conclude that their search for a new theatre is futile. The indigenous people had no letter 'S', leading to misunderstanding. The explorers failed to listen to the land. The characters in the version of the Odyssey are washed away in a sea of sibilants. This is a work packed full of ideas, puns, and concrete poetry propelled by desire and loss, but also hope.

Debond detection in RC structures using piezoelectric materials

This paper presents a technique to detect the delamination between the steel bars and concrete in the reinforced concrete structures. The piezoelectric components are mounted on reinforcing bars that are embedded in RC structures as sensors and actuators to generate and record the signal, which is sensitive to the delamination between the steel bars and concrete. The experimental study is carried out on a concrete slab with different debonds between the rebars and concrete. The test results show that the delamination between the rebars and concrete can be detected with the embedded piezoelectric sensors and actuators.

Spectral element model updating for damage identification using clonal selection algorithm

A spectral element model updating procedure is presented to identify damage in a structure using Guided wave propagation results. Two damage spectral elements (DSE1 and DSE2) are developed to model the local (cracks in reinforcement bar) and global (debonding between reinforcement bar and concrete) damage in one-dimensional homogeneous and composite waveguide, respectively. Transfer matrix method is adopted to assemble the stiffness matrix of multiple spectral elements. In order to solve the inverse problem, clonal selection algorithm is used for the optimization calculations. Two displacement-based functions and two frequency-based functions are used as objective functions in this study. Numerical simulations of wave propagation in a bare steel bar and in a reinforcement bar without and with various assumed damage scenarios are carried out. Numerically simulated data are then used to identify local and global damage of the steel rebar and the concrete-steel interface using the proposed method. Results show that local damage is easy to be identified by using any considered objective function with the proposed method while only using the wavelet energy-based objective function gives reliable identification of global damage. The method is then extended to identify multiple damages in a structure. To further verify the proposed method, experiments of wave propagation in a rectangular steel bar before and after damage are conducted. The proposed method is used to update the structural model for damage identification. The results demonstrate the capability of the proposed method in identifying cracks in steel bars based on measured wave propagation data.

Assessment of bond strength in CFRP retrofitted beams under marine environment

Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheet has gained its popularity to retrofit civil structures which is bonded externally, typically on the soffit of a beam. In this study, the bond between carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and concrete is improved by modifying the property of commercial epoxy and compared against normal epoxy. The deterioration in bond strength was produced by placing the beam into salt water under wet dry cycles. Also, a model is proposed to determine the bond strength from flexural test and compared against the available bond strength models which are typically obtained from pull out test. This proposed model shows promising results in terms of predicting the bond strength from flexural test. In addition, a strength reduction factor is introduced to incorporate the effect of wet dry cycles to predict the long term behaviour. It is found that the modified epoxy enhance the ductile property and bond strength.

A multi-view framework for generating mobile apps

This paper demonstrates a multi-view framework for Rapid APPlication Tool (RAPPT). RAPPT enables rapid development of mobile applications. It employs a multilevel approach to mobile application development: a Domain Specific Visual Language to define the high level structure of mobile apps, a Domain Specific Textual Language to define behavioural concepts, and concrete source code for fine grained improvements.

Propriedades Mecânicas de Compósitos Cimento-Madeira com Serragem Tratada de Pinus elliottii

The aim of this research was to investigate the compatibility between cement and wood through the influence of different treatments applied in the sawdust on the mechanical properties of mortars, in which 10% or 20% of the sand in mass was partially replaced by the same volum of Pinus elliottii sawdust with boil treatment and surface treatment with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Compressive strength and static and dynamic Young’s modulus decreased with the increase of the percentage of sawdust present in the composites. Treatment with TEOS resulted the highest reduction in compressive strength and the smallest reductions in static and dynamic Young’s modulus. MEV images allowed the identification of composites macro and meso porosity, generated by wood particles and matrix.

Time - Dependency of chloride diffusion in concrete: a brief review and preliminary results

Abstract
Chloride ingress into concrete has long been known to decrease the service life of built infrastructure. Inadequate knowledge of the physical reasons associated with chloride diffusion into concrete could generate chloride penetration profiles that become meaningless for prediction of service life. In this study, the effects of pore closure (physical effect) and changes in chloride binding (chemical effect) on chloride diffusion through Australian General Purpose (GP) cement pastes were investigated. Through - diffusion tests and “in - and - out” diffusion tests were conducted to monitor the time - dependent chloride diffusion through cement pastes cured from 1 to 28 days. The through - diffusion test quantified the overall chloride diffusion behaviour at different stages of cement hydration, which was a combined result of physical and chemical processes controlling diffusion. The “in - and - out” test differentiated the contributions of the physical and chemical processes on the chloride diffusion at different stages of cement hydration. As expected, the reduction of chloride diffusivity was significant during the first two weeks of curing, most likely attributed to the significant reduction of porosity as well as establishment of capillary discontinuities within the pore structure. It was also observed that the amount of bound chloride was not constant but increased significantly from 1 to 28 days of curing age.