Aspects of specialisation in private architectural practice

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Identifying the ICT challenges of the agri-food sector to define the architectural requirements for a future internet core platform

This paper discussed the specific challenges of the agri-food sector in the light of research carried out in the Smart-AgriFod project. Using questionnaires and focus groups, our research identified as number of business needs and drivers which enable the identification of suitable Future Internet technologies across the three sub-domains of Smart Farming, Smart Agri-logistics, and Smart Food Awareness. The universal need for information access and the importance of standards to enable this lead us to propose an integrated scenario for end to end information access from farm to fork. We conclude by discussing wider implications of such developments especially for climate change and urbanisation.

Teaching pronunciation:a case for a pedagogy based upon intelligibility

This thesis examines the main aim of teaching pronunciation in second language acquisition in the Syrian context. In other words, it investigates the desirable end point, namely: whether it is native-like accent, or intelligible pronunciation. This thesis also investigates the factors that affect native-like pronunciation and intelligible accent. It also analyses English language teaching methods. The currently used English pronunciation course is examined in detail too. The aim is to find out the learners’ aim of pronunciation, the best teaching method for achieving that aim, and the most appropriate course book that fulfils the aim. In order to find out learners’ aim in pronunciation, a qualitative research is undertaken. The research takes advantage of some aspects of case study. It is also supported by a questionnaire to gather data. The result of this research can be regarded as an attempt to bring the Syrian context to the current trends in the teaching of English pronunciation. The results show that learners are satisfied with intelligible pronunciation. The currently used teaching method (grammar-translation method) may be better replaced by the (communicative approach) which is more appropriate than the currently used method. It is also more effective to change the currently used book to a new one that corresponds to that aim. The current theories and issues in teaching English pronunciation that support learners’ intelligibility will be taken into account in the newly proposed course book.

Problematising L2 listening pedagogy:the potential of process-based listening strategy instruction in the L2 classroom

Listening is typically the first language skill to develop in first language (L1) users and has been recognized as a basic and fundamental tool for communication. Despite the importance of listening, aural abilities are often taken for granted, and many people overlook their dependency on listening and the complexities that combine to enable this multi-faceted skill. When second language (L2) students are learning their new language, listening is crucial, as it provides access to oral input and facilitates social interaction. Yet L2 students find listening challenging, and L2 teachers often lack sufficient pedagogy to help learners develop listening abilities that they can use in and beyond the classroom. In an effort to provide a pedagogic alternative to more traditional and limited L2 listening instruction, this thesis investigated the viability of listening strategy instruction (LSI) over three semesters at a private university in Japan through a qualitative action research (AR) intervention. An LSI program was planned and implemented with six classes over the course of three AR phases. Two teachers used the LSI with 121 learners throughout the project. Following each AR phase, student and teacher perceptions of the methodology were investigated via questionnaires and interviews, which were primary data collection methods. Secondary research methods (class observations, pre/post-semester test scores, and a research journal) supplemented the primary methods. Data were analyzed and triangulated for emerging themes related to participants’ perceptions of LSI and the viability thereof. These data showed consistent positive perceptions of LSI on the parts of both learners and teachers, although some aspects of LSI required additional refinement. This project provided insights on LSI specific to the university context in Japan and also produced principles for LSI program planning and implementation that can inform the broader L2 education community.

Self-organizing Map and Cellular Automata Combined Technique for Advanced Mesh Generation in Urban and Architectural Design

This paper presents a technique for building complex and adaptive meshes for urban and architectural design. The combination of a self-organizing map and cellular automata algorithms stands as a method for generating meshes otherwise static. This intends to be an auxiliary tool for the architect or the urban planner, improving control over large amounts of spatial information. The traditional grid employed as design aid is improved to become more general and flexible.

Efficient purification of chromatin architectural proteins:histones, HMGB proteins and FKBP3 (FKBP25) immunophilin

A two-step process of high ionic strength lysis of chicken erythrocyte cell nuclei followed by cation-exchange chromatography has separated at very high yield all the histone and HMGB (high-mobility group B) nuclear proteins, except the less-soluble histone tetramers. Surprisingly high yields of the nuclear immunophilin FKBP3 (FKBP25) and Hsp70 (heat-shock protein 70) co-fractionate with HMGB1 and HMGB3. Furthermore, these proteins can be separated by anion-exchange chromatography. The purified nuclear proteins retain their native, post-translational modification (PTM) marks, including those associated with chromatin-fibre remodelling. These marks are intimately associated with the control of the cell cycle. The methods herein are therefore of value for targeting these and other nuclear proteins for future proteomic studies in healthy and diseased cells. This journal is © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

From art for arts sake to art as means of knowing:a rationale for advancing arts-based methods in research, practice and pedagogy

This paper advances a philosophically informed rationale for the broader, reflexive and practical application of arts-based methods to benefit research, practice and pedagogy. It addresses the complexity and diversity of learning and knowing, foregrounding a cohabitative position and recognition of a plurality of research approaches, tailored and responsive to context. Appreciation of art and aesthetic experience is situated in the everyday, underpinned by multi-layered exemplars of pragmatic visual-arts narrative inquiry undertaken in the third, creative and communications sectors. Discussion considers semi-guided use of arts-based methods as a conduit for topic engagement, reflection and intersubjective agreement; alongside observation and interpretation of organically employed approaches used by participants within daily norms. Techniques span handcrafted (drawing), digital (photography), hybrid (cartooning), performance dimensions (improvised installations) and music (metaphor and structure). The process of creation, the artefact/outcome produced and experiences of consummation are all significant, with specific reflexivity impacts. Exploring methodology and epistemology, both the "doing" and its interpretation are explicated to inform method selection, replication, utility, evaluation and development of cross-media skills literacy. Approaches are found engaging, accessible and empowering, with nuanced capabilities to alter relationships with phenomena, experiences and people. By building a discursive space that reduces barriers; emancipation, interaction, polyphony, letting-go and the progressive unfolding of thoughts are supported, benefiting ways of knowing, narrative (re)construction, sensory perception and capacities to act. This can also present underexplored researcher risks in respect to emotion work, self-disclosure, identity and agenda. The paper therefore elucidates complex, intricate relationships between form and content, the represented and the representation or performance, researcher and participant, and the self and other. This benefits understanding of phenomena including personal experience, sensitive issues, empowerment, identity, transition and liminality. Observations are relevant to qualitative and mixed methods researchers and a multidisciplinary audience, with explicit identification of challenges, opportunities and implications.

An Architectural Model of Rights Management Framework for Information Systems

The demands towards the contemporary information systems are constantly increasing. In a dynamic business environment an organization has to be prepared for sudden growth, shrinking or other type of reorganization. Such change would bring the need of adaptation of the information system, servicing the company. The association of access rights to parts of the system with users, groups of users, user roles etc. is of great importance to defining the different activities in the company and the restrictions of the access rights for each employee, according to his status. The mechanisms for access rights management in a system are taken in account during the system design. In most cases they are build in the system. This paper offers an approach in user rights framework development that is applicable in information systems. This work presents a reusable extendable mechanism that can be integrated in information systems.

Architectural aspects of self-aware and self-expressive computing systems:from psychology to engineering

Work on human self-Awareness is the basis for a framework to develop computational systems that can adaptively manage complex dynamic tradeoffs at runtime. An architectural case study in cloud computing illustrates the framework's potential benefits.

English in a global voluntary work context:a case study of spoken interaction and its implications for language pedagogy

This study analyses a sample of spoken interaction between a Japanese volunteer working for JICA (Japan International Co-operation Agency) and one of her co-workers in Jamaica. Details of the research context are provided, followed by a theoretical grounding of the project, which relates to publications in English as a Lingua Franca and related fields. In terms of methodology and epistemology, the research aligns with discourse analysis, specifically linguistic ethnography and interactional sociolinguistics. After presenting an an analysis of the spoken interaction based on these approaches, the resulting implications for language pedagogy are considered. This includes recommendations for specific aspects of language teaching and testing practice based on the research findings, which could be incorporated into a needs-driven localized pedagogy for future Japanese volunteers. These findings also carry significant implications for other contexts of language education, not only in terms of specific pedagogical practices but also regarding broader conceptions of language and communication.

Thoughts on L2 listening pedagogy

In this paper, I discuss some of the ideas raised by Renandya and Farrell (ELT Journal 65/1) related to extensive listening (EL) and the teaching of listening strategies. Function of extensive listening :The concept of EL emanated from extensive reading, an approach that aims to improve a variety of reading skills through exposure to materials that approximately match proficiency level. According to Renandya and Farrell (2011: 56), ‘like reading, listening is best learnt through listening’. These authors support EL as the answer to the issue of how to teach listening in L2 classrooms. Complementary role : EL can play a supportive role in L2 listening pedagogy. Through exposure to extensive and various listening texts, learners gain opportunities to practise and refine their listening processes, recognize linguistic and lexical features, and increase cultural knowledge related to the target language. The value of EL in this practice-oriented capacity cannot be overstated. It is difficult, however, to accept EL as the main component of L2 listening pedagogy, as Renandya and Farrell suggest. With listening materials readily available online (see Renandya and Farrell’s useful list of websites, p. 58) and on CDs, there is no shortage of practice material. EL provides the practice, but a question we should ask is: ‘What exactly are learners practising?’ Extensive listening dilemmas: For EL to be the predominant element in L2 listening pedagogy, several matters may need to be resolved.

Az épített örökség védelme és a gazdasági stratégia (Protecting the architectural heritage and economic strategy)

Ez az esszé öt tételben vizsgálja, hogy a magyarországi épített örökség miért jutott olyan rossz helyzetbe, s a rendszerváltozás óta eltelt közel negyedszázad miért nem volt képes leküzdeni a háború és a szocializmus örökségét. Az írás második felében megkíséreljük fölvázolni azt, milyen gazdasági stratégia mentén lenne elérhető az a cél, hogy a hazai épített örökség üzleti és társadalmi hasznosítása is megvalósuljon. Ekkor tehertétel helyett – más országokban tapasztalt módon – a gazdasági fölemelkedés tartós tényezőjévé válhat. ___________ This essay advances five theses explaining the desolate state of the architectural heritage in Hungary. It also addresses the issue of why two decades of transition was not sufficient to remedy the shortcomings of four decades of socialism. In the second part of the study we attempt to draft a strategy that could help overcome these difficulties. It aims at a combination of business, municipal and civil society activities guided by a nationally coordinated plan. Following these guidelines the architectural heritage in Hungary could be transformed into an asset instead of a liability, as has been the case in many other European countries.

Teachers' knowledge, awareness, and pedagogy of global education in secondary schools

In 1979, the Florida State Board of Education approved the teaching of global education in the state of Florida. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that contributed to teachers' global knowledge, global mindedness, and pedagogy in global education. The Hanvey model of teaching from a global perspective was the theoretical framework for the study. ^ A total of 90 secondary teachers from Miami-Dade County Public Schools were randomly selected and placed in three groups: Globally Oriented Social Studies Program (GOSSE), Non-Globally Oriented Social Studies Program (non-GOSSE), and Teachers Who Teach Other Subjects (TWTOS). Seven teachers, two of whom team-taught a class, were selected for classroom observations and interviews. A mixed methods design that combined quantitative and qualitative data was used. ANOVA and Chi square techniques were used to determine whether the factors that contributed to teachers' global knowledge and global mindedness differ among groups. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted to determine whether the instructional strategies differ among the seven selected teachers. ^ The findings of the study show that teachers who were trained in teaching from a global perspective differed in their global knowledge and used more appropriate instructional strategies than teachers who were not trained in teaching global perspectives. There was no significant difference in the combined global knowledge of the non-GOSSE and TWTOS groups when compared with the GOSSE group. There was no significant difference in the combined global knowledge of the GOSSE and non-GOSSE groups when compared with the TWTOS group. There was no significant difference among the teachers in their global mindedness. Observation and interview data indicate that current events, role-playing, simulations, open-ended discussion, debates, and projects were the predominant instructional strategies used by globally trained teachers. Cable networks, Internet, magazines, and newspapers were found to be the dominant tools for teaching global education. ^ This study concluded that teachers who were trained in globally oriented programs had more global knowledge than teachers who were not. It is recommended that teacher education programs should incorporate a global perspective in the preparation of social studies teachers, with particular attention to developing their global attitudes. ^

Nursing faculty intention to use service learning as pedagogy in higher education

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that motivate nursing faculty to use service learning. The study was based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which implies that the target behavior of intention to use service learning in higher education is influenced by the predictor variables of behavior beliefs (attitude), normative beliefs (peer influence), and control beliefs (confidence and resources). External variables were also considered (years of teaching experience, tenure status, and the type of curriculum). ^ Group interviews and a pilot test were conducted to create the instrument for the study, and Cronbach alpha were calculated for survey item reliability. The participants were full time undergraduate nursing faculty members ( n = 160) in the Southeastern United States who taught in universities with accredited nurse education programs. Demographic data as well as scores on scaled survey responses were used to evaluate the intention of nursing faculty to use service learning in their classes. ^ Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and path analysis were applied to the data. The correlation findings indicated that there were statistically significant relationships between behavior beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs and nursing faculty intention to use service learning. The path analysis also indicated that behavior beliefs and normative beliefs were significant, while control beliefs were not a strong influence on intention to use service learning. Normative beliefs showed the strongest direct influence. The use of a community based curriculum also had a positive influence on intention, and faculty with tenure status were more likely to have positive behavior beliefs (attitude) towards service learning. Finally, as teaching experience increased, positive attitudes towards the intention to use service learning decreased. Seventy-nine percent of the variation in the intention to use service learning was explained by the theory of planned behavior, the type of curriculum, teaching experience, and tenure status. These results will assist nursing administration and faculty to design strategies to facilitate the implementation of service learning pedagogy, as well as a community based curriculum which will help meet the 21st century goals set forth from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. ^