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One-Step Synthesis of Porous Graphitic Carbon Nitride and the Photocatalytic Performance under Visible-Light Irradiation
Get PDFPorous graphitic carbon nitride (pg-C3N4) was synthesized via a facile one-step dicyandiamide (DCDA) high-temperature calcination method using heat-labile ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) as the gaseous template, and different pg-C3N4 materials were obtained by mixing various mass ratios of NH4HCO3 into DCDA. The micro-structures and -morphologies of the porous materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) respectively, and the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye was tested under visible-light irradiation. It is found that the thermal decomposition of NH4HCO3 promoted destruction of the layer-structured g-C3N4 and increment of the specific surface area, producing more porous structures on the material surfaces, which is considered to be vital for the improvement of photocatalytic performance. Compared with the photocatalyst calcined by pure DCDA, the pg-C3N4 photocatalysts obtained by mixing the two raw materials performed better on MB dye degradation. Moreover, photocatalytic efficiency of the catalysts improved significantly with increasing NH4HCO3 contents in the raw materials. The degradation rate photocatalyzed by pg-C3N4 materials can reach more than 90% within 1.5 h, 6.5 times higher than that of the control material. It comes up to 99% at 2 h, basically achieving the complete degradation and decolorization of MB dye
Enhancing Learning Processes: The Impact of Guidance and Counseling Programs on Visually Impaired High School Students
No full textThis study examines the role and effect of a guidance and counseling program on the learning processes of visually impaired students within an inclusive educational environment. The study investigates the implementation of principles and services offered by the program to address the specific needs of visually impaired students. The study was conducted in several senior high schools that provide inclusive education in Bandung and its surrounding areas. The study employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches to align with the characteristics of the challenges faced by visually impaired students.
The findings reveal various difficulties visually impaired students encounter during their learning processes. In response, teachers and counselors provide guidance and counseling interventions to support students in overcoming these challenges. The programs implemented address the immediate educational obstacles and foster students’ self-confidence, encouraging their pursuit of higher education opportunities, such as entering university.
This study contributes to the body of knowledge by shedding light on the significance of guidance and counseling programs tailored to visually impaired high school students' unique needs. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating comprehensive support systems within inclusive educational settings to enhance visually impaired students’ learning experiences and outcomes. The study’s implications highlight the potential for further research and the need for policymakers and educational institutions to prioritize developing and implementing effective guidance and counseling programs for visually impaired students
Research on Accessibility of Green Infrastructure Based on GIS: A Case Study of Kunhou Neighborhood Planning
Get PDFThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 has made necessary a re-examination of public health issues and the adoption of life-changing design strategies. By combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the structure and function of community green space can be better evaluated. This study selects the Kunhou neighborhood in Wuhan as the site and proposes to analyze the daily health service function of the community’s green infrastructure. Through GIS spatial analysis, this study evaluates the accessibility of green infrastructure and medical facilities and discusses the ideal green space form based on health indicators. Statistical analyzes were used to visualize the relevance of accessible green infrastructures and medical facilities within walking distance. The findings show that the Kunhou neighborhood is lacking access to green infrastructure for daily activities. The research findings provide a bridge between public health indicators and community space planning and offer design suggestions for green infrastructure planning
Efforts and Effectiveness in Improving Knowledge and Skills of Vocational Assessment for Teachers Supporting Career Decisions of Students with Intellectual Disabilities
Get PDFBackground: The number of options available to people with disabilities has gradually increased in Japan. At educational institutions where students with disabilities are enrolled, teachers must understand the various ways of life and provide appropriate guidance and support based on the actual conditions of individual students so that students can independently choose their career paths through self-selection and self-determination.
Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of an intervention using a vocational assessment training program on eight teachers at a special needs school in Japan.
Methods: The level of knowledge and skills was assessed before and after the intervention. Intervention effects were analyzed through the Self-Assessment for Students and Counselors-Revised tool using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, with corresponding samples for differences in mean scores before and after the intervention. In addition, the difference in the mean pre- and post-intervention scores for teachers with 10 or more years of upper secondary school experience (high experience group) and those with less than 10 years of upper secondary school experience (low experience group) was calculated.
Principal Verdicts: Indicated that the training program intervention helped teachers recognize the importance of vocational assessment and subsequently improve their teaching. Furthermore, the number of years of experience in upper secondary schools influenced the effectiveness of the intervention.
Conclusions: It was suggested that this training program would be effective for professionals who have acquired basic knowledge and skills in vocational rehabilitation
Global (Sustainable) Commercial Urbanism and Culture
Get PDFThe decision makers of western cities have utilized commercial urbanism to help improve urban livability for several decades. The upgrade and redesign of shopping areas as well as the modernization of small and medium size retail establishments appear central to this goal. However, the unpredictability of technological innovations, lifestyles, consumer demand, and the uncertainty of global and regional markets contribute to the difficulty in delivering the most adequate and long-lasting urbanistic solutions. To what extent can professionals and elected officials utilize local cultures and regional identities to craft urban policies and programs capable of enabling flourishing businesses with both positive impacts in local economies and urban cultures? The purpose of this paper is to revisit a series of urban planning research programs, which the author studied over the past three decades in the Iberian Peninsula, the Americas, and Macau SAR. The research methods comprised literature reviews, public policy and case study analyses, teaching and research engagements, residence periods, and extended visits in Portugal, the northeast and southwest of the United States, Latin America, and Macau SAR. The argument is twofold: First, globalization is simultaneously homogenizing commercial landscapes while contributing to environmentally damaging car dependent lifestyles; and second, professionals ought to establish localized and culture-based (sustainable) commercial urbanism programs capable of assuring the long-term success of cities. The key finding is that livability assurance guarantees and cultural patterns are highly dependent on each city’s idiosyncratic characteristics such as size, place in the urban hierarchy, as well as historic roles performed in regional, national, and global dynamics
Bridging Entrepreneurial Finance in the EU: The New Crowd Funding Regulation
Get PDFBridging finance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is a must in the sustainable economic development of any country. Access to finance is an essential determinant for business start-ups, development and growth for SMEs. In these years, crowd funding digital platforms have flourished fast as an innovative form of financing for SMEs. Their characteristics allow them to perform SME credit risk assessment better and quicker than traditional financial intermediaries. Compared to banks, for instance, crowd funding digital platforms benefit from minimal capital requirements and a flexible organizational structure that, thanks to the new digital technology, can collect and process information and big data much more quickly. To foster the growth of the crowd funding industry in the EU and ensure investor protection, the legislator introduced the European Crowd funding Service Provider Regulation (ECSPR). The new regulation aims to create a standardized regulatory framework by harmonizing the crowd funding services in the common market and facilitating cross-border operations, enhancing investor protection, promoting transparency and ensuring compliance with the regulatory requirements to increase investor confidence. This article discusses the ECSPR's objectives, requirements and critical provisions. Furthermore, it evaluates the ECSPR's results against the EU legislator's initial intents of fostering the growth of the crowd funding industry and enhancing investors' trust and confidence with protection measures. A balance between these two would be optimal
Non-Genetic Factors Affecting Production Traits in Murrah Buffaloes
Get PDFThe present investigation was undertaken to estimate the effect of non-genetic factors on different production traits of Murrah buffaloes maintained at Buffalo Research Centre, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India. A total of 1128 lactation records of 326 Murrah buffalo were targeted to explore the effect of non-genetic factors. The production traits considered for the present study were lactation yield (LY), lactation length (LL), 305 days milk yield (305 MY), peak yield (PY), and days to attain peak yield (DAPY). The highest CV (%) was obtained for PY. The overall least squares means were 2118.10 ± 25.54 kg, 296.60 ± 3.23 days, 2053.88 ± 21.80 kg, 11.08 ± 0.08 kg, and 61.72 ± 1.02 days for LY, LL, 305 MY, PY and DAPY, respectively. The period of calving revealed a highly significant (P<0.01) effect on targeted traits except for LL. Animals in the fourth lactation revealed significantly the highest LY and PY. The effect of the season of calving was highly significant (P<0.01) on all the traits under study. Performances of animals calved during summer seasons were excellent for the traits under the present study. The effect of parity was highly significant (P<0.01) for all the traits under study except for DAPY where it was non-significant. The significant effects of different non-genetic factors like period of calving, the season of calving, and parity of animals on different production traits of Murrah buffaloes indicate that adjustment of effect of non-genetic factors is important for accurate and unbiased estimates of genetic parameters and selection of superior animals
Comparative Analysis of Predictive Performance in Nonparametric Functional Regression: A Case Study of Spectrometric Fat Content Prediction
Get PDFObjective: This research aims to compare two nonparametric functional regression models, the Kernel Model and the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) Model, with a focus on predicting scalar responses from functional covariates. Two semi-metrics, one based on second derivatives and the other on Functional Principle Component Analysis, are employed for prediction. The study assesses the accuracy of these models by computing Mean Square Errors (MSE) and provides practical applications for illustration.
Method: The study delves into the realm of nonparametric functional regression, where the response variable (Y) is scalar, and the covariate variable (x) is a function. The Kernel Model, known as funopare.kernel.cv, and the KNN Model, termed funopare.knn.gcv, are used for prediction. The Kernel Model employs automatic bandwidth selection via Cross-Validation, while the KNN Model employs a global smoothing parameter. The performance of both models is evaluated using MSE, considering two different semi-metrics.
Results: The results indicate that the KNN Model outperforms the Kernel Model in terms of prediction accuracy, as supported by the computed MSE. The choice of semi-metric, whether based on second derivatives or Functional Principle Component Analysis, impacts the model's performance. Two real-world applications, Spectrometric Data for predicting fat content and Canadian Weather Station data for predicting precipitation, demonstrate the practicality and utility of the models.
Conclusion: This research provides valuable insights into nonparametric functional regression methods for predicting scalar responses from functional covariates. The KNN Model, when compared to the Kernel Model, offers superior predictive performance. The selection of an appropriate semi-metric is essential for model accuracy. Future research may explore the extension of these models to cases involving multivariate responses and consider interactions between response components
Review Article: Global Governance in a Complex World
Get PDFThis essay reviews the literature on international regime complexity and international institutional complexity published in three high impact journals between 2009 and 2022. The analysis identifies conceptual ambiguities as it discusses the definitions of complexity proposed by the scholarship. The goal is to highlight indicators of complexity in international politics, with a focus on global governance. These indicators are observable, subject to measurement and comparison. Based on some of these indicators, the essay explores the relationship between complexity and compliance -- or to what extent states implement the legal commitments that they adopted internationally, in light of the literature. The essay makes an original contribution when it chronicles and organizes the scholarship on complexity in terms of agency, scope, and effectiveness. It also analyses the presence and levels of a hierarchical relationship amongst the elements that make up a complex regime or institution. The Scholarship reviewed here constitutes essential reading for any researcher that is interested in global governance, international law, and compliance
Novel Isolates of Lactobacilli from Crop of Algerian Poultry as Potential Probiotic for Food Industry
Get PDFThis study was aimed at selecting novel strains of Lactobacillus from crop of Algerian poultry. One hundred forty (140) lactobacilli strains were isolated and examined for their potentiality probiotic properties. From these isolated strains, nine appear to possess a probiotic value and highlighted a noticeable heterogeneity. The isolate L. plantarum G1 showed the best inhibitory activity against several indicator strains. Furthermore, the results showed that culture and neutralized supernatants exhibited varying degrees of inhibitory activity against strains of enterobacteria from poultry origin. The tested strains were acid resistant and were also bile tolerant. Antibiotic resistance, co-aggregation activity and hydrophobicity percentage were strain-dependent. Moreover, six strains were able to adhere to epithelial cells. Finally, six Lactobacillus strains, such as strain L. plantarum G1, L. plantarum PC2, L. viridesencs G3, L. helveticus PC6, L. delbrueckii ssp delbrueckii G7 and L. fermentum PC8, showed essential probiotic properties. The identity of the best strain L. plantarum G1 was confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequence using PCR