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INTER-SCHOOL COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL BASED IMPROVEMENT IN THE ARAB WORLD: THE CASE OF TAMAM PROJECT
Get PDFThere is growing agreement that effective professional learning is enhanced when teachers connect and collaborate with colleagues (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012; Strahan, 2003). A new paradigm for school improvement based on developing collaborative school structures as a mean for building the school capacity for improvement is emerging (e.g., Di´az-Gibson et al., 2017). Within this paradigm, inter-school collaboration has become increasingly popular as a strategy towards building and sustaining school improvement (Ainscow, Mujis, & West, 2006; Muijs, 2008). The practice of collaboration between schools as part of a new paradigm of school improvement is almost non-existent in the Arab world. The TAMAM professional network is one of the rare educational initiatives in the Arab region to incorporate professional collaboration as a foundation for its vision for developing innovative schools and as a strategy to achieve sustainable school improvement. Currently, TAMAM has an expanding membership of Arab educators and educational institutions that share its vision and goals. This study explores the experience of the TAMAM Jordan Hub, a voluntary network that emerged within the larger TAMAM professional network among 8 private schools in Amman who are members of the TAMAM network. This study uses a qualitative case study research design to understand the participants’ perceptions of professional collaboration and inter-school collaboration and explore the drivers that instigated this type of collaboration among these schools. It also examines the factors that shaped this initiative and the support received (especially from the university-based facilitators) during the initiation of inter-school collaboration as well as the impact of this initiative. The participants in this study were purposefully chosen from the Jordan Hub schools that initiated a joint improvement project (teaching and learning of Arabic language) following the TAMAM model for school-based improvement as the focal activity for their inter-school collaboration. The results mostly affirmed those reported in the literature yet made significant contributions through revealing contextually shaped drivers, as well as offering a framework that details the functions of external facilitators. A key contribution of the study is that university-based researchers and experts have a critical role in facilitating the initiation and the implementation of inter-school collaboration. Namely, they are needed to coach the school teams on how to successfully navigate the structural and cultural demands of implementing the newly adopted inter-school collaboration strategies and the content of their improvement project. Expertise in leading change and the content area the collaborative improvement initiative is targeting are needed to achieve the goals of inter-school collaboration to effectively impact large scale sustainable school improvement
Validated Inventories of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) for the Mediterranean Sea as Tools for Regional Policy and Patterns of NIS Spread
Get PDFThis work presents refined, updated subregional and regional non-indigenous species (NIS) inventories for the Mediterranean Sea, validated by national and taxonomic experts, with species records observed until December 2020. These datasets will be used as the baselines for the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Mediterranean (IMAP) and the Mediterranean Quality Status Report 2023. In total, 1006 non-indigenous species have been found in Mediterranean marine and brackish waters. The highest numbers of NIS were observed in Israel, Türkiye, Lebanon and Italy. Approximately 45 species were categorized as data deficient, either due to lack of consensus on their alien status or the validity of their identification. Polychaeta, Foraminifera and macroalgae were the groups with the highest numbers of controversial species. There was a general increase in the yearly rate of new NIS introductions after the late 1990s, which appears to be slowing down in the last decade, but this may be confounded by reporting lags and differential research efforts. Between 1970 and 2020 there has been a steep increase in the proportion of shared species present throughout all four Mediterranean subregions, which are predominantly transported via shipping and recreational boating. While Lessepsian species are gradually spreading westwards and northwards, there is still a considerable invasion debt accumulating in the eastern and central Mediterranean. © 2023 by the authors
Evaluating the academic scientific laboratories' safety by applying failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) at the public university in Lebanon
Get PDFWorkers at scientific academic laboratories are at risk of potential exposure to different types of hazards. The study's purpose was to assess the potential failure modes (FMs) of hazards facing them through the application of the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) method to propose corrective actions preventive actions (CAPA) to mitigate them and to improve the safety outcomes in these workplaces (WP) at the Lebanese public University (PbU). The potential FMs leading to accident occurrence in biological and chemical labs were identified and prioritized, their causes and effects were determined by applying two surveys, and the risk priority number (RPN) for each failure was calculated. A total of 24 FMs were identified. The most alarming FM having the highest RPN scores (80) was found in the workplace ‘category requiring an emergency for corrective actions (CA), it is related to the unavailability of a hazard pictogram plot and the lack of labeling of chemicals and waste containers according to their categories. The FMs having RPN scores (75-60) requiring an urgent CA were assigned to other hazards of the WP, chemical, biological, and failure of the educational system. The need to program for the remaining FMs (RPN scores 20–48) is related to the safety, biological, physical, and radioactive categories ‘hazards. It is recommended to apply continuously FMEA and implement the CA proposed for each detected FM in the scientific laboratories of the PbU in order to support the decision-makers to improve laboratory safety. © 2023 The Author
نحو إطار شامل للأمن البشري والعدالة الإجتماعية في خطة التعافي بين لبنان وصندوق النقد الدولي : محورية التعليم في التمكين والمساواة
Get PDFالتسجيل كاملاً:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVZIfKf9UJsالنسخة الإنجليزية:
http://hdl.handle.net/10938/24212يدعو التقرير الى إصلاح إدارة المالية العامة وزيادة الحيز المالي في قطاع التعليم. لا سيما للفئات الأكثر ضعفاً كالنساء والفتيات والمجتمعات المهمشة. وفي نهاية المطاف. يضع ذلك الأساس لإبرام عقد إجتماعي جديد يستثمر في القطاعات الاجتماعية العامة ويساهم في سد الفجوة بين الجنسين.
يمهد هذا المشروع البحثي الطريق لحوار سياسي وطني رفيع المستوى يجمع كافة اصحاب المصلحة المعنيين بما في ذلك وعلي سبيل المثال لا الحصر، الموظفين/ات، الحكوميين/ات والنمسؤولين/ات الحكوميين/ات والقادة في القطاع غير الربحي وممثلي/ات اسرة الأمم المتحدة والمانحين/ات الدوليين/ات وعامة الناس.
ويمكن الهدف من الحوار بشأن السياسات في مناقشت التوصيات السياسية التي تمت صياغتها خلال هذه المهمة البحثية واستكشاف آثارها في السياق اللبناني. شكر وتقدير
Synthesis and bonding analysis of pentagonal bipyramidal rhenium carboxamide oxo complexes
Get PDFSeven-coordinate rhenium oxo complexes supported by a tetradentate bipyridine carboxamide/carboxamidate ligand are reported. The neutral dicarboxamide H2Phbpy-da ligand initially coordinates in an L4 (ONNO) fashion to an octahedral rhenium oxo precursor, yielding a seven-coordinate rhenium oxo complex. Subsequent deprotonation generates a new oxo complex featuring the dianionic (L2X2) carboxamidate (NNNN) form of the ligand. Computational studies provide insight into the relative stability of possible linkage isomers upon deprotonation. Structural studies and molecular orbital theory are employed to rationalize the relative isomer stability and provide insight into the rhenium-oxo bond order. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry
Clinical Significance of SOX10 Expression in Human Pathology
No full textThe embryonic development of neural crest cells and subsequent tissue differentiation are intricately regulated by specific transcription factors. Among these, SOX10, a member of the SOX gene family, stands out. Located on chromosome 22q13, the SOX10 gene encodes a transcription factor crucial for the differentiation, migration, and maintenance of tissues derived from neural crest cells. It plays a pivotal role in developing various tissues, including the central and peripheral nervous systems, melanocytes, chondrocytes, and odontoblasts. Mutations in SOX10 have been associated with congenital disorders such as Waardenburg–Shah Syndrome, PCWH syndrome, and Kallman syndrome, underscoring its clinical significance. Furthermore, SOX10 is implicated in neural and neuroectodermal tumors, such as melanoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs), and schwannomas, influencing processes like proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In mesenchymal tumors, SOX10 expression serves as a valuable marker for distinguishing between different tumor types. Additionally, SOX10 has been identified in various epithelial neoplasms, including breast, ovarian, salivary gland, nasopharyngeal, and bladder cancers, presenting itself as a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker. However, despite these associations, further research is imperative to elucidate its precise role in these malignancies. © 2023 by the authors
Keeping Solidarities at Bay: The European Union’s Systematic Obstruction of Civilian Search and Rescue Organizations in the Central Mediterranean Sea between 2016 and 2023
No full textThis master’s thesis critically analyzes the increasingly adversarial stance adopted by state actors within the European Union (EU) towards Search and Rescue Civil Society Organizations (SAR CSOs) operating in the Central Mediterranean between 2016 and 2023.
Rooted in the theoretical frameworks of politicization, securitization, criminalization, and techno-morality, this study further examines the intricate mechanisms that drive the EU's deterrence policies vis-à-vis migrants and pro-migrant CSOs.
By analyzing the cases of three different SAR CSOs, namely Jugend Rettet, Sea-Watch, and Sea-Eye, this thesis reveals the multifaceted nature of the EU's obstructionist measures aimed at their solidarity work, primarily through the detention of rescue vessels. The instruments of insecurity employed by the EU against these SAR CSOs include bureaucratic techniques, arbitrary policing and legal tactics. The impact of the EU’s arbitrary detention of SAR vessels is examined in detail, revealing their far-reaching effects in undermining civil society initiatives and hampering life-saving operations at sea.
By introducing the innovative SAR Ship Detention Map, this research then provides a concrete visual representation of the recurring obstacles faced by SAR CSOs due to the actions of EU Member States. The purpose of this visualization is not only to increase understanding and awareness, but also to serve as a long-term resource for SAR CSOs beyond this thesis
A Unified Framework of Bandwidth Management and Motion Control for Collaborative Robotic Swarms
No full textThe expanding potential of multi-agent systems (MASs) in different robotic applications requires high-level performance, which can be achieved by maintaining
satisfactory collaboration between robots. Such collaboration requires exchanging
sensory data and commands that result in a large amount of data being available,
and brings about the problem of excessive bandwidth requirement, which often overwhelms available communication resources.
In this thesis, the aim is to control a teleoperated swarm of robots that is supposed
to maintain a desired formation and accomplish a given set of tasks without colliding with obstacles, while controlling its bandwidth consumption. For this, two
schemes of motion control and bandwidth allocation are combined and implemented
on networked control systems. The first scheme deploys semi-autonomous formation control based on the Artificial Potential Fields (APF) algorithm, which allows
each individual robot to avoid local obstacles autonomously and tries to maintain
a desired formation with its neighbors, while the operator is in charge of high-level
control only. The second scheme works on distributing available bandwidth among
the existing communication channels in the network, dynamically, based on various
factors that represent changes occurring in the swarm’s internal state and its environment. The aim is to dynamically allocate bandwidth in a manner that improves
the swarm performance and limits its bandwidth consumption. The proposed combined scheme is tested on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the ROS-Gazebo
simulator and on PiCar-S mobile robots in real experiments. The obtained simulation and experimental results under different scenarios demonstrate the advantage
of the proposed algorithm over static bandwidth allocation schemes
Improved Posttransplant Outcomes in Recent Years for AML Patients with FLT3-ITD and Wild-type NPM1: A Report from the EBMT Acute Leukemia Working Party
No full textPurpose: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is recommended in first complete remission (CR1) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) harboring FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3–internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD). We assessed changes over time in transplant characteristics and outcomes in patients with AML age 60 years and younger with a FLT3-ITD. Experimental Design: We identified 1,827 adult patients with AML (median age 49 years, range 18–60) with FLT3-ITD and intermediate karyotype, allografted between 2012 and 2021 in CR1. Results: NPM1 was mutated in 72% of patients. We compared changes over time in 688 patients transplanted between 2012 and 2016, and 1,139 patients transplanted between 2017 and 2021. For patients with wild-type NPM1, the 2-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) significantly improved over time from 54% to 64% (HR = 0.67; P = 0.011) and from 63% to 71% (HR = 0.66; P = 0.021), respectively. Allo-HCT in recent years significantly reduced the cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR). For patients with NPM1 mutation, no significant changes over time were noted. Conclusions: In patients with AML with FLT3-ITD and wild-type NPM1, we noticed a significant decrease over time in the CIR and improvement of LFS and OS, likely reflecting the efficacy of FLT-3 inhibitors, including when used as posttransplant maintenance, in this high-risk setting. On the contrary, no significant change over time was noticed in outcomes of patients harboring a FLT3 and NPM1 mutation. © 2023 American Association for Cancer Research