26 research outputs found
Improving reading comprehension through picture books in primary grades: a study at Ak/Al-Muneera Junior College, Addalaichenai
No full textReading comprehension is a vital skill for young learners, particularly in English as a second
language (ESL) context. This study explores the use of picture books as a tool to enhance
reading comprehension among Tamil-medium Grade 4 and 5 students at Ak/Al-Muneera
Junior College, Addalaichenai. Given the linguistic and cognitive development stage of primary
learners, picture books serve as a bridge between visual literacy and text understanding, making
them ideal for young ESL learners who face challenges in vocabulary, sentence structure, and
inferencing. The study adopts a qualitative approach supported by simple pre- and post-tests
to measure improvements in comprehension. A purposive sample of 30 students (15 from
Grade 4 and 15 from Grade 5) was selected. Over a four-week intervention period, students
were exposed to a series of graded English picture books with guided reading sessions, group
discussions, and follow-up activities such as sequencing, storytelling, and vocabulary matching.
Findings indicate that the use of picture books significantly increased students’ ability to
predict content, identify main ideas, and make inferences. Visual support helped in decoding
unfamiliar words and improved students’ engagement and motivation to read. Teachers also
reported better participation during reading activities, especially among low-proficiency
learners. The study concludes that integrating picture books into the English curriculum can
be an effective method to support reading comprehension development in Tamil-medium
primary learners. It recommends teacher training on how to use picture books strategically and
calls for more contextualized materials that relate to students’ cultural and linguistic
backgrounds
Routing and Disaster Awareness in Optical Networks
No full textOptical networks facilitate the configurations of high-speed network connections with tremendous bandwidth between the optical switches. Optical switches are interconnected by optical fibers that act as the mediums in which data are transferred using lightpaths. Due to the importance of optical networks to many societal needs, e.g., the Internet and banking services, network connections must be configured as efficient and reliable as possible. This thesis focus on two important research topics related to the management and survivability of network connections, namely routing and disaster awareness. Routing enables the assignment of the optimal end-to-end path to each network connection, while disaster awareness increases the preparedness of network operators in ensuring that network connections are protected against the adverse impacts of disasters. The first part of the thesis, namely Chapters 2, 3 and 4 relate to the topic of routing, specifically on technology-aware routing, impairment-aware routing and risk-averse routing. Technology-aware routing is required for establishing network connections across multi-domain networks with technology incompatibilities, impairment-aware routing enables network operators to establish network connections in the presence of transmission impairments, and risk-averse routing enables connections to be assigned with the safest paths (against failing due to disasters). The second part of the thesis, namely Chapters 4 and 5 relate to the topic of disaster awareness, by proposing approaches for ensuring the survivability of network connections in the risk of disasters, such as modeling of (spatiotemporal) disasters, identifying vulnerable connections, detecting spatially-close fiber segments, computing spatially-close intervals of spatially close fibers, and grouping spatially-close fibers efficiently. Though the thesis emphasizes on optical network use cases, the provided insights and contributions in each chapter are general enough to be extended for application in other network types as well.Network Architectures and Service
An assessment of vulnerability and adaptation to cyclones through impact assessment guidelines: a bottom-up case study from Bangladesh coast
No full textAfter reviewing relevant climate impact assessment guidelines derived from those of the United States Country Study Program (USCSP), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and UNEP, the author adopted a set of impact assessment steps towards a methodological procedure for assessing vulnerability and adaptation (V and A) in a Bangladesh coastal cyclone-prone area. This paper classifies and prioritizes the intensity of V and A issues through weighting index values of two recent cyclones: 'Sidr' in 2007 and 'Aila' in 2009. This study offers a model using V and A techniques ideal for immediate policy-making in order to reduce future vulnerability at local level.Md Aboul Fazal Younu
Detection of Spatially-Close Fiber Segments in Optical Networks
No full textSpatially-close network fibers have a significant chance of failing simultaneously in the event of man-made or natural disasters within their geographic area. Network operators are interested in the proper detection and grouping of any existing spatially-close fiber segments, to avoid service disruptions due to simultaneous fiber failures. Moreover, spatially-close fibers can further be differentiated by computing the intervals over which they are spatially close. In this paper, we propose (1) polynomial-time algorithms for detecting all the spatially-close fiber segments of different fibers, (2) a polynomial-time algorithm for finding the spatially-close intervals of a fiber to a set of other fibers, and (3) a fast exact algorithm for grouping spatially-close fibers using the minimum number of distinct risk groups. All of our algorithms have a fast running time when simulated on three real-world network topologies.Network Architectures and Service
On Centrality-Related Disaster Vulnerability of Network Regions
No full textNetworks are typically embedded in non-homogeneous areas and different parts/regions of the network may therefore be at risk from different types of disasters. This non-homogeneity leads to difficulties in protecting the network against (the risk of) disasters. Network operators need to be able to integrate predictions on possible future disaster events in the planning of their network operation. Especially the (future) availability of network links is crucial in configuring network connections, since the requested availability of network connections is stipulated in Service Level Agreements and must be satisfied, even under the threat of disasters. In this paper, we propose (1) a novel model to characterize disaster areas, with occurrences of each type of disaster represented by a temporal distribution (e.g., Poisson process), and (2) two metrics, namely a betweenness-centrality metric for network regions and an impact metric that indicates the magnitude of the threat posed by disasters within a network region during a given time period.Embedded System
Spatiotemporal Risk-Averse Routing
No full textA cyber-physical system is often designed as a network in which critical information is transmitted. However, network links may fail, possibly as the result of a disaster. Disasters tend to display spatiotemporal characteristics, and consequently link availabilities may vary in time. Yet, the requested connection availability of traffic must be satisfied at all times, even under disasters. In this paper, we argue that often the spatiotemporal impact of disasters can be predicted, such that suitable actions can be taken, before the disaster manifests, to ensure the availability of connections. Our main contributions are three-fold: (1) we propose a generic grid-based model to represent the risk profile of a network area and relate the risk profile to the availability of links and connections, (2) we propose a polynomial-time algorithm to identify connections that are vulnerable to an emerging disaster risk, and (3) we consider the predicted spatiotemporal disaster impact, and propose a polynomial-time algorithm based on an auxiliary graph to find the most risk-averse path under a time constraint.Network Architectures and Service
Backup rules in Software-Defined Networks
No full textThe past century of telecommunications has shown that failures in networks are prevalent. Failure recovery processes are therefore needed. Failure recovery is mainly influenced by (1) detection of the failure, and (2) circumvention of the detected failure. However, especially in SDNs where controllers recompute network state reactively, this leads to high delays. Hence, next to primary rules, backup rules should be installed in the switches to quickly detour traffic once a failure occurs. In this work, we propose algorithms for computing an all-to-all primary and backup network forwarding configuration that is capable of circumventing link and node failures. After initial recovery, we recompute network configuration to guarantee protection from future failures. Our algorithms use packet-labeling to guarantee correct and shortest detour forwarding and are able to discriminate between link and node failures. The computational complexity of our solution is comparable to that of all-to-all shortest paths computations. Our experimental evaluation shows that network configuration complexity decreases significantly compared to classic disjoint paths computations. Finally, we provide a proof-of-concept OpenFlow controller in which our proposed configuration is implemented, demonstrating that it readily can be applied in production networks.Network Architectures and Service
Technology-aware multi-domain multi-layer routing
No full textTransporting Big Data requires high-speed connections between end-hosts. Research and educational networks typically are state-of-the-art networks that facilitate such high-speed user-created network connections, possibly spanning multiple domains. However, there are many different high-speed optical data plane standards and implementations, and vendors do not always create compatible data plane implementations. These technology incompatibilities may prevent direct communication between domains and therefore complicate the configuration of connections. However, some domains may have adaptation capabilities that can lift the technology incompatibility constraint in establishing paths between incompatible domains. Within this context, we address two problems, namely: (1) how to model the technology incompatibilities of multi-domain multi-layer networks, and (2) how to optimally establish paths in such networks. We introduce the inclusion of the information of the supported technologies and adaptation capabilities of each domain and inter-domain link in our model. We subsequently propose technology-aware routing algorithms for finding the shortest feasible path in a multi-domain multi-layer network
Correction to: Geochemical Analysis of Cretaceous Shales from the Hazara Basin, Pakistan: Provenance Signatures and Paleo-Weathering Conditions, (J. Mar. Sci. Eng, (2022), 10, (800), 10.3390/jmse10060800)
No full textAddition of an Author In the original publication [1], there was a mistake in the authorship. Muhammad Umar should be added as the co-author. His affiliation is the Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Haripur, Haripur 22620, Pakistan. New Author Contributions Statement Conceptualization, A.G.F. and M.U.; methodology, A.G.F.; software, A.G.F. and H.T.J.; validation, A.G.F., M.U. and H.T.J.; formal analysis, A.G.F., M.U. and H.T.J.; investigation, A.G.F., M.U. and H.T.J.; resources, A.G.F. and M.U.; data curation, A.G.F. and M.U.; writing—original draft preparation, A.G.F. and M.U.; writing—review and editing, H.T.J., F.S., M.A.F.M., G.K. and A.K.J.; visualization, M.U., H.T.J., F.S. and M.A.F.M.; supervision, M.U.; project administration, M.U.; funding acquisition, G.K. and H.T.J. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
Malayic varieties of Kelantan and Terengganu: description and linguistic history
No full textThis dissertation examines the Malayic varieties spoken in Kelantan and Terengganu, two Malaysian states located on the northeast coast of the Malay Peninsula. It focuses on three varieties, namely Kelantan Malay, Coastal Terengganu Malay and Inland Terengganu Malay, all belonging to the Malayic subgroup within the Austronesian language family. On the basis of data gathered through linguistic fieldwork undertaken by the author, this dissertation provides the most comprehensive description of these languages to date and offers an analysis of their historical developments.The three Malayic varieties under investigation display notable similarities in their phonological and morphosyntactic patterns, characterised by significant phonological and morphological reduction. Despite these common features, however, it is concluded that these varieties do not form a discrete subgroup within the Malayic languages. The common changes observed in their consonant systems must have followed distinct developments in the vowel systems. Furthermore, the morphological reduction was primarily driven by internal phonological changes, and no clear traces of substrate influences have been found.It is proposed that Inland Terengganu Malay represents a separate variety, distinct from Kelantan Malay and Coastal Terengganu Malay. A two-wave migration pattern is suggested: speakers of Inland Terengganu Malay likely arrived in the region earlier, whereas the speakers of Kelantan Malay and Coastal Terengganu Malay arrived at a later stage.NWO322-70-013Cities, Migration and Global Interdependence 1350-200
