A cost-effective wireless network migration planning method supporting high-security enabled railway data communication systems

As a typical railway Cyber-physical System (CPS), radio-based train control systems have been playing an increasingly important role in rail transit. The engaged network, Global System for Mobile Communications for Railway (GSM-R), which is an out-dated wireless communication technology, will be decommissioned due to diminishing support from industry, and a new generation successor, e.g. Long-Term Evolution (LTE), is urgently required to replace the current network. The radio-based train control systems must be safety critical, which relies on a high-security Data Communication System (DCS). In this paper, a novel wireless network migration methodology in DCS is proposed. By using this methodology, the high-security required DCS performance in radio-based train control systems is maintained and the network migration cost, e.g. the used number of base station (BS), is reduced when updating the GSM-R to LTE.     

Attitudes to wetland restoration in Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire,UK

Contemporary attitudes to wetlands were examined in two sites in Britain, to assess perceptions and thus educational failings as a barrier to wetland restoration. Results showed that adults' attitudes were more positive than previous literature suggests: 56% were aware of the importance of wetlands for biodiversity, and 73% were supportive of their restoration. Social groups had significantly different attitudes to wetlands (p < 0.002), which may result largely from a difference between farmers and the public (p < 0.001). Additionally a near-significant difference (p < 0.08) was detected between genders, with woman possibly more positive. Motivation for wetland conservation tended to be ethical, with 74% willing to pay, and 71% willing to vote, for wetland conservation. Whilst larger surveys are required to assess the generality of these results, there is reason for optimism that some form of education is improving public perception, despite concerns about negative conditioning amongst children (Anderson and Moss 1993).     

One Size Fits All? Teacher Appraisal in a Chinese Culture

In this article we suggest that the penetration of Western policies and practices—in particular, teacher appraisal—into Asian cultural contexts needs to be questioned. We begin by making a general case for considering the influence of societal culture on educational policies and practices, and a more specific argument for assessing its role in the implementation of teacher appraisal in different cultures. We argue that it may be unwise simply to clone appraisal practices in contexts and cultures quite different from those in which they are chartered. The study briefly reviews the status of teacher appraisal in Hong Kong, given that in the next few years all Hong Kong schools must implement appraisal schemes, a fact causing considerable consternation. We then suggest that the most common forms of appraisal being promoted and implemented in Hong Kong are based on traditional Anglo-American understandings and practices. This leads to a discussion of the possible influence exerted by culture on teacher appraisal in the Chinese society of Hong Kong. Noteworthy features of Hong Kongs culture are collectivism and high power distance, both of which are sufficiently different from Anglo-American cultures to suggest that the forms taken by teacher appraisal in those countries may be inappropriate for Hong Kong. In the final section, we briefly discuss a number of issues that, it is suggested, deserve consideration when Hong Kong schools design and implement teacher appraisal schemes. As we stress throughout the study, our discussion is not intended to be definitive. Rather, we hope it will stimulate discussion and research into discovering more culturally sensitive ways of appraising teachers in different parts of the world.     

Chronicling educator practices and experiences in the context of democratic schooling and quality education in South Africa

An interview-based qualitative study was undertaken to explore the experiences and practices of educators in providing democratic schooling as a way of delivering quality education for learners in schools. The exploration looked at educators’ understandings of the concept of democracy in schools, their understanding of the concept quality education and whether there is any link between democratic schooling and quality education. The findings suggest that there is a perceived link between democracy in schools and the delivery of quality education for learners, even though there are tensions and contradictions in democratising schools.     

Preschool Temperament Assessment: A Quantitative Assessment of the Validity of Behavioral Style Questionnaire Data

Research Findings: Child temperament is an important construct, but its measurement has been marked by a number of weaknesses that have diminished the frequency with which it is assessed in practice. We address this problem by presenting the results of a quantitative construct validation study. We calculated validity indices by hypothesizing the magnitude of relationships between Behavioral Style Questionnaire (BSQ) subscales and criterion measures assessing student–teacher relationships, student characteristics related to teaching stress, and peer play interactions. We tested these hypotheses against the actual correlations observed in a sample of 44 children 40 to 68 months of age. These analyses indicated strong support for 4 of the BSQ subscales (Activity, Rhythmicity, Approach, and Adaptability) and moderate support for 1 subscale (Mood). However, new item generation and testing is recommended for 3 subscales (Intensity, Persistence, and Threshold), along with further construct definition work for the final subscale (Distractibility). Practice or Policy: These findings are particularly relevant for early childhood educators who wish to assess temperament yet are uncertain of the issues involved in its measurement. Results derived from the BSQ, viewed in context, can increase practitioners’ understandings of children's individual characteristics and guide the development of interventions to promote optimal early educational experiences for children.     

Corporatisation of the Not-For-Profit Sector: Strategic planning and organisational performance in disability-based organisations

Faced with changing times, disability-based organisations are evolving from church groups running shelters for "retarded" people to providing business services to "jobseekers." This evolution has meant that the management function in the disability sector has become a much more complex and multidimensional one, requiring managers to balance the social and commercial realities of the marketplace. This study aimed to explore the effects of strategic planning intensity in disability-based agencies on the organisational performance of those agencies. The study found that there were statistically significant correlations between the strategic planning intensity levels of disability-based agencies and their respective organisations' performance on two out of the five measures of organisational performance used in the research. The study provides some justification and impetus for managers, agencies, and peak bodies to further engage in the systematic development and implementation of strategic planning systems and processes. Further, in view of the many environmental changes experienced by the disability sector, such justification may provide the various stakeholders, particularly funding bodies and people with a disability, with a means of ensuring that the best possible efficiency and effectiveness outcomes for stakeholders are achieved.