Pseudo bond graphs for generalized compartmental models in engineering and physiology

True bond graphs, which use effort and flow variables whose product is power, can in principle be used to describe all types of physical systems. However, many system models do not use power variables and yet can be represented usefully as pseudo bond graphs. Pseudo bond graphs have been used particularly for open systems in which it is convenient to consider control volumes or compartments with boundaries across which mass can flow. In this paper, we show how the bond graph methods used for conductive and convective heat transfer can be generalized to account for diffusion, convection, and accumulation of a variety of physical quantities and how pseudo bond graphs can aid in constructing and representing such models. These models are known in mathematical biology as “compartmental models” and it is a main contribution of this paper to show that the same pseudo bond graphs apply to thermofluid and physiological dynamic models. The bond graphs build in some conservation principles automatically and yet have the flexibility to incorporate general multiport laws when necessary. Thus the pseudo bond graphs can exhibit system structure as do other network graphs and are very general in nature.     

Analysis of interactivity and autonomy of existing digital educational resources: the case of Life and Earth Sciences in Morocco

The educational policy in Morocco is aimed at promoting the wide use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education and the adoption of interactive and autonomous digital resources for distance teaching and self-learning. The objective of this research is to evaluate the suitability of the existing digital educational resources for distance learning purposes by analysing their interactivity and autonomy. The study of the contents of 190 existing products for teaching and learning Life and Earth Sciences in high schools has revealed the existence of weaknesses related to interactivity and autonomy. The results have been used to set down guidelines for designers of future interactive and autonomous digital educational resources for distance learning use.     

Educational problems of Turkish migrants' children

The author deals with the education of Turkish migrants' children and the handicaps existing for equal access to all educational opportunities. She comes to the conclusion that unless realistic measures endeavouring bi-cultural integration on behalf of the growing generations are implemented, the dependency of Turkey's excessive manpower on the European labour market will mark these children and leave them on the threshhold of adult life without equal means and opportunities to build a more prosperous and peaceful world.     

Learning from the Experience of Muslim Students in American Schools: Towards a Proactive Model of School-Community Cooperation

Drawing on interviews with Muslim parents, students, and teachers in a Midwestern city, as well as one of the author's (Sabry's) own experiences as a member in the local Muslim community, this paper documents and describes the challenges faced by Muslim youth in U.S. schools. Grounded in the theoretical framework of cultural mismatch, the paper presents key themes of the interviews with regards to the areas of curriculum, instruction, and home-school relations. Based on these findings, and using Banks' Multicultural Education Dimensions, a proactive model of cooperation between the families of Muslim students and the public school system is proposed. The paper concludes by urging other scholars to investigate the schooling of Muslim students in the U.S. and encouraging members of the Muslim community to share their U.S. schooling experiences.     

DESIGN OF INTERNETWORK MANAGEMENT BASED ON VLANs

Implement VLANs essentially creating smaller broadcast domains at layer 2, means that broadcasts sent out from a node in one VLAN won t be forwarded to ports configured to belong to a different VLAN. In this paper, we assigning users to VLAN groups on a switch, this help to gain the flexibility to add only the users you want into that broadcast domain regardless of their physical location. This setup can also work to block broadcast storms caused by a faulty network interface card （NIC） as well as prevent an intermediate device from propagating broadcast storms throughout the entire internetwork.     

A nationwide comparative study between private and public university students’ soft skills

The main function of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) is to produce skilled and knowledgeable workforce who are able to not only function with minimal guidance but also to contribute effectively to the hiring organizations. Many studies have indicated that most HEIs have somewhat similar course content and thrived at producing students with good academic achievement. But what differentiated them from one another is their ability to develop knowledge workers with the right employability skills or ??soft skills?? such as communication, problem-solving, interpersonal and other skills deemed important as the foundations by which they require to function at work regardless of the nature of employment. This paper reports findings of a large-scale study looking into the soft skills attainment of Malaysian HEI graduates. A quantitative survey design was employed whereby data were obtained through the administration of an instrument called the Malaysian Soft Skills Scale (My3S). My3S consists of 180 items covering seven elements namely Communications, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Teamwork, Moral and Professional Ethics, Leadership, Life Long Learning and Entrepreneurial aspects. The mean scores for the seven My3S subscales were found to be between 6.3 and 7.8 from the maximum possible score of 10. Specifically, comparisons were made between graduates of public and private institutions with respect to the seven elements. Findings of the study suggest that, in general, students of public HEIs scored higher in all seven skills. With respect to gender, male students scored higher than female students in all elements except for teamwork skills and moral and professional ethics. A comparison between fields of study showed that for both types of HEIs, technical students scored the highest in all skills except for moral and professional ethics. Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested that in addition to offering specific courses to improve soft skills attainment, HEIs need to embed soft skills in their academic curricula.