This study analysed the socio-economic contributions of N-Power programme amongst the beneficiaries of the scheme in Benue State.Prior to the introduction of N-Power programme,successive administrations in Nigeria hav...This study analysed the socio-economic contributions of N-Power programme amongst the beneficiaries of the scheme in Benue State.Prior to the introduction of N-Power programme,successive administrations in Nigeria have made concerted efforts towards improving the standard of living of the citizenry through the execution of various welfare or social intervention programmes,but not much successes were recorded.Learning from the mistakes of the past regimes,and by way of deliberate state policy,the Buhari’s government initiated a multi-pronged social investment policy,one of which is the N-power programme that came onboard in 2016,which also doubles as the subject of this study.To achieve the goal of this study,a combination of desktop research and survey design was employed.Questionnaires were administered to 390 respondents through a combination of stratified and random sampling techniques.The results of the survey were matched with that of the secondary data obtained through online websites and other related sources.The result indicated that N-Power made positive contributions to the socio-economic life of the beneficiaries in Benue State:specifically,the scheme contributed in poverty eradication,employment generation,skills acquisitions and capacity building.However,some aspect of our findings revealed that the programme has a number of challenges such as:inadequate cash support,delay in monthly cash transfer to beneficiaries,distance participants had to move to their work stations,absence of posting in N-Teach scheme,and lack of adequate working tools amongst others.To salvage this problem the paper recommended the following solutions:expansion of the scheme to cover N-Teach and other aspects,increment in the monthly cash transfer to cushion the high rate of inflation,support for the participants/beneficiaries in transportation and logistics,enrolment of more youth into the various schemes,proper monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the schemes amongst others.展开更多
This study sets the objective to involve undergraduate students in the evaluation of radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology programmes in Sudanese universities. Based on the analysis of survey results in w...This study sets the objective to involve undergraduate students in the evaluation of radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology programmes in Sudanese universities. Based on the analysis of survey results in which the participants (BSc students undertaking radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology programmes at university level) are asked to answer both closed and open-ended questions, the study seeks to reveal the participants’ perceptions and introspections about the radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology programmes in Sudan. It also attempts to explore the participants’ suggestions and recommendations as to enhance the quality of these programmes with an eye to helping syllabus designers to improve these programmes, thereby bettering healthcare services for the larger good to the community. A brief cross-sectional survey is completed by a total of 105 radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology students, i.e. 39 (37.1%) third-year students and 66 (62.9%) fourth-year students. The majority of participants is satisfied with the programmes, indicating that they are up-to-date and ran abreast with the latest developments in the field. Very few suggest that the programmes should be reviewed for revision, implying that there is room for improvement. Some participants recommend that more training hours in modern imaging modalities (e.g. MRI, CT and U/S) should be introduced. Only one participant recommends the introduction of advanced training centres.展开更多
Climate change is a major global environmental and developmental challenge and climate proofing of vulnerable sectors, programmes, natural systems and communities by integrating adaptation and mitigation options into ...Climate change is a major global environmental and developmental challenge and climate proofing of vulnerable sectors, programmes, natural systems and communities by integrating adaptation and mitigation options into planning process are increasingly becoming an integral part of development. The basic premises on which this could happen are the national and sectoral policies that govern any programmes and actions implemented on ground. This study reviews existing policies, plans and programmes and their implications for climate change. Based on the analyses, key areas of research, policy initiatives and institutional and capacity development needs have been identified, to facilitate climate change adaptation. The forest policies formulated so far in India have been broadly aimed at conservation, reduction of pressure on forests and provisioning of biomass to the large forest dependent population for their fuel and fodder needs apart from generating revenue through production and sale of timber. However, these have not been formulated with climate change as a consideration and therefore may become less effective as climate change and its impacts become increasingly evident. The study clearly identifies that the current policies and programmes have elements/features and activities that directly or indirectly contribute positively towards adaptation, although the primary implications are towards biodiversity and to some extent ecosystem functioning. It finally highlights the need for incorporating climate change concerns in forest sector development programmes and also to address the issue of climate change.展开更多
Many issues and challenges are faced by the managers programmes today. Although many previous researches on and professionals in managing sport and recreation service quality provided by the organizations had been exp...Many issues and challenges are faced by the managers programmes today. Although many previous researches on and professionals in managing sport and recreation service quality provided by the organizations had been explored, very few studies pertaining to service quality in sport and recreation programmes in local hotels and resorts have been emphasized. This study aims to assess customers＇ perceptions of service quality in sport and recreation programmes and to determine the differences between customers＇ perceptions of service quality in terms of their gender and nationality. A total of 450 respondents from the hotels and resorts located in coastal areas of the northern Peninsular Malaysia participated in the survey. They were asked to respond to a series of the adapted service quality （SERVQUAL） items to measure five dimensions of service quality including tangibles, assurance, responsiveness, reliability, and empathy. Results from this study revealed that the customers＇ perceptions of the overall services in sport and recreation programmes provided by the hotels and resorts were satisfactory. It was also indicated that there was no significant difference between male and female customers＇ perceptions of service quality in sport and recreation programmes. Conversely, the results revealed that there was a significant difference between local and foreign customers＇ perceptions of sport and recreation services provided. These findings had implications on sport and recreation programmes in relation to designing effective management and marketing strategies at hotels and resorts.展开更多
Antibiotic usage and increasing antimicrobial resistance(AMR) mount significant challenges to patient safety and management of the critically ill on intensive care units(ICU). Antibiotic stewardship programmes(ASPs) a...Antibiotic usage and increasing antimicrobial resistance(AMR) mount significant challenges to patient safety and management of the critically ill on intensive care units(ICU). Antibiotic stewardship programmes(ASPs) aim to optimise appropriate antibiotic treatment whilst minimising antibiotic resistance. Different models of ASP in intensive care setting, include "standard" control of antibiotic prescribing such as "de-escalation strategies"through to interventional approaches utilising biomarkerguided antibiotic prescribing. A systematic review of outcomes related studies for ASPs in an ICU setting was conducted. Forty three studies were identified from MEDLINE between 1996 and 2014. Of 34 nonprotocolised studies, [1 randomised control trial(RCT), 22 observational and 11 case series], 29(85%) were positive with respect to one or more outcome: These were the key outcome of reduced antibiotic use, or ICU length of stay, antibiotic resistance, or prescribing cost burden. Limitations of non-standard antibiotic initiation triggers, patient and antibiotic selection bias or baseline demographic variance were identified. All 9 protocolised studies were RCTs, of which 8 were procalcitonin(PCT) guided antibiotic stop/start interventions. Five studies addressed antibiotic escalation, 3 de-escalation and 1 addressed both. Six studies reported positive outcomes for reduced antibiotic use, ICU length of stay or antibiotic resistance. PCT based ASPs are effective as antibiotic-stop(de-escalation) triggers, but not as an escalation trigger alone. PCT has also been effective in reducing antibiotic usage without worsening morbidity or mortality in ventilator associated pulmonary infection. No study has demonstrated survival benefit of ASP. Ongoing challenges to infectious disease management, reported by the World Health Organisation global report 2014, are high AMR to newer antibiotics, and regional knowledge gaps in AMR surveillance. Improved AMR surveillance data, identifying core aspects of successful ASPs that are transferable, and further well-conducted trials will be necessary if ASPs are to be an effective platform for delivering desired patient outcomes and safety through best antibiotic policy.展开更多
It has been suggested that the success of an ER project can largely rely on several elements,such as the selection of appropriate materials,establishment of management system,workshop for training teachers. Among thos...It has been suggested that the success of an ER project can largely rely on several elements,such as the selection of appropriate materials,establishment of management system,workshop for training teachers. Among those,teachers play an indispensable role due to the fact that it is the teachers who are capable of turning conceptions into actions,who get students engaged and bridge and gap between the goals of the programme and the reality in classroom. This paper is an attempt to outline a detailed picture to demonstrate how to offer effective training courses which can enable teachers to play"multiple roles"to make great contribution to the development of an ER project.展开更多
The analysis is targeted on the financial impact of non-compliance to rules for European Union （EU） funding in thefield of research in quantitative terms, by examining statistical documents prepared by the European ...The analysis is targeted on the financial impact of non-compliance to rules for European Union （EU） funding in thefield of research in quantitative terms, by examining statistical documents prepared by the European Commissionwhich are available for the public and relate to the period 2008-2016. It is to be noted that these statisticaldocuments use the terminology of irregularity instead of error and it is seen as any breach of rules that may lead toa financial impact and to damage on the budget of the European Union. Details related to error and irregularityterms are included in this paper. In the research on the impact of irregularities for EU research funding, severaltasks were accomplished, such as highlighting the evolution of irregularities during the period under study, acomparison between reported irregularities in the research field and other EU policy areas for one year where thefinancial impact is the highest and an analysis of the types of irregularities identified by the statistical evaluationdocuments on irregularities.展开更多
The paper presents findings from a study carried out to assess the contribution of stakeholders’participation on the performance of the national agricultural farmers’extension services programme in Uganda known as O...The paper presents findings from a study carried out to assess the contribution of stakeholders’participation on the performance of the national agricultural farmers’extension services programme in Uganda known as Operation Wealth Creation(OWEC).Specifically,the study sought to establish how participatory planning,budgeting,monitoring and evaluation(M&E)respectively contributed to the performance of OWC in selected district in central Uganda.The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design using both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques and employed both questionnaires and interview guides on key participants in the programme.Findings of the study indicated positive relationships between stakeholders’participation and programme performance with participatory planning,budgeting and M&E all having positive significant effects on the performance of OWC programme.The study concluded that indeed stakeholders’participation contributed to improved performance of the OWC programme.The study recommends increased funding and M&E of the agricultural extension programmes for improved performance.展开更多
With the rapid advancement of information technology,the quality assurance and evaluation of software engineering education have become pivotal concerns for higher education institutions.In this paper,we focus on a co...With the rapid advancement of information technology,the quality assurance and evaluation of software engineering education have become pivotal concerns for higher education institutions.In this paper,we focus on a comparative study of software engineering education in China and Europe,aiming to explore the theoretical frameworks and practical pathways employed in both regions.Initially,we introduce and contrast the engineering education accreditation systems of China and Europe,including the Chinese engineering education accreditation framework and the European EUR-ACE(European Accreditation of Engineering Programmes)standards,highlighting their core principles and evaluation methodologies.Subsequently,we provide case studies of several universities in China and Europe,such as Sun Yat-sen University,Tsinghua University,Technical University of Munich,and Imperial College London.Finally,we offer recommendations to foster mutual learning and collaboration between Chinese and European institutions,aiming to enhance the overall quality of software engineering education globally.This work provides valuable insights for educational administrators,faculty members,and policymakers,contributing to the ongoing improvement and innovative development of software engineering education in China and Europe.展开更多
This paper introduces the Integrated Security Embedded Resilience Architecture (ISERA) as an advanced resilience mechanism for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) environments. The ISERA f...This paper introduces the Integrated Security Embedded Resilience Architecture (ISERA) as an advanced resilience mechanism for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) environments. The ISERA framework integrates security by design principles, micro-segmentation, and Island Mode Operation (IMO) to enhance cyber resilience and ensure continuous, secure operations. The methodology deploys a Forward-Thinking Architecture Strategy (FTAS) algorithm, which utilises an industrial Intrusion Detection System (IDS) implemented with Python’s Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) library. The FTAS algorithm successfully identified and responded to cyber-attacks, ensuring minimal system disruption. ISERA has been validated through comprehensive testing scenarios simulating Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and malware intrusions, at both the IT and OT layers where it successfully mitigates the impact of malicious activity. Results demonstrate ISERA’s efficacy in real-time threat detection, containment, and incident response, thus ensuring the integrity and reliability of critical infrastructure systems. ISERA’s decentralised approach contributes to global net zero goals by optimising resource use and minimising environmental impact. By adopting a decentralised control architecture and leveraging virtualisation, ISERA significantly enhances the cyber resilience and sustainability of critical infrastructure systems. This approach not only strengthens defences against evolving cyber threats but also optimises resource allocation, reducing the system’s carbon footprint. As a result, ISERA ensures the uninterrupted operation of essential services while contributing to broader net zero goals.展开更多
Research on international students’learning experiences pays much less attention to those studying semester and/or year-long programmes in a country that differs significantly from their home country with respect to ...Research on international students’learning experiences pays much less attention to those studying semester and/or year-long programmes in a country that differs significantly from their home country with respect to culture and the education system.Adopting transformative learning theory as the theoretical framework,this paper explores the learning effectiveness of students on such programme in a Chinese and in a UK university.It analyses the narratives of 27 students in relation to their cognitive and behavioural activities and also their self-reflective and collaborative reflective activities.The findings indicate that these students only partially achieved transformative learning.The main reasons are:(1)the duration of this type of programme was not long enough to achieve a full transformation and(2)both host universities did not include reflection in the learning process properly.This paper makes a contribution to cross-border learning literature in the Chinese and the UK contexts.展开更多
Scientific reforms proposed in response to moral concerns about corrupted science are reminiscent of the Christian Reformation,which similarly formed a moral reorientation as a reaction to malpractices.In this study,w...Scientific reforms proposed in response to moral concerns about corrupted science are reminiscent of the Christian Reformation,which similarly formed a moral reorientation as a reaction to malpractices.In this study,we compare these moral reorientation processes to contextualize two different moral programmes of the scientific reform movement and their sociopolitical conditions.We argue that such an explication of moral programmes is vital to build legitimacy and reflect on value-prioritization.While epistemic programmes are foregrounded,moral programmes also play a crucial role in shaping science,and different moral programmes offer different promises for the sustained support of credible,reliable,fair and equitable science.We discuss the virtue and equity programmes,and through interrogating both programmes in relation to the Reformation,we display the relevance of sociopolitical contexts to how key values operate in science and generate orders of worth.These insights aim to stimulate debate about the conditions for opting for either of these moral programmes.In our view,not all moral programmes offer equal promise for the sustained support of credible,equitable and fair science.展开更多
Persistent flows are defined as network flows that persist over multiple time intervals and continue to exhibit activity over extended periods,which are critical for identifying long-term behaviors and subtle security...Persistent flows are defined as network flows that persist over multiple time intervals and continue to exhibit activity over extended periods,which are critical for identifying long-term behaviors and subtle security threats.Programmable switches provide line-rate packet processing to meet the requirements of high-speed network environments,yet they are fundamentally limited in computational and memory resources.Accurate and memoryefficient persistent flow detection on programmable switches is therefore essential.However,existing approaches often rely on fixed-window sketches or multiple sketches instances,which either suffer from insufficient temporal precision or incur substantial memory overhead,making them ineffective on programmable switches.To address these challenges,we propose SP-Sketch,an innovative sliding-window-based sketch that leverages a probabilistic update mechanism to emulate slot expiration without maintaining multiple sketch instances.This innovative design significantly reduces memory consumption while preserving high detection accuracy across multiple time intervals.We provide rigorous theoretical analyses of the estimation errors,deriving precise error bounds for the proposed method,and validate our approach through comprehensive implementations on both P4 hardware switches(with Intel Tofino ASIC)and software switches(i.e.,BMv2).Experimental evaluations using real-world traffic traces demonstrate that SP-Sketch outperforms traditional methods,improving accuracy by up to 20%over baseline sliding window approaches and enhancing recall by 5%compared to non-sliding alternatives.Furthermore,SP-Sketch achieves a significant reduction in memory utilization,reducing memory consumption by up to 65%compared to traditional methods,while maintaining a robust capability to accurately track persistent flow behavior over extended time periods.展开更多
This paper presents the development of a thermoplastic shape memory rubber that can be programmed at human body temperature for comfortable fitting applications.We hybridized commercially available thermoplastic rubbe...This paper presents the development of a thermoplastic shape memory rubber that can be programmed at human body temperature for comfortable fitting applications.We hybridized commercially available thermoplastic rubber(TPR)used in the footwear industry with un-crosslinked polycaprolactone(PCL)to create two samples,namely TP6040 and TP7030.The shape memory behavior,elasticity,and thermo-mechanical response of these rubbers were systematically investigated.The experimental results demonstrated outstanding shape memory performance,with both samples achieving shape fixity ratios(Rf)and shape recovery ratios(R_(r))exceeding 94%.TP6040 exhibited a fitting time of 80 s at body temperature(37℃),indicating a rapid response for shape fixing.The materials also showed good elasticity before and after programming,which is crucial for comfort fitting.These findings suggest that the developed shape memory thermoplastic rubber has potential applications in personalized comfort fitting products,offering advantages over traditional customization techniques in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.展开更多
Advanced programmable metamaterials with heterogeneous microstructures have become increasingly prevalent in scientific and engineering disciplines attributed to their tunable properties.However,exploring the structur...Advanced programmable metamaterials with heterogeneous microstructures have become increasingly prevalent in scientific and engineering disciplines attributed to their tunable properties.However,exploring the structure-property relationship in these materials,including forward prediction and inverse design,presents substantial challenges.The inhomogeneous microstructures significantly complicate traditional analytical or simulation-based approaches.Here,we establish a novel framework that integrates the machine learning(ML)-encoded multiscale computational method for forward prediction and Bayesian optimization for inverse design.Unlike prior end-to-end ML methods limited to specific problems,our framework is both load-independent and geometry-independent.This means that a single training session for a constitutive model suffices to tackle various problems directly,eliminating the need for repeated data collection or training.We demonstrate the efficacy and efficiency of this framework using metamaterials with designable elliptical holes or lattice honeycombs microstructures.Leveraging accelerated forward prediction,we can precisely customize the stiffness and shape of metamaterials under diverse loading scenarios,and extend this capability to multi-objective customization seamlessly.Moreover,we achieve topology optimization for stress alleviation at the crack tip,resulting in a significant reduction of Mises stress by up to 41.2%and yielding a theoretical interpretable pattern.This framework offers a general,efficient and precise tool for analyzing the structure-property relationships of novel metamaterials.展开更多
Software-Defined Perimeter(SDP)provides a logical perimeter to restrict access to services.However,due to the security vulnerability of a single controller and the programmability lack of a gateway,existing SDP is fac...Software-Defined Perimeter(SDP)provides a logical perimeter to restrict access to services.However,due to the security vulnerability of a single controller and the programmability lack of a gateway,existing SDP is facing challenges.To solve the above problems,we propose a flexible and secure SDP mechanism named Mimic SDP(MSDP).MSDP consists of endogenous secure controllers and a dynamic gateway.The controllers avoid single point failure by heterogeneity and redundancy.And the dynamic gateway realizes flexible forwarding in programmable data plane by changing the processing of packet construction and deconstruction,thereby confusing the potential adversary.Besides,we propose a Markov model to evaluate the security of our SDP framework.We implement a prototype of MSDP and evaluate it in terms of functionality,performance,and scalability in different groups of systems and languages.Evaluation results demonstrate that MSDP can provide a secure connection of 93.38%with a cost of 6.34%under reasonable configuration.展开更多
Kirigami,through introducing cuts into a thin sheet,can greatly improve the stretchability of structures and also generate complex patterns,showing potentials in various applications.Interestingly,even with the same c...Kirigami,through introducing cuts into a thin sheet,can greatly improve the stretchability of structures and also generate complex patterns,showing potentials in various applications.Interestingly,even with the same cutting pattern,the mechanical response of kirigami metamaterials can exhibit significant differences depending on the cutting angles in respect to the loading direction.In this work,we investigate the structural deformation of kirigami metamaterials with square domains and varied cutting angles of 0°and 45°.We further introduce a second level of cutting on the basis of the first cutting pattern.By combining experiments and finite element simulations,it is found that,compared to the commonly used 0°cuts,the two-level kirigami metamaterials with 45°cuts exhibit a unique alternating arrangement phenomenon of expanded/unexpanded states in the loading process,which also results in distinct stress–strain response.Through tuning the cutting patterns of metamaterials with 45°cuts,precise control of the rotation of the kirigami unit is realized,leading to kirigami metamaterials with encryption properties.The current work demonstrates the programmability of structural deformation in hierarchical kirigami metamaterials through controlling the local cutting modes.展开更多
文摘This study analysed the socio-economic contributions of N-Power programme amongst the beneficiaries of the scheme in Benue State.Prior to the introduction of N-Power programme,successive administrations in Nigeria have made concerted efforts towards improving the standard of living of the citizenry through the execution of various welfare or social intervention programmes,but not much successes were recorded.Learning from the mistakes of the past regimes,and by way of deliberate state policy,the Buhari’s government initiated a multi-pronged social investment policy,one of which is the N-power programme that came onboard in 2016,which also doubles as the subject of this study.To achieve the goal of this study,a combination of desktop research and survey design was employed.Questionnaires were administered to 390 respondents through a combination of stratified and random sampling techniques.The results of the survey were matched with that of the secondary data obtained through online websites and other related sources.The result indicated that N-Power made positive contributions to the socio-economic life of the beneficiaries in Benue State:specifically,the scheme contributed in poverty eradication,employment generation,skills acquisitions and capacity building.However,some aspect of our findings revealed that the programme has a number of challenges such as:inadequate cash support,delay in monthly cash transfer to beneficiaries,distance participants had to move to their work stations,absence of posting in N-Teach scheme,and lack of adequate working tools amongst others.To salvage this problem the paper recommended the following solutions:expansion of the scheme to cover N-Teach and other aspects,increment in the monthly cash transfer to cushion the high rate of inflation,support for the participants/beneficiaries in transportation and logistics,enrolment of more youth into the various schemes,proper monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the schemes amongst others.
文摘This study sets the objective to involve undergraduate students in the evaluation of radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology programmes in Sudanese universities. Based on the analysis of survey results in which the participants (BSc students undertaking radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology programmes at university level) are asked to answer both closed and open-ended questions, the study seeks to reveal the participants’ perceptions and introspections about the radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology programmes in Sudan. It also attempts to explore the participants’ suggestions and recommendations as to enhance the quality of these programmes with an eye to helping syllabus designers to improve these programmes, thereby bettering healthcare services for the larger good to the community. A brief cross-sectional survey is completed by a total of 105 radiologic sciences and medical imaging technology students, i.e. 39 (37.1%) third-year students and 66 (62.9%) fourth-year students. The majority of participants is satisfied with the programmes, indicating that they are up-to-date and ran abreast with the latest developments in the field. Very few suggest that the programmes should be reviewed for revision, implying that there is room for improvement. Some participants recommend that more training hours in modern imaging modalities (e.g. MRI, CT and U/S) should be introduced. Only one participant recommends the introduction of advanced training centres.
文摘Climate change is a major global environmental and developmental challenge and climate proofing of vulnerable sectors, programmes, natural systems and communities by integrating adaptation and mitigation options into planning process are increasingly becoming an integral part of development. The basic premises on which this could happen are the national and sectoral policies that govern any programmes and actions implemented on ground. This study reviews existing policies, plans and programmes and their implications for climate change. Based on the analyses, key areas of research, policy initiatives and institutional and capacity development needs have been identified, to facilitate climate change adaptation. The forest policies formulated so far in India have been broadly aimed at conservation, reduction of pressure on forests and provisioning of biomass to the large forest dependent population for their fuel and fodder needs apart from generating revenue through production and sale of timber. However, these have not been formulated with climate change as a consideration and therefore may become less effective as climate change and its impacts become increasingly evident. The study clearly identifies that the current policies and programmes have elements/features and activities that directly or indirectly contribute positively towards adaptation, although the primary implications are towards biodiversity and to some extent ecosystem functioning. It finally highlights the need for incorporating climate change concerns in forest sector development programmes and also to address the issue of climate change.
文摘Many issues and challenges are faced by the managers programmes today. Although many previous researches on and professionals in managing sport and recreation service quality provided by the organizations had been explored, very few studies pertaining to service quality in sport and recreation programmes in local hotels and resorts have been emphasized. This study aims to assess customers＇ perceptions of service quality in sport and recreation programmes and to determine the differences between customers＇ perceptions of service quality in terms of their gender and nationality. A total of 450 respondents from the hotels and resorts located in coastal areas of the northern Peninsular Malaysia participated in the survey. They were asked to respond to a series of the adapted service quality （SERVQUAL） items to measure five dimensions of service quality including tangibles, assurance, responsiveness, reliability, and empathy. Results from this study revealed that the customers＇ perceptions of the overall services in sport and recreation programmes provided by the hotels and resorts were satisfactory. It was also indicated that there was no significant difference between male and female customers＇ perceptions of service quality in sport and recreation programmes. Conversely, the results revealed that there was a significant difference between local and foreign customers＇ perceptions of sport and recreation services provided. These findings had implications on sport and recreation programmes in relation to designing effective management and marketing strategies at hotels and resorts.
文摘Antibiotic usage and increasing antimicrobial resistance(AMR) mount significant challenges to patient safety and management of the critically ill on intensive care units(ICU). Antibiotic stewardship programmes(ASPs) aim to optimise appropriate antibiotic treatment whilst minimising antibiotic resistance. Different models of ASP in intensive care setting, include "standard" control of antibiotic prescribing such as "de-escalation strategies"through to interventional approaches utilising biomarkerguided antibiotic prescribing. A systematic review of outcomes related studies for ASPs in an ICU setting was conducted. Forty three studies were identified from MEDLINE between 1996 and 2014. Of 34 nonprotocolised studies, [1 randomised control trial(RCT), 22 observational and 11 case series], 29(85%) were positive with respect to one or more outcome: These were the key outcome of reduced antibiotic use, or ICU length of stay, antibiotic resistance, or prescribing cost burden. Limitations of non-standard antibiotic initiation triggers, patient and antibiotic selection bias or baseline demographic variance were identified. All 9 protocolised studies were RCTs, of which 8 were procalcitonin(PCT) guided antibiotic stop/start interventions. Five studies addressed antibiotic escalation, 3 de-escalation and 1 addressed both. Six studies reported positive outcomes for reduced antibiotic use, ICU length of stay or antibiotic resistance. PCT based ASPs are effective as antibiotic-stop(de-escalation) triggers, but not as an escalation trigger alone. PCT has also been effective in reducing antibiotic usage without worsening morbidity or mortality in ventilator associated pulmonary infection. No study has demonstrated survival benefit of ASP. Ongoing challenges to infectious disease management, reported by the World Health Organisation global report 2014, are high AMR to newer antibiotics, and regional knowledge gaps in AMR surveillance. Improved AMR surveillance data, identifying core aspects of successful ASPs that are transferable, and further well-conducted trials will be necessary if ASPs are to be an effective platform for delivering desired patient outcomes and safety through best antibiotic policy.
文摘It has been suggested that the success of an ER project can largely rely on several elements,such as the selection of appropriate materials,establishment of management system,workshop for training teachers. Among those,teachers play an indispensable role due to the fact that it is the teachers who are capable of turning conceptions into actions,who get students engaged and bridge and gap between the goals of the programme and the reality in classroom. This paper is an attempt to outline a detailed picture to demonstrate how to offer effective training courses which can enable teachers to play"multiple roles"to make great contribution to the development of an ER project.
文摘The analysis is targeted on the financial impact of non-compliance to rules for European Union （EU） funding in thefield of research in quantitative terms, by examining statistical documents prepared by the European Commissionwhich are available for the public and relate to the period 2008-2016. It is to be noted that these statisticaldocuments use the terminology of irregularity instead of error and it is seen as any breach of rules that may lead toa financial impact and to damage on the budget of the European Union. Details related to error and irregularityterms are included in this paper. In the research on the impact of irregularities for EU research funding, severaltasks were accomplished, such as highlighting the evolution of irregularities during the period under study, acomparison between reported irregularities in the research field and other EU policy areas for one year where thefinancial impact is the highest and an analysis of the types of irregularities identified by the statistical evaluationdocuments on irregularities.
文摘The paper presents findings from a study carried out to assess the contribution of stakeholders’participation on the performance of the national agricultural farmers’extension services programme in Uganda known as Operation Wealth Creation(OWEC).Specifically,the study sought to establish how participatory planning,budgeting,monitoring and evaluation(M&E)respectively contributed to the performance of OWC in selected district in central Uganda.The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design using both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques and employed both questionnaires and interview guides on key participants in the programme.Findings of the study indicated positive relationships between stakeholders’participation and programme performance with participatory planning,budgeting and M&E all having positive significant effects on the performance of OWC programme.The study concluded that indeed stakeholders’participation contributed to improved performance of the OWC programme.The study recommends increased funding and M&E of the agricultural extension programmes for improved performance.
基金supported by the Guangdong Higher Education Association’s“14th Five Year Plan”2024 Higher Education Research Project(24GYB03)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(2024A1515010255)。
文摘With the rapid advancement of information technology,the quality assurance and evaluation of software engineering education have become pivotal concerns for higher education institutions.In this paper,we focus on a comparative study of software engineering education in China and Europe,aiming to explore the theoretical frameworks and practical pathways employed in both regions.Initially,we introduce and contrast the engineering education accreditation systems of China and Europe,including the Chinese engineering education accreditation framework and the European EUR-ACE(European Accreditation of Engineering Programmes)standards,highlighting their core principles and evaluation methodologies.Subsequently,we provide case studies of several universities in China and Europe,such as Sun Yat-sen University,Tsinghua University,Technical University of Munich,and Imperial College London.Finally,we offer recommendations to foster mutual learning and collaboration between Chinese and European institutions,aiming to enhance the overall quality of software engineering education globally.This work provides valuable insights for educational administrators,faculty members,and policymakers,contributing to the ongoing improvement and innovative development of software engineering education in China and Europe.
基金funded by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets(Ofgem)and supported by De Montfort University(DMU)and Nottingham Trent University(NTU),UK.
文摘This paper introduces the Integrated Security Embedded Resilience Architecture (ISERA) as an advanced resilience mechanism for Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) environments. The ISERA framework integrates security by design principles, micro-segmentation, and Island Mode Operation (IMO) to enhance cyber resilience and ensure continuous, secure operations. The methodology deploys a Forward-Thinking Architecture Strategy (FTAS) algorithm, which utilises an industrial Intrusion Detection System (IDS) implemented with Python’s Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) library. The FTAS algorithm successfully identified and responded to cyber-attacks, ensuring minimal system disruption. ISERA has been validated through comprehensive testing scenarios simulating Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and malware intrusions, at both the IT and OT layers where it successfully mitigates the impact of malicious activity. Results demonstrate ISERA’s efficacy in real-time threat detection, containment, and incident response, thus ensuring the integrity and reliability of critical infrastructure systems. ISERA’s decentralised approach contributes to global net zero goals by optimising resource use and minimising environmental impact. By adopting a decentralised control architecture and leveraging virtualisation, ISERA significantly enhances the cyber resilience and sustainability of critical infrastructure systems. This approach not only strengthens defences against evolving cyber threats but also optimises resource allocation, reducing the system’s carbon footprint. As a result, ISERA ensures the uninterrupted operation of essential services while contributing to broader net zero goals.
文摘Research on international students’learning experiences pays much less attention to those studying semester and/or year-long programmes in a country that differs significantly from their home country with respect to culture and the education system.Adopting transformative learning theory as the theoretical framework,this paper explores the learning effectiveness of students on such programme in a Chinese and in a UK university.It analyses the narratives of 27 students in relation to their cognitive and behavioural activities and also their self-reflective and collaborative reflective activities.The findings indicate that these students only partially achieved transformative learning.The main reasons are:(1)the duration of this type of programme was not long enough to achieve a full transformation and(2)both host universities did not include reflection in the learning process properly.This paper makes a contribution to cross-border learning literature in the Chinese and the UK contexts.
基金supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research(BMBF)through their award of the K?te Hamburger Kolleg‘Cultures of Research’Senior Research Fellowship to Bart Penders
文摘Scientific reforms proposed in response to moral concerns about corrupted science are reminiscent of the Christian Reformation,which similarly formed a moral reorientation as a reaction to malpractices.In this study,we compare these moral reorientation processes to contextualize two different moral programmes of the scientific reform movement and their sociopolitical conditions.We argue that such an explication of moral programmes is vital to build legitimacy and reflect on value-prioritization.While epistemic programmes are foregrounded,moral programmes also play a crucial role in shaping science,and different moral programmes offer different promises for the sustained support of credible,reliable,fair and equitable science.We discuss the virtue and equity programmes,and through interrogating both programmes in relation to the Reformation,we display the relevance of sociopolitical contexts to how key values operate in science and generate orders of worth.These insights aim to stimulate debate about the conditions for opting for either of these moral programmes.In our view,not all moral programmes offer equal promise for the sustained support of credible,equitable and fair science.
基金supported by the National Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of China(Project No.202510559076)at Jinan University,a nationwide initiative administered by the Ministry of Educationthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)under Grant No.62172189.
文摘Persistent flows are defined as network flows that persist over multiple time intervals and continue to exhibit activity over extended periods,which are critical for identifying long-term behaviors and subtle security threats.Programmable switches provide line-rate packet processing to meet the requirements of high-speed network environments,yet they are fundamentally limited in computational and memory resources.Accurate and memoryefficient persistent flow detection on programmable switches is therefore essential.However,existing approaches often rely on fixed-window sketches or multiple sketches instances,which either suffer from insufficient temporal precision or incur substantial memory overhead,making them ineffective on programmable switches.To address these challenges,we propose SP-Sketch,an innovative sliding-window-based sketch that leverages a probabilistic update mechanism to emulate slot expiration without maintaining multiple sketch instances.This innovative design significantly reduces memory consumption while preserving high detection accuracy across multiple time intervals.We provide rigorous theoretical analyses of the estimation errors,deriving precise error bounds for the proposed method,and validate our approach through comprehensive implementations on both P4 hardware switches(with Intel Tofino ASIC)and software switches(i.e.,BMv2).Experimental evaluations using real-world traffic traces demonstrate that SP-Sketch outperforms traditional methods,improving accuracy by up to 20%over baseline sliding window approaches and enhancing recall by 5%compared to non-sliding alternatives.Furthermore,SP-Sketch achieves a significant reduction in memory utilization,reducing memory consumption by up to 65%compared to traditional methods,while maintaining a robust capability to accurately track persistent flow behavior over extended time periods.
基金supported by the Aeronautical Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.2024Z009052003,20230038052001 and 20230015052002)the Third Batch of Science and Technology Plan Projects in Changzhou City in 2023(Applied Basic Research,Grant No.CJ20230080).
文摘This paper presents the development of a thermoplastic shape memory rubber that can be programmed at human body temperature for comfortable fitting applications.We hybridized commercially available thermoplastic rubber(TPR)used in the footwear industry with un-crosslinked polycaprolactone(PCL)to create two samples,namely TP6040 and TP7030.The shape memory behavior,elasticity,and thermo-mechanical response of these rubbers were systematically investigated.The experimental results demonstrated outstanding shape memory performance,with both samples achieving shape fixity ratios(Rf)and shape recovery ratios(R_(r))exceeding 94%.TP6040 exhibited a fitting time of 80 s at body temperature(37℃),indicating a rapid response for shape fixing.The materials also showed good elasticity before and after programming,which is crucial for comfort fitting.These findings suggest that the developed shape memory thermoplastic rubber has potential applications in personalized comfort fitting products,offering advantages over traditional customization techniques in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.12102021,12372105,12172026,and 12225201)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Academic Excellence Foundation of BUAA for PhD Students.
文摘Advanced programmable metamaterials with heterogeneous microstructures have become increasingly prevalent in scientific and engineering disciplines attributed to their tunable properties.However,exploring the structure-property relationship in these materials,including forward prediction and inverse design,presents substantial challenges.The inhomogeneous microstructures significantly complicate traditional analytical or simulation-based approaches.Here,we establish a novel framework that integrates the machine learning(ML)-encoded multiscale computational method for forward prediction and Bayesian optimization for inverse design.Unlike prior end-to-end ML methods limited to specific problems,our framework is both load-independent and geometry-independent.This means that a single training session for a constitutive model suffices to tackle various problems directly,eliminating the need for repeated data collection or training.We demonstrate the efficacy and efficiency of this framework using metamaterials with designable elliptical holes or lattice honeycombs microstructures.Leveraging accelerated forward prediction,we can precisely customize the stiffness and shape of metamaterials under diverse loading scenarios,and extend this capability to multi-objective customization seamlessly.Moreover,we achieve topology optimization for stress alleviation at the crack tip,resulting in a significant reduction of Mises stress by up to 41.2%and yielding a theoretical interpretable pattern.This framework offers a general,efficient and precise tool for analyzing the structure-property relationships of novel metamaterials.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2022YFB2901304)。
文摘Software-Defined Perimeter(SDP)provides a logical perimeter to restrict access to services.However,due to the security vulnerability of a single controller and the programmability lack of a gateway,existing SDP is facing challenges.To solve the above problems,we propose a flexible and secure SDP mechanism named Mimic SDP(MSDP).MSDP consists of endogenous secure controllers and a dynamic gateway.The controllers avoid single point failure by heterogeneity and redundancy.And the dynamic gateway realizes flexible forwarding in programmable data plane by changing the processing of packet construction and deconstruction,thereby confusing the potential adversary.Besides,we propose a Markov model to evaluate the security of our SDP framework.We implement a prototype of MSDP and evaluate it in terms of functionality,performance,and scalability in different groups of systems and languages.Evaluation results demonstrate that MSDP can provide a secure connection of 93.38%with a cost of 6.34%under reasonable configuration.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12102392 and 12272341)the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.LQ21A020008).
文摘Kirigami,through introducing cuts into a thin sheet,can greatly improve the stretchability of structures and also generate complex patterns,showing potentials in various applications.Interestingly,even with the same cutting pattern,the mechanical response of kirigami metamaterials can exhibit significant differences depending on the cutting angles in respect to the loading direction.In this work,we investigate the structural deformation of kirigami metamaterials with square domains and varied cutting angles of 0°and 45°.We further introduce a second level of cutting on the basis of the first cutting pattern.By combining experiments and finite element simulations,it is found that,compared to the commonly used 0°cuts,the two-level kirigami metamaterials with 45°cuts exhibit a unique alternating arrangement phenomenon of expanded/unexpanded states in the loading process,which also results in distinct stress–strain response.Through tuning the cutting patterns of metamaterials with 45°cuts,precise control of the rotation of the kirigami unit is realized,leading to kirigami metamaterials with encryption properties.The current work demonstrates the programmability of structural deformation in hierarchical kirigami metamaterials through controlling the local cutting modes.
