Semantically enriched Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are becoming an essential source of information for both students and teachers. Noticeably, MOOCs have to adapt to the fast development of new technologies; they also have to satisfy the current generation of online students. The current MOOCs’ Management Systems, such as Coursera, Udacity, edX, etc., use content management platforms where content are organized in a hierarchical structure. We envision a new generation of MOOCs that support interpretability with formal semantics by using the SemanticWeb and the online social networks. Semantic technologies support more flexible information management than that offered by the current MOOCs’ platforms. Annotated information about courses, video lectures, assignments, students, teachers, etc., can be composed from heterogeneous sources, including contributions from the communities in the forum space. These annotations, combined with legacy data, build foundations for more efficient information discovery in MOOCs’ platforms. In this article we review various Collaborative Semantic Filtering technologies for building Semantic MOOCs’ management system, then, we present a prototype of a semantic middle-sized platform implemented at Western Kentucky University that answers these aforementioned requirements.     

Entry into force of the UN Watercourses Convention: why should it matter?

The United Nations Watercourses Convention entered into force on 17 August 2014, following a long and complex journey that dates back to 1970 when the UN referred the matter to its legal arm, the International Law Commission. This article follows the Convention through that long and turbulent road, examines its main provisions and analyses the reasons for the delay of its entry into force. It concludes by answering the question of why entry into force of the Convention should indeed matter.     

International Humanitarian Award.

Presents the citation, biography, and selected bibliography for the 2007 recipient of the American Psychological Association's International Humanitarian Award. Also presented is an article based on the author's award address delivered at the APA's 115th annual meeting, held August 17-20, 2007, in San Francisco, California. The International Humanitarian Award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian services and activism by psychologists, including professional and volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations. Award recipients are psychologists who, by their extraordinary service at a difficult time, improve the lives and contribute to the well-being of people in a large or small geographic area anywhere in the world. The 2007 recipient of this award is Gerard A. Jacobs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of Solar Drying

Importance of Solar Drying is increasing worldwide, especially in areas where the use of the abundant, renewable and clean solar energy is essentially advantageous. In the developing countries and in rural areas the traditional open-air drying methods should be substituted by the more effective and more economic solar drying technologies.

R&D needs should be considered in the basic research and experimental fields; in performance measurement; in the modelling-simulation-design and testing. The international co-operation of experts should be improved and more efforts would be needed in the policy and in the public information.     

Virtual Teams: Guide to Successful Implementation

The successful initiation and execution of a virtual team is gaining increasing attention in the design and construction community. From opportunities to integrate international and multidisciplinary teams to the opportunity to leverage the best resources in an organization on a given project, virtual teams can transform the concept of project planning and execution. However, potential barriers exist in several areas to the successful implementation of virtual teams. The needs of increased management emphasis, social and cultural understanding, and emphasis on common goals are only a few of the nontechnical factors that can turn successful virtual teaming into virtual frustration. When combined with traditional technical challenges including compatibility of systems, security, and the selection of appropriate technologies, the line between leveraging virtual technologies for enhanced solutions and introducing additional complications into the project process is one that can be easily crossed. This paper presents the findings of research that addresses the opportunities and potential barriers to successful virtual teams in the engineering, procurement, and construction industry. Combining results from current research, industry practices, and early results from nonconstruction industries, the research findings provide an initial path to successful virtual team implementation.     

利用AJAX优化网络课程的开发

随着web技术的不断进步,网络课程的开发亟需紧跟时代步伐,不断更新自身的技术服务,以更快、更好、更合理的方式呈现在学习者面前,从而提高学习者的学习效率。AJAX是Web2．0的技术代表．将其引入到网络课程的开发中来将从根本上改变传统网络课程的开发模式,给人耳目一新的感觉,为此分析如何利用AJAX优化网络课程的开发。     

Comparison of three internationally certified firefighter protective ensembles: Physiological responses,mobility, and comfort

BackgroundFire protective ensembles (FPEs) are essential to safely perform firefighting job tasks; however, they are often burdensome to the workers. The aim of this study was to compare three internationally certified fire protective ensembles from the European Union (EU), South Korea (SK), and United States (US) on physiological responses, mobility, and comfort.MethodsTen male professional firefighters performed a battery of exercises in the laboratory following the ASTM F3031-17 standard to evaluate mobility, occupation-specific performance, and physiological responses (body weight, heart rate (HR), core temperature (T_c), breathing rate (BR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE)) to 20 min of treadmill walking (3.2 mph, 5% incline). All participants carried out the evaluation wearing each FPE in a random order. Mixed effects models examined time (pre-vs. post-) by ensemble (EU, SK, US) interactions for all physiological variables and compared comfort, performance, and subjective variables across ensembles.ResultsNo interaction effects were observed for body weight, HR, T_c, BR, or RPE (p = 0.890, p = 0.994, p = 0.897, p = 0.435, and p = 0.221; respectively). SK had greater trunk flexion than EU (78.4° vs. 74.6°, p = 0.026) and US had lower standing reach than EU (105.5 cm vs. 115.4 cm, p = 0.004). Agility circuit time was lower in US (9.3 s) compared to EU (9.8 s) or SK (9.9 s) (p = 0.051 and p = 0.019, respectively).ConclusionsThe findings suggest that physiological burden remained largely unchanged across the international FPEs. However, mobility, performance, and comfort may be significantly influenced across types. International stakeholders and end users should consider design implications when choosing fire protective ensembles.     

实验室排课系统开发与使用

实验室是学生实践实验的必要场所,但是所有高校都会面临着实验室少,学生人数多,如何更好分配实验室的使用,是实验室管理人员值得考虑的首要问题。针对此问题,本院校实验室结合自己实验室的真实情况编写实验室排课系统。     

一流本科专业建设背景下高校“金课”建设研究

一流本科专业建设是新时代高等教育体制创新的重要举措,是高校贯彻科教兴国战略的落脚点。通过对“金课”建设的现状进行调查,以国际交流英语课程为切入点,分析了过于强调语言技能训练、“两性一度”尚有距离、不符合创新人才培养举措的问题,提出了“金课”建设的措施,即厘清课程实践目标、优化课程建设结构、丰富课程建设形态、提升教师实践能力,为高素质人才培养提供了新思路,实现高等教育的高质量发展。     

记第二届环太平洋先进材料及工艺国际会议

介绍第二届环太平洋先进材料及工艺国际会议情况，重点报导韩国钢铁工业、早期凝固过程研究、喷射成形、非晶合金、纳米材料和第三代单晶铸造高温合金等内容。