Hazard analysis of a yacht designed for people with disabilities

Introduction: In connection with the design of a seaworthy yacht for persons with disabilities, authors conduct a risk analysis and consider the safety aspects arising from these risks. In the context of tourism and recreation for people with disabilities, this represents a new issue in the literature. Aim: The aim of the analysis was a multi-aspect evaluation of the hazards that occur when sailors with disabilities carry out typical activities on a yacht. The recommendations arising from the conducted research were used when designing the structure of a staysail schooner intended to be sailed by people with disabilities. Methods: Two methods of risk analysis were adopted. A preliminary hazard analysis (PHA) was carried out with the purpose of identifying and evaluating the possibility of people with various types of disabilities carrying out activities on a yacht. A process hazard analysis (PRHA) was based on a four-degree structure of functions with 31 component operations, relating to both sailing and living on a yacht. This methodology was used by the authors in sailing for the first time when the yacht’s equipment was designed for persons with disabilities. Results: The evaluation covered the adaptation of the yacht for sailing by people with disabilities and considered the various functions that would need to be carried out by these people. A PRHA matrix was created, consisting of 1,116 fields. Authors found that safe execution of many of the relevant functions by people with various types of disabilities was indicated. Conclusions: Based on the results of the PRHA, a set of new guidelines was created for permanent and temporary adaptations of a yacht in the context of the degrees and causes of disabilities.

The historic importance of degree structure: A comparison of bachelor to master transitions in Norway and Denmark

The Bologna process and the 3+2-degree structure presents students with several decision points in higher education, both which bachelor’s programme to choose, and whether to continue beyond bachelor. Based on a small-scale survey containing both closed and open-ended questions, this paper studies reasons the students give for entering a master’s programme. We compare students in Norway and Denmark who have entered a master’s programme in educational studies. In both countries, students mention multiple reasons for choosing to enter the master’s level, and reasons related to career and access to interesting jobs were most frequently mentioned. Additionally, academic motives and identity motives were mentioned. There are also differences between Norwegian and Danish students, but these differences are mainly linked to aspects of the transition. In Denmark, students who change institution when entering the master’s level state different reasons, while in Norway, differences are related to whether students enter a master’s programme directly or delayed. Further, differences in labour market structure also affects these transitions. These differences point to historical understandings of national status differences between degrees and institutions still being important, even if the implementation of the Bologna structure in the educational system should have led to a harmonisation.

CURRENT TRENDS OF TEACHER TRAINING IN UKRAINIAN ABROAD

The article analyzes the modernization processes in the modern education system of Ukraine, primarily in the formation of its pedagogical potential. The expediency of using in this sphere the achievements of foreign states in which Ukrainians live is substantiated. It has been proved that the most significant experience in training pedagogical staff for the Ukrainian schooling system in the diaspora has been developed in Canada. It is carried out by universities and university colleges. It is established that their educational and professional programs include academic courses, professional courses, and practical activities at school (educational practice). The task of these courses is to provide future teachers with knowledge of the subjects they will teach at school. The curricula include mandatory fundamental disciplines (development of children/adolescents, education of children with special needs, methods of teaching different subjects, theory of learning, etc.) and optional courses of professional direction offered by universities. The peculiarities of training teachers of Ukrainian disciplines in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Toronto universities and the organization of their further professional growth by public institutions of Canadian Ukrainians are analyzed. It was established that Ukrainian studies in Canadian universities have a degree structure of training specialists and cover three levels: Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. However, different universities have different Ukrainian language training programs and, accordingly, their graduates have various opportunities for further employment. It was found that postgraduate education and professional growth of Ukrainian school teachers are provided by public organizations of foreign Ukrainians (World Coordinating Educational Council, Congress of Ukrainians of Canada, School Councils, etc.). They organize summer teacher training courses, seminars, webinars, online training, etc. The ideas of foreign experience, which it is advisable to creatively implement in the activities of institutions of higher pedagogical education in Ukraine, are distinguished.

Students’ choices and paths in the Bologna degree structure: An introduction to the special issue

Twenty years after the signing of the Bologna Declaration, this special issue contributes to a discussion of the Bologna process with a particular focus on the implementation of the two-cycle degree structure (3+2) and the practices and paths of higher education students. In this introduction, it is argued that there is a need for more research concerning the policy as text, that is, the way the Bologna process is enacted by students and teachers in their daily practices. The 3+2 degree structure has indeed affected the practices of students, particularly by introducing a new transition and decision point in many countries. However, when considering the Bologna policy as text, it becomes visible that there are differences in the students’ concerns and practices across the six countries represented in the papers in the issue. This is not only the case due to differences in the national contexts prior to the Bologna process, but also to the role of other factors affecting the enactment of the policies. Thus, there are variations in the implementation – for example, concerning the social dimension – and the enactment differs due to national as well as programme differences, and differences related to academic disciplines.

Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees: One and the same thing? A case study of implementing the degree system in Romania

The adoption of a system based on cycles has been one of the core action lines in the Bologna Process. It represents the base for promoting student mobility, employability, and international competitiveness. The implementation of the degree-cycle system – conditioned by the achievement of other policy objectives (i.e. ECTS) – started hot debates on multiple levels including on the relevance of different study stages, or the extent to which the curricular emphasis would differ between the two levels. After almost two decades since the reform has been introduced, rather than looking at the state of implementation, current research should focus on how the reform has been implemented and what are its effects. By using the Romanian case as an illustration of the situation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), this paper aims to answer the following questions: to what extent have the intentions and expectations linked to the introduction of a tiered structure of degrees have been fulfilled and what are some the (unintended) effects of such reforms? Based on a series of interviews done in November 2017 with academic staff, student representatives and decision-makers from Romania, this paper presents an analysis of the deliberate intentions and expectations of the introduction of the degree structure. The conclusions show that issues related to (1) financing; (2) quality (3) access and participation; (4) content and curricula (5) career path and opportunities after graduation are the main implications of the implementation of the degree-cycle system.

A new structural entropy measurement of networks based on the nonextensive statistical mechanics and hub repulsion

<abstract><p>The structure properties of complex networks are an open issue. As the most important parameter to describe the structural properties of the complex network, the structure entropy has attracted much attention. Recently, the researchers note that hub repulsion plays an role in structural entropy. In this paper, the repulsion between nodes in complex networks is simulated when calculating the structure entropy of the complex network. Coulomb's law is used to quantitatively express the repulsive force between two nodes of the complex network, and a new structural entropy based on the Tsallis nonextensive statistical mechanics is proposed. The new structure entropy synthesizes the influence of repulsive force and betweenness. We study several construction networks and some real complex networks, the results show that the proposed structure entropy can describe the structural properties of complex networks more reasonably. In particular, the new structural entropy has better discrimination in describing the complexity of the irregular network. Because in the irregular network, the difference of the new structure entropy is larger than that of degree structure entropy, betweenness structure entropy and Zhang's structure entropy. It shows that the new method has better discrimination for irregular networks, and experiments on Graph, Centrality literature, US Aire lines and Yeast networks confirm this conclusion.</p></abstract>

The syntax and semantics of degree expressions in Spanish

This article provides an overview of the syntax and semantics of degree in Spanish, eventually suggesting that degree structure should be viewed as equivalent to aspect in the verbal domain. §1 introduces several of the themes that will be discussed in the article, while §2 introduces the semantics of degree. §3 discusses the basic syntactic properties of degree, particularly with adjectives. §4 introduces the notion of scale, which we will argue should correspond to Aktionsart in the verbal domain. §5 analyses positive degree, and explains how it differs from a scale both in syntax and in semantics. §6-§8 discuss comparative and superlative degrees, first their morphological facts (§6), then the specific properties of comparatives (§7) and finally those of superlatives (§8). The article ends with some conclusions in §9.

An Institutional Framework for Scaffolding Work-Integrated Learning Across a Degree

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is an important pedagogical strategy for developing employability skills by immersing students in real-world understandings, applications and practices. Increasingly, universities are focusing on how WIL can be scaffolded across a degree, to involve students in a variety of WIL activities in order to apply disciplinary knowledge and skills. While placement models appear to be the dominant mode of WIL that are easily recognised within a degree structure, non-placement forms of WIL while emerging, remain less visible. This conceptual paper presents an institutional framework that accounts for a range of placement and non-placement WIL activities, to make WIL practices overt across a degree. It introduces the Work-Integrated Learning Curriculum Classification (WILCC) Framework that supports a university-wide approach for developing, mapping and reporting WIL. The WILCC Framework promotes the visibility of WIL across the institution, offers a common language for WIL across disciplines, and provides a tool to scaffold WIL experiences throughout degree programs.

Structure and Properties of Oxidized Chitosan Grafted Cashmere Fiber by Amide Covalent Modification

In this study, oxidized chitosan grafted cashmere fibers (OCGCFs) were obtained by crosslinking the oxidized chitosan onto cashmere fibers by amide covalent modification. A novel method was developed for the selective oxidation of the C6 primary hydroxyls into carboxyl groups for chitosan. The effect of oxidization reaction parameters of HNO3/H3PO4–NaNO2 mediated oxidation system on the oxidation degree, structure, and properties of chitosan were investigated. The chemical structure of the oxidized chitosan was characterized by solid-state cross-polarization magic angle spinning carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CP/MAS 13C-NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and its morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Subsequently, the effect of the oxidized chitosan grafting on OCGCF was examined, and the physical properties, moisture regain, and antibacterial activity of OCGCFs were also evaluated. The results showed that oxidation of chitosan mostly occurred at the C6 primary hydroxyl groups. Moreover, an oxidized chitosan with 43.5–56.8% carboxyl content was realized by ranging the oxidation time from 30 to 180 min. The resulting OCGCF had a C–N amido bond, formed as a result of the reaction between the primary amines in the cashmere fibers and the carboxyl groups in the oxidized chitosan through the amide reaction. The OCGCF exhibited good moisture regain and remarkable bacteriostasis against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria with its durability.