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In the 1950s, Einstein predicted that if humankind is to survive, we will need a substantially new manner of thinking. He believed that our task in life must be to widen our…
Abstract
In the 1950s, Einstein predicted that if humankind is to survive, we will need a substantially new manner of thinking. He believed that our task in life must be to widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its infinite beauty. The combined disciplines of mindfulness, ecopsychology, and sustainability education offer humanity a chance to develop this new way of thinking and being in the world. In this chapter, I describe my experience of teaching and designing curriculum that integrates contemplative practices with sustainability education in the space of higher education. The course I will be discussing, where nature-based mindfulness activities are offered, is called “MindBody Wellness.” As a part of the course, it is hoped that students will cultivate an expanded vision of the self—one known as the “ecological self”—a term coined in the 1980s. The ecological self is perceived to be a wide, expansive, or field-like sense of self, which ultimately includes all life forms, ecosystems, and the Earth. Preliminary research in the field indicates that cultivating loving-kindness and practicing mindfulness leads to a greater level of nature connectedness and need to care for and protect the natural world. However, my colleagues and I did not find this to be the case and needed to explicitly give students instructions to care for the environment.
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Charlie Yang, Ekaterina Ivanova and Maria Ivanova
Historically business education has put greater emphasis on rational analysis and the acquisition of instrumental and technical knowledge, while paying relatively scant attention…
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Historically business education has put greater emphasis on rational analysis and the acquisition of instrumental and technical knowledge, while paying relatively scant attention to developing business students’ soft skills such as self- and social awareness and emotional intelligence through contemplative learning. In light of the growing need for more open and diverse ways of knowing that are more holistic, emotional, and aesthetic in management education, the authors present a 2 × 2 framework of arts-based pedagogy which helps organize various arts-based practices currently used in management education. The authors also share their personal reflections on using artful practices, specifically focussing on two individual-level experiential learning activities (i.e. museum visits and e-portfolio projects) and one group-based participatory art project. The authors further discuss why creative thinking and innovative arts-based practices can open up a new possibility for filling the gaps in current management education, especially in regard to developing students’ self- and social awareness and environmental consciousness in a more creative manner.
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Davide Crivelli, Mark Eaton, Matthew Pearson, Karen Holford and Rhys Pullin
The purpose of this paper is to study the feasibility on the use of alternative parameters for representing acoustic emission (AE) and acousto-ultrasonic (AU) signals, using a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the feasibility on the use of alternative parameters for representing acoustic emission (AE) and acousto-ultrasonic (AU) signals, using a wavelet-based approach and the computation of Chebyshev moments.
Design/methodology/approach
Two tests were performed, one on AE artificial signals generated on a CFRP plate and one on an AU setup used for actively detecting impact damage. The waveforms were represented using a data reduction technique based on the Daubechies wavelet and an image processing technique using Chebyshev moments approximation, to get 32 descriptors for each waveform.
Findings
The use of such descriptors allowed in the AE case to verify that the moments are similar when the waveforms are similar; in the AU setup the correlation coefficient of the descriptors with respect to a reference data set was found to be linked to the delimitation size.
Practical implications
Such a data reduction while retaining all the useful information will be positive for wireless sensor networks, where power consumption during data transmission is key. With having to send only a reliable set of descriptors and not an entire waveform, the power consumption is believed to be reduced.
Originality/value
This paper is a preliminary study that fulfils a need for a more reliable data reduction for ultrasonic transient signals, such as those used in AE and AU.
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Emily C. Bouck and Courtney Maher
The term intellectual disability is broad and encompassing. Regardless of the severity of a child’s intellectual disability, early education is important. This chapter discusses…
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The term intellectual disability is broad and encompassing. Regardless of the severity of a child’s intellectual disability, early education is important. This chapter discusses educational considerations of young learners with intellectual disability. Specially, the chapter focuses on academics, life skills, social skills and social development, and behavior. Instructional content and instructional strategies are shared for these areas considering young children, although particular attention in paid to preschool and early elementary age students.
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C.C. Pain, J.L.M.A. Gomes, Eaton, C.R.E. de Oliveira and A.J.H. Goddard
To present dynamical analysis of axisymmetric and three‐dimensional (3D) simulations of a nuclear fluidized bed reactor. Also to determine the root cause of reactor power…
Abstract
Purpose
To present dynamical analysis of axisymmetric and three‐dimensional (3D) simulations of a nuclear fluidized bed reactor. Also to determine the root cause of reactor power fluctuations.
Design/methodology/approach
We have used a coupled neutron radiation (in full phase space) and high resolution multiphase gas‐solid Eulerian‐Eulerian model.
Findings
The reactor can take over 5 min after start up to establish a quasi‐steady‐state and the mechanism for the long term oscillations of power have been established as a heat loss/generation mechanism. There is a clear need to parameterize the temperature of the reactor and, therefore, its power output for a given fissile mass or reactivity. The fission‐power fluctuates by an order of magnitude with a frequency of 0.5‐2 Hz. However, the thermal power output from gases is fairly steady.
Research limitation/implications
The applications demonstrate that a simple surrogate of a complex model of a nuclear fluidised bed can have a predictive ability and has similar statistics to the more complex model.
Practical implications
This work can be used to analyze chaotic systems and also how the power is sensitive to fluctuations in key regions of the reactor.
Originality/value
The work presents the first 3D model of a nuclear fluidised bed reactor and demonstrates the value of numerical methods for modelling new and existing nuclear reactors.
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Emergency remote teaching is not the same as a systematic, carefully thought out, and designed online learning system. Emergency remote teaching is best perceived as merely a…
Abstract
Emergency remote teaching is not the same as a systematic, carefully thought out, and designed online learning system. Emergency remote teaching is best perceived as merely a first step towards migrating into a fully fledged, and carefully designed, virtual or online mode of study. Notwithstanding, this chapter provides a theoretical explanation that justifies the relevance and importance of emergency remote teaching in higher education practice, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic and related discontinuities. It asserts that emergency related teaching is justified by the urgent need to maintain continuity of teaching and learning and to avoid knowledge and skills decay. A systematic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of emergency remote teaching involves measuring variables across four dimensions; that is, context, input, process, and outcomes. Weighting these dimensions is necessary to ensure that context, input, and process are prioritised above outcomes because the essence of the teaching model, when implemented, is to get it in place swiftly in order for teaching and learning to continue. The effectiveness of emergency remote teaching is best assessed on the basis of its speedy set-up and implementation to maintain continuity of teaching, not on student outcomes. The chapter investigated the approach that a sample of colleges and universities have followed to evaluate their model of emergency remote teaching and contrast it with theory. The approach found in practice was not aligned to best practice. Based on the evidence, the chapter proposes an evaluation framework that institutions can adopt specifically for evaluating emergency remote teaching practice.
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Exemplars play a central role in business ethics and ethical decision-making. In general terms, an exemplar is defined as ‘a person or thing to be copied’ and can include persons…
Abstract
Exemplars play a central role in business ethics and ethical decision-making. In general terms, an exemplar is defined as ‘a person or thing to be copied’ and can include persons who have their sense of moral commitment as a core part of their sense of self, take a principled personal stand or a role model or an organisation committed to certain moral standards or other things such as case studies, anecdotes, and even fables and myths. Researchers have used different approaches to explain the role of exemplars in decision-making in general and ethical decision-making in particular. This paper presents evidence of SME managers acknowledging the role of exemplars in the management of their businesses and in their ethical decision-making processes.
Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted in an exploratory manner with 20 owners/senior managers of SMEs in Australia. Two types of exemplars were identified in the analysis – individual and organisational, and indicated the prominence of individual exemplars over organisational exemplars. Analysis also suggests the use of multiple exemplars, learning moral behaviours, getting inspired, learning ethical decision-making skills and the ability to retrieve exemplar representations from memory to influence judgements and decisions.
This study provides an insight into one of the methods employed by SME managers in ethical decision-making. Findings could be useful in making SME managers aware of their penchant of using exemplars. The paper contributes to the knowledge in the area of one of the many methods that SME managers use in ethical decision-making.
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Wei Gao, Naiying Wu and Wenliang Sun
This paper aims to present a robust method for the determination of α- and ß-2, 7, 11-cembratriene-4, 6-diols (α, ß-CBT-diol) in tobacco samples which was developed and validated…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a robust method for the determination of α- and ß-2, 7, 11-cembratriene-4, 6-diols (α, ß-CBT-diol) in tobacco samples which was developed and validated by using the self-made α, ß-CBT-diol with higher purity as the standard.
Design/methodology/approach
After the ultrasonic extraction and clean-up procedures, samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode and full scan mode at the same time. A 1-heptadecanol was used as an internal standard. The important parameters, such as extraction conditions and derivation conditions, were optimized.
Findings
Under the optimal conditions, good results in terms of linearity (R2 > 0.999) and recoveries (93.2-107 per cent) were achieved. The limits of detection were 0.120 and 0.180 μg/ml for α- and ß-CBT-diol, respectively. α, ß-CBT-diol level of analyzed tobacco was found in the range of 34.2-1.26 × 103 μg/g with relative standard deviations below 6 per cent.
Originality/value
Such a strategy opens a new door towards the development of a simple, robust and sensitive method for the determination of α, ß-CBT-diol in real samples.
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Richard Allen Carter Jr, Mary Rice, Sohyun Yang and Haidee A. Jackson
Many teachers and students in the USA and various parts of the world are migrating some aspects of education online out of necessity. The purpose of this paper is to identify and…
Abstract
Purpose
Many teachers and students in the USA and various parts of the world are migrating some aspects of education online out of necessity. The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe strategies of the self-regulated learning (SRL) framework for K-12 students learning in online environments to support remote learning with online and digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
The SRL framework (Zimmerman, 2008) has been used consistently to support students in learning to work independently. This framework highlights three phases: planning, performing and evaluating. Previous research in K-12 online learning has yielded specific strategies that are useful. The paper identified and described the strategies to an audience seeking answers on how to meet the needs of students in online learning environment.
Findings
The main types of strategies that have emerged from previous studies include asking students to consider how they learn online, providing pacing support, monitoring engagement and supporting families.
Originality/value
Although the social crisis of COVID-19 is unique, prior research in online learning may be useful for supporting teacher practice and suggesting future research. Developing SRL skills of students will ensure the effectiveness of online learning that the field of education may ultimately focus on in the future.