ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Teacher Evaluation A holistic teacher evaluation scheme would have to be formulated to enshrine all the states which are inclined towards a merit-pay system. While it is true that a teacher’s academic credentials and experience bear a positive correlation to his/her instructional effectiveness, the remuneration of teachers should not be merely anchored on this dock but rather on individual merit based on teacher performance – which can be gauged on scales of value addition to the learner’s progress. Capacity personnel development as in the training of evaluators and implementation of the evaluation exercise is costly; thus the federal government and individual states need to prioritize financing teacher evaluation exercises for any productive outcome to be realized. Such fiscal strength was the underlying factor behind the success of the pilot projects in Cincinnati and Hillsborough (Tyler, 2011, p. 1). Although teacher evaluation systems are varied, they serve the common objective of assessing the instructor’s professional status along with the general teaching domains of maintaining professionalism, adequate planning and preparation prior to instruction and ensuring a thriving class environment. As such, the overall performance of students, as well as teachers, is greatly boosted by continuous teacher evaluation. This is basically due to the fact that, teacher evaluation advocates for student-centered mode of instruction, motivate both teachers and students alike by inculcating positive learning attitude and stirs teacher-student rapport, encourages a thriving and conducive learning environment through tentative class control mechanisms all of which are necessary ingredients for a dynamic and active class. In effect, teacher evaluation does not only act as a fundamental instrument for quality assurance in the education sector but also forms the basis of layoff measures for under-performing teachers on one hand and promotion for performing ones on the other. Teacher Discipline The teachers’ code of ethics enumerates the expected standard of the conduct of teachers in an educational setting; the performance of a teacher is therefore dependent on the extent to which he/she observes standardized rules, regulations and policies governing educational institutions. If a teacher does not comply with the expected regulations, it is within the administrative jurisdiction to initiate disciplinary measures to avert, correct or settle such a mishap. Generally, disciplinary action is enforced on those teachers whose conduct obstruct, and derail the effective performance of the educational institution of its core functionality. This may be in form of insubordination to the immediate authority, negligence of duty as it is the case with absence without leave, misappropriation and embezzlement of school funds/assets, perverted social and moral standing as evident in strained interpersonal relationships and substance abuse etcetera. Apart from the general rules governing the official, social and moral conduct of teachers, legislators are formulating a bill that would institute teach
Abstract A buffer is a solution that weathers changes in pH when an acid or base is added. Buffers are usually made from combinations of weak acids and their corresponding bases or weak bases and their equivalent acids. The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation is often employed in working out the pH of buffers. This experiment intended to establish the variations in pH of acetate and ammonium buffers after the addition of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. It also aimed at making comparisons between experimentally obtained changes in pH and values calculated using the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. There were disparities between the measured and calculated pH values due to accidental and systematic uncertainties. However, the observed trend was in accordance with the expected behavior of buffers. It was concluded that experimental techniques were convenient in establishing the buffering capabilities of weak acids and bases. Introduction A buffer may be described as a solution that withstands alterations in pH upon the addition of an acid or base. In living systems, buffers are particularly important because they cushion the body from shifts in pH that may have adverse effects on biological processes. Buffer solutions are composed of conjugate weak acids or weak base pairs of chemical species. 1 The addition of a strong acid to a buffer causes the conjugate base in the buffer to react with the acid thereby eliminating it. Consequently, the conjugate base is converted to the conjugate acid. In the same manner, the conjugate acid in a buffer neutralizes hydroxide ions from the added base. Part of the conjugate acid is converted into the corresponding base leading to a slight elevation in the pH of the solution. K a denotes the dissociation constant of an acid, which is the measure of the potency of the acid in solution. This value is sometimes indicated as pK a , which is the logarithm of K a . A large value of pK a (small K a value) is characteristic of a weak acid. It shows that an acid dissociates to a small extent. K b , conversely, is the dissociation constant of a base. Large K b values (small pK b values) are typical of strong bases. The pH of buffers can be computed using the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, which is written as pH = pK a + log ([A – ]/[HA]). In this equation, pK a is the logarithm of the acid’s K a value, [A – ] is the concentration of the conjugate base in moles and [HA] is the strength of the acid in moles (before the dissociation). The ability of a weak acid or base to act as a buffer can be determined experimentally by the addition of a strong acid or base and measuring the resultant pH. This practical aimed at using the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to calculate the changes in pH of acetate and ammonium buffers after the addition of small quantities of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. It also sought to com
Every country has its own order of economic priorities. The ranking may appear similar to some extent especially in the top most priority. There are many objectives of an economic policy, but price stability is considered an essential part of the basic framework within which the social and economic policy is conducted (Horst U., Jouko J.H., Augusto L. & Thomas M.1990:46). The economic priorities can be ranked in the order of importance from the most important to the least important as follows:  1. Price stability  2. Full employment  3. Quality of life or environment  4. Fair income distribution  5. Rapid economic growth  6. Exchange rate stability/ Balance of payment Stability The first priority of Price stability is very essential for any given economy. Price stability controls the inflation levels of any country. It eliminates both deflation and inflation. If prices fluctuate from time to time, the level of investments within the economy reduces. Most investors are not willing to take any risks if they find the prices fluctuating. The producers may not supply many products to the market due to price fluctuations. The suppliers may hoard goo
One of the most fundamental questions that psychologists ask themselves is what leads to violent behavior in people. There have been arguments that such behavior is as a result of a pre-disposition to violence in the media as well as in video games. This theory is heavily criticized as it is supported. Proponents of this theory claim that playing video games especially by children may lead a psychological formation of violent behavior; however, opponents of this theory claim that there is too much violence in the society and that video games cannot be solely blamed for such violence. It has been found out that the average child plays an average of about 43 minutes of video games every day. Proponents of the theory explain that video games leads to violent behavior argue that active participation in an activity reinforces learning. As such when children actively play these video games they are actually learning and involuntarily adopting violent behavior. This is because exposure to video games leads to imitation and further modeling of violent behavior (Rathus, 2008). This theory is further supported by the fact that repetitive action increases learning about that action, thus repeated playing some video games increases the chances that they will be violent. It also argued that playing video games has more than physical effect on the child. Exposure to video games has cognitive as well as psychological arousal. The child cognitively grows knowing violence as a way of life. The child thus builds violent emotions involuntarily, which leads to violent behavior. It has also been found out that children who are exposed to violent games grow to be anti social (Gentile & Anderson, 2003). On the other hand, this theory has been greatly criticized. To begin with, critics argue that there are concourse studies on the effects of video games on children behavior that can lead to such strong conclusions. This is because there are no valid procedures that can measure the effects of video games. Such studies also have several weaknesses. It is argued that those who study the effects of violent video games on children fail to have a parallel study on non violent video games. Furthermore there are a number of positive effects of playing violent video games on children. Other than being active in video games activity, video games act as avenues for children learn how to compete with each other. Such competition is done of friendly basin and as such reinforces friendship bonds between children. Furthermore children also derive a lot of satisfaction from teaching their playmates how to play and win in such games. Therefore video games act as a motivator to other socially constructive behaviors that are helpful to the normal growth and development
Introduction Purpose A foreign specialist commenting on the safety measures put by the JCO factory after the Tokaimura accident said that the plant “had the safety standards of a bakery and not a nuclear facility” (www.joewein.de). Experts, pointing an accusing finger at the management of the plant and government authorities, have echoed these sentiments. Controversy has raged on over the ethical issues surrounding the Tokaimura accident. These range from the inadequate training of the technician and management. Some obvious questions have been raised. Were the plant technicians armed with enough skills, experience and diligence to handle this kind of job? Had the management of JCO amply erected the necessary measures, facilities and standards for a plant of such magnitude? Were all the legal standards and regulations complied with, and if not, why? To determine the ethical issues surrounding the accident, it becomes important to recap the chronology of the events that day and highlight on the obvious mistakes that will demonstrate gross incompetence and blatant disregard of safety standards by the management as well as the ignorance displayed by the technicians. The paper will also propose a number of recommendations on the appropriate measure
While discussing the history of Jews in Germany and Berlin, in particular, it is important to concentrate on the question regarding the modern experience of these people in the country. Thus, what does it mean to be Jewish in Germany today? It is possible to discuss this question from two perspectives: analyzing the consequences of historical events and referring to modern tendencies. Although the Jews’ past in Germany is still regarded as painful and full of controversies, the German citizens having the Jewish origin view this country as home because modern Germany is safe for them, the country is on the path to reconsidering its history, and much attention is paid to making Jews accepted in the society. It is important to note that Jews discuss Germany as the country safe for living and appropriate for personal and professional development. According to Urban, the representatives of the Jewish community feel protected in this country because of policies and provided rights. 1 There are no fears or premises that descendants of young generations of Jews will experience the horror of the Holocaust in the future. 2 The community of Jewish people in Germany is large, and they do not discuss themselves as being limited in their rights of freedom. Furthermore, the country’s leaders have initiated many policies associated with reconsidering the history and confronting the past. The problem is in the fact that the Nazi past influences the country even today. 3 The authorities’ approaches to addressing these crimes against humanity can be discussed as effective to demonstrate that being Jewish today does not mean sin in its nature. 4 In spite of the fact that the country’s path to recovery from the Nazi past is a long process, young Jews living in Germany are protected from experiencing discrimination. From this perspective, German society accentuates the necessity of accepting Jewish people as the community that plays an important role in the country’s development and progress. It is almost impossible to imagine modern Germany without thousands of Jews who are represented in society as talented artists, musicians, educators, and entrepreneurs, among other roles. 5 In Berlin, the community of Jews is one of the most recognizable and respected ones. 6 The reason is in their contribution to the cultural development of the country’s capital. Therefore, it is possible to state that the acceptance of Jews in German society has a symbolic meaning. In this context, the role of the Jewish community in influencing the development of the national identity of Germans is important and cannot be ignored. Thus, to be Jewish in the modern German society means being a citizen who is protected, provided with rights and freedoms, and accepted. Much attention is paid to minimizing the negative consequences of the Nazi past for the Jewish community in the country. Accepting t
Economic Risks After Italy had become a part of the euro zone, it became exposed to the negative factors that the specified environment incorporated.   * Impact of the crisis in the euro-zone;   * Drop in company profitability rates by 30% (Alonso-Almeida & Bremser, 2013, p. 143);   * SMEs vulnerability (Smeral, 2009);   * Sharp increase in unemployment rates;   * Drop in consumption rates (Daniels, Radebaugh, & Sullivan, 2010);   * Reduction in service quality (Williams, 2006, p. 483) Italy is fighting a lot of problems within its economy sector at present. Because of the recent integration in the euro zone, the necessity to rearrange the state’s economic priorities has emerged. A range of companies, which were incapable of altering their structure fast enough, reported a significant drop in performance. Consequently, a range of shutdowns and the ensuing increase in unemployment rates can be observed across the country. Moreover, the increase in emigration, as well as poverty and the following reduction in the consumption rates have affected the revenues of entrepreneurships across the state. Economic Risks Analysis Threats   * Italian tourism popularity reduction;   * Entertainment sector deterioration;   * Hospitality sector income reduction;   * Major economic crisis Coping Methods   * Increasing the number of employees;   * Investing into the staff’s professional evolution;   * Elaborating on the pricing strategy;   * Launching promotion campaigns Since Italy is a primarily agricultural state that also thrives on tourism, the drop in performance of the state organizations and the reduction of tourism rates may kill the state economy. The hospitality sector is suffering a major crisis at present. The specified phenomenon can be partially attributed to unreasonably high prices and a reduction in services quality. Financial Risks The recent change in the financial system triggered major alterations in the banking system of the state. The private sector, thus, may face financial risks.   * A rapid reduction in the number of loan applications due to the unreasonable policies of banks (Williams, 2006);   * Necessity to rely solely on the company resources for managing financial issues ( The hospitality sector in Europe , 2013);   * Major dependency on banks among the emerging Italian companies (Williams, 2006). Because of the need to transfer into the euro zone, Italy has altered its baking system. The ensuing complexities concerning financial transactions affected the operations of most
Discussion “If science no longer discounts invisible realities, it has also grown open to the prospect that they may be powerful, for experiments now suggest that “the energy inherent in one cubic centimeter of space is greater than the energy of all the matter in the known universe” (Smith 320). The idea of science and religion may seem completely incompatible due to the differences in their approaches to life. However, a lot of great scientists over the years had a strong belief in Christianity and even went into the field after being inspired by their faith. The chapter on Christianity examines a lot of aspects that surround it, but the one that I always found fascinating is the interplay of science and religion in professional scientific circles. Smith examines how the belief of spirit is stronger than the material plane became common in the western world due to Christianity. In some instances, science was able to show how people with strong beliefs can overcome the limitations of their bodies. Some turned out to be quite negative such as being able to not eat for prolonged periods was just an example of the body destroying slowly destroying itself to sustain life. The story of creation is vague and is always
Introduction Citizens from various countries trust their governments to ensure equal distribution of national resources. In addition, these governments are mandated to ensure that in the long run, citizens recoup maximum benefits from these national resources. Specifically, some of the major tasks that the government is expected to conduct include the provision of certain basic services such as security (in form of national and local defense), environmental protection and preservation, infrastructure construction and management, and for well-advanced states like the United States of America, space exploration. It is also the responsibility of the government to ensure justice for all its citizens. Governments achieve this through the introduction of certain policies that govern families, businesses, and religion (American Government para.14). Over the past few decades, various governments across the globe have been highly criticized for their sincere interest in providing opportunities for their people and also in their role in providing equal justice for all citizens (Pearson para.1). The essay below is a quick investigation on the role of government in coming to determine an individual’s scope in educational or economic opportunities. We also want to explore the government’s position on justice and know- who, and the role of the government in ensuring justice for all citizens. Finally, the essay shall also examine the extent to which justice should be personalized or left for the government to deal with. Background on King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” To gain an insight into some of the issues that affect a government’s role in its citizen’s social/ economic endeavors, a quick background on the foundational structure of Martin Luther’s letter to eight clergymen will give a revelation of the introduction of Civil Rights. Being a crusader of these rights, it was very important for King to re-address and redefine matters of civil rights to a state entirely devoid of the same (Birmingham). In his letter, King asserted that he was in Birmingham as a result of the prevailing injustice in the city at the time (The King Center para.3). In his analysis of King’s letter, Thoreau indicates that King intended to address the white audience, (specifically addressing the clergymen) on their enormous role in shifting the government’s focus concerning the racial injustice that was prevalent in the State (Thoreau para.12). by reflecting on sacrifices made by such individuals as Martin Luther King, governments have become more sensitive when handling matters that affect their citizens’ human and civil rights. Government’s role in Individual’
Background The UAE has a long history that began in 6000 B.C. One of the crucial aspects of the country was the arrival of Islam because the role of religion remains to be crucial even today. With time, the Europeans were interested in the Arabian Peninsula due to its location, naval powers, and economic activities ( History of the UAE 2017). The citizens of the UAE wanted to define their responsibilities and freedoms regardless of the attempts of other nations to interfere with their development. At the beginning of the 1970s, seven emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah, and Fujairah, established the federation, now known as the United Arab Emirates. Its government undergoes considerable changes. The results of these changes are the development of new powerful strategies, the ability to improve the private and public sectors of the region, and the creation of new opportunities for all emirates. Problem Today, Abu Dhabi is one of the most successful and fast-developing emirates in the region. It has already increased its expenditure and continues reaching international benchmarks (Oxford Business Group 2014). However, it is necessary for the emirate to build individual and organisational capacities to succeed in the future, generate possible ideas and strategies, and enhance its understanding of risks and challenges. Abu Dhabi Government is in need of foresight that is defined as the ability to identify and accept changes and use the insights with the help of which organisations protect their competitiveness, eliminate uncertainties, and avoid mistakes. Technological progress, international relations, and evident competitiveness in all spheres make the Abu Dhabi Government develop new strategies and improve its future foresight by any possible means. This paper aims at discussing the methods, practices, and tools that could be used to support Abu Dhabi Government in strategic planning and management. Future Foresight Methods, Practice, and Tools Countries have to think of tomorrow today to achieve success and recognition. Organisations and governments are not always prepared and face certain unexpected and unfamiliar challenges and tasks (Bishop & Hines 2012). Therefore, they should have several options and ways to reach the established goals and prosperity. There are many tools and methods that could be offered to companies and governments. All of them could be divided into qualitative such as backcasting, brainstorming, scenarios, SWOT, and acting, quantitative, including such approaches as benchma