ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Learning and knowledge acquisition depends upon the reading skills of a child or student and his ability to comprehend information from the printed sources. For many children, slow reading rates become the main problem that affected educational achievements and learning. The role and task of a teacher are to find appropriate methods to develop fluent reading skills. The research question is “What methods improve children’s ability to become a fluent reader.” The paper analyzes and evaluates three articles on the topic. The article “A Focus on Fluency: How One Teacher Incorporated Fluency with Her Reading Curriculum” by Griffith and Rasinski investigates the efficiency of automaticity in reading and its impact on fluency among elementary school children. The authors state that reading is subject to the joint-shaping effects of a host of sociopsycholinguistic factors. Among them, the researchers identify spoken language, script, reading instruction method, and classroom implementation of language curricula as the primary variables for comparison. The author used simple methodology: “the children read a grade-level passage and [a researcher] recorded notes on words omitted or pronounced incorrectly and counted the words read correctly” (Griffith and Rasinski 2004, p. 126). Then, these results were evaluated and analyzed. It was found that children differ in these aspects due to various psychological reasons. Spoken language is an important factor because it provides the necessary support for reading, especially when considering young children learning to read aloud. The author investigated and demonstrated how a teacher “transformed her reading program by incorporating fluency instruction into the curriculum” (Griffith and Rasinski 2004, p. 126). The researchers unveiled that children in primary school years devote many resources to improving their decoding skills, which include knowledge of the alphabetic principle and learning to integrate skills to improve their fluency in reading. Reading beyond the primary grades involves learning new information, taking multiple viewpoints, and construction and reconstruction. Reading acquisition models suggest that children of second grade or above tend to rely more on phonological cues in reading, whereas children from kindergarten to about first grade tend to rely more on visual cues. If the development of reading is conceived of as progressing through different stages, it is important to discover what component skills or cognitive processes are required to read at each stage and how the processes by which readers acquire higher levels of reading change with development
The idea of making the life of a student more intense and exciting has been picked as a topic for a number of researches lately (Gibbs and Poskitt 5). Many solutions have been suggested, including partying, making lectures interactive, introducing creative classes, etc. However, what most of these ideas seem to ignore is the power of a hobby and a process of sharing one’s interests and achievements in this hobby with others (Reeve 149). Only a few researches point at the significance of clubs in students’ life (Massoni 84). In fact, the positive effects of clubs on students’ performance have been listed in a number of studies (National Collaboration for Youth 1). It should be noted, though, that some scholars disagree that clubs help students in their studying process. In fact, a number of people believe that clubs can and, most likely, will be a major distraction for students (). However, for the most part, researchers give student clubs organizers enough credit for creativity and enthusiasm at the very least, often praising clubs for pushing studies further and training students’ skills (Umar para. 5). It should be noted that the history of clubs created for students to indulge in their hobbies is quite long. It is hard to spot the first attempt at making students’ life more diverse, yet some of the earliest clubs date way back to 1984, when Astin came up with the idea of encouraging students for a better academic performance by praising their achievements in other fields (Trowler 2). The strategy for creating student clubs has not changed considerably since then, the basic idea remaining the same. The methods of these clubs creation, organization and funding, however, have suffered drastic changes, the financial aspect being the focus (Hayens et al. para. 25). The integration of new media and the latest technologies into organizing student clubs has shaped the latter a lot. With the introduction of the Internet, there is no need for the physical presence of the group and, therefore, renting the premises (Schimpf 1). Technology has also allowed for the coordination of several activities at the same time. Moreover, with the principles of shared knowledge and a single database, information management has been improved greatly, which helps conduct meetings and coordinate other activities more efficiently (McGowen 57). It is worth mentioning, though, that the idea of bringing every single club that is related to the American University in Cairo is, in fact, innovative – similar practices occurred mostly in the U.S. ( Model Bylaws for Student Clubs para. 1) and Europe ( Student Union Constitution 12), yet are rather few in Egypt, with no obvious headquarters ( Basic University Regulations for Student Leaders 9). Hence, the given project can be considered a breakthrough in the Cairo higher education realm. An online stu
Alexander Riley wrote an article in the Journal of Youth Studies on the rebirth of tragedy as a social culture in the subgenre of gangsta rap music. He is interested in the hip hop culture especially in the subgenre of gangsta rap and the audiences it has in the White youth communities. The article starts by giving the ways in which rap music has been misunderstood by different authors as being violent and chauvinistic. He states that the artist’s albums have sold millions and the fans continue to increase daily. An empirical and highly objective analysis of the rap genre will not really assist people to understand the music. Just as one needs to interview the readers of novels to know what makes them tick, the academic experts need get in touch with the audience of gangsta rap to understand what makes them buy every new release by these artists. The author brings in an argument on the lack of focus and research on other audiences of hip-hop music especially in the White community. There have been misconceptions that the hip-hop explosion in the 1980’s was a Black man’s experience only. The truth is that the Whites and Latinos also played a role in the movement. This is a unique study that should answer a lot of questions regarding the White youth experiences. What are their motives in the hip hop culture? For the middle income suburban White youth the author shows that the music provides a different world view and culture that they can identify with. They cannot relate with the way rap music has been politicized. These reasons are the same for the youth who are attracted to heavy metal rock music. The author however ignores some of the truths given by earlier researchers on gangsta music. The truth is that the music’s message is indeed sexist and violent. It influences the youth to engage in crime and other social ills simply because it glorifies and even glamorises sex, drugs and crime. Even though these artists have been raised in the ghetto, their videos are rarely shot from the perspectives of lessons. Until the message changes there will still be negative messages in journals and books about this genre of music. The writer justifies the behaviour that the media and public find unattractive about the music such as taking drugs, alcohol and sexual activity. He calls these activities the youth’s subcultures. These are the activities that they do in times of connection and interaction. The author has done a wonderful exposition on the message of the gangsta rap and he looks at it from the perspective of tragedy (Riley, 303). In gangsta culture, the participants are not focused on a saviour saving them from the pain and the harsh realities in the world. The people have accepted the tragedies and pains of life. When one person gains an opportunity another person will definitely lose. It is quite a bleak outlook and maybe that is why it has been observed that the audience of gangsta rap tend to make decisions only for today. The future is not really thought of. Let us enjoy today, the drinking, sex and the drugs
Business environment A business environment illustrates the sum of all the factors, forces, and institutions that are beyond an individual business enterprise’s control but which significantly impact the growth and functioning of individual enterprises. Initially, the business environment was supposed to consist of only external influencing forces. However, in the case of modern scenarios, business actions and policies are considered to be affected by internal factors as well. External factors are the factors affecting not only the particular business but also the whole market. These factors can be generalized as economic, political, technological, and socio-cultural. Economic factors represent the economic conditions of a region and country. Political (and legal) factors consist of rules, laws, regulations, and policies a company has to adhere to. Technological factors imply the advances in technology that has to be monitored if a company wants to keep a competitive advantage. Finally, socio-cultural factors concern human relationships, such as customs, beliefs, traditions, morals, values, and views in society as a whole. In the meantime, internal factors of the business environment include the enterprise’s vision and value system, management structure, human resources, and assets. The former stands for the overall picture of what a business aims to achieve, whereas the value system sets the adopted rules and values for the vision’s achievement. Management structure refers to the organizational hierarchy and relationships between various functional areas. Human resources are the company’s employees; their competencies, skills, attitudes, commitment, and morale play a key role in business performance. Last but not least are the enterprise’s tangible and intangible assets that cover everything that the enterprise owns – from land and buildings to research, development, and technological capabilities. Market segmentation Market segmentation represents a marketing strategy that implies dividing consumers into a set of groups in a way to make certain products or product lines appeal to their interests. Different consumers’ perception of the value contained in specific products and services allows companies to strategically target consumer groups in order to maximize sales and profit. Based on homogeneity, distinction, and reaction, companies usually divide the market into the following segments: demographic, firmographic, behavioral, and psychographic. Demographic segmentation assumes that individuals with the same demographic have similar needs and defines consumer groups by age, gender, race, income, education, occupation, or physical location. In a similar fashion, firmographic segmentation evaluates organizations present on the market in terms of their number of employees, customers, offices, or annual revenue. Relying on market data and customers’ decision-making, behavioral segmentation focuses on customers
Facility planning In the process of coming up with a design for a health facility it is important to keep in mind that time is evolving and that constructed structures tend to be permanent and hence taking into consideration the fact that needs associated with health facilities tend to change with time. It is important to take into consideration the present nature of the workspace, design, structure, technology and the flow of work (Sonja, 2011).. Having innovative design techniques is invaluable as far as the support rendered to the patients is concerned, it also adds a lot to delivery of quality service. It is important to pinpoint various models of procurement and get advice on the one that fits the requirements of that health facility. In the process of acquiring a design for a health facility it important to consider management and determine what action to take to effect effective use of the facility in the facility, when designing cater for the issue of control infection (Sonja, 2011).. It is inevitable that change is part of health care, therefore embedding the emerging technologies into the design of a health care brings the competitive advantage as far as health services are concerned. Putting health care in the future perspective, then unmatched answers to health problems will be greatly achieved. Hence putting a plan that will host technological developments of the future. Putting up a plan that will host advancing technology and also adapting emerging trends into existence is key to a successful design for a health facility. In the quest for achieving effective technology, it should not be at the expense of the best practices in relation to current leading health care providers and also understanding fully the implications of reforms associated with health care. Putting all these consideration together then there is no doubt that the final design shall indeed translate into good financial return (Sonja, 2011). Case Study I did have a chance to be a contributor within a team of designers in Illinois that under took a three unit room project in Plantine. The project involved an upgrade to host a state of the art cyberknife facility. It’s a technology that is characterized by robotic tools. This technology is an alternative to the convectional method of surgery which treats tumors associated with cancer or otherwise, located in any part of the body. This technology is accurate considering the fact that it implements the same technique used by guided missile to the exact location of a tumor. The main objective was not only to bring confidence to the patient but also incorporate advancements in technology into an already operational hospital space. Plantin Illinois cyberknife facility also required renovation for an x-ray facility that was existent before, to be able to host a main 1,550 squared foot vault for treatment. 1,000,000, pounds of bricks made from tubes containing lead were used in the construction process to offer shielding to the cyberknife system, the system is
There are so many parts or specialties for the field of engineering. This is attributed to the large size of the word engineering, or in better words, because of the large number of the fields that engineering discusses or works on. One of the engineering specialties is Mechanical Engineering or as it is called “The engineering Joker”. The name was referred to mechanical engineering because the mechanical engineer can work everywhere. As such, mechanical engineering is a branch of engineering that uses material science and various principles of physics in analyzing, designing, production, and safeguarding the mechanical system in an industry. In this research, I will talk about what is mechanical engineering, what will the students study in that field of engineering, and where those students can work after finishing their studies (Rajput 56). According to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the term engineering can be defined as the profession in which knowledge resting on the natural sciences and mathematics are achieved through the process of educational studies. This process is also geared towards the practice and gain of experience necessary in the development of the ways and means of economically utilizing the natural forces and materials in order to benefit human generation. There are several branches of engineering in the current society. These include aspects like the electrical and electronics engineering, civil engineering, telecommunication engineering, software engineering, mechanical engineering, energy engineering among others. For the purpose of this analysis, I will only dwell on the issues bordering the mechanical engineering course and profession (Webster 234). Mechanical engineering is the profession that deals with the application of mathematical procedures in the development
After establishing a sourcing office in Shanghai in 2004 by China Sourcing Group, a number of difficulties appeared concerning delivery time. To eliminate the cases of a poor-quality job, the Shanghai management group decided to take measures to improve their delivery standards. Challenges Associated with New-Product Development Creating new products is one of the keys to the success of company development. While product sourcing is a profitable venue, it also presents some dangers for young companies. The basic challenges connected with product sourcing include education and culture, protection of intellectual property and copyright, communication, contracts and legal procedures, compliance with certification, and standards, quality, and delivery timing (Johnson). A search of the proper supplier is the core challenge. It is a bad idea to trust the samples and not check the factory by oneself. Frequently, problems appear in the manufacturing process, which cannot be seen in a few samples. Thus, it is necessary to check the production before starting buying from a place (Johnson). Another thing that can lead to disappointment is the deterioration of quality. If a factory provides a company with an unsatisfactory order and does not agree to take accountability for it, the company is doomed to lose money (Johnson). In the future, it may end up having a lot of products of bad quality, which no one will buy. Another major challenge concerned with Chinese partners is that they disregard other countries’ intellectual property (IP) rights (Harris). Even if a Chinese company works in cooperation with another organization, it considers the IP solely it’s own. To eliminate such risk, it is necessary to pay to the Chinese partners for product development (Harris). This way, they will not think that IP rights are only theirs. Challenges Associated with On-Time Delivery On-time delivery presents a major problem in the manufacturing process. If a company fails to deliver their product promptly, it risks losing its customers. The deficiency of logistics is one of the drivers of poor delivery rates (Selko). Inadequate logistics leads to lost or broken packages, unpleasant communication with the delivery team, slow return process, and absence of specific commodities such as a possibility to try on the things one is buying (Selko). What is good about e-commerce is its expansion rate over the last years. The factors causing such an increase are a growing number of online purchases, increased online safety, and more buying power (Selko). What is bad about this is that low-quality logistics can undermine the success of e-commerce. Major causes of Shanghai Group’s late delivery are concerned with insufficient compliance, new product development, rejections of quality control inspections, shortage of parts, and difficulties in communication (O’Connor). The compliance problem is connected with many states having regulations on the use of unsafe materials. Manufacturers needed to adhere to these regulations, which involved not only goods but also the packaging. Late delivery due to compliance regulations is of two types: downstr
Since the day when the concept of money became an integral part of people’s lives, the connection between time and money was evident. From both the economic and the philosophical perspective, the synapse of time and money value is evident, as the former has a tangible influence on the latter. Charles Stross, in his novel Neptune’s Brood managed to explore the link between the two on a whole new level, therefore, establishing a cognation between the value of time and the phenomenon of time. However, when it comes to defining the most original aspect of the novel, one must admit that it is not the lead character, the plot or the settings – instead, it is the elaborate financial system created by Stross that seems to be the feature that defines the originality of the novel. By linking the two concepts, the author has managed to expand on the idea of money being a complex entity performing three key functions by Bohannan’s theory, i.e., the means of exchange, the mode of payment, and the standard of value (Bohannan 491). One might argue that the point made by Stross is rather inconclusive in that the author does not expatiate enough on the so-called “social organization of money” (Mauer “Money Nutters” 6). Indeed, while the author makes it very clear how the system established in his novel works, he provides very little comment on how it shapes the relationships between the people. One could argue, though, that, by detailing the specifics of the financial mechanism within his imaginary society, Stross, ins
Introduction The United States of America is one of the developed countries that are still struggling to recover from the effects of the 2008/2009 financial crisis. Although the country has been able to recover from the recession, its economic growth rate as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP) is still very low (DiPietro and Anoruo 410-419). The slow growth is explained by the huge national debt ($16 trillion) and budget deficit among other factors. Owing to the fact that the Republicans and the Democrats failed to reach a consensus on how to reduce the deficit, the government implemented automatic expenditure cuts in March 2013 that will reduce the budgets of nearly all state-funded programs by 9% in the current fiscal year (Wright). This paper presents arguments against the expenditure cuts. In particular, it will highlight the potential negative effects of the expenditure cuts on the economy and society in general. Arguments for Expenditure Cuts It is apparent that huge fiscal deficits discourage economic growth. In the US, the Republicans believe that the national debt and budget deficit should be reduced through expenditure cuts due to the following reason. To begin with, proponents of expenditure cuts argue that the government can no longer pay its debts through tax revenue. In particular, tax rates should not be increased in order to raise adequate revenues to maintain the current level of government expenditure and to pay for the existing public debts. This perspective is based on the fact that high taxes reduce consumers’ disposable income (Boyes and Melvin 124). Thus, raising income taxes will lower consumption and the quality of life in the country. Moreover, low consumption will reduce the country’s aggregate demand, which in turn will lower economic growth. According to the leaders of the Republican Party, the tax burden in the US is already too high to be increased. Thus, the best solution to the debt crisis is to reduce the government’s expenditure. Classical economists believe that a market-based economy such as the US should be controlled by a small government in order to improve efficiency in resource allocation (Boyes and Melvin 153). In this regard, most of the services provided by the government such as education and health care should be provided by the private sector. In addition, subsidies and grants to various sectors of the economy such agriculture should be abolished in order to ensure fair competition and to motivate private firms to improve their efficiency. The resulting reduction in government expenditure will reduce budget deficits in the next decade. Moreover, the savings made by reducing expenditure will enable the government to pay its debts without increasing taxes. Finally, some economists and politicians believe that reducing government expenditure is the best way to avoid the imminent financial crisis in the US. This view is supported by the fact that maintaining the current level of expenditure will only increase the public debt due to the government’s inability to raise adequate tax revenue (DiPietro and Anoruo 410-419). High public debt means that a large portion o