bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immigrés et descendants d’immigrés chinois face à l’épidémie de Covid-19 en France : des appartenances malmenées
Authors: Attané Isabelle , Chuang Ya-Han , Santos Aurélie , Wang Su
Published: June 2021

Les immigrés et descendants d’immigrés chinois en France ont été affectés par la pandémie de Covid-19 à plusieurs titres. Indépendamment des désagréments qu’ils ont subis au même titre que l’ensemble de la population dans ce contexte de crise, ils ont été confrontés à des comportements de stigmatisation, voire de rejet ou de racisme, qui ont provoqué chez nombre d’entre eux un sentiment de malaise. Par ailleurs, pris en étau entre un discours médiatique régulièrement antichinois et la rhétorique triomphante du gouvernement chinois concernant sa lutte contre le virus, ils ont été ébranlés dans leurs sentiments d’appartenance et leurs représentations de soi. Nous documentons les processus à l’œuvre dans la fabrique d’une stigmatisation sur des bases a priori sanitaires, et restituons les manières dont nos interlocuteurs se sont positionnés en termes d’appartenance identitaire. Nous nous appuyons pour cela sur des entretiens qualitatifs réalisés pendant le premier confinement en France, et dont le contenu est confirmé par des extraits d’articles de presse. Dans ce contexte de crise, les personnes interrogées ont témoigné de vécus personnels différents selon la nature de leur lien avec la Chine. L’enjeu est d’examiner les différentes formes de ce sentiment d’appartenance face aux catégorisations véhiculées par les interactions avec la société majoritaire et les médias.
Le groupe comme lieu de conflictualisation du féminin et du masculin à l’adolescence
Authors: Guénoun Tamara , Smaniotto Barbara
Published: June 2021

Les auteures, enseignantes-chercheures et psychologues cliniciennes, proposent d’interroger la mobilisation du féminin et du masculin à l’adolescence à partir d’observations issues de leur pratique respective dans des groupes thérapeutiques distincts. Elles montrent comment les adolescents se saisissent de ce type d’espace, cadrés par des adultes, pour tenter d’articuler d’une part les stéréotypes sociaux sur le féminin, le masculin, la virilité, la sensualité, et d’autre part les courants et désirs contradictoires qui les assaillent. La mise en résonance de ces dimensions constituerait un organisateur psychique majeur des groupes d’adolescents. Ces groupes peuvent dès lors se concevoir comme un lieu de mise en conflit des parts et positions féminines, masculines de la vie psychique, permettant d’en offrir des représentations appropriables subjectivement par l’adolescent.
L’école et les espaces intermédiaires… : fonction tierce et groupes de parole dans un établissement français au Brésil
Authors: Tilly Renaud , Massa Ana
Published: June 2021

Cet article analyse le travail mené auprès d’adolescents au sein d’une école française au Brésil, entre le deuxième tour des élections présidentielles de 2018 et l’arrivée de la pandémie dans ce pays, par le biais de la mise en place de groupes de parole. Il s’agit de comprendre comment les différents aspects d’une crise dans ses dimensions politiques, sociales et subjectives peuvent être envisagés par les adolescents à travers le lien à l’institution, par l’ouverture d’un espace de mise en jeu de la fonction de tiers et l’investissement d’espaces intermédiaires, comme l’occasion de se positionner et d’agir. Ils peuvent devenir moteurs de sa transformation à condition que l’institution scolaire puisse accueillir la conflictualité propre à l’adolescence et à la vie institutionnelle. L’école est saisie comme un lieu où se joue le désir de vivre et d’apprendre sur soi et pour soi à travers la prise en compte de la parole des adolescents.
Penser les conditions d’une rencontre éducative dans la durée avec des adolescents. Naviguer dans un entre-deux
Authors: Kattar Antoine
Published: June 2021

Dans le cadre de cet article, en s’appuyant sur sa longue expérience de travail « avec » des adolescents, l’auteur évoque la complexité de l’accompagnement actuel des adolescents vivant dans un environnement précarisé. Il s’appuie sur les résultats partiels d’une recherche longitudinale (2014-2020), qu’il a inscrite dans le champ de la clinique en sciences de l’éducation selon une orientation psychosociologique, qui porte sur un groupe de dix adolescents et adolescentes accompagnés par une équipe d’éducateurs et d’éducatrices de la prévention spécialisée. En se référant aux données recueillies dans deux de ses dispositifs de recherche, le pag (paroles d’adolescents en groupe) et les ateliers dits de transitionnalité, et pour illustrer ses propos, l’auteur fait le choix d’analyser quelques moments-clés, sortes d’« arrêts sur image », de sa rencontre avec l’une des adolescentes du groupe. Pour conclure, l’auteur formule des hypothèses quant à la position professionnelle à trouver pour tenir face aux adolescents aujourd’hui et pour les accompagner dans leur passage vers la vie adulte.
Refabriquer le corps des exclus : une lutte contre l’inacceptable défaillance
Authors: Piriou Odile , Thomas Jérôme
Published: June 2021

Cet article s’intéresse aux actions déployées dans des ateliers dits de « remobilisation vers l’emploi » à destination de bénéficiaires des minima sociaux. Par l’observation directe de ces dispositifs et par des entretiens, l’article analyse les normes et idéologies d’inspirations managériales psychologisantes qui s’y déploient. L’article détaille la manière dont l’obligation à la réinsertion passe par une action sur le corps conçu comme porteur des empêchements des sujets, mais aussi comme réceptacle à modeler et à transformer pour atteindre des effets sur le comportement et le psychisme. En mobilisant la sociologie et la psychanalyse, l’article décrit les dispositifs mis en place dans ces ateliers. L’hypothèse principale de l’article – et les enjeux critiques qu’elle engage – est que notre société lutte contre une défaillance intolérable et irreprésentable de soi qu’elle situe dans le corps et le psychisme, mais qu’elle origine aussi dans les appartenances considérées comme des freins à la réinsertion.
Les enjeux de la décentralisation de la politique de protection de l’enfance
Authors: Bichwiller Jean-Paul
Published: June 2021

Si la décentralisation a permis des évolutions positives pour l’ ase , cette politique publique reste fragile. Elle peine à se hisser à la hauteur des exigences de la loi et des enjeux territoriaux. Pour progresser réellement, il faudrait se décider enfin à s’intéresser concrètement à l’organisation et au fonctionnement des services d’ ase des départements. Dans leur grande majorité, organisations et modes de fonctionnement ne sont pas conçus pour permettre à l’ ase de répondre efficacement à sa mission. Le processus chronique de réorganisation des services sociaux constaté dans les collectivités réussit mal à préserver ou à consolider l’expertise et la capacité de pilotage qui sont nécessaires à l’ ase . Une conception révisée des métiers et des méthodes permettrait de concilier la prise en compte des réalités territoriales et les exigences d’une politique régalienne.
Global well-posedness and exponential stability for the fermion equation in weighted Sobolev spaces
Authors: Sun Baoyan , Wu Kung-Chien
Published: June 2021

This work deals with the Cauchy problem and the asymptotic behavior of the solution of the fermion equation in the Sobolev spaces with a polynomial weight in the torus. We first investigate the linearized equation and obtain the optimal exponential decay rate for the associated semigroup. Our strategy is taking advantage of quantitative spectral gap estimates in smaller reference Hilbert space, the factorization method and the enlargement of the functional space. We then turn to the nonlinear equation and prove the global existence and uniqueness of solutions in a close-to-equilibrium regime. Moreover, we prove an exponential stability for such a solution with the optimal decay rate given by the semigroup decay of the linearized equation.
Local null controllability for a parabolic equation with local and nonlocal nonlinearities in moving domains
Authors: da Rocha Lopes André , Límaco Juan
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we establish a local null controllability result for a nonlinear parabolic PDE with local and nonlocal nonlinearities in a domain whose boundary moves in time by a control force with a multiplicative part acting on a prescribed subdomain. We prove that, if the initial data is sufficiently small and the linearized system at zero satisfies an appropriate condition, the equation can be driven to zero.
Fractional $ p $-sub-Laplacian operator problem with concave-convex nonlinearities on homogeneous groups
Authors: Zhang Jinguo , Yang Dengyun
Published: June 2021

This study examines the existence and multiplicity of non-negative solutions of the following fractional $ p $-sub-Laplacian problem

   $ \begin{equation*} \left\{\begin{aligned} &(-\Delta_{p,g})^{s}u = \lambda f(x)|u|^{\alpha-2}u+ h(x)|u|^{\beta-2} u \quad&\rm{in}\,\,\, &\Omega,\\ &\,\,\, u = 0\quad\quad &\rm{in} \,\,\, &\mathbb{G}\setminus \Omega, \end{aligned}\right. \end{equation*} $

where $ \Omega $ is an open bounded in homogeneous Lie group $ \mathbb{G} $ with smooth boundary, $ p>1 $, $ s\in(0,1) $, $ (-\Delta_{p,g})^{s} $ is the fractional $ p $-sub-Laplacian operator with respect to the quasi-norm $ g $, $ \lambda>0 $, $ 1< \alpha
, $ p^*_{s}: = \frac{Qp}{Q-sp} $ is the fractional critical Sobolev exponents, $ Q $ is the homogeneous dimensions of the homogeneous Lie group $ \mathbb{G} $ with $ Q> sp $, and $ f $, $ h $ are sign-changing smooth functions. With the help of the Nehari manifold, we prove that the nonlocal problem on homogeneous group has at least two nontrivial solutions when the parameter $ \lambda $ belong to a center subset of $ (0,+\infty) $.
On the nonuniqueness and instability of solutions of tracking-type optimal control problems
Authors: Christof Constantin , Hafemeyer Dominik
Published: June 2021

We study tracking-type optimal control problems that involve a non-affine, weak-to-weak continuous control-to-state mapping, a desired state \begin{document}$ y_d $\end{document}, and a desired control \begin{document}$ u_d $\end{document}. It is proved that such problems are always nonuniquely solvable for certain choices of the tuple \begin{document}$ (y_d, u_d) $\end{document} and instable in the sense that the set of solutions (interpreted as a multivalued function of \begin{document}$ (y_d, u_d) $\end{document}) does not admit a continuous selection.
Some representations of moore-penrose inverse for the sum of two operators and the extension of the fill-fishkind formula
Authors: Kara Abdessalam , Guedjiba Said
Published: June 2021

In the setting of arbitrary Hilbert spaces, we give a representation of M-P inverse of the sum of linear operators \begin{document}$ A+B $\end{document} under suitable conditions. Based on the full-rank decomposition of an operator, we prove that the extension of the Fill-Fishkind formula for \begin{document}$ A $\end{document} and \begin{document}$ B $\end{document} with closed ranges, remains valid, keeping the same conditions of Fill-Fishkind formula for two matrices, also we obtain an analogous formula under the Fill-Fishkind conditions, beyond we derive some representations of M-P inverse of a 2-by-2 block operator with disjoint ranges.
Emergent behaviors of Lohe Hermitian sphere particles under time-delayed interactions
Authors: Ha Seung-Yeal , Hwang Gyuyoung , Park Hansol
Published: June 2021

We study emergent behaviors of the Lohe Hermitian sphere(LHS) model with a time-delay for a homogeneous and heterogeneous ensemble. The LHS model is a complex counterpart of the Lohe sphere(LS) aggregation model on the unit sphere in Euclidean space, and it describes the aggregation of particles on the unit Hermitian sphere in \begin{document}$ \mathbb C^d $\end{document} with \begin{document}$ d \geq 2 $\end{document}. Recently it has been introduced by two authors of this work as a special case of the Lohe tensor model. When the coupling gain pair satisfies a specific linear relation, namely the Stuart-Landau(SL) coupling gain pair, it can be embedded into the LS model on \begin{document}$ \mathbb R^{2d} $\end{document}. In this work, we show that if the coupling gain pair is close to the SL coupling pair case, the dynamics of the LHS model exhibits an emergent aggregate phenomenon via the interplay between time-delayed interactions and nonlinear coupling between states. For this, we present several frameworks for complete aggregation and practical aggregation in terms of initial data and system parameters using the Lyapunov functional approach.
Learning Management Systems in Academic and Corporate Distance Education
Authors: Shurygin Viktor , Saenko Natalya , Zekiy Angelina , Klochko Elena , Kulapov Mikhail
Published: June 2021

Present-day development of information technologies is making deeper and deeper incursions into all spheres of human activity, both social and economic. It is only natural that they greatly influence the educational industry, changing the approaches, methods and forms of education. Currently e-learning and distance technologies are being actively introduced into both academic and corporate education, as complementary to traditional forms. The efforts of teachers are aimed at finding effective models of blended learning. All this determines the relevance of the present study.

The abstracted article is aimed at developing frameworks of a distance learning model based on the use of modern learning management systems.

To obtain thorough and reliable results the authors make use of two research approaches: acmeological and competence-based. They review the features, the scope and use of the existing LMS platforms and work out tools for the development of e-learning system. In addition, they assess the compliance of e-learning tools with the preferences of X, Y and Z generation users.

The outcome of the research is the development of a universal competency that can be applied to the study of modern methods and approaches with reference to both academic teaching and learning, and to corporate training. It is quite apparent that pros and cons of the learning management system and its possibilities should be carefully studied and thoughtfully used. The effective e-learning requires constant monitoring of equipment, proper work of host servers and considering user-friendliness of the platforms. This is related to the fact that public educational organizations, including schools, colleges and universities, especially in low developed countries, prefer traditional teaching methods and are slowly moving to innovative models.

The research findings can be viewed as a step forward in creating user-friendly and flexible e-learning platforms, suitable for separate users, institutions and businesses. They can be applied for further assessment of existing learning models, especially for the younger generation, and for research and development of new strategies and methods of using learning management systems and platforms.
Digital Learning Games Scale (DLGS): A Scale Development Study
Authors: Abu Mukh Yasmeen Nzam , Hashaikeh Sherine Adnan , Abd-Rabo Aysha Mohamad
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool for measuring contribution of digital learning games in the learning process . The study group consists of 280 teachers working in elementary schools in Palestine in the 2020-2021 academic year. The construct validity of the scale was examined by exploratory factor analysis. According to the results of the analysis, the scale measures a six- dimensions structure. The six - dimensions structure of the scale was confirmed by stepwise linear regression analysis. The total variance ratio explained by the scale was determined as 68.38. In order to determine the reliability of the scale, the internal consistency coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha was evaluated and this value was determined as .914. The results of all validity and reliability analyzes show that the digital leaning game as a valid and reliable measurement tool in the future studies about digital learning games.
Convergent Publishing Workflow for Online Classes – Teaching Materials from Meta Formats
Authors: Hamacher Alaric Carl
Published: June 2021

Online teaching in 2020 forced many educators to adopt new teaching methods. Instead of working in the classroom with handout and oral presentations, online teaching requires new teaching materials and documents. These are usually created in different formats with different software and is often redundant. The present paper proposes a research on workflows and practical applications to streamline the publishing process by proposing authoring in a meta data format and publication of convergent teaching material from a single document. The purpose of this research is to improve the quality of education by reduction of redundant workflows in the creation process of teaching materials.
The Impact of Online Quizzes on Student Success
Authors: Bognár László , Fauszt Tibor , Váraljai Mariann
Published: June 2021

In today’s modern world, the pace of technological development can be con-sidered exponential. Education must constantly adapt to this dynamic devel-opment. It must be able to innovate, to use modern tools and methods that are effectively integrated into the learning process. Education should provide an appropriate learning environment to meet changing needs, one way of which is e-learning. This environment can be an excellent support for the learning process; however, it will hardly be effective without developing the right student learning attitude. The e-learning environment gives freedom and independence to the individual, at the same time. For the learner's individual endeavor to be successfully completed as expected, control and continuous feedback are needed.

One way to do this is through self-quizzing. Self-quizzes, divided into units, related to the learning material, with appropriate difficulty and amount, can help to understand and engrave the processed material, and thus improve the effectiveness of learning. Self-quizzes create the opportunity for imme-diate feedback, which is a very important feature of an e-learning environ-ment. According to many scientific research, immediate feedback can greatly help maintain interest and motivation, and quizzes are suitable tools for this purpose.

In our research, we sought to answer the question of how the continuous, self-monitoring practice opportunity provided by online quizzes affects stu-dent achievement. In the case of an online course held at the University of

Dunaújváros in 2019, we examined whether students who continuously per-form self-quizzes will be more effective by the end of the learning process than their peers who are less receptive to independent self-quizzing. We also addressed the effect of the nature of time spent on self-reflexive quizzing on learning success.
A Personalized English Learning Material Recommendation System Based on Knowledge Graph
Authors: Huang Yiqin , Zhu Jiang
Published: June 2021

The world has rushed into the information age. As the lingua franca, English shapes the global landscape of information transmission and exchange. Mastering English is equivalent to possessing an important tool for acquiring precious information. Therefore, it is very necessary to improve English teaching. This paper analyzes the problems in traditional classroom teaching and online learning of English, and discusses how to keep students unbaffled in online learning, improve their English learning efficiency, and satisfy their personalized demands. Specifically, the relevant data were characterized by knowledge points in English teaching, and used to formulate a knowledge graph. Then, the related knowledge points were labeled in online learning data on learning platforms. After that, user portrait was created by analyzing the data on daily learning behaviors. Finally, collaborative filtering was coupled with content-based recommendation to push English learning resources to students, which meet their personalized demands.
The Effect of Integrating an Educational Robot with Hypermedia on Students’ Acquisition of Scientific Concepts: The Case of Fifth-Grade Students
Authors: Ajlouni Aseel O. , Jaradat Suhair A.
Published: June 2021

This study was designed to reveal the effectiveness of integrating educational robots (ERs) with hypermedia in improving the acquisition of scientific concepts among fifth-grade students in Jordan. The present study utilized a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). The participants of this study consisted of 50 fifth-grade female students attending a private school in the city of Amman during the 2019/2020 academic year. Participants’ ages ranged between (10-11) years old. The school was selected purposively, and classes were randomly assigned to the EG and the CG. In order to accomplish the aims of this study, a scientific concept test (SCT) was developed and its validity and reliability were ensured. The EG was taught a unit on motion and force by robot and hypermedia instruction, while the CG was taught the same unit by traditional instruction. Data was collected through administration of the presently developed SCT at pretest and posttest points. Then, this data was analyzed through covariance analysis. The findings of this analysis revealed that 66% of the variation in the fifth-grade students’ posttest SCT scores can be ascribed to the effect of teaching method. From this study, one can conclude that the integration of ERs with hypermedia has a positive impact on students’ acquisition of scientific concepts. These results may serve to encourage science teachers to integrate ERs with hypermedia when teaching scientific concepts.
Flashover Prevention System using IoT and Machine Learning for Transmission and Distribution Lines
Authors: Saraubon Kobkiat , Wiriyanuruknakon Nuttapong , Tangthirasunun Natdanai
Published: June 2021

Flashover on transmission and distribution line insulators occurs when the insulator’s resistance drops to a critical level and causes frequent power outages. Thin layers of dust, salt, and airborne particles, gradually deposited on the surface of insulators, as well as humidity, form an electrolyte which causes flashover.  In this paper, a flashover prevention system using IoT technology and machine learning is proposed in order to reduce loss and increase power reliability. The system includes an IoT module, a service and clients. The IoT module prototype was installed at a distribution line pole located in Pracha-utit, Bangkok, Thailand and had collected data for thirty-four months. The data were pre-processed and split for the training process and evaluation. In this study, we built and compared four models including linear regression, polynomial regression, Auto-regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models. The results revealed that the LSTM model outperformed (R2=.931, RMSE= 530.74) the others.
Conceptions et usages de l’exemple dans l’enseignement de l’histoire à l’université. Foisonnement, tensions, décalages et paradoxes
Authors: Demartini Anne Emmanuelle
Published: June 2021

Qu’est-ce qu’un exemple pour les enseignants-chercheurs historiens et à quoi sert-il ? Quelle valeur est accordée à l’exemple et comment est-il utilisé dans le cours d’histoire à l’Université ? Quel rapport entre usages de l’exemple et nature de la discipline historique ? Comment les deux modalités de l’exemple (« exemplum » et « casus ») se traduisent-elles dans l’enseignement ? À partir de huit interviews, cet article explore le foisonnement des pratiques, usages, fonctions de l’exemple et interroge le soubassement épistémologique des pratiques de l’exemple. Il montre qu’une épistémologie implicite nourrit la valorisation de l’exemple, doté d’une double fonction pédagogique et cognitive. Il montre aussi un décalage entre les réflexions épistémologiques récentes qui tendent à valoriser le cas problématique (casus) au détriment de l’exemple illustratif (exemplum) ; alors que dans la recherche, le cas est pensé comme le contraire de l’exemple, il y est assimilé dans l’enseignement.
Barriers in Teaching the Four C's of 21st Century Competencies
Authors: Redlo Jesse Mitchell
Published: June 2021

This chapter defines the four C's in practical terms, based on their applications in the literature. Building on the definitions, each of the four C's are examined in terms of their challenges in implementation for teachers, with ideas for overcoming the challenges provided. The role of technology in teaching the four C's is analyzed and connected with practical methods for educators to incorporate technology, especially social media, into their teaching practice. The author shares detailed examples from professional teaching practice to make the concepts relatable to fellow educators. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research, as well as a brief discussion on the importance of the four C's and the ever-changing nature of technology.
Learning to Teach Global Competencies in a Transforming Digital World
Authors: Brassard Leah , Mueller Julie , Archer Karin , Spencer-Mueller Emily Krysten
Published: June 2021

In our globally connected, ever-changing society, the ability to adapt to new environments and technologies can greatly enhance success. In Canada,“21st century skills” are being prioritized in the education system so that young children can develop skills to thrive in our technologically advanced world. However, current teaching practices do not always appear to include 21st century skills in the curriculum. This chapter seeks to examine Canadian university Bachelor of Education programs to gather information about where, and how often, 21st century skill training occurs in pre-service teacher education. A keyword search was conducted on program and course descriptions from 45 Canadian university websites to determine where 21st century skill terminology was present. Next, a more in-depth examination of one specific teacher education program in a consecutive, pre-service program in a mid-sized urban centre in Ontario was conducted. Recommendations are discussed for pre-service education in support of integrating 21st century skills in teacher preparation.
Experiences of Educators in Imparting Digital Education and 21st Century Skills to Modern Students
Authors: Chakravarti Sriya , Stevenson Rosalind Rice
Published: June 2021

As technology influences societies worldwide and invents new opportunities and challenges, its role in education has become increasingly relevant. As the learning environment adapts and incorporates new e-teaching tools, it becomes imperative to find the role, place of technology in education, and examine the voices of educators that work with various technologies in teaching and learning to train young learners. Therefore, this research aims to examine if educators believe that they can inculcate the 21st century skills into the modern student in an online teaching environment. Furthermore, the research attempts to find the obstacles on part of the educators and students that inhibit delivery of a seamless online educational experience and teaching of the 21st century competencies.
Harvesting Energy Wasted from Footsteps Using Piezoelectric Technology to Utilize in Low-Power Applications: A Conceptual Approach and Design
Authors: Jayasekara D. C. , Opatha Dinushika , Palawandram R. A. M. Sharon , Gamage Vihanga , Jabeer T. A.
Published: June 2021

The Earth, as proved by extensive scientific research, is at a critical juncture. With our rising Carbon Footprint and depletion of resources, the long-term future of the planet is in danger of an energy crisis and massive environmental changes. One of the primary culprits for this predicament is the burning of non- renewable sources of energy, which are drying up and results in massive carbon emissions. As a result, the world has been turning to renewable sources for a solution. Some of the most popular solutions are hydro, solar and wind power. The need for humankind to step up in order to prevent the damage to and save the environment is becoming more prominent, every second, because, it is the only solution available. Every day, billions of people place billions of footprints everywhere in the world, at their homes, transportation hubs, shopping malls: the list goes on. One of the facts that has been neglected is that these footsteps are a waste of potentially billions of mega joules of energy. This paper will describe a conceptual approach and a design on how to convert this wasted kinetic energy into electrical energy, providing a source of inexpensive electricity that can be utilized in low-power applications in our daily lives, as a solution to the rising carbon footprint of the Earth.
Investigation into Natural Gas as an Alternative Fuel for Automotive Applications in Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayasekara D. C. , Samarawickrama Y. C.
Published: June 2021

Since recent past world researchers are in a quest to find the best possible alternative fuel to cater for the uprising global energy demand and to find a solution for the most threatening issue of 21st century, Global warming. In these circumstances, natural gas can play a vital role since it is considered as the cleanest fossil fuel which consists of high energy conversion efficiencies. This paper will investigate extensively, the usage of natural gas as an alternative fuel in both spark-ignition and compressed-ignition engines and will further discuss, why it is a promising alternative fuel for automotive applications in Sri Lanka.
Fabrication of an Autonomous Lawn Mower Prototype with Path Planning and Obstacle Avoiding Capabilities
Authors: Wijewickrama D. R. Dasun , Karunanayaka K. M. Harsha , Senadheera H. W. Poorna , Godamulla T. M.
Published: June 2021

Autonomous lawn mowers have been identified as one of the most famous innovations in the recent past. However, complex operational functions, data acquisition methods and the high costs of supporting items result in the expensive nature of these autonomous lawn mowers which in turn dissuades its use in domestic environments. Primary objectives of the research comprised of building a system to identify the working perimeter by means of waypoint identification and the development of an algorithm to detect obstacles in the path followed. This paper presents the completed mechanical design of an autonomous lawn mower prototype while innovating the art of lawnmower fabrication by using colour identification camera modules for path planning with the aid obstacle avoidance integrated in it.
Analysis of the Bond Performance Durability between CFRP and Steel with Changing Environmental Conditions in Sri Lanka
Authors: Wijewickrama D. R. Dasun
Published: June 2021

The use of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) to strengthen steel structures is one of the recent innovative developments being made. However, much research hasn’t been performed regarding how the bond performance varies under different environmental conditions during the installation phase of CFRP. This study was conducted in order to address these limitations by testing samples under different environmental conditions around Sri Lanka. Four-point-bending test was carried out on the eight test specimens and the research findings revealed that CFRP absolutely increased the strength of steel by 39% when bonded together. Additionally, it was found that extreme humidity conditions significantly degrade the bond strength. Nevertheless, with the increment of steel structures to be retrofitted and taking the environmental conditions into account, the application of CFRP was found to be a viable solution to increase the service life of steel structures in Sri Lanka.
Factors Associated with the Use of E-learning Systems in Selected State Universities of Colombo District
Authors: Kiriwandarage M. U.
Published: June 2021

The swift development of internet technology had made a remarkable impact on learning. Technology has been used as a tool to support thE-learning. Electronic learning (E- learning) is considered as the main component of this techno oriented learning infrastructure. The purpose of E- learning programs is to facilitate and assess the learning with the support of communication technology. Compared to the last decade, students are now using E- learning for their studies. Though E-learning is highly used in higher education, some drawbacks can be seen in implementing and maintaining of E- learning programs. Those drawbacks are reducing the productivity of learning. Therefore, it is essential to identify the factors which are associated with E-learning and then to implement E-learning systems. The aim of this article is to identify the factors associated with the use of E-learning.
Factors that Affect the Buying Behaviour of the Shippers and Freight Forwarders when Choosing an Ocean Carrier in Sri Lanka
Authors: Ariyadasa Osanda Chiranthana , Waidyasekara Viraji
Published: June 2021

The shipping sector has become the backbone of international trade and globalization. Therefore, the freight transportation selection is of vital importance for the shippers and International Freight Forwarder (IFF). Accordingly, assessment of requirements and trends of freight forwarding while understanding key factors that rule its efficacious movement is a timely want to provide high quality service to societies. This study aims to determine the factors that affect both shippers and IFF’s when selecting an ocean carrier preference to the Sri Lanka. Primary data is collected through Questionnaires and 174 questionnaires have been collected. Descriptive analysis has been carried out to check the association between the response variables and explanatory variables. Due to the availability of collinearity between explanatory variables, factor analysis has been carried out. Hypothesis testing has been carried out for ordinal data using Kruskal Wallis test. The factors which affect the buying behaviour of the shippers and international freight forwarders when selecting an ocean carrier with orientation to Sri Lanka can be mainly categorized into facilities, accuracy, frequency and relationship, capacity, reliability and competence, general reputation, service capabilities. service capabilities are dependent on the organization type, Number of employees,  Average volume per month and estimated average income per month. General Reputation is dependent on the organization type, Number of employees, Average volume per month and Frequency. Capacity is dependent on the organization type, Firm age and Average volume per month.
Demand Factors for the Use of Public Transport to Reduce Congestion within the Colombo Region
Authors: Manickam S. J. J. , Perera M. V. V. S. , Wanniarachchi S. S.
Published: June 2021

As congestion is a growing issue in Sri Lanka, a quick and efficient solution is required as it is causing many negative issues both economically and socially. This research was therefore carried out to find out the demand factors for public transportation to reduce congestion. The objectives of this research were to find out the demand factors of private transport users to switch over to public transport, and this research also focused on the shortcomings of the current public transport system. After the collection of data through primary and secondary methods, the gathered data were used to model a public transport system that will try to please all markets while generating more business for service providers. An online based questionnaire survey was conducted with an instrument of 28 questions. The target sample is both public and private transport users, although the sample size was 500, there were only 423 valid responses. Simple random sampling was used in this study and SPSS was used to analyse the data. A factor analysis was carried out to reduce the number of variables and grouping factors which have the same characteristics. Once this was completed the 28 variables were reduced to 10 variables. Hypothesis testing was carried out to validate the hypotheses. The research findings explain that the willingness of people to move from private automobiles to modes of public transport depends on the comfort ability and safety, where the comfort ability includes the availability of reserved seating, cushioned seats and air conditioning. Surprisingly the availability of technology on board the bus/train was deemed not so important although the level of service at boarding points was proved to be a crucial factor. Respondents who were already users of public transport, surprisingly created a very good picture of the existing public transport system. The basis of recommendations was to focus on customer service and comfort ability to have an efficient and effective public transport system.
Analysis of Customer Satisfaction Factors on Luxury Rail Service from Colombo to Kandy, Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayawickrama T. H. A. , Senanayaka N. B. , Pinsara G. G. P. , Wanniarachchi S. S.
Published: June 2021

The Luxury Rail service has been demonstrating a boost in the transport service sector in the past two decades in Sri Lanka. This study identifies the factors affecting customer satisfaction on the Luxury rail service in Sri Lanka on the Colombo–Kandy route. The target population of this research is the total passengers using the luxury rail services available in Sri Lanka and a sample of 250 has bee, used for data collection based on satisfied random sampling method. Data has been collected using a questionnaire survey on local and foreign rail passengers of selected Railway services, i.e. First Class observation saloon. Expo-Rail and Rajadhani Express, which operates daily from Colombo to Kandy and vice versa. The response rate for the questionnaire has been 86%. The Descriptive analysis of collected results has shown that majority of the luxury rail travellers are private sector employees and annual travellers. It has proved that the data set has obtained reliability of value as 0.868. The Factor Analysis and Principal Component Analysis of the data have shown that customer satisfaction factors in luxury rail concept have slightly attracted towards the convenience of trip planning and efficiency of service providers. As per the study, most influencing factors in customer satisfaction are comfortability in the accommodation in carriage and station, Technology and Entertainment availability, Information and employee responsiveness, quality of the service, complain handling mechanism and Package attractiveness. The progress and the development have always depended on the level of satisfaction of the customes. This Study further suggests that use of cutomer service maketing concepts with good internet and promotional campaigns with pricing strategies would help the luxury rail service providers to increase the satisfaction level of customers and the duture growth of the lusury rail services.
Survey of Condition Monitoring Techniques for Induction Motors
Authors: De Silva Samudra
Published: June 2021

Induction motors have been identified as one of the most common and useful type of motors. Thus, these motors are commonly used in domestic applications as well as industrial applications due to their distinctive features. However, it has been determined that these motors tend to fail with the time of operation which can be minimized through proper techniques of monitoring the condition and diagnosing the fault of the induction motor. The following paper will investigate extensively, the faults which could occur in an induction motor as well as the techniques of diagnosing these faults which can provide a better lifetime whilst increasing the reliability in an induction motor subsequently.
Effects of Global Factors on Sustainable Ship Recycling
Authors: Gunawardena Ranjith C.
Published: June 2021

This paper examines the factors influencing ship recycling industry and their effect on the sustainability of the industry. It focuses on operations, which include current working practices of ship breaking facilities in global locations and regulations that govern these procedures. The objective of this study is to analyse how far the ship recycling operations stay within the existing regulations and whether any gaps exist, how best the future regulations and operational procedures can be improved in order to narrow down the existing gaps so that the sustainability of industry can be achieved. Major ship recycling yards in Asia are reviewed in this paper since they contribute to almost all the ship recycling currently take place globally.
Judicial Intervention on Environmental Protection through Judicial Review with Special Reference to Sri Lanka
Authors: Thilakarathna K. A. A. N.
Published: June 2021

The concept of solidarity as advanced by Durkheim in the 18th century concerns about the totality of a given society in which it tries to work together as a cohesive unit. Durkheim observed that at the initial stages, that is to say in the primitive societies people bonded together because of their similarities. As most of the people in a tribe or a clan in those periods were self-sufficient and their needs and wants being limited in nature, they were capable of surviving on their own and hence they formed alliances with one another out of their similarities. This was termed as mechanical solidarity. Durkheim observed that, during these periods laws were stringently applied and that any deviant behaviors were heavily condemned and retributive justice was considered to be the norm. However, as the societies grew in numbers, the similarities which existed among the people in a tribe or a clan soon started to disappear and more and dissimilarities and differences among them began to arise. With these latter developments, the unity of the society was protected by a different kind of solidarity, which is termed as organic solidarity. Under this particular system social unity is based on a division of labor that results in people depending on each other. As one person became dependent on another the relationships which existed prior to such change of circumstances were not able to provide for the rather complex relationships which started to develop with the division of labor, where each person was somehow, or the other produced a commodity which was to be exchanged with other commodities in which the exchange of ones capabilities with another became the norm of a society. Durkheim explained that, even with these differences people had to work together under an organic solidarity to make sure of their future existence. Durkheim observed that, during these periods, the laws are made not so with a retributive aim but with a rehabilitative aim, in which offenders or deviants are rehabilitated so that they can be re-released to a given society where once again they can become productive individuals. Using a black letter approach, this paper tries to evaluate the theory of solidarity as advanced by Durkheim in a conceptual manner with the prevalent realities of the modern society. In doing so this paper looks at the contemporary arguments which have been put forward both for and against the ides presented by Durkheim with regard to his idea of solidarity. From these contemporary writings it has been found that, though not in its entirety, he Durkheimian concept of solidarity still holds true with regard to the working of or keeping a society together admits all of its differences.
Factors Affecting Waste Disposal Cost in Supply Chain Operations and Ways of Optimising: Pharmaceutical Industry
Authors: Abeywardena Janith , Jayarathna Nuwan , Madhushani Ganga
Published: June 2021

Waste is one of a greatest problem faced by people in any country where waste contaminates indigenous habitat with devastating results if the authorities fail to take care accurately. In any case, it appears to be practically unavoidable that our public, manufactures, industrial businesses etc. produces waste whereas only can be minimized hence the point of this rationale thesis has been to explore how to recover the material assets by rethinking waste as an asset. The study mainly focuses on pharmaceutical companies in Sri Lanka who produces numerous waste per month with compared to other industries whereas don’t have much focus on degree of treating those waste at disposing where companies spend millions of money on the process of disposing. This paper investigates a way of sustainably disposing those product wastes of pharmaceutical companies and the determinants of waste disposal cost and ways of optimizing. Thus, questionnaire survey was distributed focusing on pharmaceutical players within Sri Lanka to measure factors affecting to waste disposal cost as well as to prove that concluded strategy can aid to generate profits from the previously used cost generative process of direct disposing the pharmaceutical wastage and also the researcher apply that strategy on a PQR company to evaluate the degree of successfulness of the strategy. Thus, the outcomes are included here under 3 main objective analysis with six major factors named as “Effective operational process”, “Standard procedures”, “Quality of storage/operation”, “Regulatory awareness”, “Traceability” and “Knowledge” which were identified as factors affecting waste disposal cost as well as the study concluded a successful waste disposal strategy as sorting and recycling where can change the current game play of the pharmaceutical companies to a new direction.
Improving Positive Attitudes through Cooperative Learning
Authors: Kurukulaarachchi V. K. N.
Published: June 2021

The study examined the practice of cooperative learning and working in groups have improved attitudes towards group work, communication, interpersonal skills and achievement of students. Objectives of the study are to develop positive attitude towards Social studies, to enhance the teamwork of students and achieve better productivity and to develop self-management skills. To achieve the objectives of the study the Grade 5A class has been selected and thirty-five students have participated in the study. Random sample have been used to select the respondents and both primary and secondary data collection methods have used. Data collection techniques were questionnaire and interviews for students and observations and reflective report of the teacher researcher. Study found that working in groups also can change the attitude of the students. The study revealed that there is a slight increase in attitude towards Social Studies after group work. Further the students appreciated working with one another on solving problems. Particularly when the students were in groups they feel more confident to do the work. Study revealed that cooperative learning helps to develop self-management skills since when the student gains more confident they will be able to manage themselves better.
Increasing Work Readiness of Fresh IT Graduates at Interviews: A Scoping Review
Authors: Aeheliyagoda Dulmini , Nadeeshani Suranji
Published: June 2021

Interviews are a widely used method in which the performance and knowledge of potential employees are evaluated. Fresh graduates who come out to the job industry are rarely armed with prior experience in facing a job and securing employment, which leads to them underperforming at actual interviews. The lack of exposure to an interviewing environment together with inadequate preparation is the main reason for such underperformance. This paper examines the short-comings associated with graduate interviews and attempts to identify the predominant factors that would contribute to an improvement in performance. It then aims to propose a solution in terms of a computer based interviewing platform to solve this problem.