Exploring Creation of Connected Classroom in Rural College: Challenges and Implications

Education plays an important role in the lives of individuals. Education helps the individuals in developing skills, capabilities, attitudes and behavior (Saleem & Shah, 2015). In developing countries like Pakistan access towards education is not satisfactory. In Pakistan, at the higher education, arts subjects generally and science subjects particularly are not with in the access of rural people. Because there are very few colleges in rural areas, and these colleges have shortage of subject specialist faculty. The available faculty is only for teaching compulsory courses and limited option of humanities group courses. As a result, the rural communities are deprived from their basic right of getting education and unable to utilize their potential in their areas of interest. Connected classroom is one of the technological innovation that can be used to overcome the shortage of teaching faculty issue in rural areas. Connected classrooms are created by using new technology tools to build online networks and develop personal learning resources through collaboration with personal learning networks and professional learning communities (Siemens, 2005). t was observed that in remote and rural areas of Pakistan, the opportunities of higher education are limited. After completing the secondary school certificate, students have limited option to choose subjects of their interest. As a result, either they select the subjects in which they are not interested or move towards cities to get better education opportunities. But it is a sad fact that majority of students cannot afford to travel towards colleges in big cities, and have to left their journey of education. Therefore, this study introduced connected classroom technology for rural and remote communities at college level to improve student's enrollment in rural area colleges instead of moving towards urban colleges. More importantly, it will help to overcome the problem of shortage of subject teachers at the rural colleges as well. Keywords: Connected classroom; teaching faculty; rural college; rural student

A Promising Copper(II) Complex as Antifungal and Antibiofilm Drug against Yeast Infection

The high mortality rate of candidemia and the limited option for the treatment of Candida spp. infection have been driving the search for new molecules with antifungal property. In this context, coordination complexes of metal ions and ligands appear to be important. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize two new copper(II) complexes with 2-thiouracil and 6-methyl-2-thiouracil ligands and to evaluate their mutagenic potential and antifungal activity against Candida. The complexes were synthesized and characterized by infrared vibrational spectroscopy, CHN elemental analysis, UV-Vis experiments and ESI-HRMS spectrometry studies. The antifungal activity was evaluated by broth microdilution against 21 clinical isolates of Candida species. The mutagenic potential was evaluated by the Ames test. The complexes were Cu(Bipy)Cl2(thiouracil) (Complex 1) and Cu(Bipy)Cl2(6-methylthiouracil) (Complex 2). Complex 1 showed fungicidal and fungistatic activities against all isolates. Furthermore, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) from 31 to 125 µg/mL and inhibition percentage of 9.9% against the biofilms of C. krusei and C. glabrata were demonstrated. At the concentrations tested, complex 1 exhibited no mutagenic potential. Complex 2 and the free ligands exhibited no antifungal activity at the concentrations evaluated. Since complex 1 presented antifungal activity against all the tested isolates and no mutagenic potential, it could be proposed as a potential new drug for anti-Candida therapy.

Neurodivergent Themed Neighbourhoods as A Strategy to Enhance the Liveability of Cities: The Blueprint of an Autism Village, Its Benefits to Neurotypical Environments

In the next decades, it is expected that there will be a significant number of adults living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who will continue to strive in the neurotypical environment. Despite the recent rise of developments that deviate from the institutional type of facility, many parents continue to voice their struggle to find safe and appropriate living environments for their adult children. The problem is not just the limited option on where to live, financing a home is also another dilemma. Thus, the challenge to provide appropriate living environments coincide with the need to provide meaningful opportunities that allows them to thrive and function in the society. This paper explores the existing design guidelines through recommendations on how spaces can be articulated by considering the value of savant skills and productive vocational skills for individuals living with ASD. This optimistic approach hopes to enlighten built environment practitioners in designing spaces where different populations can co–exist, particularly those with varied abilities. The environmental needs of ASDs and the proposed spatial interventions also extend its benefits to the well–being of neurotypicals. In addition, the participation of the ASD population in the built environment bridges accessibility and spatial experience. Therefore, designing neurodivergent neighbourhoods can be employed as a strategy to improve and enhance the liveability of urban regions.

Verbal present participles in Norwegian: Controlled complements or parts of complex predicates

Norwegian has a limited option for verbal present participles. These participles only exist with a small number of verbs, and they are selected by a handful of predicates. The analysis of sentences with these participles raises some challenges. Taking the analysis of Thurén (2008) as my point of departure, I argue that verbal present participles have two possible analyses, as controlled complements, or as parts of complex predicates. The presentational focus construction gives important evidence for this analysis.

Drive optimisation of a pulsatile Total Artificial Heart

Drive optimisation of a pulsatile Total Artificial HeartTotal Artificial Hearts (TAHs) are required for the therapy of terminal heart diseases as heart transplants are only a limited option due to the available number of donor hearts. For implantation TAHs have to meet constraints regarding its dimensions, weight, perfusions and electrical losses. An innovative linear driven TAH is presented, which meets all constraints except weight. Therefore the geometry of the linear drive is optimised to reduce its weights while simultaneously limiting the electrical losses as much as possible. In order to calculate the losses, this paper introduced a combined calculation chain consisting of FEM simulations and analytical equations. Based on this chain the linear drive is optmised by the method of parameter variations. The results yield a hierachic order of parameters which are most suitable for the weight reduction of the drive for low losses. By this the weight of the linear drive is reduced by 25%. As the allowable loss limit is not exceeded yet, room for further weight reduction achieved by an optimisation of the axial geomtry parameters is given.