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This article examines the impact of financial support mechanisms and geopolitical factors on the profitability of investments in solar power plants within Slovenia. The European Union's energy policy prioritizes increases in renewable energy sources, aiming to reduce dependency on unstable and volatile fossil fuel markets. Solar power plants play a vital role in this transition. The energy policy framework also includes mechanisms and support systems to operate such facilities. This article analyzes electricity price trends over the past decade and addresses which support type—guaranteed purchase or operational support—has proven more profitable for investments in solar power plants up to 50 kW in Slovenia, considering economic and geopolitical influences on the electricity market. Although the global energy market has been affected by various significant events in recent years, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic had minimal impact on the electricity market. In contrast, the onset of the conflict in Ukraine has contributed to rising electricity prices and has influenced the support dynamics essential for the development and sustainability of renewable energy systems. Analyses from the past decade indicate a higher return on investment in solar power plants when operational support mechanisms are chosen over guaranteed purchase support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy complications are far more common in young women. This could inhibit their personal growth and development, take away them of their youth and education, and decline the general health of the country in the process. Focusing on this problem is an ideal matter. Education, family planning, raising community awareness, and teaching adolescents the importance of delaying marriage, reproductive health, and involvement of parents will surely help transform today's teenage girls into healthy, responsible adults who will bear a healthy future generation. The study emphasizes the lived experiences, challenges, coping mechanisms, and parent's role. Moreover, the study's findings which were based on the Thematic Analysis, were as follows: (1) Teenage Mothers have maternal adjustment difficulties, adolescent reproductive health knowledge gaps, and fear of negative evaluation. (2) Teenage Mothers struggles to discrimination, social rejection anxiety, parenting efficacy, academic disengagement, and financial stress. (3) Lastly, when talking about their coping techniques, Teenage Mothers found support system such as family functioning, where they feel positive, peer influence that uplifts them, maternal identity development through fellow teenage mothers, parent-infant attachment as a source of their motivation, and spiritual well-being where they offer, they overall life to God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Railway Construction Technology is the property of Railway Construction Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To maximise the benefits of HIV self-testing (HIVST), it is critical to support self-testers in the testing process and ensure that they access appropriate prevention and care. To summarise systems and tools supporting HIVST (hereafter, 'support systems') and categorise them for future analysis, we synthesised the global data on HIVST support systems and proposed a typology. We searched five databases for articles reporting on one or more HIVST support systems and included 314 publications from 224 studies. Across 189 studies, there were 539 reports of systems supporting HIVST use; while across 115 studies, there were 171 reports of systems supporting result interpretation. Most commonly, these were pictorial instructions, followed by in-person demonstrations and in-person assistance while self-testing or reading self-test results. Less commonly, virtual interventions were also identified, including online video conferencing and smartphone apps. Smartphone-based automated result readers have been used in the USA, China, and South Africa. Across 173 studies, there were 987 reports of systems supporting post-test linkage to care; most commonly, these were in-person referrals/counselling, written referrals, and phone helplines. In the USA, Bluetooth beacons have been trialled to monitor self-test use and facilitate follow-up. We found that, globally, HIVST support systems use a range of methods, including static media, virtual tools, and in-person engagement. In-person and printed approaches were more common than virtual tools. Other considerations, such as linguistic and cultural appropriateness, may also be important in the development of effective HIVST programs. The success of HIV self-testing requires the user to accurately use the self-test, interpret the result, and be linked to relevant follow-up services. We summarised the systems and tools that have been used to support users through the self-testing process ('support systems'), and found a diverse range of support systems, including pictorial instructions, in-person support, and virtual tools. We have developed a typology to categorise these support systems, which can be used as a framework for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deeper understanding of low-income and first-generation college student experiences is essential to advancing diversity and equity in higher education. Due to a significant gap in college enrollment and graduation rates for low-income and first-generation college students, specifically after COVID-19, it is important to identify factors affecting their success. The Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) Program at New Mexico Tech (NMT) supports high school students who are either first-generation college students and/or from low-income families to prepare them with the skills and motivation necessary to complete high school and enter and succeed in a program of postsecondary education. These students face unique challenges during their time at college. To identify the factors that affect the success of these students, we surveyed several of our UBMS program participants who chose to attend NMT after completing high school. All participants said support from UBMS staff was critical when starting college at NMT. Participants also mention building a support system with their fellow UBMS alumni to deal with the struggles that being at STEM-focused institutions brings. This study also resulted in several suggestions for faculty and staff members to improve academic outcomes for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes the major of food science and engineering of Jiangxi Agricultural University as an example, which mainly focus on the linkage education mechanism of food science and engineering talents, the “multi-system cross integration” talent training model, and the internal/ external support system based on “student learning achievements oriented”, to build a “One center, Two integration, Six supports” food excellent engineering talent training model, which provides reference for promoting the development of higher engineering talent education under the new engineering situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background - The new increasing homeless lately consist of women, children, youth, the elderly and marginalized ethnic or migrant groups. Some of them are working and earn salaries, however, the income is not sufficient to live modestly. Purpose – The purpose of this research is to establish a desired support system to eradicate urban homelessness in the country. Design/methodology/approach – This is an exploratory descriptive method study which employed quantitative techniques. The study employed a social ecological model to investigate behavior of homeless via multiple levels of influences including intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy. Surveys have been conducted on sixty-five homeless individuals. Findings – It was found that support systems and structures should be derived from the whole streams from families, communities, organizations and government. Employment opportunities, long-term shelters within the community places and highly demanded skills are needed to improve their living condition. Research limitations – This study is only focused on the socio-economic structures of the homeless in a capital city. Originality/value – This is an empirical research using a social ecological model for the homeless in the Kuala Lumpur area. Research on homeless study has received little attention and has yet to be fully explored.

Brainstorming is an important part of the design thinking process since it encourages creativity and innovation through bringing together diverse viewpoints. However, traditional brainstorming practices face challenges such as the management of large volumes of ideas. To address this issue, this paper introduces a decision support system that employs the BERTopic model to automate the brainstorming process, which enhances the categorization of ideas and the generation of coherent topics from textual data. The dataset for our study was assembled from a brainstorming session on "scholar dropouts", where ideas were captured on Post-it notes, digitized through an optical character recognition (OCR) model, and enhanced using data augmentation with a language model, GPT-3.5, to ensure robustness. To assess the performance of our system, we employed both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Quantitative evaluations were conducted independently across various parameters, while qualitative assessments focused on the relevance and alignment of keywords with human-classified topics during brainstorming sessions. Our findings demonstrate that BERTopic outperforms traditional LDA models in generating semantically coherent topics. These results demonstrate the usefulness of our system in managing the complex nature of Arabic language data and improving the efficiency of brainstorming sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ensure the operational efficiency of police personnel under the background of anti-terrorism operation, this paper puts forward the planning and construction method of equipment support system for task demand, and constructs the anti-terrorism equipment support system in Xinjiang region Combined with the constructed system, a mathematical model with time-priority as the objective is established, and a hybrid task planning method based on multidimensional dynamic list programming and chaotic bat algorithm is proposed. A discrete chaotic bat algorithm with adaptive search strategy and mutation operation is designed to allocate resources for selected tasks by multidimensional dynamic list tasks. The research shows that the established support system fully considers the equipment system demand generation mechanism under the Background of anti-terrorism operation, and increases the introduction of the support system and the technical standard system, which can effectively meet the personnel equipment support needs in the anti-terrorism environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to determine and discuss the factors that influence the learning outcomes of preservice teacher students in a blended learning environment. This quantitative study used a structured online questionnaire to collect responses from preservice teacher students (n=602) from five universities in Indonesia. Measurement analysis was used to validate the instrument, and the structural equation model was used to test the relationship between constructs. The model had four constructs: support system, learning strategy, digital literacy, and learning outcome. This study integrates three factors, namely support systems, learning strategies, and digital literacy, to identify the determinants of student-teacher learning outcomes in a blended learning environment. The research revealed that support systems and learning strategies have an effect on digital literacy and that digital literacy has a direct effect on learning outcomes. This research provides important insights regarding the contribution of support systems, learning strategies, and digital literacy to improve student learning outcomes in a blended learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Debate Jurídico Ecuador is the property of Universidad Regional Autonoma de los Andes (UNIANDES) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This qualitative study aimed to delve into the nuanced experiences, challenges, coping mechanisms, and the acceptance journey of parents raising children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Employing a qualitative methodology, the research involved conducting indepth interviews with parents referred by the Maharlika Charity Foundation. The findings illuminated diverse levels of comprehension regarding cerebral palsy among the participants, with acceptance of the condition seen to evolve gradually over time. Financial constraints emerged as a significant hurdle for parents, compounded by societal stigma and misconceptions surrounding the condition. Despite these obstacles, parents demonstrated remarkable resilience, actively engaging in caregiving and seeking support from their social networks. Family support played a pivotal role in ameliorating both the emotional and financial burdens associated with raising a child with cerebral palsy, emphasizing the importance of a robust support system. The journey towards acceptance of the child's condition emerged as a critical milestone in the parental experience, fostering a sense of adaptation and strength. Through their narratives, parents showcased a spectrum of coping strategies, ranging from practical caregiving approaches to seeking solace in religious faith. The study underscores the necessity of tailored support systems to assist families in navigating the multifaceted challenges inherent in raising a child with cerebral palsy. Ultimately, it sheds light on the resilience and resourcefulness of parents in facing the complexities of caring for a child with special needs within their familial and societal contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Railway Standard Design is the property of Railway Standard Design Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background - The new increasing homeless lately consist of women, children, youth, the elderly and marginalized ethnic or migrant groups. Some of them are working and earn salaries, however, the income is not sufficient to live modestly. Purpose – The purpose of this research is to establish a desired support system to eradicate urban homelessness in the country. Design/methodology/approach – This is an exploratory descriptive method study which employed quantitative techniques. The study employed a social ecological model to investigate behavior of homeless via multiple levels of influences including intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy. Surveys have been conducted on sixty-five homeless individuals. Findings – It was found that support systems and structures should be derived from the whole streams from families, communities, organizations and government. Employment opportunities, long-term shelters within the community places and highly demanded skills are needed to improve their living condition. Research limitations – This study is only focused on the socio-economic structures of the homeless in a capital city. Originality/value – This is an empirical research using a social ecological model for the homeless in the Kuala Lumpur area. Research on homeless study has received little attention and has yet to be fully explored.

This article researches established support services for school development related to digitalization and their relationship to schools’ requirements. We present a theoretical model combining the dimensions of school development and established services as an extension of the dimensions of school development by Eickelmann and Gerick (2017). We then introduce the project ‹Professional Development and Support Systems for School Development in the Context of Digitalization› (Original title in German: ‹Fortbildungs- und Unterstützungssysteme für Schulentwicklung im Kontext der Digitalisierung›, abbreviated to ForUSE-digi) is introduced. The main aim is the provision of a Germany-wide inventory of strategies, structures and specific measures of school support and teacher professional development systems in all 16 federal states. The article presents initial results consisting of analyses of strategic papers, state-specific structures and concrete measures (including offers for teachers’ professional development and consulting services) for the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The results are discussed in relation to the extended model, with the aim of establishing what might constitute ‹optimal› services for schools in the context of digitalization. The results show that ‹optimization needs› still exist in both support services and school development processes. The article ends with a conclusion and a preview of the second part of ForUSE-digi, which will include expert interviews with key persons for the support systems of selected federal states.

This article examines the impact of financial support mechanisms and geopolitical factors on the profitability of investments in solar power plants within Slovenia. The European Union’s energy policy prioritizes increases in renewable energy sources, aiming to reduce dependency on unstable and volatile fossil fuel markets. Solar power plants play a vital role in this transition. The energy policy framework also includes mechanisms and support systems to operate such facilities. This article analyzes electricity price trends over the past decade and addresses which support type—guaranteed purchase or operational support—has proven more profitable for investments in solar power plants up to 50 kW in Slovenia, considering economic and geopolitical influences on the electricity market. Although the global energy market has been affected by various significant events in recent years, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic had minimal impact on the electricity market. In contrast, the onset of the conflict in Ukraine has contributed to rising electricity prices and has influenced the support dynamics essential for the development and sustainability of renewable energy systems. Analyses from the past decade indicate a higher return on investment in solar power plants when operational support mechanisms are chosen over guaranteed purchase support.

The goal of this study is to promote the development of high-quality energy and emission reduction measures for super large deep foundation pits applied in metro system construction projects in areas with loess. In this paper, Rhinoceros 6 is first used to model the super large deep foundation pit on both sides of the existing subway. Second, the Mohr‒Coulomb model and the elastic model are used for numerical calculations in FLAC 3D. In-depth analysis of the deformation of the foundation pit and its surrounding environment and optimization of the support system are performed from the perspectives of safety, economy and environmental protection. Finally, the emission factor method is used to analyze the energy consumption level of the support system. The results reveal that the surface settlement, horizontal displacement of support structure, and horizontal and vertical displacements of the lining increase with the number of construction stages (CONS). In addition, there are strong and stable areas of ground settlement. The ground settlement in the strong area exhibits a V-shaped trend. The horizontal displacement of the lining structure is concentrated in the lower 1/5 of the lining structure, and the vertical displacement gradually decreases from the center toward the east and west. Increases in the pile diameter and diagonal steel support stiffness significantly reduce the deformation of the super large deep foundation pit excavation on its sidewalls and surroundings. The optimized support system greatly reduces the project cost and construction difficulty, and the total carbon emissions are reduced by 27.52%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure of the support system is one of the primary reasons for bridge failures during construction. Existing research on support system failures primarily focused on falsework, with less attention given to other components such as Bailey beams, transverse beams, and steel pipe piles. This study focused on an incident where the support system of a cast-in-situ box girder bridge experienced settlement due to the failure of Bailey beams, transverse beams, and steel pipe piles. To thoroughly analyze the accident's causes, a multiscale elastic–plastic finite-element model of the support system was developed based on the actual on-site layout. By combining the results of the finite-element model with comprehensive on-site data, it was found that the support system settlement accident was caused by a series of construction errors, including the incorrect placement of the Bailey beams, excessive vulnerability in the steel pipe piles' support positions, and inadequate welding strength between the transverse beams. To prevent similar accidents from recurring, the design, construction, and supervisory parties should collectively ensure the consistency between design and construction and increase their attention to potential stress concentrations in certain components of the support system. When the possibility of stress concentration exists, Bailey beams should be reinforced with vertical or diagonal struts depending on their actual support positions, while steel pipe piles should be reinforced with annular steel plates higher than 500 mm. This study focuses on an incident where the support system of a cast-in-situ box girder bridge experienced settlement due to the failure of Bailey beams, transverse beams, and steel pipe piles. These failures were primarily caused by inconsistencies between design and construction and a lack of attention to potential stress concentrations in certain components of the support system. In fact, the differences between design and construction are widespread and are one of the primary reasons for the failure of support systems during bridge construction. Therefore, the design, construction, and supervisory parties should work together to reduce the occurrence of such situations. Designers need to identify the most critical assumptions made during calculation and communicate these assumptions clearly to the construction team through a checklist. Construction and supervisory parties should implement these assumptions as much as possible and promptly report when they cannot be met. Furthermore, more attention should be given to potential stress concentrations in the support system. This requires designers to be aware of the limitations of beam element models when analyzing stresses at connection points. When stress concentrations are inevitable, the methods proposed in this study can be used to reinforce Bailey beams and steel pipe piles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relying on the project of Zhoushan Avenue undercrossing Kaiyuan Avenue in Luoyang City, the mechanical characteristics and influencing factors of the retaining structure of deep foundation pit under eccentric pressure in pebble stratum are studied. MIDAS GTS NX was used to establish a two-dimensional finite element model, and the lateral displacement, bending moment and axial force of the supporting structure under different conditions were compared. The effects of the position, size, distribution width, and excavation depth h of the deep foundation pit side eccentric load on the deformation of the foundation pit supporting system were discussed. The equation and related coefficients of the pile shaft changing with the conditions were also obtained. The results show that when the surcharge reaches 60 kPa, the displacement of the left pile changes 56. 80%, the displacement of the right pile is smaller than the left pile and moves away from the foundation pit, and the pile deformation will reach the early warning value specified in this project when the pit side load is greater than or equal to 105 kPa. The surcharge is highly related to the distance from the pit edge and the lateral displacement of the retaining pile. When the distance from the pit to the surcharge is greater than 1. 5 times the design excavation depth, the stress deformation of the retaining structure tends to be stable. When the excavation depth of foundation pit reaches 1. 8 times of the design excavation depth, the influence of load distribution width on the cast-in-place pile of foundation pit is almost zero. The comparison and analysis between the measured value and the simulated value verify the accuracy of the method in this paper, which can provide a reference for the eccentric deep foundation pit project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to store hydrogen in a liquid state at −253 °C, a double-structured tank trailer with inner and outer vessels is essential for maintaining insulation through a vacuum. While the smaller support of the inner vessel reduces heat loss, it raises concerns regarding its susceptibility to external factors like driving conditions. This study focuses on ensuring the safety of the tank trailer through design and analysis. Inner vessel thickness was determined using the membrane stress theory, verified per KGS guidelines. Structural safety of the 2.5-ton trailer was assessed following ASME Sec. VIII Div. 2 guidelines, simulating full hydrogen charge and adhering to CGA-H3. ASME BPVC XII specifications were applied, and a redesign mitigated stress concentration issues considering driving conditions. Following these steps, successful design and safety verification of the 2.5-ton trailer were achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposed a method to characterize the effect of support system stiffness in excavation design based on a newly developed stiffness influence factor. Three-dimensional finite-element analyses were performed considering various excavation, support, and soil conditions. Focus was given to the effect of system stiffness in irregular excavation configuration with a re-entrant corner in different soil conditions. Wall deflection and surface settlement within the re-entrant corner zone were smaller due to the corner stiffening effect, yet deeper and wider influence zones of wall deflection and surface settlement were shown. The individual performance of the influence parameters was evaluated and introduced into a unified evaluation model, and the system stiffness influence factor was established. The proposed system stiffness influence factor was sufficiently effective in predicting wall deflection and surface settlement. Case examples showed that the proposed method is valid and effective for excavation design. The sensitivity analysis showed that the wall stiffness contributed most to the performance of the wall, which was applicable to further enhancing and optimizing excavation design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Germany different offers of social support are available for families that are provided by different sectors, e.g., the youth welfare and the healthcare systems. Objective: Documentation of the utilized help, child-related factors that are associated with the utilization and the parental desires for support. Material and methods: Survey of 160 parents undergoing (partial) inpatient treatment in psychiatric hospitals via an oral interview using standardized and semi-standardized instruments. Results: The results show that nonprofessional help by family and friends as well as support offers provided by the healthcare system are used most frequently. Families that perceived their children as more burdened receive more help than families with children judged as being less burdened. There are regional differences especially in the utilization of high-threshold help by the healthcare system. Discussion: Support offers seem to reach families with mental illnesses, especially those that are particularly burdened; however, there are regional differences regarding the utilization of support as well as the wishes for specific support offers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jews from across the globe have flocked to Israel over the past century. The immigration of Ethiopian Jews took place in two main waves: the first in 1984 and the second in 1991, and as of 2022, this community numbers about 168,000 (Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, 2022). The ingathering of Jews of Ethiopian descent to Israel is a unique phenomenon. The Ethiopian Jewish minority in Israel is characterized by minority group features, and is distinguished from Israeli society in appearance, culture, and language. In an effort to increase the integration of Ethiopian Jews into mainstream Israeli society, the Israeli government has decided to harness the educational system as a socializing agent. The education system plays a key role in shaping a multicultural society, since it serves as a meeting place between different groups (Arifin & Susanto, 2017). Increasing the representation of Ethiopian Jewish teachers in this system not only gives them a respectable occupation and source of living, but also increases Israeli students’ exposure to these teachers as positive role models, a move which help combat racist attitudes and create a better future for all. The TESFA program aims to design culturally and racially sensitive solutions that help improve the integration of teachers of Ethiopian descent into the Israeli educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Hortícolas is the property of Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Horticolas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The foundations of offshore wind power can be classified as floating, tripod, jacket, monopile, or gravity-based, depending on the support type. In the case of tripod- and jacket-type supports, the structures require precise construction. There are two main methods for installing substructures: post- and pre-piling. The post-piling method involves moving the completed substructure to the site and fixing it to the seabed by inserting a pile into the leg pile and driving it, allowing it to be constructed without special off-shore equipment; however, the construction period is long. Contrarily, the precision of foundation installation can be improved by installing a pre-piling template, which is special equipment that serves as a basic structure, on the seabed in advance, and subsequently inserting substructures. This study presents a new type of underwater pre-piling template and method for achieving optimal construction environment conditions. Construction precision was analyzed based on the wave condition, current speed, winch speed, wave direction, and current direction while the under-water template was anchored to the seabed. It was found that the wave conditions, winch speed, and vessel type had a significant influence. The results obtained considering the Douglas sea scale show that precise construction could only be achieved within Grade 2 for general barge ships, while jack-up barge ships could be used even at Grade 3 or higher. The higher the winch speed, the more stable construction becomes possible, and jack-up barges show greater constructability than general barges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Education Research (1680-6360) is the property of Angle Publishing Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Diversitas Journal is the property of Diversitas Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This phenomenological study sought an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of people living with breast cancer within the context of their day-to-day lives and the emotional burden brought by the disease and analyzed the data using phenomenological methods. A purposive sampling method was used to determine the number of required participants by interviewing women with breast cancer who will meet the inclusion criteria until the data are saturated and no new topics are generated. A total of six (6) women with breast cancer were interviewed. There are two major themes that emerged and describe the lived experiences among patients with breast cancer. These were varied views of people regarding breast cancer and the importance of the support group to a person, especially in overcoming the challenges and difficulties as they go along their journey of beating breast cancer. In conclusion, by using an in-depth interview, this study found out that the experiences of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer have completed the treatment and some have recurrence and ongoing treatment. Also, there is support received from her family, friends, and co-members, which helps them to overcome and cope with stress, especially the treatment. Through early detection, it plays a vital role in managing Breast Cancer. With proper information dissemination and awareness with regards to breast cancer, this could prevent it from late detection, and early management. However, with regard to early detection, they didn’t seek immediate care; rather, they preferred to self-medicate and seek after it worsens.

Copyright of Journal of Hubei Open Vocational College is the property of Journal of Hubei Open Vocational College Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Guangdong Architecture Civil Engineering is the property of Guangdong Architecture Civil Engineering Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A deeper understanding of low-income and first-generation college student experiences is essential to advancing diversity and equity in higher education. Due to a significant gap in college enrollment and graduation rates for low-income and first-generation college students, specifically after COVID-19, it is important to identify factors affecting their success. The Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) Program at New Mexico Tech (NMT) supports high school students who are either first-generation college students and/or from low-income families to prepare them with the skills and motivation necessary to complete high school and enter and succeed in a program of postsecondary education. These students face unique challenges during their time at college. To identify the factors that affect the success of these students, we surveyed several of our UBMS program participants who chose to attend NMT after completing high school. All participants said support from UBMS staff was critical when starting college at NMT. Participants also mention building a support system with their fellow UBMS alumni to deal with the struggles that being at STEM-focused institutions brings. This study also resulted in several suggestions for faculty and staff members to improve academic outcomes for all students.

偏鄉教育資源不足，影響學生學習，一直是政府及許多研究者關心的議題；且雖知離島的特殊教育（簡稱特教）是弱勢中的弱勢，然究應如何支持，卻是文獻及實務長久以來的缺口。本研究探討北部某一研究機構因大學社會責任（University Social Responsibility, USR）專案，而在平安、喜樂（化名）兩島建構特教支持系統之歷程。研究小組透過參與式觀察、訪 談及文件分析，瞭解方案推動小組如何工作，發現專案團隊有別於傳統偏鄉教育僅提供補救與補助的方式，而採取生態觀的社區營造，從盤點現況開始，慢慢在地扎根，再以不斷循環的「示範」、「擾動」策略，進行人員「增能」及資源「連結」，並持續精進發展成長到精緻化，為這個社區架構以學生為中心，由內而外分別包括微觀系統、中間系統、外部系統到鉅觀系統的支持系統。除完成在地接手之任務，還在4年努力下，使兩縣由原先在全國縣市特教評鑑中敬陪末座的乙等和丙等，進步到都是甲等。各生態系統層次中各相關人員也因增能而自我發展，更具自我效能。 Background The lack of adequate educational resources in remote areas has long been a concern of the Taiwanese government. The provision of special education in Taiwan’s outlying islands is particularly low. Few studies have investigated the effectiveness of special education in remote areas. The present study explored how special education in the outlying islands of Taiwan can be supported from an ecological perspective, further enhancing our understanding of special education in remote areas. Literature Review Inconvenient transportation and inadequate educational, cultural, and social services in rural areas pose challenges to special education and result in inequality in educational opportunities (Yeh & Sheu, 2021). This inequality is further exacerbated by various structural issues, such as uneven resource distribution and teacher structure as well as low cultural capital, social capital, and student learning motivation (Huang, 2019). The outlying islands of Taiwan lack sufficient resources for providing effective special education; however, providing excessive funding and subsidies for welfare facilities may actually hinder students’ growth and overlook shortcomings related to peer stimulation and learning motivation (Ho, 2017; Wang, 2018). Therefore, to provide effective special education services, the issue of remoteness must be considered from the community’s perspective and with an understanding of local ecological support systems. This can be achieved by the formation of interdisciplinary professional teams (Cheng & Jhang, 2020; Lai & Liao, 2006; Liao et al., 2006). The key approach is to engage with the community directly to promote its support system. This involves building relationships with community members, providing guidance and training, and encouraging community members to take initiative. This approach also requires the effective use and coordination of resources to integrate support for special education (Hu, 2021; Lee, 2019; Shieh et al., 2012; Wang, 2018). Methods This qualitative study explored how the support network was established through empowerment at the local special education resource center. The research team collected data through observations and interviews and constructed an accurate description of the support system. This study was conducted in two counties in Taiwan, referred to as “Peace” and “Joy” (pseudonyms), by a research institution in northern Taiwan. The project was conducted under the University Social Responsibility initiative. The research was conducted by several individuals in teams. An action team consisted of a professor, a postdoctoral researcher, and resource classroom staff. They had extensive experience in communication and coordination with various professionals and provided indirect services through consultations with teachers and parents. A research team consisted of a professor and two research fellows specializing in disabilities and giftedness. They adopted an objective approach when conducting participatory observations and interviews as well as document analysis. This study included students with and without disabilities, special education teachers, general education teachers, school administrators, professionals, parents, university resource classroom counselors, staff of nongovernmental social welfare organizations, county-level special education administrators, and other county government departments. Data were collected using field notes, interviews, summary sheets, and research journals. The study was conducted from July 2008 to June 2011 and comprised preparation, data collection, and data collation stages. In the preparation stage, the research team participants familiarized themselves with the key aspects of the project and reviewed the literature on rural education. In the data collection stage, the action team contacted local individuals and collected information through observations, recordings, formal interviews, informal conversations, field notes, research diaries, and documents provided by the community or schools. Moreover, the researchers organized and categorized the collected information and engaged in discussions to ensure that the collected data were sufficient to effectively address the research questions. Finally, the research findings were detailed in a report. Results At the end of the project, the special education service support systems had been developed and made significant impacts in the two counties. The structure of the special education service support systems in the two counties was student-center, and received support from the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem. The whole system was turned inside out. Members of each ecosystem empowered themselves through self-improvement. Therefore, confidence among the special education staff in both counties had increased. Students and parents had learned how to self-advocate and generate ideas. From the ecological perspective, the researcher found that the “empowerment” was the core of action in the support system, thus people in the system were able to strengthen their own knowledge, extend the connections to more resources, and furthermore to promote more development in services and support within microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and even the interactions between systems. As a result, the public would have the positive understanding on individuals with disabilities, and increase their acceptance and support. Time is an important boost for the two entire outlying island special education support systems to take root, grow, and refine locally, allowing two support systems to be constructed and developed stably. Discussion and Suggestions The researcher discovered a shift in the perspectives in both counties from conservative and isolated mindsets to active engagement and willingness to cooperate with others. Specifically, the process of establishing special education support systems in the outlying islands involved several stages: visiting sites to determine the available resources, gradually becoming familiar with the local culture, initiating start-up activities, and finally connecting resources and completing on-site integrations. This reconstructed support system focuses on students with disabilities and has ecosystem-level features (Shelton, 2018, 2021), as follows: 1. The microsystem system in the innermost circle focuses on the empowerment of individuals, parents, and staff to enhance collaboration among them. 2. The mesosystem aims at improving the stability, exchange, and integration of resources. 3. The exosystem expands the resources and connections of social welfare institutions, hospitals, universities, and other organizations. 4. In the macrosystem, the community culture changed from conservative and isolated to acceptance and engagement, with understanding and support for the disabled students after advocacy by college students with disabilities and parent empowerment activities. 5. The chronosystem provides the time needed for the establishment, growth, and refinement of the support systems. Thorough onsite inspections are conducted to evaluate current conditions and facilitate personnel development and resource allocations. All stakeholders underwent personal development through empowerment, resulting in their increased effectiveness. This study makes the following suggestions: 1. Practical suggestions: (1) Continue to provide professional support. The project team should continue being the supporting organization. Returning to the site frequently is not required but having good intentions to do whatever needed is required. (2) Extend and vertically integrate resources. Encourage the two counties to integrate resources and provide early education for children with disabilities and employment opportunities for students upon leaving school. (3) Ensure sustainable operations and development. Both counties should continue to refine their practices and implement additional special education services. 2. Suggestions for further research: (1) Replication and expansion. This research developed a comprehensive theoretical framework, and its effectiveness was demonstrated through empirical research. We should replicate this in other outlying islands or rural areas to further test the theory’s feasibility and adjust the theory as needed. The research should be continued to obtain additional data. (2) Bridge theory and practice. Future studies should explore the relationships between small entities and strengthen the connection between theory and practice. (3) Consider disabilities and giftedness. Future research should explore support systems for gifted students and those who are twice exceptional.

Background: Melanoma is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and the second cause of cancer-related death among people. This disease is the rarest and most malignant type of skin cancer. In advanced conditions, it has the ability to spread to internal organs and can lead to death. In Iran, for several years, significant data about melanoma have been collected either manually or electronically, due to its prevalence and the high costs it leaves on the country's healthcare system, but despite these valuable data, the health system is still unaware of the high potential of data mining in predicting the survival of patients with melanoma. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design an intelligent system to predict the survival of these patients. Methods: This study was practical in terms of nature and descriptive-analytical and retrospective in terms of method. The research population consisted of patients with melanoma cancer from the database of the National Cancer Research Center affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University, located in Tajrish Martyrs Hospital, Tehran, Iran (between 2007 and 2012), who were followed up for 5 years (n = 4118). SPSS and Weka software were used to design the support system for melanoma cancer survival prediction. The final model for predicting melanoma cancer survival was selected based on the evaluation indices of data mining algorithms. Findings: Neural network algorithms, simple Bayes, Bayesian network (BN) and combination of decision tree with simple Bayes, logistic regression, J48, and ID3 were selected as the used models of the country's database. Based on the findings, the neural network performed better with a value of 0.97 in terms of accuracy and 91.03 in terms of features. Conclusion: The performance of the neural network in all evaluation indices was statistically higher than other selected algorithms. Therefore, this algorithm was chosen as a support system for predicting melanoma cancer survival.

This qualitative-descriptive research focusing on transnational families was conducted in Guinzadan, Bauko Mountain Province. Anchored on the Functionalist sociological theory and concepts on conflict theories, this study aims to describe the practices of the selected transnational families to establish what led to the new care regime in the structure of transnational family. Thus, this study looked into the conditions caused the moving out of the parent/s; the existing situations of transnational families; and the support system of these transnational families. Having identified the issues of transnational families, the researcher proposed a program to address the issues in the transnational families in this study. The findings show that the rise of transnational families in which the husbands or wives need to work in other countries modifies the structure of the family: households become fatherless or motherless while the grandparents, aunties, and uncles become the guardian or the head of the households. The condition of the households being left motherless or fatherless affirms the pervasiveness of transnational families, which in turn resulted in the new care roles, new parenting styles, and new support systems in the family structure. It is however interesting to note the patriarchal ideology as one of the enduring issues that run throughout the narratives of the informant; the kinship system as a push and pull factor of transnational families that strengthen their motivation to work abroad; and the functionalist theory that was manifested in the case of support system of these transnational families in maintaining the stability of the family as a primary institution. Consequently, an enrichment program for the community is needed to address the issues of transnational families, especially on the welfare of the children and the entire family.

Based on the foundation pit excavation and support of Xingcun Station of Jinan Metro, through theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and monitoring measurement, the theoretical basis of foundation pit deformation was first expounded in theory, and then the whole process of foundation pit excavation of Xingcun Station was simulated by using the finite element software ABAQUS, and combined with the on-site monitoring results. The horizontal and vertical displacement of the retaining structure, the ground settlement around the foundation pit and the axial force change of the supporting structure during the excavation of the foundation pit were analyzed. The research results show that with the excavation of the foundation pit, the top of the foundation pit presents a trend of gradually moving into the pit, and with the application of the supporting structure during the excavation process, the retaining structure as a whole presents a “bow” shaped distribution of deformation to the pit. The deformation value decreases obviously. Due to the unloading of the excavated soil mass of the foundation pit, the retaining structure appears uplift deformation. The surface settlement curve presents a U-shaped distribution, and with the gradual increase of the excavation depth of the foundation pit, the maximum surface settlement gradually increases, and the influence range of the foundation pit excavation is basically within 0 ~ 20 m. The axial force of each support shows a gradually increasing trend, and the effect of the lower support is more obvious, and the axial force of the lower support is greater than that of the upper support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cleanliness of the restroom is critical in keeping customers interested in returning. Therefore, maintaining the cleanliness of the toilet is important to provide comfort to customers. The toilet area is cleaned regularly by outsourced employees and then checked periodically by the relevant leader in the area to determine the level of cleanliness of the toilet. The design of the system in this study was carried out by making a sitemap, flowchart, database schema, table structure, and designing the user interface of the system to be built. Based on the results of the analysis and design of the best toilet determination system using the Tsukamoto fuzzy method, it can be concluded that the Tsukamoto fuzzy method can be used in determining the best toilet based on toilet data using 3 criteria, namely: toilet area, closet, and sink. The calculation results are determined from the rules used in fuzzy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Tsinghua Journal of Education is the property of Tsinghua University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)