Techno-Economic Challenges of Fuel Cell Commercialization

As resource scarcity, extreme climate change, and pollution levels increase, economic growth must rely on more environmentally friendly and efficient production processes, Fuel cells are an ideal alternative to internal combustion （IC） engines and boilers on the path to greener industries because of their high effi- ciency and environmentally friendly operation, However, as a new energy technology, significant market penetration of fuel cells has not yet been achieved, In this paper, we perform a techno-economic and environmental analysis of fuel cell systems using life cycle and value chain activities, First, we investigate the procedure of fuel cell development and identify what activities should he undertaken according to fuel cell life cycle activities, value chain activities, and end-user acceptance criteria, Next, we present a unified learning of the institutional barriers in fuel cell commercialization, The primary end-user accep- tance criteria are function, cost, and reliability; a fuel cell should outperform these criteria compared with its competitors, such as IC engines and batteries, to achieve a competitive advantage, The repair and maintenance costs of fuel cells （due to low reliability） can lead to a substantial cost increase and decrease in availability, which are the major factors for end-user acceptance, The fuel cell industry must face the challenge of how to overcome this reliability barrier, This paper provides a deeper insight into our work over the years on the main barriers to fuel cell commercialization, and discusses the potential pivotal role of fuel cells in a future low-carbon green economy, It also identifies the needs and points out some direc- tions for this future low-carbon economy, Green energy, supplied with fuel cells, is truly the business mode of the future, Striving for a more sustainable development of economic growth by adopting green public investments and implementing policy initiatives encourages environmentally responsible indus- trial investments.

Pass/Fail and Discretionary Grading: A Snapshot of Their Influences on Learning

This article provides a snapshot of pass/fail and discretionary grading approaches, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each. Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced grading practices and their associations with learning are identified. A brief historical backdrop illustrates how grading practices have evolved. The inherent subjectivity of grading is emphasized. Pass/fail grading supports intrinsic motivation and self-direction, but limits opportunities for recognizing excelling students. Discretionary grading, which includes letter (F- to A+) and numeric (0% to 100%) representations, supports extrinsic motivation and self-improvement, but promotes unhealthy competition. Both approaches have merit and can effectively measure student achievement in nursing education programs.

Rural nurses’ perceptions of a volunteer program in an acute setting: Volunteers delivering person-centred care for patients with dementia and delirium

Community volunteers were recruited and trained to deliver person-centred care to patients with dementia or delirium in an acute hospital setting, in a small rural Australian hospital. The volunteer program was grounded in action research methodology, and modelled on a previous research project. As a form of evaluation, interviews were conducted with nursing staff eight weeks after implementation of the volunteer program to explore their opinions. Data were analysed through a collaborative process and findings revealed strong benefits from the perspectives of the nursing staff. These benefits included overall improved patient care and improved time management for nursing tasks.

What Do Rural Dementia Caregivers Find Stressful?

This study aimed to determine what carers of people with dementia in rural Australia found stressful in their caring role. It was part of a broader mixed methods study exploring carer depression, anxiety and stress and utilisation of formal community support services. The findings suggest that carer stress varies among individuals, but that a predominant source of stress is the unremitting burden experienced when caring for someone with dementia. Improved utilisation of support services in rural areas and tailoring services to individual carers dependent on the source of stress is recommended.

Consumer Risk Perceptions in Mobile Health Services Adoption: Do They Matter?

The purpose of this study is to investigate empirically the role of consumer perceived risks in the adoption of mobile health services. A theoretical model including the perceived risk associated with the activity targeted by a mobile health service and the perceived risk associated with the mobile service itself was developed and tested empirically in the context of an application supporting smoking cessation. The model was validated in a cross-sectional experiment conducted with 422 consumers in the UK and Canada. Findings show that while risk triggered by the nature of a health promotion activity is a strong driver of the adoption of the supporting mobile health service, risk related to the actual application targeting that activity is a comparatively weaker obstacle. The two contrasting risk perspectives are highly significant as they together explain over 31% of the variance in consumer intention to use the mobile health service, independently from other adoption factors. Overall, this study demonstrates that consumer risk perceptions alone are a multifaceted and meaningful component in mobile health services adoption, and that this element should not be overlooked in more complex research models.

探究社区与数字时代的教与学

有20年历史的探究社区模型已经成为在指导远程教育的教学和研究方面最常被引用的模型。得益于新技术的发展和远程教育实践越来越为大多数大学所采用,探究社区理论也在不断发展。作为该模型的原创者之一,本文作者从个人视角探讨探究社区的研究和实践现状。文章提出应该扩展探究社区模型内容,增加"学习者临场",以显示动力、自我效能感和个人技能对于探究社区高效运作的重要性,把探究社区发展成为一种学习模式。探究社区模型以学习活动指导教学实践。文章分析了业经证明能支持和提高教学临场、认知临场、社交临场和学习者临场的各种活动。文章最后简要讨论教师使用学习分析技术和学生创建和使用个人学习环境对探究社区理论的影响。学习分析技术和个人学习环境既能提升教师和学习者的临场,也给他们带来挑战。

远程个人学习和社会学习：方法与策略

本文回顾了教育工作者和教育机构所研发的、旨在支持远程教育和校园教育的主要学习形式和结构。除了个人学习以外,有些学生、内容和系统非常重视交互,特别是师生交互、生生交互和学生与内容交互。本文还剖析了如何组织教育活动,尤其是支持社会学习的各种社会交互和结构。文章分别讨论了小组形式学习、网络形式学习和群组形式学习,并阐述了聚合体资源和算法是如何为提高多种形式在线学习质量而提供新的、非常有效的途径。