
Keywords: initial teacher training; continuous teacher training; induction period
The present study reviews the current situation of the initial and continuous teacher training for English teachers in Romania. The legislative provisions for the change of the teacher education curriculum and educational paths are discussed, as well as the realities of the initial teacher training programme at 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia. The opinions of students were also taken into consideration, both undergraduate students and MA students enrolled on Module I, respectively II of the teacher education programme. The MA students in particular were appreciative of the new legislative provisions of the Minister’s Order no. 5485/29.09.2011, for the approval of the Methodology on setting up the corps of mentors for the coordination of the probationary year /induction period in order to occupy a teaching position.
More...The City of Cluj was and still is considered to be the ‘capital of Transylvania’ due to the fact that it is an important cultural and business center. Though, Cluj’s historical buildings and sites could not compete with those of Sibiu and Brasov they are interesting; its cultural life is reach and its business opportunities are complex. All those factors make from Cluj an important tourist destination for various type of tourist. But what is the situation of Cluj lodging capacities? Between 1990 and 1999, the number of hotels in Cluj grew slowly from 10 to 17 during this period. By the end of April 2005 we were able to identify 45 operational lodging capacities in Cluj and over 50% were open between 2002 and 2005. The present paper would investigate the causes of this ‘explosion’ of Cluj lodging capacities and if this quick development generated hotels/ lodging capacities with distinctive features, capable to compete on a crowded market.
More...Keywords: video games; gameplay
Editor’s introduction to the Themed Issue
More...Keywords: Prague; Signal; light festival
The popular event draws crowds and again amazes with installations around the Czech capital.
More...Keywords: Business model; Integrated solutions; Risk; Activities; Value;
Successful business model renewal requires the companies to understand the changes that the new business model causes with respect to their activities, value drivers and value appropriation logic. The study employs a comparative case study strategy. Conceptualizing business models as activities, the changes that adopting an integrated solution business model to implement a real estate development causes to the business models of companies in the project delivery network, compared to their business models applied in conventional project delivery networks following a disintegrated approach, is analyzed. The findings suggest that the shift towards more integrated project delivery models causes significant changes in the alignment of value drivers and value appropriation mechanisms across the network of firms. Simultaneously, companies adhere to their existing activity content and governance. The results contradict previous studies on the organizational impact of shift towards integrated solutions. Existing research on integrated solutions and alliances has primarily focused on developing practices from the perspective of a customer - producer relationship. This study gives valuable insights related the importance of the internal logic of the service providers in achieving successful project coalition.
More...Keywords: Sara Romani; Photography;
Sara Romani, an Italian photographer based in Boston, Massachusetts introduces us two series of photographs: About Beauty, Love and Fear and Suspended Boundaries. The series titled About Beauty, Love and Fear is a visual poem from a documentation during her first pregnancy. In order to grasp full awareness of the many changes, she has been actively documenting her life and the life that surrounded her. Her photographs focus on the prosaic, the familiar and the simply ordinary, but the images can take on a deeper significance, and what at first materializes as subjective and intimate turns into a narration to share for its universal echoes. In the series Suspended Boundaries Sara Romani expresses her fascination with the myriad ways that photographs translate reality and how they invite us to question our knowledge of what is actual. Photographs represent unstable stages made of layered sheets of paper. She created pictures that stand on the fine line between abstraction and figurative representation, awareness of represented reality and pure aesthetic pleasure. Pictures, which can express simultaneously a chronicle, an intuition or a provocation, are the most valuable manifestation of the author, both as an artist, and as a human being.
More...Keywords: Concept art; gaming; digital landscape; digital art; digital painting; ambiance
This article approaches the topic of digital art and its implications in creative industries. It elaborates the particular role,features and aspects of landscaping, related to digital painting, as disciplinary subfield. It shows how the digital landscape is created with the intent to deliver the visual information needed for understanding the concept and its implementation, by 3D or other medium. As related to finite product, we can talk here about digital stage in a game or film set. Therefore, we take into account the five types of visual information shape, proportion, deepness, colour and light explaining and exemplifying for each and every feature and possibilities for concept art image rendering.
More...Keywords: pipelines; situational plan; longitudinal profile; transverse profile; marking;
The paper presents a way of updating the parameters of representation and tracing of the structural elements to the water supply networks in the execution or rehabilitation phase. Between the design phase and the construction phase of the pipe network components there are divergences in the field tracing. This situation arises, in particular, in the execution of rehabilitation works for water supply pipes. The case study on the rehabilitation works of the Timisesti - Iasi adduction pipeline that underlines the river Moldova confirms the necessity of changes in time of the topographic documentation of the execution. The morphological changes of the Moldova River bed during the period between the implementation of the rehabilitation project and its application in practice necessitated the modification of the situation plan and of the longitudinal profiles. The updating of the topographical documentation was carried out during the start of the execution of the works (plans for the location of the constructions and installations) and then during the rehabilitation works (longitudinal and transversal profiles).
More...Keywords: High speed camera; external fixator; interfragmentary displacements; finite element method;
Research activities in the field of modern Biomedical engineering show a more intense trend towards the use of sophisticated engineering measurement tools in order to optimize existing medical devices. External fixators are such an example of the above mentioned. Critical design parameters are being optimized by the use of existing engineering research methodology. One of the most important parameter for external fixators that have to be tracked are the interfragmentary displacements between the proximal and distal bone segment. This is usually achieved by the use of a finite element method. Another way is the use of displacement sensors or transducers. To verify these numerical results and to gain additional real life footage of interfragmentary displacements during testing, the use of a high speed camera has been taken into consideration. This paper compares previously acquired numerical data for a specific external fixator design parallel to the same setup whilst being recorded with a high speed camera. Results indicate good superposition with previously obtained data.
More...Keywords: Cybersecurity; Healthcare; Medical Device; IMDRF; Cyber Risks;
The need for effective cybersecurity to ensure medical device functionality and safety has become more important with the increasing use of wireless, Internet and network connected devices, portable media, and the frequent electronic exchange of medical device related health information. Cybersecurity incidents have rendered medical devices and hospital networks inoperable, disrupting the delivery of patient care across healthcare facilities. Such incidents may lead to patient harm because of delays in diagnoses and/or treatment, errors in diagnoses and/or treatment, etc. In this paper it will be presented basic principles and practices for medical device cybersecurity recommended by International Medical Device Regulators Forum.
More...Keywords: Computer Art; AR; Animation; Character; Silhouette; Pre-Production; Innovation
The research objectives are: (1) to develop an Animation-AR (AAR) Silhouette Model to Create Character Identity Innovation for Computer Art Pre- Production; (2) to evaluate the model; and (3) to study the effect of using the model. The sample group are 7 experts who have taught computer art for more than 5 years. The results of the research were: (1) the model consists of 3 elements: Input Factors, AAR Silhouette Process, and Character Identity Innovation; (2) the result of a satisfaction model based on expert assessment is at the highest level (xˉ = 4.33, S.D. = 0.69); and (3) the results of the trial using the model found that the Character Identity Innovation displays a high level of satisfaction.
More...Keywords: Bram Stoker's Dracula; Eiko Ishioka; Dracula; Costume Design; Francis Ford Coppola;
In this paper, through bibliographical research and debate, we intend a filmic and artistic analysis of the feature film ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992), specifically its costume design, signed by the Japanese designer and art director Eiko Ishioka 石岡 瑛子 (1938 – 2012). The film’s critical reception as well as its consequent elevation to a ‘canon’ status among the adaptations of the homonymous novel by Bram Stoker were taken into consideration. This paper proposes a new approach to Ishioka's costume design legacy, that flirts significantly with the Parisian ‘Haute couture’ for its uniqueness. Our intention is to develop an in-depth study on the elements that make the costumes of this movie so singular, such as its intentional lack of historical accuracy and the ode to an overly exaggerated symbolism and decay.
More...Keywords: Paper industry; Waste Paper; Reel Spools;
Paper industry deals with procedures for conceptual and final design of a machine intended for unwinding paper that remains on reels during a certain phase of paper producing. Design procedure of the machine is a subject of this paper. The machine was designed as a mechatronic unit consisting of a mechanical part, an electric part and a pneumatic part. 3D CAD/CAM system Pro/ENGINEER was used for the design of the mechanical part. For the automation processes the PLC unit connected with the frequency changing unit and asynchronous drive were used as a central drive for the unwinding machine.
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