Academic Streaming vs. Library Technology Debates

Student Streaming: Benefits vs. Mixed Ability Classes

Some people contend that mixed-ability classes are more beneficial for children’s development than streaming them based on judgments about their academic abilities. However, from my perspective, I disagree with this contention.

Arguments for Mixed Ability Classes

Admittedly, mixed-ability classes provide a better environment for children’s all-around development. In such classes, children with different abilities study together, and in turn,

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Transnational Crime: Human, Drug, and Arms Trafficking

Transnational Criminal Organizations

Transnational criminal organizations: size of the problem, rise of, reach, international response.

  • Most operate in the shadows
    • Linked to:
      • States: weak, failed, or corrupt
      • Non-state actors: terrorist or rebel movements
  • Increase in power
    • Control territory, extract rents, provide public services, wage war
  • Penetrate all areas of life
  • Target society and economy
  • Wealthy
    • Drugs and arms most lucrative
    • Human trafficking also very lucrative

Trafficking: Human, Drugs, Arms

Illegal trade

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Reverse Osmosis, Desalination, and Water Treatment Explained

Reverse Osmosis Membranes

A reverse osmosis membrane is a semi-permeable membrane that allows the passage of water molecules but not the majority of dissolved salts, organics, bacteria, and pyrogens. However, you need to ‘push’ the water through the reverse osmosis membrane by applying pressure that is greater than the naturally occurring osmotic pressure in order to desalinate (demineralize or deionize) water in the process, allowing pure water through while holding back a majority of contaminants.

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Sorting Algorithms: Bubble, Selection, Insertion, Merge, Quick

Understanding Sorting Algorithms

Algo Props: Well-defined inputs, clear & unambiguous, must be effective, must terminate.

Big O: Worst case (asymptotic tight upper). Big Omega: Best case (lower). Big Theta: Average.

N^2 Sorting Algorithms

n^2 Sorting: Bubble, Selection, Insertion (iterative)

Bubble Sort

Start with an unsorted array.

Loop through the array from the first element to the second-to-last element.

Compare each pair of adjacent elements.

If the current element is greater than the next element:

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UAE History: From Ancient Settlements to Modern Nation

Early Human Habitation in the UAE

  • The earliest known human habitation in the UAE dates from 5500 BCE.
  • Trade in copper from the Hajar Mountains started around 3000 BCE.
  • By the 1st century AD, overland caravan traffic between Syria and cities in southern Iraq began.
  • There was seaborne travel to the important port of Omana (present-day Umm al-Qaiwain) and then to India. These routes were an alternative to the Red Sea route used by the Romans.
  • Pearls had been exploited in the area for millennia, but at this
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Understanding Quality Management: TQM and Six Sigma

59) Developing a cultural environment for ethical behavior in an organization includes all of the following EXCEPT:

C) Redesign of a service or product to make it easier to produce.

60) “Quality at the source” implies: B) Lower scrap.

61) Which one of the following statements is a key feature of both TQM and Six Sigma? A) Quality is primarily the responsibility of all employees in the organization.

62) A firm’s internal program in employee involvement includes which of the following considerations?

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