THE EFFICIENCY EXTENT OF THE INTERNAL CONTROL ENVIRONMENT IN THE PALESTINIAN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN GAZA STRIP

The purpose of this research is to identify the extent of the efficiency of the internal control environment in the Palestinian higher educational institutions in Gaza Strip from the perspective of employees in the Palestinian universities in Gaza Strip, where researchers used in the study five universities. The researchers adopted in their study the descriptive and analytical approach. The research community consists of administrative employees and academic employees with administrative duties. Senior management or the University Council was excluded. The study population compromises of (392) employees. A stratified random sample was chosen and (197) questionnaires were distributed. (160) questionnaires were received back with a return rate of (81.2%).The researchers used a questionnaire to collect that which then was analyzed using (SPSS) to get the results. The research found the following results: the absence of a fundamental difference between the responses of males and females. The lack of significant difference between the responses of the respondents attributed to the variable age. The lack of significant difference between the responses of the respondents attributed to the variable of years of service. And the existence of a fundamental difference between the responses of the respondents attributed to the university variable. The existence of a fundamental difference between the responses of the respondents attributed to the Qualification variable. The existence of a fundamental difference between the responses of the respondents attributed to the administrative level variable. The research found a group of recommendations including: the need to raise awareness of censorship as the basis for the protection of employees in all administrative levels from making mistake.Updating the systems and instructions of control periodically and parallel with the scientific progress and technology.Benefit from regional and international experiences in the application of internal control standards which commensurate with the administrative system of the institution

Franz Hamburger/Tarek Badawia/Merle Hummrich (Hrsg.): Migration und Bildung. Über das Verhältnis von Anerkennung und Zumutung in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft. Wiesbaden: Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2005. 344 S., EUR 29,90 [Rezension]

Rezension zu: Franz Hamburger/Tarek Badawia/Merle Hummrich (Hrsg.): Migration und Bildung. Über das Verhältnis von Anerkennung und Zumutung in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft. Wiesbaden: Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2005. 344 S., EUR 29,9

Prediction of smoke filling in large volumes by means of data assimilation-based numerical simulations

The concept of numerical simulations for real-time Numerical Fire Forecasting is illustrated for the case of natural smoke filling of a large-scale atrium in case of fire. The numerical simulations are performed within the Inverse Zone Modelling framework. The technique consists of assimilating collected data for a certain parameter, in casu the smoke layer height, into the zone model in order to estimate an unknown of the problem ('model invariant'), mainly the fire heat release rate. A forecast in terms of evolution of smoke level and temperature can then be produced. Because zone model calculations are very fast, positive lead times of several minutes are obtained. The developed model produces reliable forecasts for the cases considered. Equally important, the robustness of the technique is illustrated: the sensitivity of the results to the 'initial guess' of the model invariants is small (i.e. the method converges easily); one model invariant is sufficient to obtain reliable predictions for smoke layer height evolution; the data assimilation window length does not affect the results significantly. The method automatically provides a different value for the plume entrainment constant, depending on the position of the fire (in the middle of the atrium or in a corner)