bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Block and boulder transport in Eastern Samar (Philippines) during Supertyphoon Haiyan
Authors: May S. M. , Engel M. , Brill D. , Cuadra C. , Lagmay A. M. F. , Santiago J. , Suarez J. K. , Reyes M. , Brückner H.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. Fields of dislocated boulders and blocks record catastrophic coastal flooding during strong storms or tsunamis and play a pivotal role in coastal hazard assessment. Along the rocky carbonate coast of Eastern Samar (Philippines) we documented longshore transport of a block of 180 t and boulders (up to 23.5 t) shifted uphill to elevations of up to 10 m above mean lower low water level during Supertyphoon Haiyan on 8 November 2013. Initiation-of-motion approaches indicate that boulder dislocation occurred with flow velocities of 6.3–8.3 m s−1 which significantly exceeds depth-averaged flow velocities of a local coupled hydrodynamic and wave model (Delft3D) of the typhoon with a maximum < 1.5 m s−1. These results support the hypothesis that infragravity waves induced by the typhoon were responsible for the remarkable flooding pattern in E Samar, which are not resolved in phase-averaged storm surge models. Our findings show that tsunamis and hydrodynamic conditions induced by tropical cyclones may shift boulders of similar size and, therefore, demand to carefully reassess the possibility of storm-related transport where it, based on the boulder's sheer size, has previously been ascribed to tsunamis.
Experimental migration of knickpoints: influence of style of base-level fall and bed lithology
Authors: Grimaud J.-L. , Paola C. , Voller V.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. Knickpoints are fascinating and common geomorphic features whose dynamics influences the development of landscapes and source-to-sink systems – in particular the upstream propagation of erosion. Here, we study river profiles and associated knickpoints experimentally in a micro flume filled with a cohesive substrate made of silica, water and kaolinite. We focus on the effect on knickpoint dynamics of varying the distribution of base-level fall (rate, increment, and period) and substrate strength, i.e. kaolinite content. Such simple cases are directly comparable to both bedrock and alluvial river systems. Under a constant rate of base-level fall, knickpoints of similar shape are periodically generated, highlighting a self-organized dynamics in which steady forcing leads to multiple knickpoint events. Temporary shielding of the bed by alluvium controls the spacing between these unit knickpoints. Shielding is however not effective when base-level drops exceed alluvium thickness. While the base-level fall rate controls the overall slope of experiments, it is not instrumental in dictating the major characteristics of unit knickpoints. Instead the velocity, face slope and associated plunge pool depth of these knickpoints are all strongly influenced by lithology. The period between knickpoints is set by both alluvium thickness and base-level fall rate, allowing use of knickpoint spacing along rivers as an indicator of base-level fall rate.
High-resolution numerical modeling of mesoscale island wakes and sensitivity to static topographic relief data
Authors: Nunalee C. G. , Horváth Á. , Basu S.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. Recent decades have witnessed a drastic increase in the fidelity of numerical weather prediction (NWP) modeling. Currently, both research-grade and operational NWP models regularly perform simulations with horizontal grid spacings as fine as 1 km. This migration towards higher resolution potentially improves NWP model solutions by increasing the resolvability of mesoscale processes and reducing dependency on empirical physics parameterizations. However, at the same time, the accuracy of high-resolution simulations, particularly in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), is also sensitive to orographic forcing which can have significant variability on the same spatial scale as, or smaller than, NWP model grids. Despite this sensitivity, many high-resolution atmospheric simulations do not consider uncertainty with respect to selection of static terrain height data set. In this paper, we use the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate realistic cases of lower tropospheric flow over and downstream of mountainous islands using the default global 30 s United States Geographic Survey terrain height data set (GTOPO30), the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), and the Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data set (GMTED2010) terrain height data sets. While the differences between the SRTM-based and GMTED2010-based simulations are extremely small, the GTOPO30-based simulations differ significantly. Our results demonstrate cases where the differences between the source terrain data sets are significant enough to produce entirely different orographic wake mechanics, such as vortex shedding vs. no vortex shedding. These results are also compared to MODIS visible satellite imagery and ASCAT near-surface wind retrievals. Collectively, these results highlight the importance of utilizing accurate static orographic boundary conditions when running high-resolution mesoscale models.
High-frequency monitoring reveals nutrient sources and transport processes in an agriculture-dominated lowland water system
Authors: van der Grift B. , Broers H. P. , Berendrecht W. L. , Rozemeijer J. C. , Osté L. A. , Griffioen J.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. Many agriculture-dominated lowland water systems worldwide suffer from eutrophication caused by high nutrient loads. Insight in the hydrochemical functioning of embanked polder catchments is highly relevant for improving the water quality in such areas. This paper introduces new insights in nutrient sources and transport processes in a low elevated polder in the Netherlands using high-frequency monitoring technology at the outlet, where the water is pumped into a higher situated lake, combined with a low-frequency water quality monitoring program at six locations within the drainage area. Seasonal trends and short scale temporal dynamics in concentrations indicated that the NO3 concentration at the pumping station originated from N-loss from agricultural lands. The NO3 loads appear as losses with drain water discharge after intensive rainfall events during the winter months due to preferential flow through the cracked clay soil. Transfer function-noise modelling of hourly NO3 concentrations reveals that a large part of the dynamics in NO3 concentrations during the winter months can be related to rainfall. The total phosphorus (TP) concentration almost doubled during operation of the pumping station which points to resuspension of particulate P from channel bed sediments induced by changes in water flow due to pumping. Rainfall events that caused peaks in NO3 concentrations did not results in TP concentration peaks. The by rainfall induced and NO3 enriched quick interflow, may also be enriched in TP but this is then buffered in the water system due to sedimentation of particulate P. Increased TP concentrations associated with run-off events is only observed during a rainfall event at the end of a freeze–thaw cycle. All these observations suggest that the P retention potential of polder water systems is highly due to the artificial pumping regime that buffers high flows. As the TP concentration is affected by operation of the pumping station, timing of sampling relative to the operating hours of the pumping station should be accounted for when calculating P export loads, determining trends in water quality or when judging water quality status of polder water systems.
Synthesis of PR-/RP-chain-based compliant mechanisms – design of applications exploiting fibre reinforced material characteristics
Authors: Hanke U. , Lovasz E.-C. , Zichner M. , Modler N. , Comsa A. , Modler K.-H.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. Compliant mechanisms have several advantages, especially their smaller number of elements and therefore less movable joints. The flexural members furthermore allow an integration of special functions like balancing or locking. Synthesis methods based on the rigid body model (Howell, 2001; Sönmezv, 2008) or topology optimisation (Zhou and Mandala, 2012) provide practical applications from the advantages of compliant elements. Beside these methods, a much simpler approach is the geometric-based synthesis (Ehlig et al., 2013) which is focused on solving guidance tasks by using RR-chain1-based compliant linkages. More compact compliant linkages can be build up by using only PR2 or RP3 chains. Therefore a tool is needed to extend the RR-chain-based approach. The necessary analysis of the compliant beam element can be done by numerical analysis and through experiments. Due to the validity of the Bernoulli beam model the elastic similitude can be specialised and a more general synthesis of compliant beam elements can be created. Altogether a generalised synthesis method can be created for handling different linkage structures as well integrating beam elements derived numerically or by measurement. The advances in this method are applied in the synthesis for a cupholder mechanism made of fiber reinforced material. 1 one link with two rotational joints (R) 2 one link with one frame fixed prismatic joint (P) and one moving rotational joint (R) 3 one link with one frame fixed rotational joint (R) and one moving prismatic joint (P)
Continental Portuguese Territory Flood Susceptibility Index – contribution to a vulnerability index
Authors: Jacinto R. , Grosso N. , Reis E. , Dias L. , Santos F. D. , Garrett P.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. This work defines a national flood susceptibility index for the Portuguese continental territory, by proposing the aggregation of different variables which represent natural conditions for permeability, runoff and accumulation. This index is part of the national vulnerability index developed in the scope of Flood Maps in Climate Change Scenarios (CIRAC) project, supported by the Portuguese Association of Insurers (APS). This approach expands on previous works by trying to bridge the gap between different flood mechanisms (e.g. progressive and flash floods) occurring at different spatial scales in the Portuguese territory through (a) selecting homogeneously processed data sets and (b) aggregating their values to better translate the spatially continuous and cumulative influence in floods at multiple spatial scales. Results show a good ability to capture, in the higher susceptibility classes, different flood types: fluvial floods and flash floods. Lower values are usually related to mountainous areas, low water accumulation potential and more permeable soils. Validation with independent flood data sets confirmed these index characteristics, although some overestimation can be seen in the southern region of Alentejo where, due to a dense hydrographic network and an overall low slope, floods are not as frequent as a result of lower precipitation mean values. Future work will focus on (i) including extreme precipitation data sets to represent the triggering factor, (ii) improving representation of smaller and stepper basins, (iii) optimizing variable weight definition process and (iii) developing more robust independent flood validation data sets.
Continental Portuguese Territory Flood Social Susceptibility Index
Authors: Grosso N. , Dias L. , Costa H. P. , Santos F. D. , Garrett P.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. The combination of human exposure, extreme weather events and lack of adaptation strategies to cope with flood-related impacts can potentially increase losses not only on infrastructure but also on human lives. These impacts are usually difficult to quantify due to the lack of data, and for this reason most of the studies developed at the national scale only include the main characteristics that define the societal or individual predisposition to be affected, resist, adapt or recover, when exposed to a flood. The main objective of this work was to develop a flood social susceptibility index for the continental Portuguese territory based on the most representative variables able to characterize different influencing factors. This index is a component of the national vulnerability index developed in the scope of Flood Maps in Climate Change Scenarios (CIRAC) project, supported by the Portuguese Association of Insurers (APS). The main results showed that the proposed index correctly identified populations less prepared to avoid flood effects or able to cope with them, mostly concentrated in rural inland areas with lower income and education levels when compared with the coastal region between Viana do Castelo and Setúbal.
Short-term grazing exclusion has no impact on soil properties and nutrients of degraded alpine grassland in Tibet, China
Authors: Lu X. , Yan Y. , Sun J. , Zhang X. , Chen Y. , Wang X. , Cheng G.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. Since the 1980s, alpine grasslands have been seriously degraded on the Tibetan Plateau. Grazing exclusion by fencing has been widely adopted to restore degraded grasslands. To clarify the effect of grazing exclusion on soil quality, we investigated soil properties and nutrients by comparing free grazing (FG) and grazing exclusion (GE) grasslands in Tibet. Soil properties, including soil bulk density, pH, particle size distributions, and proportion of aggregates, were not significant different between FG and GE plots. Soil organic carbon, soil available nitrogen, available phosphorus contents did not differ with grazing exclusion treatments in both 0–15 and 15–30 cm layer. However, soil total nitrogen and total phosphorus contents were remarkably reduced due to grazing exclusion at the 0–15 cm depth. Furthermore, growing season temperature and/or growing season precipitation had significant effects on almost all soil properties and nutrients indicators. This study demonstrates that grazing exclusion had no impact on most soil properties and nutrients in Tibet. Additionally, the potential shift of climate conditions should be considered when recommend any policies designed for alpine grasslands degraded soil restoration in the future. Nevertheless, because the results of the present study come from short term (6–8 years) grazing exclusion, the assessments of the ecological effects of the grazing exclusion management strategy on soil quality of degraded alpine grasslands in Tibet still need long term continued research.
Winter observations of CO2 exchange between sea ice and the atmosphere in a coastal fjord environment
Authors: Sievers J. , Sørensen L. L. , Papakyriakou T. , Else B. , Sejr M. K. , Haubjerg Søgaard D. , Barber D. , Rysgaard S.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. Eddy covariance observations of CO2 fluxes were conducted during March–April 2012 in a temporally sequential order for 8, 4 and 30 days, respectively, at three locations on fast sea ice and on newly formed polynya ice in a coastal fjord environment in northeast Greenland. CO2 fluxes at the sites characterized by fast sea ice (ICEI and DNB) were found to increasingly reflect periods of strong outgassing in accordance with the progression of springtime warming and the occurrence of strong wind events: FCO2ICE1 = 1.73 ± 5 mmol m−2 day−1 and FCO2DNB = 8.64 ± 39.64 mmol m−2 day−1, while CO2 fluxes at the polynya site (POLYI) were found to generally reflect uptake FCO2POLY1 = −9.97 ± 19.8 mmol m−2 day−1. Values given are the mean and standard deviation, and negative/positive values indicate uptake/outgassing, respectively. A diurnal correlation analysis supports a significant connection between site energetics and CO2 fluxes linked to a number of possible thermally driven processes, which are thought to change the pCO2 gradient at the snow–ice interface. The relative influence of these processes on atmospheric exchanges likely depends on the thickness of the ice. Specifically, the study indicates a predominant influence of brine volume expansion/contraction, brine dissolution/concentration and calcium carbonate formation/dissolution at sites characterized by a thick sea-ice cover, such that surface warming leads to an uptake of CO2 and vice versa, while convective overturning within the sea-ice brines dominate at sites characterized by comparatively thin sea-ice cover, such that nighttime surface cooling leads to an uptake of CO2 to the extent permitted by simultaneous formation of superimposed ice in the lower snow column.
Brief Communication: Future avenues for permafrost science from the perspective of early career researchers
Authors: Fritz M. , Deshpande B. N. , Bouchard F. , Högström E. , Malenfant-Lepage J. , Morgenstern A. , Nieuwendam A. , Oliva M. , Paquette M. , Rudy A. C. A. , Siewert M. B. , Sjöberg Y. , Weege S.
Published: August 2015

Abstract. Accelerating climate change and increased economic and environmental interests in permafrost-affected regions have resulted in an acute need for more directed permafrost research. In June 2014, 88 early career researchers convened to identify future priorities for permafrost research. This multidisciplinary forum concluded that five research topics deserve greatest attention: permafrost landscape dynamics, permafrost thermal modeling, integration of traditional knowledge, spatial distribution of ground ice, and engineering issues. These topics underline the need for integrated research across a spectrum of permafrost-related domains and constitute a contribution to the Third International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III).
De bijzondere conflictregel van art. 24 Europese Erfrechtverordening
Authors: Stollenwerck A.H.N.
Published: August 2015

De bijzondere conflictregel van art. 24 Europese Erfrechtverordening

Voor de toelaatbaarheid en materiële geldigheid van uiterste wilsbeschikkingen geeft art. 24 ErfVo een aparte van de algemene verwijzingsregel van art. 21 ErfVo afwijkende verwijzingsregel. Die bijzondere collisieregel geldt op grond van art. 25 ErfVo ook voor de in het Nederlandse erfrecht niet voorkomende erfovereenkomst. Art. 26 van de verordening leert wat onder de materiële geldigheid van een uiterste wilsbeschikking moet worden verstaan.
INTELLIGENT DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF MICROCALCIFICATION IN COMPRESSED MAMMOGRAM IMAGE
Authors: Joseph Benjamin , Ramachandran Baskaran , Muthukrishnan Priyadharshini
Published: August 2015

The main contribution of this article is introducing an intelligent classifier to distinguish between benign and malignant areas of micro-calcification in companded mammogram image which is not proved or addressed elsewhere. This method does not require any manual processing technique for classification, thus it can be assimilated for identifying benign and malignant areas in intelligent way. Moreover it gives good classification responses for compressed mammogram image. The goal of the proposed method is twofold: one is to preserve the details in Region of Interest (ROI) at low bit rate without affecting the diagnostic related information and second is to classify and segment the micro-calcification area in reconstructed mammogram image with high accuracy. The prime contribution of this work is that details of ROI and Non-ROI regions extracted using multi-wavelet transform are coded at variable bit rate using proposed Region Based Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees (RBSPIHT) before storing or transmitting the image. Image reconstructed during retrieval or at the receiving end is preprocessed to remove the channel noise and to enhance the diagnostic contrast information. Then the preprocessed image is classified as normal or abnormal (benign or malignant) using Probabilistic neural network. Segmentation of cancerous region is done using Fuzzy C-means Clustering (FCC) algorithm and the cancerous area is computed. The experimental result shows that the proposed model performance is good at achieving high sensitivity of 97.27%, specificity of 94.38% at an average compression rate and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) of 0.5bpp and 58dB respectively.
Insulin-Producing Endocrine Cells Differentiated In Vitro From Human Embryonic Stem Cells Function in Macroencapsulation Devices In Vivo
Authors: Agulnick Alan D. , Ambruzs Dana M. , Moorman Mark A. , Bhoumik Anindita , Cesario Rosemary M. , Payne Janice K. , Kelly Jonathan R. , Haakmeester Carl , Srijemac Robert , Wilson Alistair Z. , Kerr Justin , Frazier Mauro A. , Kroon Evert J. , D'Amour Kevin A.
Published: August 2015

The PEC-01 cell population, differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), contains pancreatic progenitors (PPs) that, when loaded into macroencapsulation devices (to produce the VC-01 candidate product) and transplanted into mice, can mature into glucose-responsive insulin-secreting cells and other pancreatic endocrine cells involved in glucose metabolism. We modified the protocol for making PEC-01 cells such that 73%–80% of the cell population consisted of PDX1-positive (PDX1+) and NKX6.1+ PPs. The PPs were further differentiated to islet-like cells (ICs) that reproducibly contained 73%–89% endocrine cells, of which approximately 40%–50% expressed insulin. A large fraction of these insulin-positive cells were single hormone-positive and expressed the transcription factors PDX1 and NKX6.1. To preclude a significant contribution of progenitors to the in vivo function of ICs, we used a simple enrichment process to remove remaining PPs, yielding aggregates that contained 93%–98% endocrine cells and 1%–3% progenitors. Enriched ICs, when encapsulated and implanted into mice, functioned similarly to the VC-01 candidate product, demonstrating conclusively that in vitro-produced hESC-derived insulin-producing cells can mature and function in vivo in devices. A scaled version of our suspension culture was used, and the endocrine aggregates could be cryopreserved and retain functionality. Although ICs expressed multiple important β cell genes, the cells contained relatively low levels of several maturity-associated markers. Correlating with this, the time to function of ICs was similar to PEC-01 cells, indicating that ICs required cell-autonomous maturation after delivery in vivo, which would occur concurrently with graft integration into the host.

Significance

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) affects approximately 1.25 million people in the U.S. alone and is deadly if not managed with insulin injections. This paper describes the production of insulin-producing cells in vitro and a new protocol for producing the cells, representing another potential cell source for a diabetes cell therapy. These cells can be loaded into a protective device that is implanted under the skin. The device is designed to protect the cells from immune rejection by the implant recipient. The implant can engraft and respond to glucose by secreting insulin, thus potentially replacing the β cells lost in patients with T1D.
Guard Concrete Surfaces from Biofilms with Protective Coatings
Authors: Duderstadt Eric W. , Miller Roger D. , Schnieders Michael J.
Published: August 2015

Concrete structures abound in the potable water industry, but most of them are uncoated or unsealed. A recent study determined that uncoated concrete surfaces encourage biological fouling and can lead to water quality compliance issues. Using protective coatings on such structures will protect water quality by deterring biofilm deposits.
Developing a Kit and Video to Standardize Changes of Left Ventricular Assist Device Dressings
Authors: Iseler Jackeline , Hadzic Karen G.
Published: August 2015

Context—

Driveline infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Our center developed 2 LVAD dressing change kits and instructional videos for the purpose of standardizing a protocol for the dressing changes.

Objective—

To develop 2 different types of driveline dressing kits and videos to help in standardizing the education of our patients, caregivers, and staff.

Design—

A survey to evaluate patient, caregiver, and staff satisfaction and ease of use relating to the newly implemented dressing kits and videos. A comparison of driveline infection rates before and after the quality improvement project also was conducted.

Patients/Participants, Settings—

LVAD patients, their caregivers, and staff from Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Results—

Surveys were sent to 80 patient/caregiver pairs and 330 staff members. A total of 5 patients, 10 caregivers, and 48 staff members completed the surveys. All participants agreed that patients' driveline sites looked about the same, if not better than, they did before the kits were made available. They also overwhelmingly agreed that the kits were convenient (98%) and easy to use (99%). Patients and their caregivers gave favorable responses to the videos. The project experienced a slight increase in driveline infection rates, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion—

Standardizing and producing a driveline kit facilitates the delivery of care in an LVAD program.
The Experimenter Expectancy Effect: An Inevitable Component of School Science?
Authors: Allen Michael
Published: August 2015

A medium-scale quantitative study (n = 90) found that 10–11-year-old pupils dealt with theory and evidence in notably different ways, depending on how the same science practical task was delivered. Under the auspices of a 2×2 part-randomised and part-quasi experimental design, pupils were asked to complete a brief, apparently simple task involving scientific measurement. One half of the sample carried out the task in a naturalistic whole class context; the other half worked as lone experimenters in solitary conditions where accuracy of measurement was promoted. In the whole class setting pupils exposed to an illustrative lesson displayed behaviour indicative of experimenter expectancy, tending to differentiate theory and evidence to a lesser degree than pupils who experienced an enquiry lesson. In addition, during the illustrative lesson many of the pupils were biased towards their theories in ways that lay well beyond those intended by the research design. On the other hand, in the solitary setting pupils performed equally well with both illustrative and enquiry treatments. Implications are discussed in the light of the problems of excessive pupil theory/data-ladenness. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of exposing young learners to more authentic versions of professional science are considered.
Sixth Form Students' Perspectives of Citizenship Education in ‘A Small Island’ Context
Authors: Spiteri Damian , Mercieca Ryan , Camilleri Liberato
Published: August 2015

The island of Gozo is located just off the mainland island of Malta and is one of its constituencies. Gozo boasts of its own traditional characteristics which also include the particular Gozitan ‘dialect.’ Like other islands in the world, it has also been influenced by globalization. It has also been influenced by such changes as those brought about by Malta's accession to the EU in 2004 including a change in its currecy to the euro. This paper explores whether, in line with postmodern concepts, which do not tie life on islands to fixed notions of borders, nations, nationalities, culture and the language(s) spoken, as young people who live in Gozo, the Gozitan sixth formers have their own ideas about what ‘being Gozitan’ infers, and whether they believe that their schooling, alongside other agents of socialization, has led them to identify with Gozo.
Keeping Holocaust Education Relevant in a Changing Landscape: Seventy Years on
Authors: Nesfield Victoria
Published: August 2015

January 2015 marked the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz–Birkenau by the Soviet Army. In 2014 alone, over one and a half million visitors crossed the same threshold, beneath the infamous words: Arbeit Macht Frei. Of these visitors, a majority were organised educational groups, particularly high school, college and university students. British visitors are second only to Polish in the number of visitors. Writing from the perspective of an educator within British HE, with experience of delivering Holocaust education at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the author considers the imperative for Holocaust education in the UK and at sites of history, at a time when the number of Holocaust living survivors is rapidly decreasing, yet visits to the sites of the Holocaust are at an all-time high.
Reflective Questions, Self-Questioning and Managing Professionally Situated Practice
Authors: Malthouse Richard , Watts Mike , Roffey-Barentsen Jodi
Published: August 2015

Reflective self-questioning arises within the workplace when people are confronted with professional problems and situations. This paper focuses on reflective and ‘situated reflective’ questions in terms of self-questioning and professional workplace problem solving. In our view, the situational context, entailed by the setting, social and personal/individual perspectives, is interactional. The supporting empirical data is drawn from our work with two groups in their tertiary phase of education: professional trainers within a large corporate organisation and para-professionals within a large college system; each embraces phenomenological principles. The discussions of situated reflective practice (SRP) entail those circumstances where change is visited upon the individual by forces outside their immediate control. The positive sense of SRP is that it can prepare an individual for anticipated change, and is therefore considered a method of change management. The situation acts as a catalyst for the thought.
Relationships among Taiwanese children's computer game use, academic achievement and parental governing approach
Authors: Yeh Duen-Yian , Cheng Ching-Hsue
Published: August 2015

This study examined the relationships among children's computer game use, academic achievement and parental governing approach to propose probable answers for the doubts of Taiwanese parents. 355 children (ages 11–14) were randomly sampled from 20 elementary schools in a typically urbanised county in Taiwan. Questionnaire survey (five questions) and statistical analyses were employed. The findings included the following: (a) parents’ active engagement in computer game supervision had a significant impact on children's computer game use; (b) greater participation in computer games correlated significantly with lower academic achievement, but parents’ desire to prevent their children from playing computer games did not make children get the best academic achievement; and (c) the significant interaction effect of gender and parental governing approach on children's academic achievement suggested the adoption of a ‘flexible parenting’ strategy. Finally, several recommendations were provided with parents for supervising children's computer game use and assisting them in obtaining better academic achievement.
Self-awareness in the retina
Authors: Garrett Andrew M , Burgess Robert W
Published: August 2015

Proteins called gamma-protocadherins are essential for the establishment of working circuits of neurons in the retina.
Employment Status of the Graduates of Guimaras State College, Philippines
Authors: Infante Julieta Galila , Junco Ethel P. , Marquez Mervin C.
Published: August 2015

Employment status is one of the major factors influencing the quality of work. Manpower contributes to building a productive nation. This tracer study was conducted to determine the employment status of the graduates of Guimaras State College-Mosqueda Campus from AY 2006-2012. The instrument used in the study was the standardized one formulated by the Commission on Higher Education in doing tracer studies for the higher education institution. The questionnaires were distributed per municipality based on the addresses of the respondents taken from the School’s Registrar Office. The majority of the graduates were female and single. They came from a family with big household size having an annual family income of less than P50,000.00. Majority of these graduates did not take further studies though they were very satisfied with the knowledge and skills acquired from their course for which they found the program and self-readiness as very effective. Majority of them were employed on a contractual basis with a monthly salary of P5,000.00 to less than P10,000.00. The primary reason for those who were not employed was family responsibility. Very evident in this study is the fact that despite poverty, the Filipino families still value education as means to finding better employment opportunities. Regardless of the dearth of physical facilities that GSCMC provided, still they continue to take higher education with the institution. The result of the study served as basis in pursuing plans and proposed action areas of intervention for GSC programs and services to the community it is serving.   KEYWORDS - Education, employment status, graduates, tracer study, descriptive study, Philippines
The Magbukon Literary Arts among the Aetas of Bataan, Philippines
Authors: David Neil D.
Published: August 2015

Magbukon is the indigenous dialect of an Aeta tribe in Bataan which is potentially extinct due to cultural erosion as a result of tribe’s assimilation with the lowlanders. Using ethnographic approach, this study focused on the preservation of Aeta Magbukon oral tradition as a means of preserving their language. Their literary arts are preserved only by oral tradition and being transferred by the elders to the younger generation. The researcher is afraid that if these literary arts are not properly documented and published the sooner, it will vanish forever together with their native dialect. Thus, this study is twofold, preserving the language and preserving the oral heritage which have the same impact of importance and has received a great deal of support from many civilized countries including the UNESCO that spent a lot of resources to safeguard the many endangered languages and oral heritage around the world. As this study gains acceptance and credence from both the simple and the prudent, the education and wisdom encompassed in the language under study will have an explicit possibility of incessant transfer to the younger age group, thus, an extensive and positive reception of the culture and its people as a whole. KEYWORDS - Language and literature, oral tradition, literary arts, endangered language, language death, indigenous language, ethnography, descriptive design, Bataan, Philippines
An Android Application for Simplifying Boolean Functions
Authors: Etcuban Jonathan O. , Ybañez Leah C. , Caminade Franz Josef I.
Published: August 2015

Students who are enrolled in computer-related courses need to have a fundamental knowledge and application of Boolean expressions. Learning Boolean algebra and digital logic are somehow difficult for students to grasp especially because these disciplines highly require them of critical thinking and logical understanding. To address this need, the researchers designed and developed a mobile application for Android-enabled phones that will assist the teacher in explaining the concepts of Boolean expressions to students. Developmental-experimental designs of research were used. The data gathered from the respondents were analyzed and utilized in the application development where it accepts Boolean expressions and displays the generated simplified expression, truth table, Karnaugh map, and logic circuit diagrams. The application does not require a network connection and runs only on the Android operating system. The researchers used the following tools in the development of the mobile application: Eclipse as editor, Android Software Development Kit (SDK) as a development tool, and SQLite as its database. The mobile application was tested, evaluated, and used by the respondents. Respondents agreed that the application is better than the manual procedures in simplifying Boolean expressions. Thus, this Android-based application is highly recommended as a tool for teaching Boolean expressions.   Keywords- Information Technology, Boolean algebra, descriptive-developmental method, Philippines
The Domains of Control Environment as Predictors of Cultural Practices in the Workplace
Authors: SULTAN RENE P. , BAGUIO JOSEPHINE B.
Published: August 2015

The control environment is the foundation for all other components of internal control such as control activities, risk assessment, information and communication, monitoring and helps to provide the necessary structure and discipline, effectively helping to establish the “tone at the top” within an organization. This study was conducted to determine whether the domains of the control environment significantly predict cultural practices in the workplace. Descriptive-correlational method of research was employed in this study. The respondents of this study were the regular and casual employees of the Department of Health Regional Field Office XI, during the Fiscal Year 2011. In this study, the universal sampling was used. The Multiple Regression was used to answer the main problem of the study. It was found out that the level of the control environment and the cultural practices in the workplace in the Department of Health in Region XI is high. The study concluded that the domains of the control environment significantly predict culture in the workplace. The study recommended that the control environment practices must be enhanced and develop to establish strong cultural practices among employees of the entire organization.Keywords: Social sciences, cultural practices, control environment, descriptive-correlationalmethod, regression, Philippines
Memory Strategies as Predictor of Communication Skills of Fast Intermediate Learners
Authors: TECSON LUNINGNING A. , GABATILLA CHERRYL T.
Published: August 2015

English language is considered the most common medium of communication around the world however, it has been observed that English language proficiency among students is rapidly declining. The decline in English proficiency is also prevalent even among students who were said to excellent in grammar form and structure. This study was conducted to ascertain the relationship between the language learning strategies (LLS) and communication skills of the fast intermediate learners in Southern Philippines involving 76 respondents. The respondents were the entire population of the intermediate group in the Special Education (SPEd) Fast Learners program. Further, the study aimed to describe whether the LLS has significant predictive value on the students’ communication skills. In this study, two types of questionnaires were utilized. The first was the Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL) questionnaire. The second part of the questionnaire dealt with communication skills. Employing non-experimental descriptive quantitative research design using correlational technique and utilizing Pearson-r and regression as statistical tools, result showed a significant relationship between language learning strategies and communication skills. The study concludes that only memory strategies indicator had a significant predictive value on students’ communication skills.Keywords: Linguistics, Language learning strategies, communication skills, non experimentaldescriptive quantitative research design, Southern Philippines
Marketing Skills as Predictors of Profitability of Franchisees in Davao City, Philippines
Authors: CAMPOAMOR JAMES Q. , MERCADO JOANNA LYNN L. , DE GRACIA EDUARDO D.
Published: August 2015

Franchising has assumed a popular role in starting and expanding businesses worldwide. Entrepreneurs, both neophytes and experienced, are keenly interested in taking advantage of franchising as an avenue for venturing into new businesses. Franchisees’ success and failure experiences need to be studied to guide would be and existing entreprenuers to wield the franchising business approach more profitably. The study was conducted to determine the relationship between franchisees’ traits and the profitability of their franchised business in Davao City, Philippines. Franchisees’ traits included system follower, marketing skills, business and management skills, communication skills and leadership skills, and profitability was modified as very high, high, and moderate. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis specifically discriminant analysis were used to test the hypothesis of the study. Respondents were 35 franchisees operating for the last 3 years (2010-2012) in the different malls in Davao City. Results showed that the franchisee level of traits was very high while the franchised business level of profitablity in terms of return on investment (ROI) was high. And, the franchisee level of marketing skills was the trait that best predicts the franchised business’ level of profitability.Keywords: Business franchising, franchisee traits, profitability, multivariate analysis,Philippines
Pedagogy of Love as Distinct Character on the Benefit of Teacher Training to Students’ Learning
Authors: CAYOGYOG ALVIN O.
Published: August 2015

Training must serve its purpose or else it will become a waste of time, effort and money. Despite the noble purpose of training, its poor design and evaluation programoftentimes wasted its investments. This study analyzes the usefulness of teachers’trainings via qualitative method of research. The results articulated the emerging categories of students’ personal and interpersonal learning experiences manifested in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of learning. Several insights across these categories traced their roots to teachers’ traits and values such as the ability to explain the lesson well, motivate students, use good techniques/strategies, relate the lesson to real life situations, arouse critical thinking, patience, open-mindedness, friendliness, fairness, concerns, passion and commitment for teaching. Cases on competency-based instruction and advanced teaching-learning methods shared commontraces of benefits in teachers’ training. The case on pedagogy of love emerged to have a distinct character. This study establishes the benefits of the teacher training in student learning particularly in building their character and intellectual competence – calling for a continuous strengthening of faculty development initiatives.Keywords: Teacher training, Student learning, Pedagogy of Love, Cross Case Analysis, Universityof Mindanao, Davao City, Philippines
Parental Involvement and Student Readiness in Mathematics in the Secondary Schools
Authors: ABELLANOSA GAUDENCIO G. , CARPIANO REALINO Z.
Published: August 2015

Parental involvement is significant in the improvement of students’ learning. The study determines the parental involvement and student readiness in Mathematicsand its relationship. Descriptive correlation method of research was used in the study. There were 208 grade 7 students from secondary schools in Davao City as sample respondents. Slovin formula was used in the determination of sample size. Questionnaires were the research instrument used in the gathering of data and was presented to the panel of examiners for content validity. Mean, Pearson Product MomentCorrelation and linear regression were the statistical tools used in the study.The level of parental involvement is high and the student readiness in Mathematics is very low. The grade 7 students revealed readiness in grade 4 Mathematics. There is no significant relationship between the parental involvement and student readiness in Mathematics. This implies that student readiness in Mathematics is not dependent on parental involvement. The parental involvement is not a predictor of the student readiness. This implies that there are other variables that predicts student readiness but not attributed to parental involvement.Keywords: Parental Involvement, Parenting, Communicating, Volunteering, Decision Making,Collaboratingwith community, and Student Readiness in Mathematics
Students’ Interest in Engineering and Average Final Grade in Mathematics as Factors in Program Retention
Authors: LAGUADOR JAKE M.
Published: August 2015

Engineering as a degree program requires the students’ inclination to mathematicsto survive on carrying out various challenges of solving problems more analytically and critically. The study determined the level of interest in the Engineering Program and its correlation to average final grade in College Algebra, Trigonometry and Solid Mensuration as factors of program retention of the Filipino Freshmen engineering students enrolled in the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU). It examined the underlying differences between gender, school year of freshmen enrolment, final grades in three basic engineering mathematics and between those students who were retained in LPU to continue their studies and those who left to look for another degreeprogram in other universities. Descriptive type of research method was utilized in the study. Results showed that students who transferred to other universities and/or degree programs have significantly lower level of interest towards engineering and have higher perceived level of difficulty in the program than those students who decidedto stay in LPU, and female engineering students have significantly higher view of becoming engineers in the future compared to their male counterparts while the final grades of students who transferred in other universities obtained significantly lower final grades in College Algebra and Trigonometry.Keywords: Engineering, mathematics, interest, academic performance, gender difference, descriptive design, Philippines
Audience Perceptions on the Probable Transformation of Laro ng Lahi into Dance
Authors: CALUZA LAS JOHANSEN B. , MORES JERRY E.
Published: August 2015

Filipino indigenous games such as Laro ng Lahi are recreational activities taught in Physical Education classes at the tertiary level. These games are no longer played by children in the streets or playgrounds. This study sought to investigate the audience perceptions of the Filipino Indigenous Games transformation into cultural dance drama. The researchers choreographed a dance integrating the ten select Laro ng Lahi and presented it to the respondents. The research design used in this study was the quantitative approach. A survey questionnaire was used as the main instrument in this study and was conducted to determine the audience perceptions towards the Laro ng Lahi as interpreted into a dance. The data were summarized using frequencies,percentages and means. It was found that there was a great impression of the Laro ng Lahi being interpreted into a dance, and this can be used as a new approach in teaching recreational activities in Physical Education. It was mentioned by the respondents that interpreting the Laro ng Lahi as a dance revives our cultural heritage and reminds us of our social activities. Finally, this research will provide an additional knowledge base to future researchers, who will study similar topics.Keywords: Performing Arts, Recreational Activities, Cultural Dance, Laro ng Lahi, Filipino Indigenous Games, Physical Education, Dance Choreography, Cultural Presentation,Quantitative Design, Transformational, Philippines