bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RPG2 - UMA AVENTURA NA EDUCAÇÃO
Authors: Rodrigues Diego dos Santos , Zavan André Ricardo
Published: December 2018

Este artigo apresenta uma proposta direcionada ao ensino e aprendizagem de determinados conteúdos que são aplicados em sala de aula, tendo o objetivo de empregar uma metodologia de Gamificação na forma de Role-Playing Game (RPG) de mesa, buscando transformar conteúdos de determinadas disciplinas em jogos. Com isso, almeja-se uma aprendizagem mais dinâmica e motivadora para estudantes de todas as idades, mas inicialmente o experimento foi aplicado com alunos do ensino médio.
A TECNOLOGIA DA INFORMAÇÃO E COMUNICAÇÃO NA QUÍMICA – ANÁLISE CENTESIMAL
Authors: Marchi Késsia Rita da Costa , Alves Arielle Andressa , Nascimento Rodolfo Ricken do , Júnioreduardo Eduardo Augusto da Cruz , Olher Vanessa Guimarães Alves , De Oliveira Frank Willian Cardoso , Marques Angela Fontana
Published: December 2018

A composição centesimal, de forma sucinta, representa o valor nutritivo e/ou calórico de um alimento, em sua proporção considerada comestível (100 g). Os valores encontrados em tabelas nutricionais fixadas nas embalagens de produtos são resultados de análises físico-químicas, tais como: umidade, cinzas, proteínas, lipídeos, fibras e carboidratos. Tais características são importantes pois influenciam diretamente na qualidade do produto e na sua estabilidade frente ao tempo de prateleira. Para se chegar aos valores que serão impressos nos rótulos, faz-se necessária a realização de alguns cálculos na etapa de pós-análise. A utilização de um software capaz de realizar tais operações matemáticas de forma rápida e com a finalidade de gerar a tabela de valor nutritivo do produto, traz comodidade, facilidade e agilidade ao analista no momento de executar tal análise. Propondo-se a atender a essa perspectiva, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar o software CALCEN, que visa auxiliar e agilizar analistas na realização da análise centesimal em laboratório. Este software é implementado em linguagem de programação JAVA, desenvolvido de acordo com as recomendações propostas pela Engenharia de Software para o desenvolvimento ágil de sistemas e pela Interação Humano Computador, considerando seus critérios de qualidade e usabilidade, com o propósito de torná-lo um software intuitivo e de fácil manejo, favorecendo assim a sua utilização em laboratórios.
UM ESTUDO SOBRE A PERSONALIZAÇÃO DO ENSINO COM A COLABORAÇÃO DE RECURSOS AUDIOVISUAIS EM AMBIENTES INTERATIVOS PARA A APRENDIZAGEM DA DISCIPLINA DE HISTÓRIA – RESULTADOS PRELIMINARES
Authors: Marchi Késsia Rita da Costa , Neto Alexandre Amaury de Mello , Andrade Lucas de Melo
Published: December 2018

Este artigo descreve um estudo sobre a personalização do ensino e a colaboração das TIC’s (Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação) para a aprendizagem da disciplina de História no Ensino Médio. Para esta personalização foi considerado a Educação Híbrida e sua relação com a personalização do ensino, na qual, refere-se a uma combinação entre o modelo convencional de ensino e os recursos (impressos ou digitais) que possibilitem oportunidades para o aluno aprender dentro de seu ritmo individual de aprendizagem, desenvolvendo, inclusive, habilidades autônomas. Para tanto, é discutido neste trabalho o modelo tradicional de ensino de História e os novos desafios colocados pela era digital ao processo de ensino e aprendizagem, desafios estes, que têm se mostrado como uma tendência de evolução do processo educacional, demandando soluções que possibilitem colaborar no desenvolvimento de conteúdos interativos.  Também é apresentado neste trabalho uma análise de alguns dados que foram obtidos por meio de aplicação de questionários, sendo que no decorrer desta análise buscou-se compreender de que forma os professores entrevistados relacionavam-se com os recursos tecnológicos utilizados em suas aulas e quais possíveis problemas encontrados na produção de materiais didáticos para personalizarem suas práticas educacionais. Após esta análise, este trabalho apresenta uma proposta de construção de ferramenta que objetiva auxiliar esses professores a inserirem, em seus processos de ensino e aprendizagem o ensino híbrido, mediado por TIC´s.
ÍNDICE DE SALUBRIDADE AMBIENTAL DO MUNICÍPIO DE UMUARAMA/PR COM BASE NOS DADOS DO ANO DE 2016
Authors: Lupepsa Vanda Zago , Hoffmann César Augusto , Santana Junior Jorgelino Pedro de , Barbado Norma
Published: December 2018

Resumo: Conhecer o nível de qualidade de vida em um Município é primordial para o desenvolvimento de determinada localidade, pois com a  ciência desta informação, a cidade se torna mais atrativa a novos investimentos, sendo que as cidades têm buscado ampliar a qualidade e oferta de serviços e equipamentos públicos urbanos a fim de elevar a salubridade ambiental. Atualmente, a busca por qualidade de vida tem peso importante na decisão das pessoas, na escolha de onde viver. Os dados considerados para esta adaptação do ISA, são voltados para a qualidade social, econômica e ambiental, fomentando o tripé da sustentabilidade, levando em conta em um de seus sub indicadores também a qualidade urbana. Foram considerados, para esta análise, os seguintes indicadores: Indicador de Abastecimento de Água (IAA)  com peso 0,20; Indicador de Esgoto Sanitário (IES) com peso 0,20; Indicador de Resíduos Sólidos (IRS) com peso 0,20; Indicador de Drenagem Urbana (IDU) com peso 0,10; Indicador de Qualidade Urbana (IQU) com peso 0,15; Indicador socioeconômico (ISE) com peso 0,15. De acordo com o levantamento de dados realizado, o índice de Salubridade Ambiental (ISA) do Município de Umuarama/PR, para o ano de 2016, alcançou 0,9207 sendo que o índice máximo de avaliação do ISA é de 1,0. Assim sendo, a cidade de Umuarama é considerada salubre frente aos parâmetros de avaliação adotados.
3D Printing Technology in Drug Delivery: Recent Progress and Application
Authors: Kotta Sabna , Nair Anroop , Alsabeelah Nimer
Published: December 2018

Background:

3D printing technology is a new chapter in pharmaceutical manufacturing and has gained
vast interest in the recent past as it offers significant advantages over traditional pharmaceutical processes. Advances
in technologies can lead to the design of suitable 3D printing device capable of producing formulations
with intended drug release.

Methods:

This review summarizes the applications of 3D printing technology in various drug delivery systems.
The applications are well arranged in different sections like uses in personalized drug dosing, complex drugrelease
profiles, personalized topical treatment devices, novel dosage forms and drug delivery devices and 3D
printed polypills.

Results:

This niche technology seems to be a transformative tool with more flexibility in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Typically, 3D printing is a layer-by-layer process having the ability to fabricate 3D formulations by
depositing the product components by digital control. This additive manufacturing process can provide tailored
and individualized dosing for treatment of patients different backgrounds with varied customs and metabolism
pattern. In addition, this printing technology has the capacity for dispensing low volumes with accuracy along
with accurate spatial control for customized drug delivery. After the FDA approval of first 3D printed tablet Spritam,
the 3D printing technology is extensively explored in the arena of drug delivery.

Conclusion:

There is enormous scope for this promising technology in designing various delivery systems and
provides customized patient-compatible formulations with polypills. The future of this technology will rely on its
prospective to provide 3D printing systems capable of manufacturing personalized doses. In nutshell, the 3D
approach is likely to revolutionize drug delivery systems to a new level, though need time to evolve.
M918: A Novel Cell Penetrating Peptide for Effective Delivery of HIV-1 Nef and Hsp20-Nef Proteins into Eukaryotic Cell Lines
Authors: Rostami Bahareh , Irani Shiva , Bolhassani Azam , Cohan Reza Ahangari
Published: December 2018

Background:

HIV-1 Nef protein is a possible attractive target in the development of
therapeutic HIV vaccines including protein-based vaccines. The most important disadvantage of
protein-based vaccines is their low immunogenicity which can be improved by heat shock proteins
(Hsps) as an immunomodulator, and cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) as a carrier.

Methods:

In this study, the HIV-1 Nef and Hsp20-Nef proteins were generated in E.coli expression
system for delivery into the HEK-293T mammalian cell line using a novel cell-penetrating peptide,
M918, in a non-covalent fashion. The size, zeta potential and morphology of the peptide/protein
complexes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Zeta sizer. The efficiency of
Nef and Hsp20-Nef transfection using M918 was evaluated by western blotting in HEK-293T cell
line.

Results:

The SEM data confirmed the formation of discrete nanoparticles with a diameter of approximately
200-250 nm and 50-80 nm for M918/Nef and M918/Hsp20-Nef, respectively. The
dominant band of ~ 27 kDa and ~ 47 kDa was detected in the transfected cells with the Nef/ M918
and Hsp20-Nef/ M918 nanoparticles at a molar ratio of 1:20 using anti-HIV-1 Nef monoclonal antibody.
These bands were not detected in the un-transfected and transfected cells with Nef or Hsp20-
Nef protein alone indicating that M918 could increase the penetration of Nef and Hsp20-Nef proteins
into the cells.

Conclusion:

These data suggest that M918 CPP can be used to enter HIV-1 Nef and Hsp20-Nef
proteins inside mammalian cells efficiently as a promising approach in HIV-1 vaccine development.
Metal and Non-Metal Catalysts in the Synthesis of Five-Membered S-Heterocycles
Authors: Kaur Navjeet
Published: December 2018

Background:

A wide variety of biological activities are exhibited by N, O and S containing heterocycles and recently, many reports appeared for the synthesis of these heterocycles. The synthesis of heterocycles with the help of metal and non-metal catalyst has become a highly rewarding and important method in organic synthesis. This review article concentrated on the synthesis of S-heterocylces in the presence of metal and non-metal catalyst. The synthesis of five-membered S-heterocycles is described here.

Objective:

There is a need for the development of rapid, efficient and versatile strategy for the synthesis of heterocyclic rings. Metal, non-metal and organocatalysis involving methods have gained prominence because traditional conditions have disadvantages such as long reaction times, harsh conditions and limited substrate scope.

Conclusion:

The metal-, non-metal-, and organocatalyst assisted organic synthesis is a highly dynamic research field. For ßthe chemoselective and efficient synthesis of heterocyclic molecules, this protocol has emerged as a powerful route. Various methodologies in the past few years have been pointed out to pursue more sustainable, efficient and environmentally benign procedures and products. Among these processes, the development of new protocols (catalysis), which avoided the use of toxic reagents, are the focus of intense research.
Trends in the Analysis of Biopharmaceuticals by HPLC
Authors: Tartaglia Angela , Locatelli Marcello , Samanidou Victoria
Published: December 2018

Background:

Biopharmaceuticals are biological drugs consisting of a complex compound
that can be produced by a living organism or derive from it. Biopharmaceuticals are very complicated
compounds from structural point of view and for this reason, they cannot be fully characterized in
terms of their structure with current analytical methods as it happens instead of low molecular weight
chemicals drugs.

Introduction:

The regulatory guidelines require the characterization of the primary or higher sequence
of these molecules and the characterization of any post-translational modifications. The use
of biopharmaceuticals has really grown in the last few years: in 2016, the number of biopharmaceuticals
approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA)
for use in humans’ diseases was 1357. From 2013 to 2016, 73 of these compounds were approved for
the treatment of cancer, inflammation, immune disorders, infections, anemia and cardiovascular diseases.

Aim/Conclusion:

The aim of the present review is to provide an overview of recent approaches for
the characterization of biopharmaceutical products in HPLC that have been presented in the literature
in the last years.
Температурное тушение и деполяризация флюоресценции углеродных наноточек полученных пиролизом парафина
Authors: Старухин А.Н. , Нельсон Д.К. , Курдюков Д.А. , Еуров Д.А. , Голубев В.Г.
Published: December 2018

AbstractA temperature effect on fluorescence intensity and polarization of a colloidal system of carbon nanodots in glycerol under linearly polarized pumping conditions is studied. Nanodots are obtained via pyrolysis of paraffin in nanopores of a mesoporous silica. An increase in temperature leads to quenching of nanodots fluorescence, and activation energy of the quenching process is assessed. An experimental relationship between the linear fluorescence polarization and temperature is described by the Levshin–Perrin equation, which takes into account the rotational diffusion of luminescent particles (fluorophores) in a liquid matrix. The size of fluorophores is noticeably smaller than that of carbon nanodots according to the Levshin–Perrin model. A difference between the dimensions of the fluorophore and the nanodot indicates that the small atomic groups responsible for luminescence of the nanodot possess high segmental mobility.
Опыт применения различных методик проведения комбинированной спинально-эпидуральной анестезии при реконструктивных операциях на артериях нижних конечностей
Authors: Chebanov K.O. , Klygunenko O.M. , Novikov S.P. , Ploschenko Yu.A. , Dubova V.M. , Baida Yu.B. , Lapkin I.V.
Published: December 2018

Актуальность. За последние годы регионарные методы обезболивания шагнули на несколько ступеней вверх. Помимо появления новых препаратов для введения в эпидуральное и субарахноидальное пространство, на сегодняшний день существует целый ряд комбинированных методов регионарной анестезии и анальгезии, которые включают все преимущества используемых методов одновременно. В нашей клинике на базе городского сосудистого центра реконструктивные операции на артериях нижних конечностей проводятся преимущественно в условиях комбинированной спинально-эпидуральной анестезии (КСЭА), которая может технически выполняться по одно- и двухуровневой методике. Цель исследования: сравнить эффективность анестезии и послеоперационной анальгезии при применении одно- и двухуровневой комбинированной спинально-эпидуральной анестезии. Материалы и методы. Проанализированы 2 группы пациентов по 39 человек, которым было показано оперативное вмешательство на артериях нижних конечностей. В первой группе проводилась одноуровневая КСЭА, во второй — двухуровневая КСЭА. Премедикация в обеих группах за 40 минут до операции включала инфулган 100 мл внутривенно, дексалгин 2,0 внутримышечно, осетрон 4 мг внутривенно. Вопрос о преинфузии решался индивидуально. Оценку результатов мы осуществляли по признакам эффективности интраоперационной анестезии, времени разрешения двигательного блока, эффективности послеоперационной анальгезии по визуально-ассоциативной шкале, а также адекватности перфузии. Результаты. Интраоперационно в группе одноуровневой КСЭА 8 (20,5 %) пациентам понадобилось дополнительное введение анестетика в эпидуральное пространство с целью анестезии, во второй — 10 пациентам (26 %), однако данные показатели не достигали степени статистической достоверности (р < 0,05) и данная погрешность не является значимой. Полное разрешение двигательного блока в послеоперационном периоде в обеих группах наступало через 4,0 ± 0,5 часа. Дальнейшее обезболивание в обеих группах производилось через эпидуральный катетер с интервалом каждые 4 часа и не достигало по визуально-ассоциативной шкале более 4 баллов, соответственно, не требовалось дополнительного назначения наркотических анальгетиков как в первой, так и во второй группе. Выводы. Техника одно- и двухуровневой КСЭА позволяет в равной степени достичь должного эффекта интраоперационной анестезии, своевременного разрешения двигательного блока, а также всех положительных эффектов продленной эпидуральной анальгезии в послеоперационном периоде.
SISTEM INFORMASI APLIKASI PENGELOLAAN TRANSAKSI KEUANGAN DAN PENDATAAN KONSUMEN PADA CV. PUPLAS
Authors: Loveri Tomi Tm
Published: December 2018

The author conducted research on Cv. Puplas s, aims to know about financial management and data collection of consumers in  Cv. Puplas. Transaction management and report creation that is still manual and do not have a database, so often the occurrence of errors in the processing of financial transactions. Likewise, when the consumer data processing and reporting process given to the leadership takes a long time and less efficient, because the data is still in the form of archives. To overcome this problem, the writer tries to design a system that can solve the problem. This research is done using field research method with direct observation and interview, then in Library Research for Literature study and laboratory research to design Information System using Web Programing CodeIgniter and SQLyog as database manager
OPTIMALISASI JALUR EVAKUASI TSUNAMI MENGGUNAKAN SISTEM INFORMASI GEOGRAFIS DI KOTA PADANG BERBASIS WEB
Authors: Yanto Heri
Published: December 2018

Sistem Informasi Geografi adalah suatu sistem informasi yang digunakan untuk memasukkan, menyimpan, memanggil kembali, mengolah, menganalisa dan menghasilkan data bereferensi geografis atau geospatial, untuk mendukung pengambilan keputusan dalam suatu perencanaan. Pemberian pengetahuan ini dilakukan dengan memanfaatkan teknologi dan ilmu pegetahuan yang berkembang saat ini yaitu sistem Informasi Geografis. Sistem ini akan dapat memberikan suatu informasi yang berguna bagi user dengan pemanfaatan pemetaan GIS.        Sistem Informasi Geografi ini dibangun untuk pemilihan jalur evakuasi yang paling optimal sedangkan metode yang digunakan untuk menggambarkan pemodelannya yaitu menggunakan UML. Sistem ini penulis rancang dengan menggunakan Mapserver dan merupakan berbasis web.
Desain Sistem Informasi Pengolahan Data Stok Air Minum Dalam Kemasan Pada Pt.Amia Batusangkar
Authors: Daus Firdaus
Published: December 2018

After conducting research at PT. Amanah Insanillahia Batusangkar found problems regarding the transaction process where the recording is still using Microsoft Excel on a standard basis. This has resulted in reports that are not accurate and precise. Inventory of goods using First In First Out (FIFO) can be controlled more and can know the total inventory costs that exist at any time without having to do the first physical calculation. The results of this study are a design information system inventory data on bottled drinking water stock at PT. AMIA Batusangkar uses the First In First Out (FIFO) method. By utilizing a computerized system is expected to help the decision-making process and by utilizing the PHP programming language as a software and MySQL database, this application can help less effective and efficient ways and can facilitate the making of results reports and decision making.
SISTEM INFORMASI MANAJEMEN PENGOLAHAN DATA DI BALAI WILAYAH SUNGAI SUMATERA V KEMENTERIAN PEKERJAAN UMUM DAN PERUMAHAN RAKYAT
Authors: Suherman Yanni
Published: December 2018

RESEARCH THAT THE AUTHOR DID IN THE SUMATRA RIVER REGION HALL V MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS AND PUBLIC HOUSING OF WEST SUMATRA PROVINCE AIMS TO BUILD AN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR DATA PROCESSING PAYING ORDERS AND FUND DISBURSEMENT WARRANTS. THE METHOD USED IS A FIELD STUDY THAT IS CONDUCTING DIRECT INTERVIEWS WITH COMMITMENT MAKING OFFICIALS OF GROUNDWATER AND RAW WATER I, THEN STUDY LIBRARIES AND LABORATORY STUDIES USING VB.NET 2013. THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH ARE TO FACILITATE THE DATA PROCESSING. SO THAT CONCLUSIONS CAN BE OBTAINED, WITH THIS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, IT CAN FACILITATE THE PROCESSING DATA OF PAYING ORDERS AND FUND DISBURSEMENT WARRANTS TO PRODUCE INFORMATION AND REPORT MAKING CORRECTLY, QUICKLY AND ACCURATELY.
O Porto moderno: quadros e ritmos urbanos na/da Baixa da Cidade no fim do século XIX-início do século XX
Authors: Rodrigues Cláudia
Published: December 2018

A Cidade do Porto é, no fim do século XIX, início séc. XX, campo urbano da consubstanciação da sociedade burguesa, apresentando-se, nomeadamente no palco da sua nova ‘Baixa’, como cidade de grande vigor político, público, cultural, comercial, económico, urbano. A ambiência do espaço urbano da Baixa é, nesse tempo, marcada por uma constelação de desenvolvimentos em vários planos urbanos, navega-se aqui no plano do espaço urbano do Porto com contornos públicos, em particular na sua Baixa. Passeia-se fugazmente, numa primeira parte, pelo espaço da cultura, da boémia, do passeio, do encontro e do recreio na Baixa do Porto, entrando-se, numa segunda parte, no seu espaço público e na sua expressão festiva, resistente e resiliente. Contempla-se a cidade como uma caixa de ritmos que contam e cantam a sua actualidade e o seu passado, propondo-se aqui contribuir para a exploração da história de vida da cidade, em jeito de anamnese do espaço urbano na Baixa do Porto. Que ritmos quotidianos e excepcionais do/no espaço urbano do Porto, marcam este momento de consolidação de uma Baixa moderna? Num momento da vida da cidade de excepcional manifestação popular e resistência? Numa Baixa onde o entretenimento é enfatizado, institucionalizando-se na designada ‘cidade do trabalho’, o café, o teatro, o cinema, o salão, o passeio, o jardim? De quem é, como é produzido, e onde pára o espaço urbano desta Baixa? Eis as questões que motivam e norteiam esta passeata ao espaço público e/ou lúdico na/da Baixa de um Porto ‘moderno’.
Tax Minimization sebagai Pemoderasi Hubungan antara Tunneling Incentive, Bonus Mechanism dan Debt Convenant dengan Keputusan Transfer Pricing
Authors: Nuradila Ratna Felix , Wibowo Raden Arief
Published: December 2018

This research is purposed to determine the effect of tunneling incentive,bonus mechanism and debt covenant to transfer pricing wich ismoderated by tax minimization on multinational firm’s listed atIndonesian Stock Exchange in 2012-2014. The technique of thisanalysis is multiple regression analysis, wich used 33 annual reportfrom secondary data with purposive sampling method. The result ofthis research showed that variabel which are having a significantimpact to transfer pricing are tunneling incentive, debt covenant andmoderation of tax minimization to tunneling incentive.Keywords: Transfer Pricing, Tunneling Incentive, Bonus Mechanism, Debt Covenant, Tax MinimizationJEL Classification: H25, H71, M1
A supervisory control system of a biodiesel production plant
Authors: Stankov Stanko
Published: December 2018

This paper describes a system for control and monitoring of plants for production of ecologically pure fuel biodiesel, which is obtained by transforming vegetable oils into fatty acid methyl esters by the reaction of transesterification. The automation provides synchronized operation of installed devices and equipment, protection and blockage of devices in the cases of irregularities, optimum energy consumption, elimination of subjective factor influences, increased efficiency of the plant and achievement of required product quality. It also enables prediction and diagnosis of faults, prevention of the occurrence of anomalies and ensures quality system maintenance and continual production. The supervisory control system is based on PLC and SCADA configuration with decentralized and distributed control of the component parts of the plant. All technical units are monitored (transformer station, diesel generator, storages with decanters of crude vegetable oil, methanol, glycerol, acids, additives and the final products - biodiesel, energy supply unit with a nitrogen station and a compressor plant, production process, as well as the fire protection system). Control units (local PLCs in feedback with operator panels), which are located in cabinets along the drives, collect local digital and analog values of process variables and forward control signals to the actuators. Certain deviations of the regulated values from the setup values cause the alarm set off in the form of light and sound warnings on local panels and the monitor at the dispatch center, with the message relating to the cause, location and time of the disturbance and requiring from the operator to confirm the notice of the alarm. Visual interpretation of the drive components, tabular and graphical representation of characteristic values on dynamic screens enables the operator to monitor the entire production process. Monitoring of the status of each component is also enabled at SCADA in the dispatch center. Control and supervision provide: measurement of process parameters and variables; receiving, processing and displaying the process measurements in the form of tables and trend graphs; visualization of drive status; chronology of events and analysis; monitoring and processing of warning and alarm signals; the possibility of local, remote automatic and remote manual control of individual objects, as well as generating and presenting daily and periodical reports.
Metodología para la caracterización espacio-temporal de PM2.5 en el área urbana de la ciudad de Medellín-Colombia
Authors: Londoño Ciro Libardo Antonio , Cañón Barriga Julio Eduardo
Published: December 2018

Se propone una metodología para caracterizar espacio temporalmente la concentración de PM2.5 que integra interpolación espacial, estadística espacial y econometría. Se implementa con sistemas de información geográfica y datos de concentración promedia mensual de PM2.5, temperatura y velocidad del viento; medidos en 8 sitios de monitoreo durante 2013-2014 en la ciudad de Medellín. Primero se hace una caracterización espacial multivariada de PM2.5 con regresiones geográficamente ponderadas (GWR) y luego la caracterización temporal con algoritmos econométricos. El modelo con variables explicativas temperatura, gradiente espacial del viento, dominio espacial de PM2.5 calculado con GWR y la concentración de PM2.5; con un rezago de orden 1; explica en un 87% la variabilidad de PM2.5. El desempeño de los algoritmos se calcula con validación cruzada. Finalmente se ajustan los mapas de caracterización espacio-temporal con un modelo de proximidad espacial que usa la distancia a fuentes de emisión y de mitigación de PM2.5
Studying cultural relevance in online courses: A thematic inquiry
Authors: Adams Megan , Rodriguez Sanjuana , Zimmer Kate
Published: December 2018

This study investigated if culturally relevant pedagogy was embedded into online reading courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in at a southeastern university college of education. The goals of the study were: to highlight the importance of a fully developed syllabus for adjunct and part-time faculty who rely heavily on the syllabus; to emphasize the importance of syllabi for curriculum and course integrity when programs move to fully online; to investigate whether the cultural relevance emphasized at the program level was evident in the syllabi. The findings indicate that alignment between assessment and objectives and a detailed syllabus in online courses are critical in creating culturally relevant online courses. This study is important to the field in several ways. First, colleges of education may benefit from the findings on explicit instructions in shared syllabi and in alignment in programs and courses. Additionally, including democratic classrooms and ensuring depth of knowledge in reading programs is important in program evaluation.
Examining Construct Validity of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) Instrument Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Authors: Yu Taeho
Published: December 2018

This study examines the construct validity of the Student Online Learning Readiness (SOLR) instrument. The SOLR instrument consists of 20 items to evaluate social competencies, communication competencies, and technical competencies in online learning. A large Midwestern university was selected to test the construct validity of the SOLR instrument. A total of 347 undergraduate students participated in this study. Confirmatory factor modeling approach was used to assess the construct validity of the SOLR instrument for this study. As a result of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), the hypothesized model of 20-item structure of the SOLR instrument was verified as a good fit for the data (χ2 (164, N=347)=1959.94, p<.001, IFI=.81, CFI=.81, GFI=.55, RMSEA=.016).
Supporting Learning Engagement with Online Students
Authors: Buelow Janet R , Barry Thomas A. , Rich Leigh E
Published: December 2018

University students are increasingly demanding that traditionally taught courses are converted to an online platform. While quality standards are in place for the format and organization of online courses, professors often are left wondering what activities contribute to learning engagement for their online students. The research question driving this study was, what activities contribute to learning engagement for online students? To investigate this question, an online survey was conducted in one state university of all students taking an online course during the spring semester. With responses from 417 students and using three standardized scale variables for learning engagement, as well as two open-ended questions, course components related to strong learning engagement were identified and examined. Initial findings indicated a statistically significant moderate correlation of learning engagement with the use of higher-order learning and reflective and integrative learning techniques. Specifically, students who reported being highly engaged connected ideas from other courses, changed their understanding of a topic or concept, found connections between their learning and societal problems, and had fun. A regression model using these variables, along with control variables of student age, gender, and out-of-school work, resulted in an R2 of 0.484, suggesting that almost half of the variance in learning engagement can be explained via this model. Further analysis of the qualitative data identified certain aspects of online discussions and assignments as engaging, such as discussions and interactive assignments that are not merely “fun” from a student perspective but also integrate previous learning and connect to current social issues. This includes prompting students with thought-provoking questions that relate to “real-world” situations and inviting students to share diverse opinions as well as develop personal perspectives.
Student engagement with course content and peers in synchronous online courses discussions
Authors: Truhlar Allison M , Williams Kimberly M , Walter M Todd
Published: December 2018

As higher education institutions in United States offer online courses to growing audiences, there is increasing desire to understand how best to engage students with both course content and their peers. This case study examines the effects of assigning chat roles and facilitating self and group reflection on student-content and student-student interaction outcomes in four synchronous chats conducted in an online introductory-level sustainability course. We also considered what occurred within group reflections to inform how they are structured in the future. We found that assigning roles increased the proportion of critical student-student interactions. Self-reflections had no effect on either interaction type. Groups completing group reflections had a greater proportion of critical student-content interactions in the third chat and critical student-student interactions in the fourth chat than the groups that did not complete the group reflections. Based on our results, we plan to keep roles and group reflections going forward, and eliminate self-reflections. Furthermore, to increase the effectiveness of the group reflections, we propose some ideas to increase student ability to convert their ideas into change during subsequent chats.
A National Study of Online Learning Leaders in US Community Colleges
Authors: Fredericksen Eric E.
Published: December 2018

Online learning has become a major endeavor in US higher education. A 2016 national study of leadership for online learning explored a new leadership role that Presidents and Provosts at US universities have established to coordinate and direct their efforts in this vital area. But a significant portion of online education is offered by two-year schools, so this systematic national study of online learning leaders at our community college will complement the first study and contribute to our understanding of this vital academic initiative in those institutions.
Instructors’ Experience of Designing MOOCs in Higher Education: Considerations and Challenges
Authors: Zhu Meina , Bonk Curtis J , Sari Annisa R
Published: December 2018

As massive open online courses (MOOCs) increase, the large scale and heterogeneity of MOOC participants bring myriad significant design challenges. This mixed methods study explores 143 MOOC instructors’ considerations and challenges in designing MOOCs; 12 of whom were interviewed and had their courses analyzed. The survey, interview, and course review data revealed a variety of considerations and challenges in MOOC design in terms of pedagogy, resources, and logistics. Pedagogical considerations included learning objectives, assessment methods, course length, course content, flexibility, and collaborative learning support. Resource considerations included the affordance of MOOC platforms, support from the host institution and the platform, and the available intellectual and hardware resources. Logistical considerations included the amount of time instructors spent designing the MOOC. The obstacles included pedagogical challenges (engaging students, increasing student interaction, and limited assessment methods), resource challenge (i.e., limitations associated with the affordances of the platform), and logistical challenge (time limitations for designing and developing MOOCs). To address these challenges, the instructors often relied on reviewing other MOOCs. They also sought help from colleagues, their universities, and supporters of the platforms.
Characterizing Super-Posters in a MOOC for Teachers’ Professional Development
Authors: Bonafini Fernanda Cesar
Published: December 2018

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) attract thousands of participants who each exercise autonomy by engaging with resources and with other participants to whatever degree they wish. When analyzing participants’ patterns of engagement in MOOCs it is possible to notice that certain participants exhibit high levels of participation, actively engaging with others in forums. This study focuses on characterizing these highly active participants, and understanding their contributions back to the network in a MOOC designed for teachers’ professional development. Connectivism is used as theoretical lens to describe super-posters’ engagement in forums. Data from participants’ demographics, click-data, and forum posts are used to identify these highly active users. Qualitative content analysis is used to categorize the content of their posts, and social network analysis is used to represent their patterns of engagement. Results show that super-posters are generators of engagement, repurposing the content learned from the MOOC and feeding-forward new resources to the network. Super-posters can be seen as representatives of participation inequality in forums. They position themselves as the most prestigious and most influential nodes in the networks created by participants as they engage in forums. In some networks super-posters served as bridges, connecting people from different discussion threads and helping information to flow through the network. This study provides to MOOC designers and MOOC instructors an affordable method to identify and classify super-posters in any MOOC. Findings of this study could be used by MOOC designers and MOOC instructors to develop pedagogical interventions to give these participants a special role in the next MOOC cohort, which may foster engagement in MOOC forums and nurture the cyclical process of learning described in Connectivism. Regarding implications for research, this study attends the need for qualitative methods when analyzing participants’ engagement in MOOC forums and contributes to our knowledge of participation inequality. It also extends the literature of super-posters by showing their characterization in a MOOC focused on teachers’ professional development.
Accessibility that Supports Literacy: Virtual School Course Design Teams’ Instructional Planning for Students with Disabilities
Authors: Rice Mary Frances
Published: December 2018

As more students with disabilities in K-12 settings enroll in online courses, virtual schools and programs are working make courses accessible through stronger course design. When course designers approach the issue of accessibility, they must comply with legal requirements and mitigate the challenges many students with disabilities face for literacy and learning. These challenges include less well-developed content vocabulary and background knowledge, as well as inefficient skills and strategies for engaging with and comprehending online text. This study describes phenomenological research where course designers worked to meet accessibility standards and promote literacies online for all students, especially students with disabilities. Four strategies for promoting accessibility emerged as findings: (1) composing clear articulations of learning outcomes; (2) promoting personalized and contextualized learning, and; (3) planning for visual and audio representation of concepts. However, course designers may need additional support for addressing the interplay between literacies that promote access and accessibility features that promote literacies.
Predicting Sense of Presence and Sense of Community in Immersive Online Learning Environments
Authors: McClannon Terry W. , Cheney Amy , Bolt Les , Terry Krista
Published: December 2018

This study is based on survey research conducted between 2010 and 2017, involving 1053 graduate students using immersive online learning environments for their coursework. Investigators used course structural factors and student engagement factors to predict students’ perceptions of community and presence in the online immersive space. Utilizing the Sense of Community II index (SCI-2) and the Community of Inquiry survey (COI) median scores as cut scores for predicted outcomes, researchers demonstrated that purely online environments which encouraged student engagement in the online immersive space can enhance sense of presence and sense of community.  In addition, students in graduate programs that used online immersive delivery methods longer developed a stronger sense of community. Both dependent measures proved to have stable subscale structures for this inquiry based on a cursory confirmatory factor analysis
Exploring the Impact of Small-group Synchronous Discourse Sessions in Online Math Learning
Authors: Choi Jinnie , Walters Alyssa
Published: December 2018

Students in a fully-online learning environment have limited access to opportunities to talk about math problem solving. While discourse is a promising pedagogical model, less is known about how it translates to online math learning. We analyzed online platform data from two fully-online virtual elementary schools in the United States to address the following research questions: (a) Is participating in math discourse about reasoning and problem-solving related to students’ confidence, self-efficacy toward math, and math mindset in an online learning environment? (b) Is participation in math discourse related to math performance? The results showed that (a) repeated participation in the discourse sessions in a course was not directly related with changes in confidence, self-efficacy toward math, and math mindset, and (b) higher numbers of sessions that students participated in was associated with higher performance in final math course score and state assessment results, after controlling for prior performance and confidence, self-efficacy and mindset scores.
Visions of Quality Assurance in Online MBA Programs
Authors: Hinck Glori , Rice Kerry , Lowenthal Patrick R. , Perkins Ross
Published: December 2018

Online MBA programs have undergone significant growth in recent years. However, quality assurance measures have not kept pace with this growth. The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize aspects of quality assurance specific to AACSB-accredited online MBA programs. The Delphi methodology was used to facilitate a group conversation between expert administrators, faculty, and instructional designers around the topic of quality assurance for online MBA programs over the next 3-5 years. This paper reports the results of this study and how they will help to direct the efforts of those involved in the delivery of a quality online MBA program.
DIGGING DEEPER INTO THE DATA: THE ROLE OF GATEWAY COURSES IN ONLINE STUDENT RETENTION
Authors: Swan Karen , Bloemer William , Bogle Leonard , Day Scott
Published: December 2018

Improvement in undergraduate retention and progression is a priority at many US postsecondary institutions and there seems to be a growing movement to address it by identifying gateway courses (foundational courses in which a large number of students fail or withdraw) and concentrating on “fixing” them. This paper argues that may not be the best use of limited resources.  No matter what we do, there will always be courses with high DFW rates simply because of the nature of their content and the preparation of the students who must take them.  Our research suggests that student type and academic stage affect student success and that gateway courses (courses which block student progression) can be found at all undergraduate levels.  Specifically, we have found that one can use student type, academic stage, cumulative GPA, and prior withdrawals to predict success in undergraduate courses.  Moreover, relating predictions to observed DFW rates can highlight courses exceeding expectations, and those which fall below them, to support a more nuanced understanding of where and what attention is needed.  We illustrate the utility of such approach by examining issues surrounding success in online courses at our institution.
Synchronous and Asynchronous Discussions: Effects on Cooperation, Belonging, and Affect
Authors: Peterson Amy T , Beymer Patrick N. , Putnam Ralph T.
Published: December 2018

Supporting productive peer-to-peer interaction is a central challenge in online courses.  Although cooperative learning research provides robust evidence for the positive outcomes of face-to-face cooperative learning (Johnson & Johnson, 1989), online modes of cooperative learning have provided mixed results. This study examines the effects of synchronous versus asynchronous interaction on students’ sense of cooperation, belonging, and affect in online small-group discussions. Fifty-two undergraduate students were assigned to synchronous and asynchronous interaction conditions.  The findings support prior research that asynchronous communication interferes with the relationship between cooperative goals and the outcomes of cooperation. Results inform theory and practice, by showing that asynchronous cooperative learning may not work as designed because the presence of cooperative goals do not predict cooperative outcomes.
Quiet Participation: Investigating non-posting activities in online learning
Authors: Wilton Lesley
Published: December 2018

Despite the growth in online learning offerings in K-12 and higher education, limited research has been undertaken to better understand less visible online learning activities. Reading and rereading are not typically valued as important indicators of learning since number or frequency of entries, words or key phrases are usually visible and easily tracked. This paper addresses reading, writing and revisiting behaviours by cluster groups in eight online courses, and looks for patterns related to rereading. Participant perceptions of the value of rereading entries in online learning are discussed. The findings highlight the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the different roles reading and rereading play in online learning discussions. This research informs our understanding of the importance of non-posting behaviors to student learning. Instructionally, these results may encourage valuing of different “paths” to online learning success beyond the criterion of written entries.Despite the growth in online learning offerings in K-12 and higher education, limited research has been undertaken to better understand less visible online learning activities. Reading and rereading are not typically valued as important indicators of learning since number or frequency of entries, words or key phrases are usually visible and easily tracked. This paper addresses reading, writing and revisiting behaviours by cluster groups in eight online courses, and looks for patterns related to rereading. Participant perceptions of the value of rereading entries in online learning are discussed. The findings highlight the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the different roles reading and rereading play in online learning discussions. This research informs our understanding of the importance of non-posting behaviors to student learning. Instructionally, these results may encourage valuing of different “paths” to online learning success beyond the criterion of written entries.
Designing Cross-Cultural Collaborative Online Learning Framework for Online Instructors
Authors: Kumi-Yeboah Alex
Published: December 2018

Online education has now become an integral part of the educational landscape in the United States and around the world, where it serves as the primary source of enrollment growth in higher education. The rising student population in online learning mandates instructors and instructional designers to be aware of the importance of cultural factors that influence students’ learning experiences and academic performance in the online environments. However, few empirical studies have examined instructors’ perspectives on instructional strategies that promote cross-cultural collaboration in online classrooms, specifically, instructional strategies that instructors use to promote educational success of diverse learners in online environments. Drawing on collaborative online learning theory, this study analyzed qualitative interview data and online activities of 40 online instructors from two universities. Results showed the following themes; (a) instructional strategies that facilitate cross-cultural collaborative online learning, (b) challenges of teaching diverse learners in online learning, and (c) designing cross-cultural collaborative online framework for instructors. Findings suggested that most instructors lacked the knowledge and skills in addressing the needs of diverse learners in the online learning environments regarding their ability to recognize students’ cultural differences and incorporate multicultural reading resources in course contents to meet the needs of diverse students. Thus, the need to design a framework will broaden instructors’ understanding and promote cross-cultural collaboration in online teaching to help meet the needs of diverse students in online learning environments.KEYWORDS: Cross-cultural collaborative learning, culturally diverse learners, collaborative learning activities, instructional strategies, Collaboration in online learning
Introduction to Special Issue: AERA 2018 OTL SIG
Authors: Farmer Tadd , Richardson Jennifer , Swan Karen
Published: December 2018

Introduction to Special Issue: AERA 2018 OTL SIG