bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on the Influencing Factors on Network-based Autonomous Learning in Mechanical Engineering English
Authors: Ma Wenting
Published: March 2016

Exploring the influencing factors of network-based autonomous learning is very important for colleges and universities in the world who have adopted this teaching mode in their education system. Many studies have discussed the teaching mode of autonomous learning, but failed to pay enough attention to the factors influencing students learning results. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the influencing factors and students’ learning results among different levels, and find better teaching method according to students’ learning condition. Mechanical Engineering students in Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology are employed as the data source. A number of data are collected and compared, and an analysis of various factors that influence the achievement of students’ network-based autonomous learning is performed. Data calculation shows that: students from different grades and levels differ in their learning motivations and beliefs; in learning strategies, they have no difference in cognitive stratagem, but in Meta-cognitive strategy and resource management strategies they are different. There are significant positive correlations between students’ intrinsic motivation and belief of resource management, students’ responsibility strategy use; extrinsic motivation and strategy use are a negative correlation, but not significant.
Chasing a Pair of Chinese Sandals: Markets and Trade Routes in Cameroon
Authors: Racaud Sylvain
Published: March 2016

What are the connections between a village in Cameroon and the transnational network of Chinese junk? From interviews with vendors of Chinese junk and observations of commercial areas, this paper shows territorial dynamics at two ends of the trade route in Cameroon: Douala and the periodic markets in Mont Bamboutos (West). This paper argues that the structuring of the Chinese junk trade route integrates town and countryside in a complementary space produced by commercial relations, appropriated by the traders, and characterised by recent booming trading places, recent urban-rural mobility and unprecedented connections to transnational networks. The development of the Chinese junk sector structures a trade route characterised by local combinations of visible faces and inconspicuous connections and sides. The first part of the paper emphasizes the development of Chinatown in Douala through the change of the commercial equipment’s landscape and the change of the actor landscape. The second part deals with the role of the rural markets and of the rural hawkers’ mobility in the structuring of the trade route and of new territorialities based on urban-rural mobility.
Transferring Knowledge through Cross-Border Communities of Practice
Authors: Canestrino Rossella , Magliocca Pierpaolo
Published: March 2016

The aim of this chapter is to explore the use of Cross –Border Communities of Practice (CCoP) as way for managing knowledge in a global socio-economic environment, mainly referring to the rising economies. In doing so, some important issues related to cross-border knowledge transfer have been investigated, taking into account the impact that cultural diversities have on individuals' propensity to cooperate, as well as on their attitude to transfer and to share knowledge. The Authors explain the role that Global Managers have as “cultural bridges” in multicultural teams, thus enabling the last ones' transformation into a CCoP. With reference to both the opportunities and challenges that characterize the rising economies, CCoP arises as the best suitable way to transfer knowledge at international level, when firms from developed countries encounter firms from emerging countries.
Communities of Practice as Tool of Enhancing Competitiveness in Rising Economies
Authors: Mitkova Liliana
Published: March 2016

Many firms realize that opening up traditional firm-centered innovation processes holds enormous advantages and are also trying to tap these benefits. The open oriented management means that firms are able to enhance their external collaboration ability by acquiring knowledge from external sources, as well as benefit financially by using external paths to market for internally generated technologies. In this model firms pay particular attention to the connections between the results of Research and Development (R&D), the technological potential of the external stakeholders and the environmental opportunities. This chapter adopts structural analysis examining the role that communities of practices may play as a tool for the implementation of the open-mode of innovation in the specific case of China. Current studies on Chinese innovation process are in the beginning and the Chinese firms face the question how to organize the open model and the exchanges with external environment in the global technological competition. This study examines if the communities of practices are their place in Chinese innovation system in an example of a relevant case study.
Does a Knowledge Management Community Manage Knowledge?
Authors: Perry Milly
Published: March 2016

Applying knowledge management has been examined and researched within organizational systems, in which Chief Knowledge Officers (CKO) lead these processes. There is a significant lack of professional literature in Israel and elsewhere regarding the application of knowledge management processes within the community of knowledge managers (CKO's CoP). The question of whether or not processes of knowledge management exist among the community of leading KM professionals, and the quality of these processes, is important for gaining insight, both in the practice of knowledge management, as well as for researchers in the field. An analysis of a case study of the “Forum of Knowledge Management in Israeli Organizations” which is a CoP (community of practice) attempts to examine these issues; to define and clarify the current situation, and to propose additional directions for exploration, research, and application. This study may result in implementation of “best practices” which will be of significance in emerging economies, and will benefit vision and knowledge for companies and governmental organizations in executing CoP undertakings in an efficient and effective way. This will prevent “reinventing the wheel” and costly “first hand” experience.
The Perfomativity of a Cop in Innovation Context
Authors: Guimarães Tatiane Barleto Canizela , Gonçalves Luciana Castro
Published: March 2016

This chapter aims to explore opportunities, challenges and problems of community of practice (CoP) in rising economies. This subject is explored through the case study of the performance of a CoP of entrepreneurs of startup from the Belo Horizonte ICT's cluster of innovation, Brazil. Our objective is to confront this informal organization to the normative orientation of cluster in which they can emerge in an innovation context and pursue its performance. The analysis of the development of this CoP, from its creation to nowadays, shows how the CoP quickly becomes the leverage of a regional innovation dynamism. Findings show also the performance behavior of the CoP facing the normative pressure from the innovation cluster created in that region.
Logistics, Marketing and Knowledge Management in the Community of Consumers
Authors: José Gilberto Hernández R.  , María J. García G.  , Gilberto J. Hernández G.
Published: March 2016

The logistics business is related to virtually all areas of the organizations. This is an advantage, to understand the organizations, but it is a disadvantage to study logistics. To help study business logistics have created four models qualitative-quantitative, which analyze it from different approaches. The Logistic Model Based on Positions (LoMoBaP, [MoLoBaC]), studying the logistics through the roles that they play who have charges related to it. From the positions of the MoLoBaC, some aspects of the organizations have been studied: the flows, the measurement of the performance and managerial diagnoses. But principally there has been studied the generation and management of the knowledge. As main contribution in this work it will be undertaken the study of the generation and management of knowledge, emphasizing an external group to the organization, the community of the consumers (CC). And the position of the MoLoBaC, that will be used for this study is the Marketing and sales manager.
87th SIBS National Congress on Peoples, Environment, Health | Turin, Italy, 5-6 December 2014
Authors: Editors The
Published: March 2016

This abstract book contains the abstracts presented at the 87th SIBS National Congress on Peoples, Environment, Health | Turin, Italy, 5-6 December 2014.
Impact of low vision services on the quality of life of low vision patients in Ghana
Authors: Ovenseri-Ogbomo Godwin O. , Osafo-Agyei Harriette , Akpalaba Ralph E.U. , Addy James , Ovenseri Elizabeth O.
Published: March 2016

Patients’ perspectives on the impact of clinical interventions have been recognised as critical elements in patient care. Quality-of-life instruments are designed to measure these perspectives. We used the National Eye Institute’s 25-item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ) to measure the impact of optical low vision devices on the quality of life of 22 low vision patients who obtained and were using low vision devices from a secondary low vision clinic in the Eastern Region, Ghana. The study employed a pre- and post-intervention technique. We found statistically significant improvements in measured visual acuity and NEI VFQ scores in 8 of the 10 domains evaluated. We conclude that optical low vision devices have a positive impact on the quality of life of low vision patients in Ghana.Keywords: low vision; quality of life; visual acuity; visual impairment; Ghana
An improved model for provision of rural community-based health rehabilitation services in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province of South Africa
Authors: Luruli Rudzani E. , Netshandama Vhonani O. , Francis Joseph
Published: March 2016

Background: In 1991, Riakona Community Rehabilitation Programme initiated community-based rehabilitation (CBR) in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province. Subsequently, the South African government adopted the programme.Aim: The aim of the study was to suggest an improvement in the model of providing CBR services.Setting: The study was conducted in six rehabilitation centres located in hospitals in the Vhembe District in Limpopo Province of South Africa.Method: A mixed-mode research design with qualitative and quantitative elements was used to conduct the study. Content analysis, the chi-square test for Goodness of Fit and the Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney non-parametric tests were conducted.Results: The key determinants of client satisfaction with the services that the community rehabilitation workers rendered included provision of assistive devices and the adoption of a holistic approach to their work. Overall, satisfaction per domain for each one of the five domains of satisfaction scored less than 90%. More than 80% of clients were satisfied with empathy (83%) and assurance (80%) domains. Tangibles, reliability and responsiveness domains had scores of 78%, 72% and 67%, respectively. These results, together with the reasoning map of conceptual framework description, were used as the building blocks of the CBR model.Conclusion: The improved CBR model is useful for putting the programme into practice. This is particularly so for the CBR managers in the districts of the Limpopo Province.Keywords: client satisfaction, disability, community-based rehabilitation, community rehabilitation worker
Quel est l’impact de l’échantillonnage spatial des précipitations et de l’évapotranspiration potentielle sur le pouvoir prédictif d’un modèle hydrologique empirique ?
Authors: Ben Khediri Wiem , Drogue Gilles
Published: March 2016

Evaluer le pouvoir prédictif d’un modèle pluie-débit est crucial en hydrologie de surface car cela permet de borner les limites de son utilisation en extrapolation, autrement dit dans des conditions hydro-météorologiques et géographiques différentes de celles de la phase d’apprentissage du modèle. En outre, ce pouvoir prédictif est susceptible d’être dépendant de la connaissance climatique des bassins et de la complexité de la relation pluie-débit. Pour tester la réaction d’un modèle hydrologique empirique à la stratégie d’échantillonnage de ses variables d’entrée climatiques, une étude de sensibilité a été appliquée au modèle hydrologique global GR4J. Celui-ci a fait l’objet d’un calage dynamique en utilisant une information climatique d’origine et de densité spatiale variables pour le calcul de ses entrées atmosphériques (précipitations et évapotranspiration potentielle). Les hydrogrammes journaliers calculés après recalage ont été comparés aux hydrogrammes journaliers observés sur un échantillon de 148 bassins faisant l’objet d’un suivi hydrométrique dans la partie française du bassin Rhin-Meuse. Les résultats de l’analyse montrent que le modèle GR4J réagit fortement au changement d’entrées de précipitations (précipitations au poste vs précipitations distribuées) en améliorant la définition des paramètres et en identifiant mieux le comportement hydrologique du bassin modélisé en conditions jaugées comme en conditions non jaugées. A l’inverse, le modèle GR4J montre une insensibilité au changement de densité spatiale du réseau de postes météorologiques utilisé pour calculer l’évapotranspiration potentielle prescrite au modèle et ne tire donc pas partie d’une concentration de postes pour simuler les débits en conditions jaugées comme en conditions non jaugées.
Reconstitution de séries de pluies quotidiennes en Afrique de l’est : application aux caractéristiques des saisons des pluies
Authors: Boyard-Micheau Joseph , Camberlin Pierre
Published: March 2016

La reconstitution de données de pluies manquantes au pas de temps quotidien et à l’échelle stationnelle est parfois nécessaire pour l’étude de changements climatiques ou des travaux de climatologie appliquée. C’est le cas, en domaine tropical, de l’analyse des variations des caractéristiques des saisons des pluies (dates de démarrage et de fin, durée, etc.). A partir d’une approche méthodologique classique fondée sur une régression linéaire multiple pas à pas, mais appliquée pour tirer le meilleur parti possible des données disponibles et incluant une correction des biais, les performances de la reconstitution des pluies obtenues sont évaluées en considérant différents descripteurs de la structure temporelle des saisons des pluies est-africaines. L’Afrique de l’Est, par sa topographie contrastée et ses deux saisons des pluies forcées par des mécanismes d’échelles spatiales différentes, constitue une zone pertinente pour tester la méthodologie de reconstitution. Les résultats montrent que l’occurrence des jours de pluies ainsi que les quantités précipitées sont reproduites correctement dans les espaces où les précipitations sont les plus abondantes et où le nombre de pluviomètres est plus important. Si au pas de temps journalier, les performances des reconstitutions restent parfois modestes, elles sont bien plus satisfaisantes lorsqu’on les évalue à partir des caractéristiques saisonnières ou intra-saisonnières comme le cumul saisonnier, le nombre de jours de pluie, ou les dates de début et de fin des saisons des pluies. L’impact du comblement des lacunes est directement associé à la proportion de lacunes dans les séries temporelles de pluie, sans qu’il soit possible d’identifier un pourcentage de lacunes au-delà duquel les performances de la méthode de reconstitution se détériorent significativement. La distribution temporelle des valeurs manquantes a également un impact non négligeable sur la qualité de la reconstitution de la saison des pluies : ainsi, lorsque l’absence de données de pluie concerne de longues périodes continues, les caractéristiques de la saison des pluies sont mal reproduites.
Opschorting en onenigheid
Authors: van der Kolk Pieter , Verhaegh Sander
Published: March 2016

Suspension and Disagreement

Some sceptics claim that in cases of peer disagreement, we ought to suspend judgment about the topic of discussion. In this paper, we argue that the sceptic’s conclusions are only correct in some scenarios. We show that the sceptic’s conclusion is built on two premises (the principle of evidential symmetry and the principle of evidentialism) and argue that both premises are incorrect. First, we show that although it is often rational to suspend judgment when an epistemic peer disagrees with you, peer disagreements are not symmetrical. Next, we argue that even if one assumes that peer disagreements are symmetrical, it might still be rational to stick to one’s guns in the light of peer disagreement.
A novel 17 bp indel in the SMAD3 gene alters transcription level, contributing to phenotypic traits in Chinese cattle
Authors: Shi Tao , Peng Wenwen , Yan Jianyu , Cai Hanfang , Lan Xianyong , Lei Chuzhao , Bai Yueyu , Chen Hong
Published: March 2016

Abstract. SMAD3, the messenger of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway, plays essential roles in myogenesis and osteogenesis and may relate to the regulation of body weight. In this study, a 17 bp indel (NC_007308: g.101893_101909insGAGGATGAGTGCTCCAG) in intron3 of the SMAD3 gene was detected in four Chinese cattle breeds (Qinchuan, Jiaxian, Nanyang and Caoyuan) by using DNA pool sequencing, and its effects on gene expression and growth traits were analyzed in Qinchuan and Caoyuan cattle. The results showed that the indel locus was significantly associated with SMAD3 transcriptional levels where II genotypes had a higher value than DD genotypes in Qinchuan (QC) cattle muscle tissue (P < 0.05). In addition, the locus was strongly associated with chest girth, chest width, rump length, hucklebone width and body weight in 2-year-old QC cattle (P < 0.05) and body weight (12 months), body height (18 months) and chest girth (18 months) in Caoyuan cattle (P < 0.5). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence of the association between SMAD3 indel and cattle phenotype, and it may contribute to understanding the function of the indel, which could be a promising marker for beef cattle breeding.
Hygroscopic behavior of multicomponent organic aerosols and their internal mixtures with ammonium sulfate
Authors: Jing Bo , Tong Shengrui , Liu Qifan , Li Kun , Wang Weigang , Zhang Yunhong , Ge Maofa
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Water-soluble organic compounds (WSOCs) are important components of organics in the atmospheric fine particulate matter. Although WSOCs play an important role in the hygroscopicity of aerosols, knowledge on the water uptake behavior of internally mixed WSOC aerosols remains limited. Here, the hygroscopic properties of single components such as levoglucosan, oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, phthalic acid, and multicomponent WSOC aerosols mainly involving oxalic acid are investigated with the hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA). The coexisting hygroscopic species including levoglucosan, malonic acid, and phthalic acid have a strong influence on the hygroscopic growth and phase behavior of oxalic acid, even suppressing its crystallization completely during the drying process. The phase behaviors of oxalic acid/levoglucosan mixed particles are confirmed by infrared spectra. The discrepancies between measured growth factors and predictions from Extended Aerosol Inorganics Model (E-AIM) with the Universal Quasi-Chemical Functional Group Activity Coefficient (UNIFAC) method and Zdanovskii–Stokes–Robinson (ZSR) approach increase at medium and high relative humidity (RH) assuming oxalic acid in a crystalline solid state. For the internal mixture of oxalic acid with levoglucosan or succinic acid, there is enhanced water uptake at high RH compared to the model predictions based on reasonable oxalic acid phase assumption. Organic mixture has more complex effects on the hygroscopicity of ammonium sulfate than single species. Although hygroscopic species such as levoglucosan account for a small fraction in the multicomponent aerosols, they may still strongly influence the hygroscopic behavior of ammonium sulfate by changing the phase state of oxalic acid which plays the role of "intermediate" species. Considering the abundance of oxalic acid in the atmospheric aerosols, its mixtures with hygroscopic species may significantly promote water uptake under high RH conditions and thus affect the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity, optical properties, and chemical reactivity of atmospheric particles.
Spatial and temporal variability of urban fluxes of methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide above London, UK
Authors: Helfter Carole , Tremper Anja H. , Halios Christoforos H. , Kotthaus Simone , Bjorkegren Alex , Grimmond C. Sue B. , Barlow Janet F. , Nemitz Eiko
Published: March 2016

Abstract. We report on more than three years of measurements of fluxes of methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) taken by eddy-covariance in central London, UK. Inter-annual variability in the period 2012–2014 ranged from 36.3 to 40.7 ktons km−2 y−1 for CO2, and from 69 to 75 tons km−2 y−1 for CH4. Mean annual emissions of CO2 (39.1 ± 2.4 ktons km−2 y−1) and CO (89 ± 16 tons km−2 y−1) were consistent (within 1 % and 5 % respectively) with values from the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, but measured CH4 (72 ± 3 tons km−2 y−1) was over two-fold larger than the inventory value. Seasonal variability was large for CO with a winter to summer reduction of 69 %. Monthly fluxes of CO were strongly anti-correlated with mean air temperature, and the winter emissions accounted for 45 % of the annual budget. The winter increment in CO emissions was attributed mainly to vehicle cold starts and reduced fuel combustion efficiency. CO2 fluxes were 33 % higher in winter and anti-correlated with mean air temperature, albeit to a lesser extent than for CO. This was attributed to an increased demand for natural gas for heating during the winter. Seasonality in CH4 fluxes was moderate (21 % larger in winter) and linear correlation with air temperature was only statistically significant for certain wind sectors (N, NE, E and W), which was also the case for CO2. Differences in resident population within the flux footprint explained ca. 90 % variability by wind direction in annual CO2 fluxes and 99 % for CH4 (wind sectors excluded from linear regressions: S for CO2; S, SE and E for CH4). Seasonality and proportionality of emissions with respect to population in the outlying wind sectors (S, SE and E) might be masked by constant sources of CO2 and CH4, perhaps of industrial or biogenic origin. To our knowledge, this study is unique given the long-term, continuous dataset of urban CH4 fluxes analysed.
Measurement, growth types and shrinkage of newly formed aerosol particles at an urban research platform
Authors: Salma Imre , Németh Zoltán , Weidinger Tamás , Kovács Boldizsár , Kristóf Gergely
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Budapest platform for Aerosol Research and Training (BpART) was created for advancing long-term on-line atmospheric measurements and intensive aerosol sample collection campaigns in Budapest. A joint study including atmospheric chemistry/physics, meteorology and fluid dynamics on several-year long data sets obtained at the platform confirmed that the location represents a well-mixed, average atmospheric environment for the city centre. The air streamlines indicated that the host and neighbouring buildings together with the natural orography play an important role in the near field dispersion processes. Details and features of the air flow structure were derived, and they can be readily utilised for further interpretations. An experimental method to determine particle diffusion losses in the DMPS system of the BpART facility was proposed. It is based on CPC/CPC and DMPS/CPC comparisons. Growth types of nucleated particles observed in 4 years of measurements were presented and discussed for cities in focus. Arch-shape size distribution surface plots consisting of a growth phase followed by a shrinkage phase were characterised separately since they supply information on nucleated particles. They were observed in 4.5 % of quantifiable nucleation events. The shrinkage phase took 1:34 h in general, and the mean shrinkage rate with standard deviation were (–3.8 ± 1.0) nm h
Challenges associated with the sampling and analysis of organosulfur compounds in air using real-time PTR-ToF-MS and offline GC-FID
Authors: Perraud Véronique , Meinardi Simone , Blake Donald R. , Finlayson-Pitts Barbara J.
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Organosulfur compounds (OSCs) are naturally emitted via various processes involving phytoplankton and algae in marine regions, from animal metabolism, and from biomass decomposition inland. These compounds are malodorant and reactive. Their oxidation to methanesulfonic and sulfuric acids leads to the formation and growth of atmospheric particles, which are known to influence clouds and climate, atmospheric chemical processes. In addition, particles in air have been linked to negative impacts on visibility and human health. Accurate measurements of the OSC precursors are thus essential to reduce uncertainties in their sources and contributions to particle formation in air. Two different approaches, proton-transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) and canister sampling coupled to gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID), are compared for both laboratory standards (dimethyl sulfide, DMS; dimethyl disulfide, DMDS; dimethyl trisulfide, DMTS; and methanethiol, MTO) and for a complex sample. Results show that both techniques produce accurate quantification of DMS. While PTR-ToF-MS provides real-time measurements of all four OSCs individually, significant fragmentation of DMDS and DMTS occurs, which can complicate their identification in complex mixtures. Canister sampling coupled with GC-FID provides excellent sensitivity for DMS, DMDS, and DMTS. However, MTO was observed to react on metal surfaces to produce DMDS and, in the presence of hydrogen sulfide, even DMTS. Avoiding metal in sampling systems seems to be necessary for measuring all but dimethyl sulfide in air.
Interannual variability of the Mediterranean trophic regimes from ocean color satellites
Authors: Mayot Nicolas , D'Ortenzio Fabrizio , Ribera d'Alcalà Maurizio , Lavigne Héloïse , Claustre Hervé
Published: March 2016

Abstract. D'Ortenzio and Ribera d'Alcalà (2009, DR09 hereafter) divided the Mediterranean Sea into “bioregions” based on the climatological seasonality (phenology) of phytoplankton. Here we investigate the interannual variability of this bioregionalization. Using 16 years of available ocean color observations (i.e., SeaWiFS and MODIS), we analyzed the spatial distribution of the DR09 trophic regimes on an annual basis. Additionally, we identified new trophic regimes, exhibiting seasonal cycles of phytoplankton biomass different from the DR09 climatological description and named “Anomalous”. Overall, the classification of the Mediterranean phytoplankton phenology proposed by DR09 (i.e., “No Bloom”, “Intermittently”, “Bloom” and “Coastal”), is confirmed to be representative of most of the Mediterranean phytoplankton phenologies. The mean spatial distribution of these trophic regimes (i.e., bioregions) over the 16 years studied is also similar to the one proposed by DR09, although some annual variations were observed at regional scale. Discrepancies with the DR09 study were related to interannual variability in the sub-basin forcing: winter deep convection events, frontal instabilities, inflow of Atlantic or Black Sea Waters and river run-off. The large assortment of phytoplankton phenologies identified in the Mediterranean Sea is thus verified at the interannual scale, further supporting the “sentinel” role of this basin for detecting the impact of climate changes on the pelagic environment.
Extreme flood events reconstruction during the last century in the El Bibane lagoon (Southeast of Tunisia): A Multi-proxy Approach
Authors: Affouri A. , Dezileau L. , Kallel N.
Published: March 2016

Abstract. Climate models project that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations will increase the frequency and the severity of some extreme weather events. The floods events represent a major risk for populations and infrastructures settled on coastal lowlands. Recently, study of lagoon sediments contributed to enhance our knowledge on extreme hydrological events such as paleo-floods and paleo-storms and on their relation with climate change over the last millennium. The past flood activity was investigated using a multi-approach associating sedimentological and geochemical analysis of surfaces sediments from the Southeast of Tunisia catchment in order to trace the origin of sediments deposit in the El Bibane lagoon. Three sediments sources were identified: aeolian, fluvial and marine. This multi-proxy analysis on the BL12-10 core shows that finer material, high content of the clay and silt, and high content of the elemental ratios (Fe/Ca and Ti/Ca) characterize the sedimentological signature of the paleoflood levels identified in the lagoonal sequence. For the last century which is the period covered by the BL12-10 short core, three paleo-floods events were identified. The age of these floods events have been determined by 210Pb and 137Cs Chronology. Dating of the three most recent floods provides age of AD 1995 ± 6, AD 1970 ± 9, and AD 1945 ± 9. The results show a good temporal correspondence of floods events recorded in the Southern of Tunisia in the last century (A.D 1932, A.D 1969, A.D 1979 and A.D 1995). Such a good correlation between floods events recorded in the core and historical data of the annual precipitations suggests that reconstruction of the history of the hydrological extreme events during the upper Holocene is rendered possible by the use of the sedimentary archives.
A radar-based regional extreme rainfall analysis to derive the thresholds for a novel automatic alert system in Switzerland
Authors: Panziera Luca , Gabella Marco , Zanini Stefano , Hering Alessandro , Germann Urs , Berne Alexis
Published: March 2016

Abstract. This paper presents a regional extreme rainfall analysis based on 10 years of radar data for the 159 regions adopted for official natural hazards warnings in Switzerland. Moreover, a nowcasting tool aimed at issuing heavy precipitation regional alerts is introduced. The two topics are closely related, since the extreme rainfall analysis provides the thresholds used by the nowcasting system for the alerts. Warm and cold seasons monthly maxima of several statistical quantities describing regional rainfall are fitted to a generalized extreme value distribution in order to derive the precipitation amounts corresponding to sub-annual return periods for durations of 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. It is shown that regional return levels exhibit a large spatial variability in Switzerland, and that their spatial distribution strongly depends on the duration of the aggregation period: for accumulations of 3 hours and shorter, the largest return levels are found over the northerly alpine slopes, whereas for longer durations the southern Alps exhibit the largest values. The inner Alpine chain shows the lowest values, in agreement with previous rainfall climatologies. The nowcasting system presented here is aimed to issue heavy rainfall alerts for a large variety of end-users, who are interested in different precipitation characteristics and regions, such as, for example, small urban areas, remote alpine catchments or administrative districts. The alerts are issued not only if the rainfall measured in the immediate past or forecast in the near future exceeds some pre-defined thresholds, but also as soon as the sum of past and forecast precipitation is larger than threshold values. This precipitation total, in fact, has primary importance in applications for which antecedent rainfall is as important as predicted one, such as urban floods early warning systems. The rainfall fields, the statistical quantity representing regional rainfall and the frequency of alerts issued in case of continuous threshold exceedance are some of the configurable parameters of the tool. The analysis of the urban flood occurred in the city of Schaffhausen in May 2013 suggests that this alert tool might have complementary skill with respect to radar-based thunderstorm nowcasting systems for storms which do not show a clear convective signature.
Drift simulation of MH370 debris using supersensemble techniques
Authors: Jansen Eric , Coppini Giovanni , Pinardi Nadia
Published: March 2016

Abstract. On the 7th of March 2014 (UTC), Malaysia Airlines flight 370 vanished without a trace. The aircraft is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but despite extensive search operations the location of the wreckage is still unknown. The only part of the aircraft that has been recovered so far is a small piece of the right wing. It was discovered 17 months after the disappearance on the island of Réunion, approximately 4,000 km from the assumed crash site. This paper presents a numerical simulation using high resolution oceanographic and meteorological data to predict the movement of floating debris from the accident. It combines multiple model realisations into a superensemble, and includes the discovery of debris on Réunion to improve the final result. The superensemble is used to predict the distribution of debris at various moments in time. The results for the initial probability density show good agreement with the current underwater search area. Results at later times show that the most probable locations to discover washed up debris are along the African west-coast and the southeast of Australia. The debris remaining at sea from late 2015 is spread out over a wide area and its distribution changes only slowly.
Intermittent heat instabilities in an air plume
Authors: Le Mouël Jean-Louis , Kossobokov Vladimir G. , Perrier Frederic , Morat Pierre
Published: March 2016

Abstract. We report the results of heating experiments carried in an abandoned limestone quarry close to Paris, in an isolated room of a volume of about 400 m3. A heat source made of a metallic resistor of power 100 W was installed on the floor of the room, at distance from the walls. High quality temperature sensors, with a response time of 20 s, were fixed on a 2-m long bar. In a series of 24-hour heating experiments the bar had been set up horizontally at different heights or vertically along the axis of the plume to record changes in temperature distribution with a sampling time varying from 20 s to 2 min. When taken in averages over 24 hours, the temperatures present the classical shape of steady state plumes, as described by classical models. On the contrary, the temperature time series show a rich dynamic plume flow with intermittent trains of oscillations, spatially coherent, of large amplitudes and a period around 400 s, separated by intervals of relative quiescence whose duration can reach several hours. To our knowledge, no specific theory is available to explain this behavior, which appears to be chaotic interaction between a turbulent plume and a stratified environment. The observed behavior, with first order factorization of a smooth spatial function with a global temporal intermittent function, could be a universal feature of some turbulent plumes in geophysical environments.
دور المكتبات الطبية في محو الامية المعلوماتية
(مكتبة مستشفى نزوى المرجعي بسلطنة عمان نموذجا)
Authors: Hamed AL-Sinani Ahmed , Hamed AL-Habsi Raya
Published: March 2016

دور المكتبات الطبية في محو الامية المعلوماتية(مكتبة مستشفى نزوى المرجعي بسلطنة عمان نموذجا)

تكمن أهمية الدراسة فيما للمكتبات الطبية من دور بارز في نشر الوعي المعلوماتي ومحو الأمية المعلوماتية بين أفراد المجتمع الطبي العاملين بالمؤسسات الصحية، ويأمل الباحثان ان تحقق هذه الدراسة الأهداف التالية:
التعرف على واقع الأمية المعلوماتية بين أفراد المجتمع الطبي بمستشفى نزوى المرجعي .
التعرف على أسباب الأمية المعلوماتية بين أفراد المجتمع الطبي بالمستشفى.
التعرف على دور المكتبة الطبية بمستشفى نزوى المرجعي في محو الأمية المعلوماتية بين أفراد المجتمع الطبي بالمستشفى.
التعرف على درجة استخدام أفراد المجتمع الطبي بالمستشفى لمصادر المعلومات الالكترونية.
ولتحقيق هذه الأهداف تم تصميم استبانة تحتوي على أسئلة موجهة لأفراد المجتمع الطبي بمستشفى نزوى المرجعي ، وتم تجميع الاستبانات من أفراد عينة الدراسة وتفريغ وتحليل البيانات عن طريق برنامج الحزم الإحصائية SPSS، ويأمل الباحثان من إجراء هذه الدراسة أن تكون إضافة إلى أدب الموضوع المنشور في المجال وأن تفضي إلى نتائج جيدة تساعد متخذي القرار في معالجة الأمية المعلوماتية بين أفراد المجتمع الطبي بمستشفى نزوى المرجعي إن وجدت، وتعزيز النتائج الإيجابية ان أظهرت الدراسة خلو أفراد العينة من الأمية المعلوماتية أو كان مستواها ضعيفا.
التأهيل الأكاديمي لأخصائيي المعلومات في البيئة الرقمية
قسم المعلومات والمكتبات في الجامعة اللبنانية أنموذجاً
Authors: Hasan Kchour Amal
Published: March 2016

التأهيل الأكاديمي لأخصائيي المعلومات في البيئة الرقمية
قسم المعلومات والمكتبات في الجامعة اللبنانية أنموذجاً

أثّرت التكنولوجيا الحديثة بشكل واضح على الدور المنوط بأخصائيي المعلومات، وفرضت عليهم مجموعة من التحديات والمهارات التي يجب عليهم مواجهتها، حيث يدرك اختصاصيو المعلومات طبيعة التغيّر الذي أوجدته الثورة الرقمية وتكنولوجيا المعلومات، وهم يعملون على التكيف مع هذا التغيّر بعدة أوجه.
وتنبع أهمية هذه الدراسة من ضرورة التعرّف على التطورات التي تفرضها الثورة التكنولوجية وسـوق العمل بغية تطوير المناهج والخطط الدراسية والمقررات التي تكـسب الطالـب المهارات اللازمة لتمكينه من التماشي مع ما يفرضه الواقع في المكتبات ومؤسسات المعلومات، وتهدف الى التعرف على مدى تأثير الإعداد الأكاديمي على أخصائيي المعلومات.
تتناول الدراسة في قسمها الاول الأدوار والوظائف الجديدة التي فرضت على اخصائيي المعلومات والمكتبات في البيئة الرقمية في ظل ما يشهده العالم من ثورة هائلة للمعلومات في مختلف فروع المعرفة البشرية .بالإضافة إلى التحديات الحديثة التي ظهرت في مجال المكتبات والمعلومات و التي يجب أن يكون قادراً على التعامل معها بالشكل الأمثل الذي يسمح له بتقديم خدمات المعلومات للمستفيدين. أمّا القسم الثاني فيستعرض الاتجاهات الحديثة الخاصة بالتأهيل الأكاديمي لأخصائيي المكتبات والمعلومات في الدول المتطورة لناحيتي البرامج التعليمية والمقررات. وخصص القسم الثالث للتعرف على قسم علم المكتبات والمعلومات في الجامعة اللبنانية لناحية المناهج والمقررات المعتمدة ومطابقة مدى ملائمتها مع متطلبات البيئة الرقمية للمكتبات ومراكز المعلومات، واعتمدت الدراسة على المقابلة مع الأشخاص المعنيين والملاحظة لتفحص محتوى المناهج وتوصيف المقررات.
وتوصلت الدراسة الى مجموعة من النتائج والتوصيات التي تفترض تعـديل فـي المنـاهج الجامعية لجعل الطلبة الخريجين أكثر قدرة على التكيّف مع الواقع الجديد والمنافسة في سوق العمل.
مكتبات الوزارات في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة: دراسة مسحية
Authors: Yousef Musleh Wisam , Jirjees Jassim
Published: March 2016

مكتبات الوزارات في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة: دراسة مسحية

تعتبر مكتبات الوزارات أحد أنواع المكتبات الحكومية المتخصصة حيث تكتسب المكتبة مهامها ومسؤولياتها وتخصصها من الجهة الحكومية التي تتبع لها، وحسب الاتحاد الدولي لجمعيات المكتبات (الإفلا) فإن للمكتبات الحكومية مسؤولية المساهمة في دعم أهداف المؤسسة الأم حيث تعتبر من وظائفها الأساسية صياغة البرامج والسياسات، النشاطات الإدارية والتنظيمية، الوظائف الاستشارية، المساعدة في إعداد الأبحاث.
ولذلك تعتبر المكتبة من العناصر المهمة في المؤسسات الحكومية التي تسعى للتميز والجودة وخاصة في هذا العصر الذي توجهت فيه الحكومات إلى ما يسمى بالحكومة الذكية. وتأتي أهمية البحث في ملأ الفجوة في الدراسات بإجراء دراسة مسحية ميدانية للتعرف عن قرب على مكتبات الوزارات في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، والتعرف على الوضع الحالي لهذه المكتبات من حيث وجود المكتبة من عدمه، المبنى والأثاث، الهيكل التنظيمي والموظفين والميزانية، العمل الفني (الفهرسة والتصنيف وتنظيم المكتبة)، طبيعة المجموعات ونوعيتها. لتكون أول دراسة مسحية تقف على الوضع الحقيقي لهذا النوع من المكتبات في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، مما يتيح للباحثان اقتراح آلية لتطوير هذا القطاع المهم من المكتبات. وسوف يجيب البحث عن الأسئلة التالية
هل الوزارات الاتحادية في دولة الامارات العربية المتحدة تستخدم المكتبات؟
ما هو الوضع الحالي لمكتبات الوزارات من حيث الهيكل التنظيمي، المبنى، المجموعات، الخدمات؟
ماهي الصعوبات التي تواجه مكتبات الوزارات في تقديم خدماتها؟
وسوف يستخدم الباحثان المنهج المسحي للإجابة على أسئلة البحث، وهو أحد مناهج البحث المعتمدة في البحوث الاجتماعية، وذلك بأخذ عينة من مجتمع الدراسة، وسوف يستخدم الاستبيان كأداة لجمع المعلومات.
مدى استخدام قواعد البيانات الإلكترونية من خلال محرك البحث الشامل Summon دراسة حالة لأعضاء هيئة التدريس بكلية الطب و العلوم الصحية في جامعة الشارقة بالإمارات العربية المتحدة
Authors: ElOlimy Tharwat
Published: March 2016

مدى استخدام قواعد البيانات الإلكترونية من خلال محرك البحث الشامل Summon دراسة حالة لأعضاء هيئة التدريس بكلية الطب و العلوم الصحية في جامعة الشارقة بالإمارات العربية المتحدة

تهدف تلك الدراسة إلى التعرف على مدى استخدام أعضاء هيئة التدريس بكليات الطب و العلوم الصحية في جامعة الشارقة بدولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة لقواعد البيانات الإلكترونية كما تهدف إلى الكشف عن الخصائص و الإمكانيات البحثية لمحرك البحث summon وقواعد البيانات المستخدمة، و أيضا تسعى للإجابة عن عدة تساؤلات منها ما مدى إقبال أعضاء هيئة التدريس نحو استخدام قواعد البيانات الإلكترونية؟ ما هي المعيقات التي تواجهم نحو الاستخدام؟ وما الفئة التي تستخدم أكثر من غيرها وفي أي مجال معرفي اكثر ؟ ما هي أنواع قواعد البيانات المفضلة عن غيرها؟ كما تعتمد الدراسة على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي باعتباره المنهج المناسب لتحقيق أهدافها، والإجابة على تساؤلاتها من خلال اختيار عينة من أعضاء هيئة التدريس ، بالإضافة إلى استخدام استبانة لجمع البيانات بهدف استكشاف مدى استخدام أو عدم استخدام أعضاء هيئة التدريس لقواعد البيانات المتاحة عبر بوابة الجامعة الإلكترونية.
التأهيل الأكايمي بقسم دراسات المعلومات بجامعة السلطان قابوس لأخصائي المعلومات في عصر المعرفة
Authors: Abdullah Al-Barashdi Khalsa , Al-Hinai Asila Salim
Published: March 2016

التأهيل الأكايمي بقسم دراسات المعلومات بجامعة السلطان قابوس لأخصائي المعلومات في عصر المعرفة

شهد تخصص المكتبات والمعلومات تغيرات كثيرة ومتلاحقة في ظل عصر المعرفة، فقد تغيرت مسميات أقسام المكتبات، وحاجات المستفيدين من المعلومات. كما تغير شكل أوعية المعلومات وطرق تقديم خدمات المعلومات، حيث أصبحت جميعها مرتبطة وبشكل كبير بتكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات. وشمل هذا التغير كذلك أخصائي المعلومات ليصبح دوره لا يقتصر على كونه حارس للمعرفة وانما منظما ومحللا ومقدما لها. ولكي يقوم اخصائي المكتبات بهذا الدور المتنامي كان لزاما لذلك التأهيل الأكاديمي المقدم له من مختلف المؤسسات الأكاديمية متماشيا مع تلك التغيرات-الآنفة الذكر- كونها البوابة الرئيسة لتحسين وتطوير دور أخصائي المعلومات لاسيما في مجال تنظيم وتقديم خدمات المعلومات آخذين بعين الاعتبار احتياجات مجتمع المستفيدين ومتطلبات العصر الذي يعيشونه ويتفاعلون معه. ويعد قسم دراسات المعلومات بجامعة السلطان قابوس مثالا حيا على ذلك التطوير الدائم للتأهيل الأكاديمي المقدم لأخصائي المعلومات بما يتماشى مع سوق العمل. لذلك تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تتبع تطور المقررات الدراسية في هذا القسم وفقا للتغيرات التكنولوجية والعلمية والعملية لأخصائي المعلومات. كما تهدف كذلك إلى ابراز تلك الكفاءات والمهارات التي ينبغي أن يتحلى بها أخصائي المعلومات في ظل عصر المعرفة. ستعتمد الدراسة على أداتي المقابلة والتحليل، حيث يتم مقابلة أعضاء هيئة التدريس بالقسم لمعرفة التأهيل الأكاديمي والاتجاهات الحديثة في التعليم والتحليل وسيتم من خلاله تحليل الخطط الدراسية للقسم لتتبع مدى تطور المقررات الدراسية.
Twitter Acceptance as an Information Source
Authors: M. Al-Daihani Sultan
Published: March 2016

Twitter Acceptance as an Information Source

This study aims to investigate the factors that affect students’ acceptance of the social network Twitter as an information source, relying on a modified technology acceptance model (TAM). The study identifies factors of student Twitter usage as an information source, which has not been widely studied. Data were gathered using a survey, whose questions were adapted and customized based on previous studies. A modeling was employed to examine the proposed relationships of six factors—perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, social influence, behavioral intention, and actual use—on Twitter usage as an information source by social sciences students from Kuwait University. Findings show that social influence is a stronger predictor on behavioral intention and perceived usefulness. Unlike previous studies that use TAM in a social media context, perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment were not significant antecedents of behavioral intention. Perceived enjoyment influences only perceived ease of use in this study. As expected, behavioral intention was an important antecedent of actual use.
الإرشاد المعلوماتي في العصر الرقمي
Authors: Ali Alsalami Asma
Published: March 2016

الإرشاد المعلوماتي في العصر الرقمي

مع التطور التقني المتسارع، وانتشار ثقافة تقنية المعلومات الرقمية بين المستفيدين؛ أصبح من الضروري أن يمتلك أخصائي المعلومات مهارات تقنية ومعلوماتية تساعده على تلبية حاجات المستفيدين المختلفة في الوقت والزمان المناسبين. يتناول هذا البحث مفهوم الإرشاد المعلوماتي وخصائص الأخصائي المعلوماتي كمرشد في عصر الرقمنة، وأهم التقنيات الحديثة التي من شأنها تطوير طرق تقديم خدمات المعلومات المختلفة بما يتناسب مع خصائص المستفيدين في الوقت الحاضر والمستقبل، كما يبرز أهمية وجود أخصائي المعلومات في العصر الرقمي، وطرق جذب المستفيدين لاستخدام مصادر المعلومات المتاحة في المكتبة أو مركز المعلومات.
The Role of Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence and Self-Efficacy in Decreasing Students’ Separation Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Masoumparast Shiva
Published: March 2016

Background: teachers are as responsible for personal progress of children as parents are for their nurturing. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of EI and self-efficacy of teachers in reduced SAD of primary school students in Tehran. In other words, this study evaluates the effective role of teachers in reducing SAD in students. Methods: This study used a descriptive-correlational methodology. The sample consisted of 345 teachers and 280 students with SAD selected by stratified proportional to size sampling by Cochran formula. Bar-on’s EQ-i, Schwarzer’s GSE and evaluation forms were used to evaluate teachers; Espada’s CSAS and Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) were used to measure SAD in children. Finally, post-test was taken from students with SAD.Results: The results showed a significant positive correlation between EI and self-efficacy of teachers. On the other hand, EI and self-efficacy of teachers significantly influenced students, so that a significant difference was found in the pre-test and post-test scores of students. SAD significantly decreased in students. Conclusion: positive teacher-student interactions can reduce the symptoms of SAD in students. Thus, teaching profession is a serious responsibility which should not be considered only as a job.
A Metaphoric Case: Thoughts of Pre-Service Turkish Teachers Related to Literary Qualified Children’s Books
Authors: YILMAZ Oguzhan
Published: March 2016

The world has been changing, information sources have been diversifying; and the importance of reading book has been gradually increasing. Books’ constituting a place in life children as vitally important in developing their learning and imagination depends upon their close surrounding and essentially their learning Turkish. Therefore, in this study, the perceptions of pre-service Turkish teachers related to literary qualified children’s books were tried to be determined. The study was a phenomenological research carried out benefiting from the qualitative research tradition. The sample of the study that was carried out in a state university in Anatolia included 27 students chosen through maximum variation sampling among the students studying at Turkish Teaching department of the relevant state university. Data of the research were collected through open ended written interview form and semi-structured interview form; and the obtained data were coded and categorized performing content analysis. At the end of the study, it was revealed that pre-service Turkish teachers emphasized educative dimension of literary qualified children’s books as well as their content properties through the metaphors they used and relatively kept the properties such as language and narration in the background.