bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhance Voice-Based Email Web System for Visually Impaired People
Authors:   Department of Computer Science, BZU, Punjab, Multan,  Pakistan., Raza Asif , Sohail Muhammad ,   Department of Computer Science, NCBA&E,  Punjab, Multan, Pakistan, Latif Assad ,   Department of Computer Science, NCWU Zhengzhou,  China, Khan Saif Ur Rehman ,   Department of Computer Science, National  University of Computer & Emerging Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan., Ahmad Manal ,   Department of Computer Science, BZU, Punjab,  Multan, Pakistan.
Published: July 2022

In today's world, communication has become terribly simple thanks to the combination of communication technology and also the Internet. Email is one of the widely used ways of communication. However, it is difficult for the visually impaired to use this technology because it requires visual perception. Although many new advances have been made in the effective use of computers, no naive users without visual impairments can use this technology as effectively as ordinary naive users. Thus, in this study, firstly we review all the existing voice-based email systems whether it’s desktop applications, websites, or mobile applications, and found some drawbacks and flaws. After that, we present our improved voice-based email system that will help even a naïve visually impaired person to use the services for communication. The system will not let the user make use of the keyboard and mouse instead will work only on voice operations and speech conversion to text. The developed system uses the PBKDF2 algorithm with SHA256 hash and provides better security while storing passwords. Also, this system can be used by any normal person. The system allows the normal user to choose between voice and normal operations to manage time efficiently. The system we developed is completely based on interactive voice response that’s why it is user-friendly and efficient to use.
Offset Printer Automation; an Industrial Revolution
Authors: Blathur Sheriff
Published: July 2022

This is a result obtained from the R&D which have been done in the middle east market with Offset Printer automation system. Offset Printers are now getting fully automated with CIP3 Closed Loop systems. The article clearly describes about the working process, advantages and limitations of the system. The reasearch done by myself.
Automated Detection of Hydrothermal Emission Signatures from Multi-Beam Echo Sounder Images Using Deep Learning
Authors: Mimura Kazuhide , Nakamura Kentaro , Takao Kazuhiro , Yasukawa Kazutaka , Kato Yasuhiro
Published: July 2022

Seafloor massive sulfide deposits have attracted attention as a mineral resource, as they contain a wide variety of base, precious, and other valuable critical metals. Previous studies have shown that signatures of hydrothermal activity can be detected by a multi-beam echo sounder (MBES), which would be beneficial for exploring sulfide deposits. Although detecting such signatures from acoustic images is currently performed by skilled humans, automating this process could lead to improved efficiency and cost effectiveness of exploration for the seafloor deposits. Herein, we attempted to establish a method for automated detection of MBES water column anomalies using deep learning models. First, we compared the “Mask R-CNN” and “YOLO-v5” detection model architectures, wherein YOLO-v5 yielded higher F1 scores. We then compared the number of training classes and found that models trained with two classes (signal and noise) exhibited superior performance compared with models trained with only one class (signal). Finally, we examined the number of trainable parameters and obtained the best model performance when the YOLO-v5l model with a large trainable parameters was used in the two-class training process. The best model had a precision of 0.928, a recall of 0.881, and an F1 score of 0.904. Moreover, this model achieved a low false alarm rate (less than 0.7%) and had a high detection speed (20−25 ms per frame), indicating that it can be applied in the field for automatic and real-time exploration of seafloor hydrothermal deposits.  

This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publication. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no longer be accessible.

2023.2.24: This work was published by IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10052641
Automated Detection of Hydrothermal Emission Signatures from Multi-Beam Echo Sounder Images Using Deep Learning
Authors: Mimura Kazuhide , Nakamura Kentaro , Takao Kazuhiro , Yasukawa Kazutaka , Kato Yasuhiro
Published: July 2022

Seafloor massive sulfide deposits have attracted attention as a mineral resource, as they contain a wide variety of base, precious, and other valuable critical metals. Previous studies have shown that signatures of hydrothermal activity can be detected by a multi-beam echo sounder (MBES), which would be beneficial for exploring sulfide deposits. Although detecting such signatures from acoustic images is currently performed by skilled humans, automating this process could lead to improved efficiency and cost effectiveness of exploration for seafloor deposits. Herein, we attempted to establish a method for automated detection of MBES water column anomalies using deep learning models. First, we compared the “Mask R-CNN” and “YOLO-v5” detection model architectures, wherein YOLO-v5 yielded higher F1 scores. We then compared the number of training classes and found that models trained with two classes (signal and noise) exhibited superior performance compared with models trained with only one class (signal). Finally, we examined the number of trainable parameters and obtained the best model performance when the YOLO-v5l model with a large number of trainable parameters was used in the two-class training process. The best model had a precision of 0.928, a recall of 0.881, and an F1 score of 0.904. Using this method, the detection speed was 20−25 ms per frame, which is faster than the pace at which MBES images can generally be generated. Therefore, our best model can be applied in the field for automatic and real-time exploration of seafloor hydrothermal deposits. 

This work has been submitted to the IEEE for possible publication. Copyright may be transferred without notice, after which this version may no longer be accessible.
A Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Model-Based Tracking Framework to Regulate Heart Rhythm Dynamics
Authors: Moreno-Saenz Jairo
Published: July 2022

Arrhythmias are conditions characterized by a faster, slower, or irregular heart rhythm. Some of them may be harmless and brief, but others can lead to a sudden cardiac arrest. Thus, procedures that safely restore the normal heartbeat are a matter of interest. Experimental evidence shows that some arrhythmia may have an origin in chaotic dynamics; therefore, this paper describes a multivariable feedback control method to regulate heart rhythm-like dynamics in a master-slave framework. Since there is no consensus on the equations describing the cardiac dynamics, we use a phenomenological model that generates a variety of electrocardiogram-like signals and represent it in a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy form. We provide control design conditions to achieve the tracking control for a nominal and an uncertain slave system. The results suggest that our closed-loop control scheme can get the heart rhythm dynamics from a non-desirable situation back to a normal behavior given by the reference system. Our approach reveals a proof of concept to suppress pathological behaviors in the heart dynamics that could lead to implementation in cardiac devices.
Action-Specific Perception & Performance on a Fitts's Law Task in Virtual Reality: The Role of Haptic Feedback
Authors: Kourtesis Panagiotis , Vizcay Sebastian , Marchal Maud , Pacchierotti Claudio , Argelaguet Ferran
Published: July 2022

While user's perception and performance are predominantly examined independently in virtual reality, the Action-Specific Perception (ASP) theory postulates that the performance of an individual on a task modulates this individual's spatial and time perception pertinent to the task's components and procedures. This paper examines the association between performance and perception and the potential effects that tactile feedback modalities could generate. This paper reports a user study (N=24), in which participants performed a standardized Fitts's law target acquisition task by using three feedback modalities: visual, visuo-electrotactile, and visuo-vibrotactile. The users completed 3 Target Sizes X 2 Distances X 3 feedback modalities = 18 trials. The size perception, distance perception, and (movement) time perception were assessed at the end of each trial. Performance-wise, the results showed that electrotactile feedback facilitates a significantly better accuracy compared to vibrotactile and visual feedback, while vibrotactile provided the worst accuracy. Electrotactile and visual feedback enabled a comparable reaction time, while the vibrotactile offered a substantially slower reaction time than visual feedback. Although amongst feedback types the pattern of differences in perceptual aspects were comparable to performance differences, none of them was statistically significant. However, performance indeed modulated perception. Significant action-specific effects on spatial and time perception were detected. Changes in accuracy modulate both size perception and time perception, while changes in movement speed modulate distance perception. Also, the index of difficulty was found to modulate all three perceptual aspects. However, individual differences appear to affect the magnitude of action-specific effects. These outcomes highlighted the importance of haptic feedback on performance, and importantly the significance of action-specific effects on spatial and time perception in VR, which should be considered in future VR studies. 
Injecting Domain Knowledge Into Deep Neural Networks for Tree Crown Delineation
Authors: Harmon Ira , Marconi Sergio , Weinstein Ben , Graves Sarah , Wang Daisy Zhe , Bohlman Stephanie , Zare Alina , Singh Aditya , White Ethan
Published: July 2022

Automated individual tree crown (ITC) delineation plays an important role in forest remote sensing. Accurate ITC delineation benefits biomass estimation, allometry estimation, and species classification among other forest related tasks, all of which are used to monitor forest health and make important decisions in forest management.  In this paper, we introduce Neuro-Symbolic DeepForest,  a convolutional neural network (CNN) based ITC delineation algorithm that uses a neuro-symbolic framework to inject domain knowledge (represented as rules written in probabilistic soft logic) into a CNN.  We create rules that encode concepts for competition, allometry, constrained growth, mean ITC area, and crown color.  Our results show that the delineation model learns from the annotated training data as well as the rules and that under some conditions, the injection of rules improves model performance and affects model bias.  We then analyze the effects of each rule on its related aspects of model performance.
Design of Near-Field Beamforming for Large Intelligent Surfaces
Authors: Hu Sha , Wang Hao , ilter mehmet
Published: July 2022

 In this paper, we propose a novel near-field beamforming (BF) design for a Large Intelligent Surface (LIS) implemented as a discretized two-dimensional (2D) antenna array. We firstly investigate the definitions of near-field and far-field regions of the LIS, and determine the Fraunhofer distance which scales up linearly in the surface-area. Then, we derive the Fresnel near-field region where variations of amplitudes and angles are both negligible, as long as the distance from a user-equipment (UE) to the LIS is larger than a threshold that scales up linearly in the diameter of the LIS. Hence, in the majority region of near-field, only phase variations worsen the quality of received signal and yield significant losses of array gains. Following this observation, we present a decomposition theorem proving that in the Fresnel region, the optimal three-dimensional (3D) near-field BF can be decomposed into a conventional 2D far-field BF and a one-dimensional (1D) near-field BF. The 2D far-field BF compensates phase variations caused by the azimuth and elevation angles, while the 1D near-field BF compensates phases variations caused by distance differences among the UE and antenna-elements on the LIS. Such a 2D+1D BF design is fully compatible with existing 2D far-field BF schemes, and the 1D near-field BF can be treated as an additional step. From this perspective, we further derive an optimal codebook design of the 1D near-field BF with Lloyd-Max method. Numerical results show that the proposed 2D+1D BF is effective to recover losses of array gains in the near-field, and also robust against distance mismatches. Moreover, with a few optimized quantization points in the codebook, the 1D near-field BF performs close to optimal. 
Design and implementation of proximal planning and control of an unmanned ground vehicle in the dynamic environment
Authors: Khan Subhan , Guivant Jose
Published: July 2022

This paper presents a novel proximal planning and control (PPC) formulation for an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) affected by skidding and slip disturbances. The control approach also considers the presence of moving and static obstacles in the context of operation. The PPC technique is divided into three parts;  first, a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) based path-planner is designed to periodically generate an updated feasible trajectory to prevent the vehicle from colliding with other objects from start to the goal pose. In particular, a proximal averaged Newton-type method for optimal control (PANOC) is used to design NMPC. Second, evolutionary programming (EP) based kinematic control (KC) is designed to generate the velocity commands. Third, a dynamic control law is proposed with an extended state observer (ESO) to estimate the effects of bounded but unknown perturbations. Finally,  simulations are performed in the presence of linear and nonlinear trajectories of moving obstacles (MO) and static obstacles (SO) to verify the performance of the proposed scheme. Additionally, we have investigated and confirmed that the proposed PPC could run in real-time on a CPU with limited resources. 
Optimal placement of Phasor Measurement Units in a Distribution Feeder under Reconfiguration
Authors: Anand Hithu , R Rengaraj , G R Venkatakrishnan
Published: July 2022

Phasor measurement units (PMUs) in a transmission grid provide time stamped signals of the system state in real time. This information is a snapshot of overall grid under observation. It is vital to decide the system state and immediate action that follows. PMUs collectively avoid the requirement of load flow studies under emergency conditions. It is identified that, distribution feeders are also important with its optimal placement of PMUs. Further, PMU installation will convert existing feeder into a smart distribution system. Hence, optimal PMU placement problem is solved for a 11kV 70-node distribution feeder. Mixed integer programming (MIP) problem and solution is discussed for the system under reconfiguration
La geografia delle piattaforme digitali
Authors: Romano Antonello
Published: July 2022

The Atlas aims to offer an empirically-situated view on the socio-spatial effects mediated by the digital platforms by adopting a critical and geographical data-centric approach. The objective is to provide a practical understanding of the consequences of the digital platform’s pervasiveness and its differential impacts on space and places: the (uneven) geography of the digital platforms. By employing maps, graphs and alternative cartographic representations we intend to make those socio-spatial relationships and impacts immediately visible and more understandable. The Atlas, therefore, offers food for critical reflection on the socio-spatial inequalities amplified by the platforms and on the potential use (eg. public value) of the platform’s spatial Big Data. The work combines Spatial Analysis, Social Network Analysis and Data Viz adding a further dimension, the spatial one, to the debate on the platform society.
ERASMUS PROJECT VIRSTEM INTERACTIVE TOOLS FOR EDUCATION
Authors: Timinskas Edgaras , Makuteniene Daiva , Ovtšarenko Olga
Published: July 2022

"In a modern education, the use of modern technologies is dictated by the time requirement to provide all spheres of life with competent specialists. This article provides an overview of the first year of the project work of an international team consisting of teachers and researchers, software developers and modelers - specialists in BIM environment from different countries of the Baltic region, which was devoted to finding opportunities to improve the efficiency of teaching technical disciplines, integrating modern technological disciplines and virtual and augmented reality solutions with using the best traditional teaching methods, developing new approaches in educational and methodological work. To create a modern learning environment and support the independent work of students of construction specialties in an open online course ""Basic Engineering Graphics"", interactive teaching material with visualization and integration of BIM is used: simulators of digital objects, interactive exercises, and tests. The free online course is designed for undergraduate students of construction specialties, both full-time and part-time studies, as well as for the professional development of specialists. Involving the student in an active educational process to gain new knowledge is a priority to ensure the effectiveness of independent distance learning. The statistical data presented in the article provide interesting material for analyzing the effectiveness of teaching methods, demonstrate the need to change the approach to using traditional teaching methods, and integrate virtual technologies with the best traditional methods of technical teaching. The use of interactive objects, feedback with recommendations for further progress cannot fully replace the teacher and mentor but helps the student to plan their learning and is a very effective preparation for the next stage of learning."
AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENT TEACHERS’ E-READINESS FOR DIGITAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT IN COVID-19 TIMES
Authors: Mollo Paseka Patric
Published: July 2022

"The COVID-19 pandemic and the hygienic measures of social distance brought impasses to education and its future. Face-to-face activities are suspended and this accelerated use of Information Communications Technology (ICT) in most environments including education. Based on these changes, teacher education and training at universities should prepare prospective teachers that are able to function within the digital and virtual classrooms. This paper investigates the level to which student teachers were exposed to Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) needed by them to function within the digital & virtual classrooms during and post COVID-19 times. The paper analyses, Central University of Technology (CUT) final year Bachelor of Education student teachers’ e-readiness to integrate ICT and present lessons in digital classrooms. A total of 60 student teachers were purposively selected to participate in this study. Data was collected using online questionnaires. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect data from student teachers. Subsequently, results revealed that student teachers are aware of the importance of ICT and e-learning in schools. However, they acknowledge that they have limitations, and they are not ready in implementing them in digital & virtual classrooms. The study concludes by offering several theoretical and practical recommendations for the e-readiness of student teachers in such environments."
COVID-19: LEADING IN CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES – CHALLENGES FOR SCHOOL LEADERS
Authors: du Plessis Pierre , Mestry Raj , Wiehahn Johan
Published: July 2022

"Principals are leading in challenging circumstances since the country went in to COVID-19 lockdown. The combination of confusing government decisions and advise, compounded by the lack of district decision making has left many principals to make key decisions on a daily basis and many times not sure if they will have the backing of departmental officials. Principals had to keep schools open, whilst simultaneously creating an online machine, keeping in touch with the most vulnerable learners and families. School leaders are uniquely positioned to have the respect and personal relationships to guide families to support their children at home during these unprecedented challenges. For rural school leaders it is harder, as rural schools serve families across a cast geographic area without high-speed internet. How do rural school leaders lead educators and their schools doing their best in unchartered waters where teachers moving instruction online, distributing food and technology? Using a qualitative research approach, this study aimed to determine the challenges faced by rural school leaders in leading their schools during COVID-19. Five schools in the Nelspruit areas were selected through purposeful sampling. Data collected was organised logically into workable units to facilitate coding. Data was categorised in themes, the findings revealed COVID-19 has had an impact on the principal’s leadership as principals were challenged to decisions relating to feeding learners, organising protective clothing, finances, and online learning."
MANAGERS’ STRATEGIES FOR INCLUSIVE IMPLEMENTATION IN TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL AND TRAINING COLLEGES IN SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: Delubom Nosiphiwo Ethel , Marongwe Newlin
Published: July 2022

"Limited access to people with disabilities in institutions of higher learning is unfortunately a common trend in South Africa. The purpose of this paper was to explore strategies to implement in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in order to promote inclusive education effectively; that is, to create smooth access for students with disabilities. Research that explored strategies regarding the implementation of inclusive education in TVET colleges had not been previously conducted in South Africa. Hence, this paper’s contribution focused on strategies for the implementation of inclusive education through the lens of students with disabilities. It also fits into the human pedagogy model that advocates accommodation of students as they are. This research was underpinned by a qualitative approach utilising the Interpretive Phenomenological Design. Data was gathered through document analysis and in-depth interviews involving twelve managers from four TVET Colleges in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The findings indicated that although the managers understood the need for the implementation of inclusivity in colleges, very little was done to support students with disabilities. College management did not take ownership for driving, managing, and implementing their strategic plan. The findings also revealed the following: a lack of support structures, absence of the Disability Services Units, lack of partnerships with schools, no control over strategic planning, no evidence of policies on inclusion, lack of funds, and delays in providing services that support students with disabilities. It was recommended that managers implement strategies to create support structures, Disability Services Units, partnerships with similar schools, a strategic management plan, inclusion policies, and fundraising schemes to promote access to students with disabilities in colleges."
STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES ON DISTANCE LEARNING DURING THE PANDEMIC
Authors: Nevaranta Matias , Lempinen Katja , Kaila Erkki
Published: July 2022

"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we study at all levels of education. The students have had to embrace distance learning methods not by choice but as a necessity for their studies and this comes with its own challenges. In this paper, we observe students' perceptions based on a survey conducted on 133 students in late 2021. The results show that students' perceptions of online learning during the pandemic are mixed, and while others prefer working online, some are having serious difficulties. The detailed results are presented in the paper along with our interpretation and discussion about the further implications."
DIGITAL CAPITAL AND SAFETY IN SOCIALIZATION PROCESS. AN ITALIAN CASE STUDY
Authors: Cortoni Ida
Published: July 2022

"The process of digital acceleration, which in the last few years of the pandemic crisis has affected formal socialization contexts such as schools and families, has led to a critical reflection on the new responsibilities and skills of the digital citizen, in order to preserve his autonomy in the management of virtual dynamics while respecting certain ethical principles at the basis of navigation. These principles underpin the implementation of a digital culture in which the use of devices is guided by a sense of responsibility and respect for otherness. The new digital skills of the citizen go beyond specific access techniques and focus mainly on conscious digital behaviour at the basis of safeguarding various forms of individual and social well-being. Through the illustration of the main results of a national survey promoted by Sapienza University of Rome in 2020, the paper intends to provide a reflection on the degree of diffusion of digital awareness among Italian adolescents and on the impact of school and family digital capital in the development and implementation of such skills."
TEACHING WITH TINY ARTICLES AS AN APPROACH TO STIMULATE TRUSTFUL AND COOPERATIVE LEARNING
Authors: Seyfarth André , Hilgner Miriam
Published: July 2022

"The current Corona crises demonstrates the challenge of a fruitful and trustful learning dynamics among people with largely varying backgrounds. The dynamics may easily lead to separating people into groups with attributed properties which finally impairs the learning process. In this study we aimed at designing a new teaching concept for first grade bachelor students in pedagogics, psychology and sports science visiting a lecture on „Learning and Working Strategies “. This included to integrate the students from largely varying background in one teaching program. In order to achieve this goal, we created a novel format of a simplified scientific publication (e.g., a journal paper), called Tiny Article. We asked the students to write a weekly Tiny Article based on their thoughts about the lectures. By writing and sharing their weekly Tiny Article, the students learned to formulate their reflections and insights as well as to share and complement their understandings in a virtual common brain. This collection of knowledge, ideas and reflections were also shared with the teachers of the lectures and opened the discussion of possibilities for networked learning and working in mixed teams."
TRAUMATISED REFUGEE CHILDREN AND YOUTH AT SCHOOL: RESOURCES AND CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS
Authors: Kiel Ewald , Scheuerer Verena , Weiss Sabine
Published: July 2022

"Refugee children and youth have been exposed to stressors that cause trauma. Research in the migration context assumes that complex trauma is the result of consistent or repeated traumatic exposure over a period. Many children and youth are exposed to different stressors over a long period and they are still exposed in the host country. The trauma symptoms have a broad spectrum, from impairment in school functioning and increased absence from school to decreased intellectual functioning and academic performance or lower rates of graduation. In the present study, refugee children and youth, a widely neglected group within school-related research, were considered from the perspective of school and teachers. A model based on Flanagan’s critical incident technique revealed the main challenges of schools with traumatised students. To identify such critical incidents, focus group discussions were conducted. The total sample included 55 teachers, 32 of whom were working in primary schools and 23 in lower secondary education in Germany. The critical incident analysis showed challenges and conditions on different levels of the school, influencing traumatised students’ education, integration and self-concept. In the incidents, the teachers referred to circumstances they knew about their students’ traumatisation related to experiences in the country of origin, during flight and in the host country. Furthermore, they reported how trauma became visible at school. Beyond the findings on trauma sequelae in general, topics specific to the school context were revealed (e.g., the role of language and the legal framework), which should be considered with regard to their implications. The excessive demands of an unknown school environment were depicted as refusal to attend class, running away, crying for a long time or sitting under the table during the whole school day. Under these circumstances, teaching, learning and acceptance from the peer group could hardly succeed. Such behaviours decrease students’ opportunities to socialise and integrate. These results implicate that successful resources and conditions should be aimed from a systemic perspective. Mixed models of teaching in and outside the classroom enable both social contacts and options for withdrawing. Multi-professional teams would bring together the expertise and perspectives of different professions, raising awareness of trauma sequelae and symptoms in the classroom context. Moreover, the role of extracurricular support should be considered."
PROMOTING TEACHERS’ INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCES FOR TEACHING IN THE DIVERSE CLASSROOM
Authors: Uibu Krista , Tagamets Eda
Published: July 2022

"Culturally inclusive education continues to be a challenge in many countries: while teachers attempt to create responsive learning environments and teaching strategies, students from migrant backgrounds still face disadvantages in education. Only 35% of teachers in OECD countries feel prepared for teaching in a multicultural setting. Teachers may lack the necessary sensitivity, knowledge and/or skills, feeling insecure about how to respond to cultural diversity in the classroom. Even if there are theoretical courses in pre-service teacher training programmes, practical training opportunities in actual diverse classrooms are lacking. Also, schools are lacking experienced mentor teachers competent in culturally responsive teaching, as in many countries the demographic situation has undergone major changes in the last decades and continues to evolve. These issues need to be better addressed. The overall aim of our study is improved intercultural preparedness of teachers, through rich and authentic learning experiences. Based on in-depth analysis of current best practices, we will create an evidence-based teacher training program. This will feature video clips of the most common challenging pedagogical situations that may arise in a culturally diverse classroom. We expect the teachers who pass this program to have better intercultural competences so that they can practice culturally responsive and inclusive teaching. In order to assess the impact of the program, we have developed an instrument to measure the teachers’ self-reported intercultural competences (knowledge, attitudes and skills) prior to and after the completion of the program. The structure of the questionnaire and differences in the domains of teachers’ intercultural competence according to their teaching experience is introduced in the paper."
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN GOVERNMENTAL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION AND THE AUTONOMY OF ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS IN HUNGARY
Authors: Langer-Buchwald Judit , Langer Zsolt
Published: July 2022

"Besides state-funded schools, private schools play a role in public education both abroad and in Hungary, however the financial aid they receive from the governmental budget is different from country to country. There are countries where they receive the same amount of support that state-funded institutions get. Whereas there are other private institutions that cannot gain any financial resources from the subsidy. Financial contribution by the government to educational costs, however, always goes together with a restriction of the autonomy of schools by said government. These restrictions may include forcing the exemption of tuition fees or mandating that private schools cannot control the admission of pupils. Moreover, it might convey the restriction of the pedagogical autonomy of alternative private schools according to the educational system’s degree of centralization. The liberal and decentralized Hungarian education system has become centralized again due to the current government’s aspiration of creating an integrated and unified educational policy. In this study, we seek to answer the question of how the financial contribution of the state to the operation of alternative private schools affects their pedagogical autonomy."
THE POWERFUL AND CONTROVERSIAL STRATEGY OF USING STUDENTS’ FIRST LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING
Authors: Toma Alexandra-Monica
Published: July 2022

"This study explores the extent to which using the students’ first language in teaching foreign languages is beneficial, and recommends some successful strategies of putting L1 knowledge to good use. Given that it is widely recommended to avoid the use of L1 in favour of monolingual approaches, that provide complete language immersion, it is especially challenging to define the situations when students’ first language can be used as a valuable and beneficial tool to support foreign language learning. Although L1 use is widely discouraged, some researchers suggest that, if used correctly and coherently, it does not hinder, but promotes language learning. In order to establish the extent to which L1 could support foreign language learning, this study sheds light on strategies used during teaching Romanian as a foreign language, aiming to make enlightening connections between L1 and L2, thus exploring the similarities between Romanian and Italian, the mother tongue of the students. The teacher used basic information about etymology, language history and phonetic transformations to explain the connections between words in Romanian and Italian, based on the common Latin inheritance. Moreover, the teacher used brief explanations and informal comments in Italian to build a meaningful relation with the students and create an inclusive, friendly and relaxed environment for language teaching. This comparative linguistics approach was assessed in relation with the results obtained by another class of Italian students, where the teacher made no such linguistic comparisons and avoided use of L1."
‘KIDS THESE DAYS!’ A META-ANALYSIS OF CHANGES OF ATTENTION PROBLEMS IN REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLES OF CHILDREN
Authors: Vekety Boglarka , Logemann Alexander , Protzko John , Takacs Zsofia K.
Published: July 2022

"It is a common belief that the attention of new generations of children is in decline (Protzko & Schooler, 2019). However, such devastating claims about new generations are challenged when inspecting the evidence (Protzko, 2020). The current meta-analysis aimed to explore comprehensively whether attention problems have increased, decreased, or remained unchanged among children over the past decades. Findings allow us to determine whether there has been any problematic development of attention among children. Studies that used the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) with representative samples of 1.5-14 year-old children were systematically searched in multiple databases (i.e., Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed). Informants varied between studies (i.e., teachers, self, parents), but parent-reported data was dominant. Preliminary results from the meta-regression analysis of raw scores from 22 studies showed no change in reported attention problems over the past decades (byear = -0.009, p = .72; 95%CI = -0.06 to 0.04. However, when mean age of children was analyzed in interaction with the year of data collection, we found that attention problems have increased with age over the past decades (byear× age = 0.007, p = .01; 95%CI = 0.002 to 0.011). When analyzing the percentage of maximum possible scores from the same 22 studies, there was an increase in reported attention problems over the past decades for all children (byear = 0.4493, p = .03; 95%CI = 0.03 to 0.87,), regardless of age (byear× age = -0.0022, p = .35; 95%CI = -0.07 to 0.02). These findings show that attention problems among children are increasing, and school-aged children might be especially at risk. A possible explanation of these results might be that children usually spend more time on screen from year to year (e.g., surfing on the internet, playing online games, using social media, media multitasking) which might have had a negative effect on their attention regulation skills in the last decades (Moisala et al., 2016; Rideout et al., 2010)."
TRAINING OF EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG)
Authors: Martínez-Agut M. Pilar , Monzó-Martínez Anna
Published: July 2022

"Faced with the current diverse and complex realities, this contribution includes the international and national bases that establish the conception of inclusive education today to train education professionals. From the International Convention of Persons with Disabilities (UNESCO, 2006); the World Education Forum (2015) in which the Incheon Declaration (Korea) was approved; the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda, together with the Declaration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), documents that establish inclusion, equity and access to quality education with impact on learning outcomes, from a lifelong learning approach. The European Agency for Inclusive Education and Special Needs (2015) promotes the improvement of students' educational opportunities, taking as principles the equity, effectiveness, efficiency and increasing the success of all interested parties (students, families, education professionals and community representatives). In our context, Organic Law 8/1985, regulating the right to education, develops the Constitution, initiates the guarantee and recognition of the right to a basic education that guarantees comprehensive training and allows the full personality development, looking for a quality education for all students. Organic Law 2/2006, on education (LOE) and its recent modification (Organic Law 3/2020, LOMLOE), collects educational equity. For this reason, we start from the contents of the subject we teach on inclusive education, together with the methodologies used (cooperative learning, Universal Learning Design, diversity of motivations, teaching methodologies and Sustainable Development Goals -SDG-), with the aim of training to our students as future professionals in the face of changing, diverse and complex realities."
RESEARCH GIRLS – A JOINT PROJECT OF THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DORTMUND AND THE OTTO- FRIEDRICH- UNIVERSITY OF BAMBERG, GERMANY
Authors: Spanu Stephanie
Published: July 2022

"The abstract refers to the category Projects and Trends and fulfils the criteria in the fields: Pedagogic innovations, new learning and teaching models, inclusive and special education, educational projects. The presentation shows ways that make it possible to sustainably provide gender-sensitive and gender-appropriate educational opportunities in early childhood in order to subsequently be able to prepare girls for changed educational paths. The starting point is a project submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF Germany), in which a structured programme is to be developed that allows educational professionals to be won over for gender-sensitive and gender-appropriate educational offers in child day care, and to strengthen and further develop their competences. Already in early childhood, important foundations are laid for independent participation in society in adulthood. The aim of the project is to address science as a field of work for girls in which they meet role models (female scientists). First of all, existing educational offers are identified and in a further step, the testing of possible gender-sensitive and gender-appropriate educational assignments for professional practice is scientifically accompanied and evaluated. The guiding research questions are: - How do educational or research motivations arise in girls? - How can girls be prepared for their future tasks in science? - Which competences of girls should be perceived, communicated and positively evaluated in order to change gender-specific (role) expectations and individual creative spaces? - How can educational professionals act in a gender-sensitive and gender-appropriate way and through which competences is early gender-sensitive and gender-appropriate education made possible? - How can female scientists raise their profile outside the scientific community and thus become role models for girls? The basis of the research design is an ethnographic observation of pre-school girls in different day-care centres in order to identify their ideas about later careers. Based on the results, female researchers from the corresponding domains are to be specifically acquired to serve as role models for the girls and to describe their life paths. At the same time, educational professionals will be trained as multipliers in order to implement the project permanently."
EDUCATION-TO-GO IN THE FUTURE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES?
Authors: Dominguez-Vergara Nicolas , Dominguez-Perez Daniel Nicolas , Dominguez-Perez Adriana Berenice
Published: July 2022

"Many typically good paying jobs have not yet recovered to the pre-pandemic level in many countries. On the other hand, due to the use of many digital technologies to order, store and deliver goods during the pandemic, many professionals were and are still needed for creating computer applications, data management and in analytics (aside from blue collar workers needed in call centers, warehouses, and delivery services). However, not many people are qualified because there were not many careers created in those fields mainly in developing countries. Despite that, the current demand for this type of talent is high. Therefore, many higher education institutions and small colleges may take the opportunity and offer the essentials of basic higher education and training needed for some of those jobs. Some younger individuals might not want to go back and be confined in a classical classroom after having tasted the “freedom of virtual education” which could even be accessed through a cell phone anywhere and at any time. This could be the beginning of Education-To-Go schools all around the world but mainly in underdeveloped countries, an education which would be affordable, quick, and very specific and aiming to certify some professional skills. This education would be tailored to fit the needs for the vacancies that are urged for the market to fill. Mainly the schools which would prepare those young adults could hire fewer teachers who would prepare or assemble the course materials and make them available on the school websites. This practice on the other hand will contribute to the “uberization of education” and drastically change the number of teacher-to-student ratios. In this paper the possibility of Education-To-Go in Mexico is analyzed considering the economic sectors which could possibly grow in the coming years matching them with the competencies needed. The analysis is carried out using quality control tools such as Ishikawa and Pareto Diagrams. There are scenarios in which it is a possibility, and the country could even export some of the trained people, mainly to the United States. Specialization through the teaching of specific competencies could be possible in some countries like Mexico in the post-pandemic era."
“MATERIAL DEMO LAB” PROCESS - TRAINING PROCESS FOR BUSINESS MODEL & DESIGN METHODS FOR MATERIAL SCIENTISTS
Authors: Schöne Jasmin , Sägebrecht Florian , Opeskin Lenard , Leopold Anne-Katrin , Krzywinski Jens , Schwurack Stefan , Kunath Martin , Schmiedgen Peter
Published: July 2022

"Up to 70% of all new products are based on new materials and there is considerable scientific and economic potential in combining different material and technology domains in particular. Former research projects have shown that material scientists face several challenges in the later stages of the innovation process, especially in market placement meeting the needs of business customers and other stakeholders. Problems are e.g. too complicated communication of their work, missing understandable business cases, and uninspiring demonstrators. These developing issues could already be prevented in an early TRL level by using and combining product design and business modeling methods. The paper presents the design of the innovation process of competence acquisition of business model development and design development methods for material scientists. The innovation and training process is designed to overcome the ""Valley of Death"", i.e., the unsuccessful transfer of research results to the to market maturity. The goal of the process for the material scientists is to a) reflect and structure own competencies b) to make unique selling propositions comprehensible and c) to generate and strengthen impact. In addition, the observed limitations are described, which were observed during the implementation of the process in two test groups composed by scientists from three different institutes and research areas in materials science to further refine the field. The findings are based on a) literature reviews and b) observations during the design, implementation and evaluation of the process. Part of the core findings is the increased acceptance of the methods applied in the innovation process, if they primarily address technology development. A more challenging acceptance in the field of research communication is the development of commercial business models. During the development and testing of the innovation process, the stages of the Delft Design Guide as one popular handbook in the field. The development phases were used as a guidance and orientation."