bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data persistence in planetary surface network using raptor codes and probabilistic broadcasting
Authors: Kong Bo , Zhang Gengxin , Zhang Wei , Bian Dongming , Xie Zhidong
Published: October 2016

This article investigates the data persistence problem in the planetary surface network of interplanetary Internet using the distributed raptor codes. In order to improve the lifetime of space information and space nodes’ energy efficiency in planetary surface network, we propose an efficient data persistence strategy based on raptor codes and probabilistic broadcasting. Unlike most existing data persistence strategies where the random walks are used to disseminate source packets, the probabilistic broadcasting mechanism is employed in the proposed strategy to reduce the data dissemination cost by exploiting the broadcast property of wireless networks. The decoding performance and data dissemination cost are analyzed. Simulation results validate that the proposed strategy consumes the least data dissemination cost while achieving a better decoding performance compared with other representative strategies.
Distributional patterns of the Order Gomphales (Fungi: Basidiomycota) in Mexico
Authors: González-Ávila Patricia Astrid , Luna-Vega Isolda , García-Sandoval Ricardo , Contreras-Medina Raúl
Published: October 2016

The distribution and endemicity patterns of Gomphales in Mexico are analyzed here for the first time. Richness and corrected endemism were obtained from a dataset of 3,483 records for 97 species, using a cell-grid system of one degree per side. The central region of Mexico (Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Hidalgo and Estado de México states), which includes most of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and Sierra Madre Oriental biogeographic provinces, had the highest richness values, but Mexican areas in the Pacific Coast (Jalisco and Michoacán states) and southeastern Mexico (Oaxaca and Chiapas states) had the most distinctive composition, as measured by the corrected endemism index. Two main distributional patterns were recovered: a) montane: at elevations above 1000 m on coniferous, pine-oak, oak and cloud forests, typified by the presence of species of Ramaria and Clavariadelphus, b) lowlands: at elevations below 1000 m mainly in evergreen, rainforest and deciduous tropical forests characterized by the presence of four tropical species of Lentaria, two tropical species of Gomphus endemic to Mexico, and four tropical species of Phaeoclavulina. The eight species of Gomphales endemic to Mexico have very restricted distribution, mostly in non-protected areas, and are not considered under special protection programs. The present contribution delineates general patterns of distribution for the Gomphales, and documents its diversity and endemism in Mexico.
Fighting chronic lung diseases on a national level: The Dutch national action programme
Authors: Biewenga Jaco , Kerstjens Huib AM , Rutgers Michael R , Rolink Emiel , van der Gun Ingrid , ter Horst Guusje , Chavannes Niels H
Published: October 2016

Introduction

To reduce the burden of chronic lung diseases, the Lung Alliance Netherlands has designed a National Action programme on Chronic Lung Diseases. It aims to improve healthcare coordination, thereby reducing the burden of chronic lung diseases, by focussing on five objectives to be achieved within five years: (1) a 25% reduction in hospitalisation days for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; (2) a 15% reduction in working days lost due to respiratory diseases; (3) a 20% improved cost-effectiveness of inhalation medication; (4) a 25% reduction of adolescents taking up smoking; and (5) a 10% reduction of mortality due to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Methods/design

Baseline data were collected from Dutch registries with the most recent available data from 2011, 2012 and 2013. To achieve the objectives, the Lung Alliance Netherlands presented various key activities and strategies that are described in this paper.

Discussion

The ambitious objectives are interconnected and their mutual reinforcement is expected to have a beneficial impact on the burden of chronic lung diseases. A strength of the Dutch national action programme is the extensive cooperation between the multiple healthcare parties that contribute to the coordination of the delivery of healthcare. A potential weakness is the relatively short time span of the programme, which may prevent observing its full potential.
Ambient air pollution, traffic noise and adult asthma prevalence: a BioSHaRE approach
Authors: Cai Yutong , Zijlema Wilma L. , Doiron Dany , Blangiardo Marta , Burton Paul R. , Fortier Isabel , Gaye Amadou , Gulliver John , de Hoogh Kees , Hveem Kristian , Mbatchou Stéphane , Morley David W. , Stolk Ronald P. , Elliott Paul , Hansell Anna L. , Hodgson Susan
Published: October 2016

We investigated the effects of both ambient air pollution and traffic noise on adult asthma prevalence, using harmonised data from three European cohort studies established in 2006–2013 (HUNT3, Lifelines and UK Biobank).

Residential exposures to ambient air pollution (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 µm (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) were estimated by a pan-European Land Use Regression model for 2007. Traffic noise for 2009 was modelled at home addresses by adapting a standardised noise assessment framework (CNOSSOS-EU). A cross-sectional analysis of 646 731 participants aged ≥20 years was undertaken using DataSHIELD to pool data for individual-level analysisviaa “compute to the data” approach. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to assess the effects of each exposure on lifetime and current asthma prevalence.

PM10or NO2higher by 10 µg·m−3was associated with 12.8% (95% CI 9.5–16.3%) and 1.9% (95% CI 1.1–2.8%) higher lifetime asthma prevalence, respectively, independent of confounders. Effects were larger in those aged ≥50 years, ever-smokers and less educated. Noise exposure was not significantly associated with asthma prevalence.

This study suggests that long-term ambient PM10exposure is associated with asthma prevalence in western European adults. Traffic noise is not associated with asthma prevalence, but its potential to impact on asthma exacerbations needs further investigation.
dupRadar: a Bioconductor package for the assessment of PCR artifacts in RNA-Seq data
Authors: Sayols Sergi , Scherzinger Denise , Klein Holger
Published: October 2016

Background

PCR clonal artefacts originating from NGS library preparation can affect both genomic as well as RNA-Seq applications when protocols are pushed to their limits. In RNA-Seq however the artifactual reads are not easy to tell apart from normal read duplication due to natural over-sequencing of highly expressed genes. Especially when working with little input material or single cells assessing the fraction of duplicate reads is an important quality control step for NGS data sets. Up to now there are only tools to calculate the global duplication rates that do not take into account the effect of gene expression levels which leaves them of limited use for RNA-Seq data.

Results

Here we present the tool dupRadar, which provides an easy means to distinguish the fraction of reads originating in natural duplication due to high expression from the fraction induced by artefacts. dupRadar assesses the fraction of duplicate reads per gene dependent on the expression level. Apart from the Bioconductor package dupRadar we provide shell scripts for easy integration into processing pipelines.

Conclusions

The Bioconductor package dupRadar offers straight-forward methods to assess RNA-Seq datasets for quality issues with PCR duplicates. It is aimed towards simple integration into standard analysis pipelines as a default QC metric that is especially useful for low-input and single cell RNA-Seq data sets.
Approximation of zeros of bounded maximal monotone mappings, solutions of Hammerstein integral equations and convex minimization problems
Authors: Chidume Charles E , Idu Kennedy O
Published: October 2016

Let E be a real normed space with dual space $E^{*}$

E
∗

and let $A:E\rightarrow2^{E^{*}}$
A
:
E
→

2

E
∗

be any map. Let $J:E\rightarrow2^{E^{*}}$
J
:
E
→

2

E
∗

be the normalized duality map on E. A new class of mappings, J-pseudocontractive maps, is introduced and the notion of J-fixed points is used to prove that $T:=(J-A)$
T
:
=
(
J
−
A
)
is J-pseudocontractive if and only if A is monotone. In the case that E is a uniformly convex and uniformly smooth real Banach space with dual $E^{*}$

E
∗

, $T: E\rightarrow2^{E^{*}}$
T
:
E
→

2

E
∗

is a bounded J-pseudocontractive map with a nonempty J-fixed point set, and $J-T :E\rightarrow2^{E^{*}}$
J
−
T
:
E
→

2

E
∗

is maximal monotone, a sequence is constructed which converges strongly to a J-fixed point of T. As an immediate consequence of this result, an analog of a recent important result of Chidume for bounded m-accretive maps is obtained in the case that $A:E\rightarrow2^{E^{*}}$
A
:
E
→

2

E
∗

is bounded maximal monotone, a result which complements the proximal point algorithm of Martinet and Rockafellar. Furthermore, this analog is applied to approximate solutions of Hammerstein integral equations and is also applied to convex optimization problems. Finally, the techniques of the proofs are of independent interest.
Extremism, religion and psychiatric morbidity in a population-based sample of young men
Authors: Coid Jeremy W. , Bhui Kamaldeep , MacManus Deirdre , Kallis Constantinos , Bebbington Paul , Ullrich Simone
Published: October 2016

Background

There is growing risk from terrorism following radicalisation of young men. It is unclear whether psychopathology is associated.

Aims

To investigate the population distribution of extremist views among UK men.

Method

Cross-sectional study of 3679 men, 18–34 years, in Great Britain. Multivariate analyses of attitudes, psychiatric morbidity, ethnicity and religion.

Results

Pro-British men were more likely to be White, UK born, not religious; anti-British were Muslim, religious, of Pakistani origin, from deprived areas. Pro- and anti-British views were linearly associated with violence (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.51, 95% CI 1.38–1.64,P<0.001, adjusted OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.13–1.58,P<0.001, respectively) and negatively with depression (adjusted OR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.61–0.85,P<0.001, adjusted OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.48–0.86,P= 0.003, respectively).

Conclusions

Men at risk of depression may experience protection from strong cultural or religious identity. Antisocial behaviour increases with extremism. Religion is protective but may determine targets of violence following radicalisation.
Population Survey of Iodine Deficiency and Environmental Disruptors of Thyroid Function in Young Children in Haiti
Authors: von Oettingen Julia E. , Brathwaite Tesha D. , Carpenter Christopher , Bonnell Ric , He Xuemei , Braverman Lewis E. , Pearce Elizabeth N. , Larco Philippe , Larco Nancy Charles , Jean-Baptiste Eddy , Brown Rosalind S.
Published: October 2016

Context:

Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable neurodevelopmental delay in children worldwide and a possible public health concern in Haiti.

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of iodine deficiency in Haitian young children and its influence by environmental factors.

Design:

Cross-sectional study, March through June 2015.

Setting:

Community churches in 3 geographical regions in Haiti.

Participants:

299 healthy Haitian children aged 9 months to 6 years; one-third each enrolled in a coastal, mountainous, and urban region.

Main Outcome Measures:

Urinary iodide, serum thyrotropin (TSH), goiter assessment, and urinary perchlorate and thiocyanate.

Results:

Mean age was 3.3±1.6 years, with 51% female, median family income USD 30/week, and 16% malnutrition. Median urinary iodide levels were normal in coastal (145 μg/L, interquartile range [IQR] 97 to 241) and urban regions (187 μg/L, IQR 92 to 316), but revealed mild iodine deficiency in a mountainous region (89 μg/L, IQR 56 to 129), P < 0.0001. Grade 1 goiters were palpated in 2 children, but TSH values were normal. Urinary thiocyanate and perchlorate concentrations were not elevated. Predictors of higher urinary iodide included higher urinary thiocyanate and perchlorate, breastfeeding, and not living in a mountainous region.

Conclusions:

Areas of mild iodine deficiency persist in Haiti’s mountainous regions. Exposure to two well-understood environmental thyroid function disruptors is limited.
From Mercantilism to Exclusive Economic Zones: How Nation-States Have Laid Claim to the World's Resources
Authors: Georgiou George C.
Published: October 2016

This essay traces the transfer of private ownership of economic resources from sovereign rulers to the modern nation-state, starting with mercantilism and ending with exclusive economic zones. Nation-states were initially envisaged as bodies that acted on behalf of their citizens, but over time they have become distant from democratic processes as they have sought to claim property rights over more and more of the planet, and now of outer space. Consequently, what remains of the global commons is on the verge of extinction. This essay examines whose interests such activities serve and the resulting implications.
Cultural Propaganda and Plans for a British University in the Near East
Authors: Xypolia Ilia
Published: October 2016

This essay draws on archival documents to explore the British Empire's plans for establishing a university in the eastern Mediterranean in the 1930s. The British possessions in the region were at stake in the aftermath of the First World War. Since the early 1930s the Foreign Office had been eagerly planning the establishment of a university in the region in order to make the local elites familiar with Western culture. Egypt, Palestine, and Cyprus were considered the most likely locations for the institution. It is argued that cultural propaganda was perceived by the Foreign Office as an essential component of the empire's strategy and legitimacy in its sphere of influence. Although the project was eventually not realized due to the outbreak of the Second World War, its significance lies in the demonstration of the British grand strategy in the eastern Mediterranean during the interwar period.
Evaluation of the Postoperative Quality of Recovery Scale test and re-test in Swedish among healthy volunteers
Authors: Jildenstål Pether , Eriksson Johan , Warren Stomberg Margareta , Jakobsson Jan G.
Published: October 2016

Introduction

Patient outcome measures are required to assess the quality of healthcare. Tools for a patients’ self-assessment of quality of recovery, during perioperative care, have been developed during the last decade. The Postoperative Quality of Recovery Scale (PostopQRS) questionnaire is one of the most well-accepted and validated tools available. Here we assess the PostopORS questionnaire in Swedish.

Methods

Sixty-one students from the Bachelor Program in Nursing, (50 female and 11 male; mean age, 25; range, 21-46) filled in the Swedish translation of the PostopQRS questionnaire twice. They also evaluated whether they found the queries easy to understand and respond to.

Results

The participants found the Swedish translation of the PostopQRS questionnaire easy to read and understand. There were minor differences in test responses between the initial test and the re-test 48 hours later. We found that the PostopQRS questionnaire has some background noise; 12 out of 61 participants (20%) reported mild pain, 25 (41%) scored some depression and 33 scored mild anxiety (54%). The cognitive domain showed a learning effect between tests in “word recall” and “word generation”, while “digit recall forward” and “digit recall backward” showed no change. We found a difference in cognitive test performance with age; younger participants had higher mean cognitive test scores compared to participants >30 years. Overall, nine participants showed a decrease in re-test scores; two experienced a mild increase in pain; one experienced a mild increase in anxiety; and six performed more poorly on cognitive tests.

Conclusion

The Swedish translation of the PostopQRS was found to be adequate for use in the assessment of quality of recovery, and the questions were well understood by participants. Our study shows the importance of baseline testing for assessment of recovery, since recovery is assessed as a return to or improvement in each individual’s baseline score.
Politics and Information Technology Investments in the U.S. Federal Government in 2003–2016
Authors: Pang Min-Seok
Published: October 2016

Information technologies (IT) act as an enabler for policy implementation in the U.S. federal government. While federal agencies increasingly rely on advanced digital technologies to execute new policy initiatives, many agencies are struggling with maintaining decades old legacy systems. This study investigates how national politics affects IT investment profiles in U.S. federal agencies. Drawing on a range of literature from the political science, public administration, and information systems (IS) disciplines, we hypothesize that a federal agency’s capacity-building IT investments are associated with (i) legislative approval for the chief executive, (ii) government dividedness, and (iii) the agency’s ideological characteristic. With a panel data set from 135 federal agencies and bureaus in 2003–2016, our empirical analyses produce several intriguing findings. For instance, when the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives are controlled by the President’s ruling party, federal agencies are predicted to invest approximately 8.32% more in new IT development and modernization than when the opposition party holds the majority in both chambers. We contribute to the IS literature by demonstrating that budget allocation decisions between IT development and maintenance in governments are affected by political environments. We also offer several policy prescriptions in IT management for policymakers and practitioners in the public sector.
New Algorithms for Maximum Weight Matching and a Decomposition Theorem
Authors: Huang Chien-Chung , Kavitha Telikepalli
Published: October 2016

We revisit the classical maximum weight matching problem in general graphs with nonnegative integral edge weights. We present an algorithm that operates by decomposing the problem into W unweighted versions of the problem, where W is the largest edge weight. Our algorithm has running time as good as the current fastest algorithms for the maximum weight matching problem when W is small. One of the highlights of our algorithm is that it also produces an integral optimal dual solution; thus our algorithm also returns an integral certificate corresponding to the maximum weight matching that was computed.

Our algorithm yields a new proof to the total dual integrality of Edmonds’ matching polytope and it also gives rise to a decomposition theorem for the maximum weight of a matching in terms of the maximum size of a matching in certain subgraphs. We also consider the maximum weight capacitated b-matching problem in bipartite graphs with nonnegative integral edge weights and show that it can also be decomposed into W unweighted versions of the problem, where W is the largest edge weight. Our second algorithm is competitive with known algorithms when W is small.
Air Cargo Network Revenue Management
Authors: Barz Christiane , Gartner Daniel
Published: October 2016

In this paper we discuss heuristics for network air cargo revenue management. We start from a dynamic programming formulation of air cargo network revenue management. Since the curse of dimensionality makes this problem intractable, we suggest several methods, based on linear programming, approximate dynamic programming, and decomposition to obtain both upper bounds and heuristics. We prove relationships between the upper bounds. Furthermore, we analyze the performance of both the bounds as well as the heuristics in a numerical study. In this numerical study, we find that a dynamic programming decomposition yields the tightest bounds. The heuristic based on the decomposition dominates other approaches by giving higher expected net revenues both when applied on the single-leg and on the network cargo problem.
Better access to school nurses is needed to improve wellbeing and protect children from harm
Authors: Peate Ian
Published: October 2016

Recently, the Children's Commissioner published a Lightning Review in Children's Access to School Nurses to Improve Wellbeing and Protect them from Harm. Ian Peate comments on the findings and explains why a substantial investment in the profession is needed.
What food knowledge ensures school leavers are capable of healthy food practice?
Authors: Parrish Anne-Maree , Worsley Anthony , Yeatman Heather , Sadegholvad Sanaz
Published: October 2016

Background

Food consumers in the western world face many complex issues that can impinge on their current and future health. The aim of this research was to identify areas of agreement regarding the basic food knowledge required by young adults for healthy living.

Method

Interviews were conducted using open-ended questioning to gain a cross-section of health professionals' perspectives regarding the basic food knowledge required by young adults for healthy living.

Results

Key areas of agreement generated from the interviews included a need for school leavers to understand: nutritional aspects of food, food preparation and cooking skills, food safety, how to read labels, understanding of production, processing and food distribution, how to shop for food on a budget, understanding seasonal variations in food, understanding food marketing, moral and ethical issues associated with food.

Conclusions

This study produced a rich understanding about what food-related professionals considered necessary components of food knowledge for school leavers.
Reeling in knowledge and skills: The benefits of preceptorship in school health nursing
Authors: Leishenring Amanda
Published: October 2016

Offering preceptorship to new school health nurses can help grow their confidence and improve the quality of school nursing services. Amanda Leishenring shares the conceptual framework that has been the focal point underpinning Sandwell's school health nurse preceptorship pack.
Head injury: Knowing the symptoms and risks
Authors: Hammett Emma
Published: October 2016

Delivering appropriate first aid for head injuries can be difficult and it is essential that staff members are adequately trained to assess and manage these, Emma Hammett explains why and provides a useful overview of some of the more common symptoms and risks.
A greater investment in school nursing is vital to meet needs
Authors: Lepkowska Dorothy
Published: October 2016

Dorothy Lepkowska looks at two areas of practice that have recently come under scrutiny and are suffering as a result of a lack of investment in school nursing: mental health care and sex and relationships education.
Diabetes roundup
Authors: Greener Mark
Published: October 2016

Mark Greener Presents key studies published in healthcare journals
The management of Lyme disease
Authors: Pearson Sandra
Published: October 2016

Prompt treatment is important in order to minimise the risk of multi-system disease, says Sandra Pearson
Long-term support in primary care for men with prostate cancer
Authors: Dyer Sandra , Yaganti Sarita
Published: October 2016

Practice nurses have the skills to manage cancer as a long-term condition, say Sandra Dyer and Sarita Yaganti
An overview of osteoporosis
Authors: Thomson Julia
Published: October 2016

Nurses play a key role in risk assessment and helping patients adhere to medication, explains Julia Thomson
You got to have fish: Families, environmental decline and cultural reproduction
Authors: Willette Mirranda , Norgaard Kari , Reed Ron
Published: October 2016

Tending, harvesting, preparing and consuming traditional foods including salmon, acorns, mushrooms and deer are family activities in Karuk culture. Families are important sites for cultural reproduction, especially in the context of structural genocide. In this article we examine how colonial violence continues to impact indigenous families today in the form of environmental degradation. Runs of salmon, lamprey, steelhead and other species in the Klamath River have declined precipitously in the past two decades, and availability of forest foods is also limited by a combination of non-Native regulations and environmentally degrading management practices. How does environmental decline impact indigenous families? Decline of salmon and other important foods has resulted in families spending less time together. Environmental decline thus limits the transmission of cultural knowledge, identity development of youth and the strength of social ties within families, and also appears to be associated with younger age of death, leading to further reductions in cultural reproduction within families.
Consciência e cultura do risco nas organizações
Authors: Amaro Antônio
Published: October 2016

A diferente natureza das ameaças à segurança das organizações ou das empresas revela sempre um risco, para as pessoas ou para as coisas, sobretudo se atentamos nas características das sociedades democráticas e abertas com todo o infindável cortejo de assumidas vulnerabilidades. Embora de difícil definição, o risco é inerente à vida do dia-a-dia das pessoas e das organizações e a todos os processos de decisão, mantendo-se em constante evolução num universo geralmente complexo, dinâmico e hostil.
Análise de tendência da precipitação anual e mensal no período 1900-2000, em Portugal continental
Authors: P. de Lima M. Isabel , Marques Ana C. , P. de Lima João L. M
Published: October 2016

Este trabalho debruça-se sobre o estudo da precipitação em Portugal Continental, com base em nove séries temporais de observações udométricas, abrangendo todo o século XX. Os dados analisados têm uma distribuição geográfica que cobre várias regiões do País. As séries são analisadas por métodos estatístic9s com o objectivo de testar se existe uma alteração, ao longo do tempo, da grandeza climática em estudo. E feita a análise de tendência da precipitação anual e da precipitação mensal, o que permite caracterizar, neste último caso, as alterações da distribuição da precipitação durante o ano, no território nacional
Under the Mango Tree: Lessons for the Insider-Outsider Researcher
Authors: Wolfgramm-Foliaki 'Ema
Published: October 2016

An auto ethnographic approach is used to examine the insider-outsider identity of a researcher who is of Pacific Island descent and is also a member of the academy, within the western framework of the dominant culture. Stories from her researcher experience bring situated knowledge into a space that is fraught with tensions, and is highly competitive in nature. Discourses of ‘othering’, power and privilege provide paradigms for critical analysis of the academy. While storytelling is not new, it is a powerful methodology used by the author to ‘theorise from the flesh’ and to point to past experiences as critical incidences of where her multiple identities are renegotiated as a result of border crossing between her home culture and position as a researcher in the university. She explores the fluidity of the space she occupies as a researcher of her community while working within the academy. Furthermore, she argues that members of the minority cultures at the academy can recognise and use their own positions and voices for enquiry from within.
Collaborative Outcomes Learning Tool (COLT) – A Multi-agency Educational Resource to Support Complex Public Protection Understanding and Practice
Authors: Heyman Inga , Innes Gavin , Goodhand Kate
Published: October 2016

Multi-agency public protection practice has received significant media and government scrutiny in recent years, in response to failings to protect those most vulnerable people in society. Despite an appreciation by agencies that there are resource and outcome benefits to collaborative practice, how safeguarding public protection policy may be integrated into practice and education is often challenging. Public protection legislation directs core agencies to co-operate and work together with governmental direction setting out key shared safeguarding responsibilities and arrangements for individuals, professional groups and teams. Despite this there still remain difficulties between organisations to understand each other’s priorities and responsibilities. This can then transpose to an individual level where entrenched professional divisions can compromise joint working. Many health and social care curricula invest in inter-professional education to encourage exploration of information sharing, reporting and case management. However, when public protection issues are considered, uni-professional and inter-professional education tends to focus on single silos of harm, for example child and adult protection, radicalisation or domestic abuse. This paper discusses the development, application and future possibilities for innovation of a unique educational tool to address this gap in public protection multi-agency education. The tool aims to support understanding of key public protection issues in Scotland by encouraging learners within undergraduate and practice environments to recognise risk, explore overlapping and ‘grey areas’ of harm and understand partner agency best practice and response whilst encouraging cross-sector working, appreciation and support. Through gaining insight into other agencies safeguarding roles the learner has the opportunity to gain a deeper insight and broader perspective of the complexities of interventions beyond their own discipline whilst recognising opportunities for joint resource management.
Progressing Towards Open Textbooks Learning Analytics System
Authors: Prasad Deepak , Totaramb Rajneel , Usagawa Tsuyoshi
Published: October 2016

Textbook prices have been soaring at an unprecedented pace for the last four decades with no signs that this trend will end anytime soon. Several studies have suggested that a solution to this problem comes in the form of open textbooks. As a result, the growth of open textbooks is rapid and sustained. However, though the advent of open textbooks is encouraging, whether, how, and to what extent students are using their open textbooks remains unclear. Learning analytics for open textbooks can provide answers to these questions plus many others, and thereby offers the potential for improving planning, development, monitoring, evaluation and revision of open textbooks. Learning analytics applied to open textbooks has received little attention to date. This on the horizon paper presents and describes developmental work of a method to collect data produced as a result of students’ online and offline interactions with their open textbooks, the first part of a three-step process of learning analytics (the remaining two being data processing and reporting functionalities). The paper concludes with a presentation of future work, in line with the nature of this paper, which is work-in-progress towards developing learning analytics system for open textbooks.
The Perceptions of Postgraduate International Students of Examinations
Authors: Cruickshank Peter
Published: October 2016

The increasing internationalisation of higher education means that many students in the UK are not native English speakers, possibly putting them at a disadvantage in an examination environment. However, exams continue to be used even though they are often deprecated as an assessment instrument in postgraduate courses. This article explores the implications from these observations for module leaders and for higher education institutions. Three themes emerge: the impact of internationalisation, the use of exams at postgraduate level and the language and cultural issues faced by international students. A review of university policy and quality documents revealed a general commitment to internationalisation but some gaps in policy support, for students with English as a second or foreign language. A survey of students in two computing programmes evaluated these themes. The results did not show up any major issues, though there were a number of suggestions to improve the exam process to address feelings of bias to UK or native-English-speaking students. The research therefore established that the university’s internationalisation and diversity strategy is broadly reflected in students’ experiences, with the possible exception of students who were recruited with insufficient English to be able to engage successfully with the material. The contrast in responses when analysed by home country or English proficiency suggest that learning, teaching and assessment (LTA) practice in this context should be clear whether and when language or culture are the main barrier to students. Pragmatic recommendations are made for improvement in examination practice, and to assessment processes generally in this context. Areas for further work are identified.
Editorial
Authors: Editors JPAAP
Published: October 2016

Editorial for JPAAP Vol 4, Issue 3.
Examining teachers’ opinions regarding the organizational forgiveness in reference to several variables
Öğretmenlerin örgütsel affediciliğe ilişkin görüşlerinin çeşitli değişkenlere göre incelenmesi
Authors: Nayır K. Funda , Karaman Kepenekçi Yasemin
Published: October 2016

The aim of this study is to reveal the teacher views on forgiveness behavior in their interpersonal relationships with other teachers at school and analyze their views in reference to several variables (gender, subject field, seniority, school type, length of service at school and number of students at school). In the study, “Convergent parallel design”, a mixed research method was used. The participants in the quantitative part of the study were comprised of 252 teachers working at public schools in Ankara central district during the 2014-2015 Academic Year. The participants in the qualitative part of the study were comprised of eight teachers that are working in different schools and volunteered to participate in the study. Arithmetic mean, standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA were used to analyze the quantitative data. Descriptive analysis method was used for the qualitative part of the study. As a conclusion, while teachers see being forgiving as a virtue and a necessary behavior to both ensure efficiency within the organization and prevent a negative school environment, they believe that forgiveness depends on some certain conditions. However, the teacher views vary based on school type and subject field only in the dimension of justification of forgiveness and do not vary significantly based on any variable in other dimensions. ÖzetBu çalışmanın amacı öğretmenlerin çalıştıkları okulda diğer öğretmenlerle (kişilerarası) ilişkilerinde affedicilik davranışına ilişkin görüşlerini ortaya koymak ve bu görüşlerini çeşitli değişkenlere (cinsiyet, branş, kıdem, okul türü, okulda çalışma süresi ve okuldaki öğrenci sayısı) göre değerlendirmektir. Araştırmada karma yöntem araştırmalarından “yakınsayan paralel desen” kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın nicel kısmının katılımcılarını 2014-2015 Eğitim-Öğretim yılında Ankara il merkezindeki kamu okullarında görevli 252 öğretmen, nitel kısmının katılımcılarını farklı okullarda görev yapan ve araştırmaya katılmaya gönüllü sekiz öğretmen oluşturmuştur. Nicel verilerin analizinde aritmetik ortalama, standart sapma ve t-testi ve ANOVA nitel verilerin analizinde betimsel analiz yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Sonuç olarak öğretmenler affedici olmayı hem bir erdem hem de örgüt içinde verimliliği sağlamak ve olumsuz okul ortamını engellemek için gerekli bir davranış olarak görürken; affetmenin bir takım şartlara bağlı olarak gerçekleşebileceğini düşünmektedirler. Bununla birlikte, öğretmenlerin görüşleri sadece affediciliği gerekçelendirme boyutunda okul türü ve öğretmenin branşına göre anlamlı farklılık göstermekte; diğer boyutlarda hiçbir değişkene göre anlamlı farklılık göstermemektedir.
Cultural and religious perspective of loss and bereavement in Anatolia
Authors: Tanhan Fuat , Kasap Süleyman , Ünsal Fırat
Published: October 2016

Coping with death is a grueling job to be done however it is not impossible. All cultures have developed ways to cope with death. Interfering with these practices may interfere with the necessary grieving processes. Understanding different cultures' and religions response to death can help counselors recognize the grieving process in patients of other cultures. It is also important to realize that, while each individual grief process is unique, there is a form of grief that is disabling, interfering with function and quality of life. A great majority of the people in Anatolia have remained under the influence of tradition as well as religion. In the foundation of main behavior models which forms our traditional life, ensuring them to possess specialty and formation however there lays numerous customs, beliefs and ethic operations. So that such kind of variations affects the death and the bereavement customs. As in the case of the three important event of the life, a great number of beliefs, customs, tradition, ceremonies, and behaviors have been also grouped around death. Such beliefs, customs, transactions, ceremonies and pattern behaviors which accumulated around the death and surrounded individuals with the death are collected under three groups. Sets of traditions formed as pre-death, during death and after death. So this study was carried out so as to determine the approach of Anatolian traditions to the death and bereavement. This qualitative research was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews in which   three questions prepared by the researchers and were asked to four volunteer male participants whose mean age was seventy-five years old. The study concludes that the traditions of Anatolia give importance to sharing and supporting the family of deceased, which overlaps the literature of bereavement process psychology.
Memento and the Embodied Fabula: Narrative Comprehension Revisited
Authors: Hven Steffen
Published: October 2016

Although Christopher Nolan’s Memento (2000) has been the subject of numerous critical examinations, the unique manner in which the film’s reverse-chronological dramaturgy interweaves the spectators’ cognitive-analytical attempts to ensure causal-linear coherency together with a corporal-affective sensation of temporal loss remains underexplored. This I believe is due to the inability of prevalent narratological terms of cutting across the current divide and uniting on the same conceptual plane the cinematic spheres of the cognitive-analytical, evaluative, and interpretative, on the one hand, with the visceral, haptic, and sensory-affective, on the other hand. As an attempt to carve out a conceptual ground where these key facets of the cinematic experience can be unified in a nonhierarchical and nonreductive manner, I propose an embodied reconceptualization of the cognitive-formalist concept of the fabula. In order to do so, however, it is necessary to dispute a series of dominant assumptions about cinematic spectatorship and narrative comprehension that automatically come with this narratological concept.
Maximal Power of the Lower Limbs of Youth Gymnasts and Biomechanical Indicators of the Forward Handspring Vault Versus the Sports Result
Authors: Kochanowicz Andrzej , Kochanowicz Kazimierz , Niespodziúski Bartłomiej , Mieszkowski Jan , Aschenbrenner Piotr , Bielec Grzegorz , Szark-Eckardt Mirosława
Published: October 2016

The aim of the study was to define the relationship between maximal power of lower limbs, the biomechanics of the forward handspring vault and the score received during a gymnastics competition. The research involved 42 gymnasts aged 9-11 years competing in the Poland’s Junior Championships. The study consisted of three stages: first -estimating the level of indicators of maximal power of lower limbs tested on a force plate during the countermovement jump; second - estimating the level of biomechanical indicators of the front handspring vault. For both mentioned groups of indicators and the score received by gymnasts during the vault, linear correlation analyses were made. The last stage consisted of conducting multiple regression analysis in order to predict the performance level of the front handspring vault. Results showed a positive correlation (0.401, p < 0.05) of lower limbs’ maximal power (1400 ± 502 W) with the judges’ score for the front handstand vault (13.38 ± 1.02 points). However, the highest significant (p < 0.001) correlation with the judges’ score was revealed in the angle of the hip joint in the second phase of the flight (196.00 ± 16.64°) and the contact time of hands with the vault surface (0.264 ± 0.118 s), where correlation coefficients were: -0.671 and -0.634, respectively. In conclusion, the angles of the hip joint in the second phase of the flight and when the hands touched the vault surface proved to be the most important indicators for the received score.
The Importance of Postural Control in Relation to Technical Abilities in Small-Sided Soccer Games
Authors: Edis Çağlar , Vural Faik , Vurgun Hikmet
Published: October 2016

Making assessments regarding postural control and balance is very important for injury prevention in soccer. However, there has been no study that has associated postural control variables with branch-specific technical properties in a game. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationships between variables designating postural control levels and technical performance variables in different (1:1, 2:2 and 3:3) small-sided games (SSGs). Sixteen trained male amateur soccer players volunteered to take part in the study (age 17.2 ± 1.02 years, body height 176.25 ± 0.07 m, body mass 67.67 ± 13.27 kg). Following familiarization sessions, postural control was evaluated using one-leg and both-leg quiet-stance positions by measuring postural sway with a Tekscan HR Mat™ in anterior–posterior and medial–lateral directions. Later, 1:1, 2:2 and 3:3 SSGs were performed at two-day intervals and the technical variables specified for each game were analyzed. A Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis demonstrated the relationship between postural control and soccer-specific technical variables in 1:1 (r-values ranging from 0.582 to 0.776), 2:2 (rvalues ranging from 0.511 to 0.740) and 3:3 (r-values ranging from 0.502 to 0.834) SSGs. In addition, a Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed differences between SSGs in terms of several variables. The results of the study showed that higher postural control levels are among the important variables that affect success in the performance of technical skills under rival pressure and suddenly changing conditions. Therefore, it is recommended that in addition to its use for injury prevention purposes, balance training should be conducted to improve branch-specific technical skills and to increase the levels of their successful performance in a game.
The Integration of Internal and External Training Load Metrics in Hurling
Authors: Malone Shane , Doran Dominic , Akubat Ibrahim , Collins Kieran
Published: October 2016

The current study aimed to assess the relationship between the hurling player’s fitness profile and integrated training load (TL) metrics. Twenty-five hurling players performed treadmill testing for VO2max, the speed at blood lactate concentrations of 2 mmol•L-1 (vLT) and 4 mmol•L-1 (vOBLA) and the heart rate-blood lactate profile for calculation of individual training impulse (iTRIMP). The total distance (TD; m), high speed distance (HSD; m) and sprint distance (SD; m) covered were measured using GPS technology (4-Hz, VX Sport, Lower Hutt, New Zealand) which allowed for the measurement of the external TL. The external TL was divided by the internal TL to form integration ratios. Pearson correlation analyses allowed for the assessment of the relationships between fitness measures and the ratios to performance during simulated match play. External measures of the TL alone showed limited correlations with fitness measures. Integrated TL ratios showed significant relationships with fitness measures in players. TD:iTRIMP was correlated with aerobic fitness measures VO2max(r = 0.524; p = 0.006; 95% CI: 0.224 to 0.754; large) and vOBLA (r = 0.559; p = 0.003; 95% CI: 0.254 to 0.854; large). HSD:iTRIMP also correlated with aerobic markers for fitness vLT (r = 0.502; p = 0.009; 95% CI: 0.204 to 0.801; large); vOBLA (r = 0.407; p = 0.039; 95% CI: 0.024 to 0.644; moderate). Interestingly SD:iTRIMP also showed significant correlations with vLT (r = 0.611; p = 0.001; 95% CI: 0.324 to 0.754; large). The current study showed that TL ratios can provide practitioners with a measure of fitness as external performance alone showed limited relationships with aerobic fitness measures.
Analysis of Tests Evaluating Sport Climbers’ Strength and Isometric Endurance
Authors: Ozimek Mariusz , Staszkiewicz Robert , Rokowski Robert , Stanula Arkadiusz
Published: October 2016

The present study was designed to determine which types of specific tests provide an effective evaluation of strength and endurance in highly trained competitive sport climbers. The research process consisted of three basic components: the measurement of selected somatic characteristics of the climbers, the assessment of their physical conditioning, and a search for correlations between the anthropometric and “conditioning” variables on the one hand, and climber’s performance on the other. The sample of subjects consisted of 14 experienced volunteer climbers capable of handling 7a- 8a+/b on-sight rock climbing grades. The strongest correlations (Spearman’s rank) were found between climber’s competence and the relative results of the finger strength test (r = 0.7); much lower, but still statistically significant coefficients were found between the level of competence and the results of the muscle endurance tests (r = 0.53 – 0.57). Climbers aspiring to attain an elite level must have strong finger and forearm muscles, but most of all, they must be capable of releasing their potential during specific motor capability tests engaging these parts of the body. The forearm muscles of elite climbers must also be very resistant to fatigue. Since highly trained athletes vary only slightly in body mass, this variable does not have a major effect on their performance during strength and endurance tests.
Factors that promote and impede other-sex friendships: a qualitative study of Iranian adolescent girls
Authors: Bahrami Nasim , Sibmar Masoumeh , Bukowski William M. , Vedadhir AbouAli , Panarello Bianca
Published: October 2016

Aim:

The aim of this study was to identify factors that promote and impede other-sex (OS) friendships in adolescent girls.

Methods:

A qualitative study conducted with 20 adolescent girls recruited in public places in Tehran, Iran. Information was collected through semi-structured interviews and coded via the conventional qualitative content analysis approach.

Results:

Four factors were identified that appeared to promote entry into OS friendships. These factors include (a) a poor understanding of perceived risks, (b) weak religious beliefs, (c) processes of identity formation, and (d) low self-esteem. In addition, six factors appeared to impede entry into these friendships: (a) self-confidence, (b) prioritizing education, (c) maintaining particular entertainment preferences, (d) awareness of prior unpleasant experiences with boys, (e) having strong religious convictions, and (f) shaming from significant others.

Conclusion:

These findings provide unique insights into the factors that stem from different levels of social complexity, which affect participation in a fundamental form of human experience.