bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Information overload and lecturer mistakes during engineering course organization
Authors: Tihomirova Kristina , Mezule Linda
Published: May 2020

It has been observed that huge amount of information received from teachers can create a feeling of overload for students. Selection of modern teaching methods do not always help to solve this issue. To identify the link between information overload at various study course organization models (regular, advanced and super-advanced), various lecturer types have been described. These include apathetic, formal, teacher-centred egoist, student-centred chaotic lecturer and activist. The results demonstrated that course organization in engineering studies is closely linked to the personality of the lecturer. Successful course organization is based on good time management, selection of appropriate amount of information. In advanced and super-advanced courses regular communication between lecturers and experts in practice is favoured. At the same time selection of adequate amount of study material based on the general knowledge level of the students is required. To achieve the goal, each lecturer should evaluate the level of information required and the overall interest level of students in the course topic on a regular basis before the beginning of the course.
Design of three-dimensional cartographical didactic materials for Physical Geography teaching
Authors: Tanarro Luis M. , Úbeda Jose , De Andrés Nuria , Fernández-Fernández José M. , De Marcos Javier , Ovaco Diana , García Jesús , Palacios David
Published: May 2020

Three-dimensional cartographic resources are an important tool in the teaching of Physical Geography and other Earth Sciences. They are also able to help the students to reach a better understanding of the natural landscape. The objective of this work is to design appropriate 3D didactic resources to facilitate the teaching of the landforms in the Higher Education context. These didactic materials have been prepared by using Geographic Information Technologies (GIT). These graphical materials have been created with specific GIT tools, but they can be used by teachers and students with standardized sotfware (Google Earth, Adobe Acrobat Reader or image viewers). Specifically, files with topographical and geological information have been prepared to work with Google Earth. The digital elevation models (DEM) can be viewed in three-dimensional files in 3D PDF format. This work also proposes the creation of photo-realistic images with thematic information draped with the DEM in isometric perspective. Finally, 3D models have been made from the application of photogrammetric techniques so that can be seen in stereoscopic mode as an alternative to the traditional techniques. In conclusion, all these 3D didactic materials proposed in this work showed a great potential as complementary resources in the teaching and learning of Physical Geography and other Earth Sciences.
On strategies to improve student engagement
Authors: García Maria Asunción , Valle Ana María
Published: May 2020

After Bologna declaration, the change of roles between student and instructor in Spanish Higher Education has meant the search of new strategies to improve student engagement. In fact, they are trying to transform the previous extremely instructor-centred model to a learner-centred model. In this line, many courses of Higher Education have used new learning methods, such as problem-based learning, project-based learning or flipped classroom, during the last decade. Faculty also is able to count on new tools, for example, virtual classrooms. In this paper, we analyse the use of  a virtual classroom in an elective course of the Degree in Mathematics at the University of the Basque Country to detect the assignments to improve student engagement and the impact on achievement of competences. We conclude that the inclusion of collaborative assignments in virtual classrooms increases their use and, hence, student engagement. Moreover, the acquisition of competences is also getting stronger, as the percentage of students that pass the course increases.
Helping tomorrow’s social professionals to learn about social robotics
Authors: Share Perry , Pender John
Published: May 2020

This paper identifies that social robotics and autonomous technologies will inevitably impact on the field of care for human beings. Those currently employed in caring roles, and those about to enter these roles, are generally ill-prepared to respond to this challenge: whether it is to develop the skills to work alongside such technologies or to critically engage with their development. The paper outlines a current Erasmus+ funded international project (PRoSPEro) that brings together social roboticists, educators, learners, practitioners and policymakers in order to develop, pilot, assess and deploy innovative pedagogical materials to address the gap in provision. It also  describes a locally-generated learning opportunity within futures studies that facilitates learners to engage directly with these new technologies. The paper provides ideas for strategies and techniques to successfully engage learners from social science and therapeutic-based fields to engage with urgent contemporary technological issues.
ICT and Accounting Education. An innovative teaching method: the Practice Enterprise
Authors: Gualdi Daniele
Published: May 2020

The training of future accountants also needs to take into account the changes which have taken place in the accounting profession following profound transformations at economic level. Most of all, however, it should promote a teaching approach which manages to go beyond traditional frontal lectures in order to facilitate active learning. For all these reasons, the various accounting education syllabuses should be integrated with the use of ICT, thus helping achieve skills which are considered fundamental for employment purposes. These include problem solving, decision making, and team working, which is what the literature about accounting education continuously suggests. This paper is dedicated to discussing how all this can become possible through what is known as the Practice Enterprise methodology. The latter allows students to get to know the company by shaping it, as well as to apply accounting disciplines in a proactive and involved manner, making use of the most advanced ICT tools. The intent of this paper is also to show, also through research outcomes, how this method can reshape the teaching of accounting and allow for students’ training in an environment where they can apply effectively their theoretical knowledge and thus develop new knowledge, skills and competences.
Future competencies for digitally aligned specialties: coping intelligently with global challenges
Authors: Libin Elena
Published: May 2020

The main goal of any education is to prepare students for future professional and life challenges. What is missing, however, from current curricula is the subject that deals with developing core competencies that are cross-cutting and focused on building the skills necessary for any specialties - technological, medical or humanities. Main results from presented joined projects - Robotic Psychology & Robotherapy Study,  and the Coping Intelligence Project - build a configuration for a shared knowledge databank on human-technology interface, as well as on how coping intelligence  impact academic achievements, professional expertise and life success. Evidence suggests that generalized efficient and inefficient problem solving in college students majoring in science, CS & IT, and mathematics is associated with various profiles that differ by learning experiences with STEM disciplines, academic locus of control, and the level of academic achievements. Furthermore, implementing a coping intelligence approach in academic curricula elucidates the transformative role of core competencies, required for the successful management of risks and challenges associated with a variety of digitally aligned professional activities.
The role of internationalisation in students’ cultural literacy and intercultural communication
Authors: Romanovska Alina , Presnakova Irina
Published: May 2020

The internationalisation of studies is one of the most current trends in higher education, aimed at improving the quality of higher education and preparing students for the global labour market. Student mobility is one of the most common forms of internationalisation. As part of the given study, an interview with the groups of exchange and local students at a regional university has been conducted in order to clarify their views on the role of internationalisation in the educational process, general cultural literacy, promoting intercultural cooperation and building a global world view. The study took place in a bachelor's degree-level programme at a regional university in Latvia, using the qualitative method. A thematic analysis of the interviews was undertaken using an iterative, inductive approach to the generation of codes and themes. Coding was established using NVivo 12. In general, the internationalisation of studies (particularly student mobility) has been evaluated very positively by both local and exchange students. The advantages of internationalisation are associated with the possibility of obtaining specific cultural expertise and learning life-friendly soft skills. In the future, the respondents see themselves employed in international teams taking as an advantage the experience gained in the internationalisation process. In addition, exchange students have pointed out that the mobility experience specified in Curricula vitae could be considered by an employer as added value thus enhancing the opportunities to get a better job.
The Challenge of Research Supervision: The Experience of Lecturers in Various Academic Disciplines
Authors: Wright Angela Siobhan
Published: May 2020

Research supervision is the highest level of teaching for academics. Yet, in many cases, academics are allocated supervision without any formal training.  For many supervisors, their supervision approach will be a mirror of what they have experienced themselves at post-graduate levels. Many supervisors consider that this form of teaching is stressful and onerous due to the responsibility placed on it by the Higher Education Institution and the student ultimately.  What can be done to support supervisors in their supervisory journey? There is a void in the academic literature on research supervision with scant aids available to the supervisor (Cullen, 2009). Brew and Boud (1995) outline the importance of instructor knowledge; however, supervisors only gain extensive supervisory experience over the years. The aim of this study is to better understand the supervisory process. Data was gathered from 12 lecturers engaged in supervision across various disciplines. Findings indicate that supervisors need to adopt and continually change to differing circumstances and different student personalities while supervising. It is essential that formal supervisory training be provided for all supervisors. The findings from this evaluation are novel and will be beneficial to research supervisors across various disciplines. Keywords: Research Supervision, Multi-Disciplinary, Reflection.
Reforming Higher Education in India: In Pursuit of Excellence
Authors: Singai Chetan , Kumaraswamy T R , Chandra Ajay
Published: May 2020

Higher education has emerged as one of the most critical factors for the Nation’s economic, political, social and cultural growth and development. Reforming the higher education sector has become an emergent norm across the globe, especially in the developing world. India is one such emerging nation, witnessing a major shift in its ideological, pragmatic and policy directions in the last few years. The higher education sector in India has witnessed unprecedented expansion. However, given the distinctive social-political-economic context and its complexity in India, expansion in higher education is often linked with ensuring equity and access. Whereas in the developed world, expansion is often associated with quality or excellence in higher education i.e. creating world-class universities. Further, excellence in higher education is arguably the most critical component for the survival, sustenance and growth of the sector. To this end, the paper examines the convergence and divergence in policies and practices related to the pursuit of excellence in higher education and its institutions in India vis-à-vis the dominant global reforms in higher education. Erstwhile policies related to quality in higher education and the current draft National Education Policy-2019, provide a reference to the local-distinctive strategies for seeking excellence at the systemic and the institutional level, with an aspiration for global reputation. For instance, National Institutional Ranking Framework, University Grants Commission’s graded autonomy, Institutional restructuring, National Accreditation and Assessment Council and Quacquarelli Symonds- India rating and so on. The paper also sets direction on how Local strategies for global aspirations could unpack a series of issues regarding the reforms in education and delineate in what ways that these emerging global reforms, strategies are effective and appropriate to the local higher education system and its institutions.
How to support mobility students to gain soft-competences: Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes
Authors: De la Torre Eva M. , Casani Fernando , Pérez Encinas Adriana , Rodríguez Pomeda Jesús
Published: May 2020

Students participating in mobility experiences have a great learning opportunity, but in many cases they hardly realise about the soft-competences they developed during mobility. In this context, the supporting role of universities is key for students to make the most of their mobility and be able to communicate their learning outcomes. This study analyses the support services that students receive for the development and acknolwledgement of mobility soft comptencies (related with the three dimensiones: knowledge, skills and attitudes or KSAs) in order to define the university strategy in this field. Results show two types of support for outgoing and incoming students: (i) passive initiatives based on delivering relevant information for the mobility period to students; and (ii) active initiatives based on training activities and activities for student integration in the host university/city/culture. No support initiatives on mobility related KSAs for returned students or academic staff have been identified.
“I really don’t know what you mean by critical pedagogy.” Reflections made by in-service teachers in the USA
Authors: Lee-Johnson Yin Lam
Published: May 2020

This is a study of the responses given by in-service teachers in an exit interview upon completing a grant program that prepared them to be ESL teachers in the USA. There were 28 participants in this study and they were in-service K-12 teachers who would become ESL certified. Based on Gee’s (2015) discourse analysis, the researcher analyzed their responses and found that the majority (96%) did not know about critical pedagogy or took the literal meaning and thought that the term meant critical thinking or evaluation of teaching. The researcher advocates for academic programs to include critical pedagogy for strengthening the knowledge base of MA TESOL programs.
(Natural) Science and Technique in Medicine: Teaching Competences along with Research Activities
Authors: Lang Johannes , Repp Holger
Published: May 2020

While factual knowledge is more and more present in digital format anywhereand anytime, (higher) education needs to extend its scope to supporting thedevelopment of personal skills and competences.The teaching and learning project “(Natural) Science and Technique inMedicine – SciTecMed” is closely related to recent research in theintersectional field of natural science, technique and medicine. Local expertsfrom the natural science and medical faculties engage in various teachingformats that are open for students of various majors. Together, studentsexperience the idea of interdisciplinary collaboration, discuss from theirindividual perspectives and learn to learn from each other and to instruct eachother. By the given context of the research activities, students earn insightsinto the scientific process and the usage of appropriate (digital) tools, enhancetheir corresponding skills and have the chance to take part into the scientificactivities. We describe the concept of the project, potential obstacles, student’sinterests as well as the syndetic benefits for both sides – education ANDresearch.
Using Real Data in a quantitative methods course to enhance teachers’ and school leaders’ statistical literacy
Authors: Heinz Manuela
Published: May 2020

Engaging part-time Master of Education students in the study of quantitative research methods is challenging. The majority of them lead busy lives as teachers and/or education leaders, attend their MEd classes in the evenings and plan to engage in small-scale qualitative research for their theses. In this context, it has been hard to motivate students to engage critically and deeply with quantitative research methods. A widespread deficit view of their own competency in mathematics and computing, which are often considered essential, further compounds the problem. This paper describes the redesign of a quantitative methods module and the resulting changed experiences of students. Findings from this practitioner research study point to the positive impact of using a real national data set – the Growing Up in Ireland Dataset – on students’ engagement and appreciation of the value of quantitative research in education.
Chart for Flexible Curriculum in terms of Time and Similarity
Authors: Neira Embus Manuel Fernando , Camacho Tamayo Jesus Hernán , Guzmán Pardo María Alejandra
Published: May 2020

Within the framework of the evaluation of curricular reforms made in the programs of the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, this proposal is designed as an evaluation tool for a flexible curriculum, to characterize the enrollment behavior of students and their possible relationships with demographics and academic success. The principle consists of plotting the median time and similarity coefficients of each student in the program on the axes of a two-dimensional Cartesian plane.  On the X-axis, the time coefficient was plotted, consisting in the relationship between the time proposed by the program curriculum for each course, and the time when the student takes it. On the Y-axis, the similarity coefficient was plotted, consisting in the number of courses that were taken at the time indicated in the curriculum grid. The conclusions suggest that, for the program analyzed, there are no demographic biases. However, the findings of this study suggest that even though students seek to take the proposed curriculum with the highest possible similarity, they spend more time than the estimated to achieve academic success
Travel as pedagogy: embodied learning in short-term study abroad
Authors: Costello Bridget McKenney
Published: May 2020

In this paper I discuss a model for creating embodied learning opportunities in study abroad curricula, which purposefully uses students’ physical movement through foreign landscapes to inform and enhance their understanding of local social, political, economic, cultural, and historical phenomena. Pedagogical tactics include: challenging and reframing the common distinction between “important” and “unimportant” instructional times and places; loosely structured itineraries that allow for greater student autonomy and collaboration; seeking multiple vantage points (both geographic and textual) from which to observe and analyze locations; purposeful and attentive travel between study locations that helps connect cognitive to visceral experience. These tactics help students cultivate the ability to read landscapes, a skill that them to understand a landscape not only as historical narrative but also as a social actor that influences and is influenced by the everyday practices of people who inhabit it. To demonstrate these strategies, I discuss how they were implemented in a recent short-term study abroad program to various sites within the former Yugoslavia.
Peer actions for a service learning project to prevent drug-facilitated sexual assaults
Authors: Montalvo Gemma , Quintanilla Gloria , Ortega-Ojeda Fernando E. , García-Ruiz Carmen , Prego-Meleiro Pablo , Figueroa Navarro Carmen , Bravo-Serrano Begoña , García-Pernía María Ruth , Zapata Felix , González-Muñoz María José , Mateos-Vega Carmen J.
Published: May 2020

The service-learning methodology combines active learning processes and community service. This service-learning experience was performed using an interdisciplinary and cross plan. The teachers made a horizontal coordination in the courses, and a vertical coordination in subjects of the Degrees involved. This allowed working together in the students’ curricular training process. It also permitted covering various specific skills, as corresponds to the different subjects, whilst optimizing the students’ workload. The service addressed the problem of drug-facilitated sexual assaults (DFSA) in the youth leisure nightlife. DFSA is the temporary disability of a person caused by a decrease in her/his volitional and cognitive abilities due to the voluntary or involuntary consumption of a psychoactive substance. An active learning about the problem was encouraged in the classroom, focused on recognizing myths, attitudes, and risk situations. The service-learning actions to the community was based on an anonymous survey conducted among the students, which dealt with the problem. The Service Learning was stimulated through the design, planning and development of activities aimed at gaining social awareness of the existing problem while favouring peer learning processes. The students undertook awareness actions at different levels, spreading their message by means of social networks, high school workshops, and information stands on the street.
Innovation2: Innovative Course on Innovation Takes On the Lebanese Revolution
Authors: Apaydin Marina , Bouri Christopher
Published: May 2020

The purpose of this paper is to showcase the unique learning outcomes derived from an innovative course facing disruption from unforeseen political events. In spite of the tense events on the streets surrounding the university during the Lebanese revolution, which erupted in the middle of the semester, we were able not only to implement pre-planned innovative teaching methods to challenge student thinking and traditional higher education practices, but also leveraged the revolution context to introduce new topics and approaches to course delivery in the face of road closures and risks to students’ wellbeing. Strategic innovation management topics were complemented by the real time innovative strategies to continue education developed jointly by the course instructor and the students, resulting in an Innovation2 effect. Ultimately, the course learning outcomes were reinforced and broadened by embracing the continued uncertainty and relating to the ongoing situation day by day. As Lebanon and AUB enter its second semester of the political revolution, this paper aims to share lessons learned from both, the initial course innovative design, and its delivery in the crisis circumstances of the revolution in order to help faculty dealing with unstable educational context in Lebanon, Middle East and other challenging regions.
Economic viability of pitaya (Hylocereus sp.) Cultivation in Tomé-Açú Municipality, Pará State, Brazil
Authors: Loureiro João Paulo Borges de , Lima Olivia Masako Hanawa , Farias Juliana De Sousa , Pires Adriana Paiva Dos Praseres , Santos Marcos Antônio Souza dos , Rebello Fabrício Khoury , Bezerra Andréia Santana
Published: May 2020

Pitaya (Hylorereus sp.) is a fruit from the botanical family Cactaceae, originally from Latin America. In Brazil, pitaya cultivation is promising due to the fruit’s reputation of being nutritious and having many uses. This study’s objective was to analyze the economic viability of two pitaya production systems in Tomé-Açu municipality, the largest producer of pitaya in the Pará state, Brazilian Amazon. The data were obtained through interviews with two producers, along with field observations of their production systems, which are representative of the cultivation norms in Tomé-Açu. The data were used to estimate the planting and maintenance costs for 1 ha of land using different cultivation methods, identified as: 1) extensive production system and 2) intensive production system. The two systems’ cash flows were estimated over a 20-year period, then analyzed to estimate the net present value, internal rate of return, benefit-cost index, payback period, and break-even point. The intensive production system was found to have a higher implementation cost, due to its irrigation system, while the extensive production system was found to have lower investment and maintenance costs. The economic viability indicators show that both production systems are economically viable, with the extensive production system being more attractive, especially for family farmers who cannot invest in expensive irrigation infrastructure and chemical inputs. In conclusion, the investment in pitaya cultivation is economically viable and constitutes an alternative to agricultural cultivation in Pará state, which can contribute to fruit diversification.
Assessment of Health Risks Related to the Consumption of Minced Meat Sandwich
Authors: Vouidibio Mbozo Alain B. , Kayath Christian A. , Mokémiabéka Saturnin N. , Nguimbi Etienne
Published: May 2020

The objective of this work was to assess the health risks associated with the consumption of minced meat sandwiches, sold in the informal sector in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo. A survey on the application of hygiene rules was conducted in parallel with a bacteriological analysis of cooked minced meat. The enterobacteria isolated from this food were identified and antibiotic resistance testing was performed. The investigation revealed shortcomings in respect of basic hygiene rules, and 56% of the sandwiches analyzed were of bacteriological quality unsatisfactory. The non-compliance of the sandwiches was caused mainly by the presence total aerobic mesophilic flora (71.43%) and total coliforms (57.14%). In contrast, not all samples were contaminated with anaerobes sulfito-reducting bacteria and Salmonella. Five species of Enterobacteriaceae were identified: Escherichia coli (35.30%), Proteus vulgaris (11.76%), Klebsiella oxytoca (11.76%), Citrobacter spp. (23.53%) and Enterobacter cloacae (17.65%). Of these, 42.65% were resistant to 75% of antibiotics tested: Cefalexin (17.24%), Ceftriaxone (48.28%) and Norfloxacin (34.48%). In contrast, all strains were sensitive to Nitrofurantoin. Minced meat sandwiches sold in informal sector in Brazzaville can be source of enteropathogens, susceptible to expose consumers to foods poisonings.
Systematization and the Model of Political Management in Contemporary Iranian Thinker’s Idea
Authors: Barkhordari Aref
Published: May 2020

The present article, with its analytical-descriptive method, will consideration the thought of the most prominent systematization thinkers of Iran in the contemporary era. Examining the opinions of some thinkers throughout history, it will be shown that some of them have always sought political systematization and a model of political management for the societies. Their goal and aspiration from the past to the present was achieve the societies and human beings to the happiness. The efforts of thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Farabi, Khajeh Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Moore, Will Durant, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Popper, Russell, etc., indicate this situation. Among Iranian thinkers of the contemporary era also many efforts were made to achive the political systematization and the model of political management. Akhundzadeh, Malek Khan, Talibuv Tabrizi, Ayatollah Mirza Naeini, Ahmad Kasravi, Mohammad Ali Foroughi and Ayatollah Khomeini are among the thinkers who have theorized in this field and each of them has provided a model of political management for Iranian society. In the following, their thoughts will be investigated.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Psychological Studies, Vol. 12, No. 2
Authors: Sun Barbara
Published: May 2020

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Psychological Studies, Vol. 12, No. 2
Ecotourism’s Impact on Ethnic Groups and Households near Chitwan National Park, Nepal
Authors: Kandel Saroj , Harada Kazuhiro , Adhikari Sudha , Dahal Nabin Kumar
Published: May 2020

The Chitwan National Park (CNP) is renowned as a premier attraction in Nepal. This study surveyed the ethnic communities and households living in the buffer zone (BZ) proximate to the CNP, where ecotourism has been strategically introduced to provide an alternative means of livelihood to the locals and to enhance biodiversity conservation. This study examined to what extent these households have economically benefited from local ecotourism activities as well as their perceptions of ecotourism. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, surveying 145 Kumroj and Amaltari village households using a stratified random sampling technique. The findings indicated that similar ecotourism activities were taking place in both sites. We found that only certain households benefited directly, and that it was mostly the socioeconomically disadvantaged households that missed out on the livelihood opportunities provided by ecotourism. Further, it was revealed that the socio-economically disadvantaged locals still illegally extracted/sold forest products. However, such individuals also acknowledged that ecotourism has increased employment, social development, and forest conservation, and they desired to participate in ecotourism activities. This research can help policymakers better understand the gaps in their policies and restructure them to level the ecotourism playing field for all ethnic groups and economic levels (e.g., landowners versus non-landowners). This study recommends that policymakers rethink and reframe policies to protect the interests of communities living in the BZs of national parks, especially low-income households and/or locals who are disadvantaged because they do not have land or facilities to conduct ecotourism activities.
Validation of a Mathematical Model Applied to Four Autonomous Communities in Spain to Determine the Number of People Infected by Covid-19
Authors: Sanglier Gastón , Gónzález Roberto A. , Cesteros Sonia , López Eduardo J.
Published: May 2020

In this study, the application of a mathematical method already developed in other articles for the study of the speed of propagation of the number of people infected by Covid-19 has been validated. The proposed mathematical model has been contrasted with models based on quantitative prognostic methods in order to seek its validation. At the same time, the forecast errors of the proposed methods and the mathematical model have been calculated and compared. The results obtained have been applied to the four autonomous communities in Spain with the highest number of coronavirus infections during the study period, obtaining very satisfactory results and achieving very good approximations to the real data on the number of infected people in all the autonomous communities studied. 
Comparing the Effect of Walking and Yoga on Clinical and Laboratory Parameters in Men with Type II Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Saberipour Bayan , Gheibizadeh Mahin , Maraghi Elham , Moradi Leila
Published: May 2020

Background: Identifying safe strategies to regulate the laboratory and clinical parameters of patients with diabetes is critical. Objectives: The study aimed to compare the effect of walking and yoga on clinical and laboratory indicators in men with type II diabetes. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 108 patients with diabetes who were randomly assigned to walking, yoga, and control groups. Data were collected using a demographic information questionnaire, mercury sphygmomanometer, height, and weight scale, and blood serum biochemical tests before the intervention and after the end of the eighth week of the intervention. Interventions were performed in both yoga and walking groups for 8 weeks, three times a week for 60 minutes each time, and the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS V. 20 software. The significance level was less than 0.05. Results: The results showed after the intervention the mean of FBS (P = 0.045), LDL (P = 0.005), HDL (P = 0.001), systolic blood pressure (P = 0.002), and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.003) were significantly different between the three groups. Changes in the mean of fasting blood sugar (FBS), cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI) were significant only in the yoga group, and changes in the mean of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were significant solely in the walking group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Yoga and walking had a desirable effect on improving the clinical and laboratory indicators in men with type II diabetes. However, yoga regulated more indicators in the studied patients in comparison to walking.
Teacher compassionate touch in a Japanese preschool
Authors: Burdelski Matthew
Published: May 2020

This paper examines the discursive, embodied, and sequential organization of preschool teachers’ compassionate touch in interaction: physically touching a child so as to soothe and relieve the child’s distress. Utilizing multimodal conversation analysis, episodes of compassionate touch were identified and transcribed from a corpus of 48 hours of audio-visual recordings in a Japanese preschool. The analysis focuses on such touch within situations of peer conflict and accidents during play. It shows how compassionate touch was used with verbal resources and communicative practices, examines their positioning within sequences of interaction, and discusses children’s responses. The findings attempt to further our understanding of affective touch in children’s sociality and preschool childcare.
Therapist and patient accountability through tactility and sensation in medical massage sessions
Authors: Kuroshima Satomi
Published: May 2020

This paper looks at the issue of therapists’ and participants’ accountability regarding a perceived problem in routine medical massage sessions. Specifically, it shows how therapists and patients communicate their tactile perception and sensation of the problem by negotiating their accountability for the current state of the treated body part. Drawing on video-recorded data of 12 routine medical massage sessions at home and five sessions at a clinic, this paper demonstrates that there is a normative order with regard to the participants’ accountability for the patients’ problems. In routine sessions, patients presumably have a problem (e.g., body stiffness or tension) that needs to be treated. The physical therapists’ accountability for the problem is usually displayed via direct access to the treated body part for their attentiveness to as well as validation of the patient’s claimed problem, making the medical treatment relevant. The patients are also accountable for their own problems as they are expected to have the primary right and obligation to look after their own health. Through multimodal and sensorial practices, therapists balance their medical and professional authority with their patients’ concerns, for which the patients claimed to have first-hand experience and independent access to the problem. The data is in Japanese.
Arranging bodies for photographs: Professional touch in the photography studio
Authors: Mondada Lorenza , Tekin Burak S.
Published: May 2020

This paper describes a particular form of professional touch, through which photographers taking photographs of their clients/models arrange their bodies and orchestrate their poses. Our analysis demonstrates that photographers adopt a professional touch-cum-vision, which combines professional vision and professional touch. The former is achieved by the photographers adopting a specific perspectival posture, allowing them to see the photographed persons from a distance, in a way that is analogous to the perspective of the photographic eye, that is, to the perspective of seeing through a camera. The latter involves a specific form and trajectory of arms and hands, accountably shaped in a way that enables a touch that is both precise, targeting specific details of the body, and delicate, orienting to the normativity of touching the other’s body. The clients/models can docilely align with the photographers’ touch but can also display more agency, initiating and preempting the arrangement of details of the pose, as well as some resistance, prompting the photographers to minimize their touching interventions and to ask for permission, apologize, and thank.

Data are video recordings of photography sessions in professional studios, in which participants speak (Swiss) German and Turkish.
Multi-Sensory Perception during Palpation in Japanese Midwifery Practice
Authors: Nishizaka Aug
Published: May 2020

This paper demonstrates ways in which vision is integrated with other modalities of perception in a manner relevant to a temporally unfolding activity. It will do so by analyzing a single episode extracted from an abdominal palpation conducted on a pregnant woman by a midwife in Japan. The episode forms a “natural experiment” through which one can demonstrate that the integrated visual and tactile perception of an object is organized differently according to the status of the ongoing activity in which it is embedded. Data are in Japanese with English translations.
Touch in achieving a pedagogically relevant focus in classrooms
Authors: Routarinne Sara , Heinonen Pilvi , Karvonen Ulla , Tainio Liisa , Ahlholm Maria
Published: May 2020

This article focuses on touch, talk and embodied resources as a means of directing participants’ attention to a focal point in a pedagogical task. The data are drawn from a corpus of approximately 150 hours of video-recorded lessons from primary and lower secondary classrooms in monolingual and multilingual settings in Finland. The data were scanned for episodes of touch that occurred between teachers and students in relation to an ongoing pedagogical agenda. Using multimodal conversation analysis, we identified a complex multimodal gestalt (CMG; Mondada 2014a) consisting of touch followed by a deictic pointing gesture that occurred within an ongoing pedagogical activity. We present three excerpts from different pedagogical contexts that involve such a CMG as a means of directing a recipient’s attention to a pedagogical task. The CMG is relevant for managing attention within an ongoing learning task. We show how this CMG provides parallel participation frameworks without competition for the speaker, and argue that it is a technique for bringing together the teacher, student and content in ways that encourage the recipient’s attention to the pedagogical content. This analysis contributes to the growing body of studies on haptic sociality, especially in the institutional context of education.
Creativity in Relation to Academic and Clinical Performance of Dentistry Students
Authors: Chifamba Timothy , Wijaya Christian
Published: May 2020

Aims: This study sought to identify the level of creativity of dentistry students, to determine if there is a relationship between creativity and academic performance of dentistry students, and to determine if there is a relationship between creativity and clinical performance of dentistry students.

Study Design:  Descriptive-Correlation Cross-sectional Study.

Place and Duration of Study: Adventist University of the Philippines College of Dentistry, between May 2015 and April 2016.

Methodology: Questionnaires were used to measure the level of creativity of Dentistry students from the Adventist University of the Philippines then correlations were done with academic and clinical performance. Participation was voluntary and we included 50 of the 63 students enrolled int the clinical phase of the dentistry program.

Results: There was no significant relationship found at the 0.05 level (2-tailed) between both Big C and small C creativity and academic performance of all clinicians with pearson correlation coefficients of -0.053 and -0.003 respectively. There was no significant relationship found at the 0.05 level (2-tailed) between the Big C and the small C creativity and clinical performance of all clinicians, with Pearson correlation coefficients of -0.192 and -0.042 respectively.

Conclusion: The findings reveal that the creativity of dentistry students is below average. They also suggest that both Big C and small C creativity are not significantly relatedto academic or clinical success in dental school. The researchers recommend further study with modified methodology.
Pharmacological Activities of Martynia (Martynia annua Lin.): A Brief Review
Authors: Malik Jitender K. , Katare Vivekanand
Published: May 2020

The plant selected for present study is based on that there is no written and systematic study has been done. At present only few (not specific) phytochemical studies have been done on this plant. Therefore, this plant is having wide scope for detail pharma-cognostical and phytochemical investigations. The revival of interest in herbal therapy recently has been witnessed in many countries and use of herbal drugs is increased because of its potency and low toxicity. Now a days in the modern advance stage scientific method of evaluation using Phytochemical investigation to isolate the components present and pharmacological screening for their therapeutic efficacy have tend to rational usage of the medicinal plants.
Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Cough in Akinyele Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria
Authors: Ariyo O. C. , Usman M. B. , Olorukooba M. M. , Ariyo M. O. , Suleiman R. , Aasa O. S. , Adetunji A. J. , Oni O. B.
Published: May 2020

Majority of people in developing countries rely on Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) or herbalist, hunters and community elders for the treatments of various diseases and illness due to their vast knowledge of medicinal plant usage. There is need to protect the flora and fauna and also the knowledge database often stored in the memories of elders, ancestral and traditional healers. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in the treatment of cough was carried out in Akinyele Local Government with the aim to document plants and indigenous knowledge of local people in the treatment of cough. Eight villages were selected purposively due to the relics of forest in those villages. The villages are Ijaye, Onidundu, Otunagbakin, Moniya, Idi- ose, Apapa, Aroro and Olanla. Respondents were stratified into 2 strata in each of the villages, namely Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) or herbalist and hunters. Within each stratum, a random selection of 10 respondents were carried out thereby making 20 respondents in each village and total number of  160 respondents as sample size. Semi structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the respondents. The interview was conducted one-on-one using the local language (Yoruba). The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The result showed that a total number of 16 plants belonging to 13 families were recorded and enumerated along with their botanical name, family and local name. Information on methods of preparation of the recipes, plant part used, form in which plant part is used, mode of administration, dosage and shelf life were also documented. There is need for domestication and conservation of these plants to prevent their extinction. The bioactive compound in some of these plants can be synthesized together to produce conventional drugs for cough. Further studies should also be carried out on these plant species to obtain more information on their bioactive properties.
Comparison of Pomological and Chemical Properties of Autochthonous Pear Varieties with Standard Pear Varieties
Authors: Salkić Besim , Cvrk Ramzija , Imširović Emir , Salkić Ahmed , Salkić Ensar
Published: May 2020

Indigenous fruit varieties are the wealth and natural resource of every country. Their importance is reflected, in addition to economic and biological, through the growing consumer interest in consuming fruits produced without the use of chemicals. Proper and accurate identification and preservation of valuable assortment has resulted in studies of the physicochemical and pomological properties of the fruits of ten pear varieties and their comparison with standard varieties. The usable value of pear fruits is multiple. It is used for liqueurs, vinegar, fruit salads, jams, jam, as dried fruit. The aim of the study is to determine the pomological and chemical properties of indigenous pear varieties and their comparison with standard pear varieties grown in northern Bosnia. The size of the fruit was quite different in the tested varieties and ranged from very small to extremely large fruits with the content of total acids slightly lower than the standard varieties. The research was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Science as part of a scientific research project entitled "Investigation of phenological and pomological characteristics of indigenous pear varieties in north-eastern Bosnia".
Stand Structure, Regeneration Status and Distribution Patterns of Six Important Tree Species along Altitudinal Gradients at the Kilum-Ijim Forest Reserve, Cameroon
Authors: Nworo Franklin Bantar , Ndah Njoh Roland , Andrew Egbe Enow
Published: May 2020

Tropical montane forests are considered to be one of the most species diverse ecosystems. These areas pose specific edaphic and environmental characteristics which enable these areas to harbour wide varieties of organisms. Some of these organisms are threatened and others are endemic to the area. The quest for food and other resources has resulted to indiscriminate exploitation of these montane forest. This study aimed to investigate the stand structure, distribution patterns and regeneration status of six tree species (Nuxia congesta, Pittosporum mannii, Podocarpu slatifolius, Prunus africana, Schefflera abyssinica and Syzygium guineense) along altitudinal gradients in the Kilum-Ijim Forest Reserve, Cameroon. A total of six study plots of one hectare (100 x100 m) each were laid across a 120 m elevation gradient. Two plots were established at each altitudinal gradient with elevations 2377 m, 2437 m and 2497 m. Measurements were taken for tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH 1.3 m) for the tree and poles. The digital Vernier callipers were used to measure collar diameters of seedlings and saplings. The highest tree density of 385 stems/ha was recorded for N. congesta at altitude 2497 m while the least was 20 stems/ha for S. abyssinica at altitude 2377m. The highest seedling density was 1563 stems/ha recorded for P. mannii at altitude 2377m and the least was noted for S. abyssinica at all the three altitudinal gradients.  Nuxia congesta had the highest basal area of 8809.23m2/ha at altitude 2437 m and the least of 74.82m2/ha for P. latifolius at altitude 2437 m.  The highest IVI occurred in N. congesta (131.91) was recorded at altitude 2377 m and the least (24.91) occurred in P. latifolius at altitude 2437 m. The spatial distributions of studied tree species were generally clumped and irregular. The regenerations of species were generally poor, though fair regenerations were noticed for N. congesta and P. mannii. The results showed that the six tree species were highly disturbed by anthropogenic activities. It is therefore imperative to develop and implement effective conservation measures to sustain the biodiversity of this reserve.