bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Freshwater pearl mussels from northern Sweden serve as long-term,
high-resolution stream water isotope recorders
Authors: Schöne Bernd R. , Meret Aliona E. , Baier Sven M. , Fiebig Jens , Esper Jan , McDonnell Jeffrey , Pfister Laurent
Published: July 2019

Abstract. The stable isotope composition of lacustrine sediments is routinely used to infer Late Holocene changes in precipitation over Scandinavia and ultimately, atmospheric circulation dynamics in the North Atlantic realm. However, such archives provide only low temporal resolution (ca. 15 years) precluding the ability to identify changes on inter-annual and quasi-decadal time-scales. Here we present a new, high-resolution reconstruction using shells of freshwater pearl mussels, Margaritifera margaritifera, from three rivers in north Sweden. We present seasonally to annually resolved, calendar-aligned stable oxygen and carbon isotope data from ten specimens covering the time interval of 1819 to 1998. The studied bivalves formed their shells near equilibrium with the oxygen isotope signature of ambient water and thus reflected hydrological processes in the catchment as well as changes, albeit damped, of the isotope value of local atmospheric precipitation. Shell oxygen isotopes were correlated significantly with the North Atlantic Oscillation index (up to 56 % explained variability) suggesting that moisture from which winter precipitation formed originated predominantly in the North Atlantic during NAO+ years, but in the Arctic during NAO– years. The specific isotope signature of winter precipitation was damped in stream water and this effect was recorded by the shells. Shell stable carbon isotope values did not show consistent ontogenetic trends, but rather oscillated around an average that differed slightly among the studied rivers (ca. −12.00 to −13.00 ‰). Results of this study contribute to an improved understanding of climate dynamics in Scandinavia and the North Atlantic sector and can help to constrain ecological changes in riverine ecosystems. Moreover, long isotope records of precipitation and streamflow are pivotal for improving our understanding and modeling of hydrological, ecological, biogeochemical and atmospheric processes. Our new approach offers a much higher temporal resolution and superior dating control than existing archives.
MULTI-TEMPORAL FEATURE EXTRACTION FOR PRECISE MAIZE AREA MAPPING USING TIME-SERIES SENTINEL 1A SAR DATA
Authors: Venkatesan M. , Pazhanivelan S. , Sudarmanian N. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. A research study was conducted to map maize area in Ariyalur and Perambalur districts of Tamil Nadu, India using multi-temporal features extracted from time-series Sentinel 1A SAR data. Multi-temporal Sentinel 1A GRD data at VV and VH polarizations and SLC products were acquired for the study area at 12 days interval and processed using MAPscape-RICE software. Multi-temporal Sentinel 1A data was used to identify the backscattering dB curve of maize crop. Analysis of temporal signatures of the crop showed minimum values at sowing period and maximum during the tasseling stage, which decreased during maturity stage of the crop. The maximum increase in the signature was observed during seedling to vegetative growth period. The signature derived from dB values for maize crop expressed a significant temporal behavior with the range of −21.26 to −13.18 in VH polarization and −14.05 to −6.54 in VV polarization. Considering the accuracy of SAR data to phenological variations of maize growing period, Multi-Temporal Features were extracted from multi-temporal dB images of VV and VH polarization and coherence images. Multi-Temporal Features viz., max, min, mean, max date, min date and span ratio were extracted from VV and VH polarizations of Sentinel 1A GRD and SLC data to classify maize pixels in the study area using parameterized classification approach. The overall classification accuracy was 91 percent with the kappa score of 0.82.
ANALYSIS OF WHEAT CROP FORECASTS, IN INDIA, GENERATED USING REMOTE SENSING DATA, UNDER FASAL PROJECT
Authors: Kumar S. , Saxena S. , Dubey S. K. , Chaudhary K. , Sehgal S. ,   Neetu, Ray S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major cereal crop of the world, which plays an important role in global food and nutritional security. In India, wheat grown areas are more as compared to other food crops, except for rice. The total area under wheat cultivation is 30.60 million hectares with production of 98.38 million tonnes and the productivity is 3.22 tonnes /hectare (DES, 2017). The main objective of this paper is to highlight the development of satellite-based methodology, compare the relative deviations (%) at national level, RMSE (%) and correlation coefficient at state level and correlation coefficient at district level between DES and FASAL estimates from 2013 to 2017. It was observed that the area and production estimates improved with improvement in the satellite resolution and ground truth data. During the last 10 years of estimation the spatial resolution of the satellite data has gradually improved from 23.5 meter of (Reourcesat-2, LISS-III) and finally 10 m of Sentinel-2, MSI, which is being currently used for acreage estimation purpose. Hooda R.S et al (2006) studied that the improvement in the spatial resolution, spectral and temporal resolution of the satellite data has also improved the crop discrimination. Both accuracy as well as precision of the estimates has improved over the years from 2013 to 2017, as reflected by relative deviation, RMSE (%) and Coefficient of correlation values at national, state and district level respectively.
ANALYSIS OF REMOTE SENSING-BASED ASSESSMENT OF POTATO STATISTICS AND ITS COMPARISON WITH GOVERNMENT ESTIMATES
Authors: Kumar P. , Dubey S. , Kimothi M. M. ,   Neetu, Mamatha S. , Ray S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major horticultural crop of India. In the present study an effort has been made to evaluate the forecast (area, production and productivity) of potato being carried out under FASAL/CHAMAN project of DAC&FW. For this purpose, remote sensing-based forecasts were analysed for the period of 6 years (2012–13 to 2017–18). The district level area and production estimates were carried out in 5 major potato growing states of India i.e. Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The area estimation has been carried out using multi-spectral satellite data through supervised/ unsupervised image classification techniques. IRS P6-LISS III (, Sentinel- 2A, and LANDSAT-8 OLI data were used for acreage estimation during October to March every year. District level potato crop yield has been estimated using two different procedures - i) Agro-meteorological stepwise regression models, and ii) Remote sensing index (VCI) based empirical models. The estimates of area, production and productivity were compared with the Government (DES) estimates. Good correlation (r) between the forecasted and DES estimates was observed in case of area (0.37, 0.81, 0.93, 0.68 and 0.73) and production (0.59, 0.72, 0.94, 0.30 and 0.09) for Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal states, respectively. Similarly, low RMSE (%) between the forecasted and DES estimates was observed in case of area (6.90, 14.6, 16.8, 5.4 and 3.8) and but higher RMSE (%), in case of production (18.6, 21.3, 21.8, 9.8 and 20.9) for Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal states, respectively. Year wise correlation and RMSE% reveals that the accuracy of remote sensing-based area and production has increased significantly over the last few years may be due to improvement in methodology and availability of higher resolution data along with experience gained over the crop.
HYPERSPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING FOR TEMPERATE HORTICULTURE FRUIT CROPS IN NORTHERN-WESTERN HIMALAYAN REGION: A REVIEW
Authors: Upadhyay P. , Uniyal D. , Bisht M. P. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. The North-Western Indian States and the North-Eastern Indian States of Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) are rich of various temperate horticulture fruits such as the Apple, Pear, Peach, Plum, Apricot, Sweet Cherry and Sour Cherry. These horticulture fruits are majorly grown in North-western region comprising of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh (H.P.) and Uttarakhand (U.K.). These states of IHR share the same type of geographical and climatic condition and having nearly common flora and fauna. Out of the various horticulture temperate fruit crops apple and apricot have the potential to make a positive impact on economy of these states. Hyper-spectral remote sensing due to its capability of identifying the small variations within a particular feature (or land cover) is an important tool for discriminating or mapping the specific land cover among the various existing classes. Contrary to multispectral remote sensing, it is not only capable of mapping the vegetation class among the various classes in the land but also has the potential to discriminate within the different classes of vegetation as well as diseases identification within a class. This specific class level discrimination of vegetation is an important tool for mapping. In hyper-spectral remote sensing this variation is observed through the possible discrimination of spectral signatures of various vegetation classes. Thus, due to its fine spectral bands this type of remote sensing data has the potential to map the horticulture crops. However, the processing of hyper-spectral data always require the in-situ measurements or existing spectral library. Such a type of spectral library is never generated for the horticulture crops of IHR. This can be further useful for identifying the disease affected crops and input for developing model for estimation of biophysical and biochemical parameters. Therefore, in this study, a need for the development of spectral library for temperate horticulture crop has been highlighted. Further, a methodology for the processing of hyperspectral data has also be proposed.
SPATIO-TEMPORAL CHANGES IN WHEAT CROP CULTIVATION IN INDIA
Authors: Krishnan P. , Aggarwal P. , Mridha N. , Bajpai V.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. This study was conducted to understand the changes in spatiotemporal characteristics of wheat crop production including the changes in area and yield. We employed the emerging hot and cold spot analysis along with space time cube and space-time cluster density analysis to study the spatial changes in wheat crop production, area and yield, and understand the changes in spatiotemporal features. We made a comprehensive analysis of the changes in wheat crop production, area and yield on pan India basis for the period from 1999 to 2015. The major findings were: (a) During the study period significant increase in wheat yield occurred within the North Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and intensifying hot spots appeared within the Indo-Gangetic plains. (b) The Analysis of the area under wheat cultivation showed a persistent hot spot in the Northern states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, with new hot spots observed in the regions of Central India during the years 2014 and 2015. (d) The analysis of the wheat crop production showed significant new cold spots in Rajasthan and Gujarat, with intensifying hotspots emanating into the lower delta regions of Ganges. Present study also revealed the potential of GIS based data models when related with additional background information, to segregate the most significant clusters of changes (increase / decrease) happening over active wheat crop cultivation. We expect the results from this study to help in increasing the wheat crop yield and production in the future.
DEEP LEARNING AND STATISTICAL MODELS FOR DETECTION OF WHITE STEM BORER DISEASE IN ARABICA COFFEE
Authors: Bhandarkar S. , Prasad R. , Agarwal V. , Hebbar R. , Uma D. , Venkata Reddy Y. B. , Raghuramulu Y. , Ganesha Raj K.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Early detection of crop pest and disease is very critical for taking up suitable control measures to reduce the loss of economic yield. Coffee is an important commercial crop in India which is affected by pests and diseases every year resulting in major yield loss. White stem borer (Xylotrechus quadripes) is the most serious pest of coffee (Arabica sp.) in India causing substantial loss of yield every year. Detection of the infestation in its early stage is quite challenging. In this regard, image pattern recognition techniques offer cost effective and scalable solutions. An image library was created representing different stages of the plant infestation using camera/mobile devices. Our Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models use these images of healthy and infested plants for early detection of white stem borer infestation. The overall methodology included image processing, machine learning, supervised transfer learning and unsupervised auto-encoding techniques to solve the problem of early detection and severity of the infestation. Using the Inception v3 transfer learning model, we obtained average accuracy of 85.5% which is quite encouraging with limited image datasets. We explore Unsupervised Autoencoder models, which can work with limited image datasets. In addition, statistical analysis of long-term climatic factors such as temperature, rainfall, humidity and luminescence is explored for reliable detection and diagnosis of the infestation. Based on the encouraging results, a mobile application is proposed for near real time monitoring of WSB infestation to help the coffee planter’s community.
IMPROVED IN-SEASON CROP CLASSIFICATION PERFORMANCE USING ENSEMBLE LEARNING TECHNIQUE: A CASE STUDY OF LEKODA INSURANCE UNIT, UJJAIN, MADHYA PRADESH
Authors: Pandey V. , Choudhary K. K. , Murthy C. S. , Poddar M. K.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. The classification of agricultural crop types is an important application of remote sensing. With the improvement in spatial, temporal and spectral resolution of satellite data, a complete seasonal crop growth profile and separability between different crop classes can be studied by using ensemble-learning techniques. This study compares the performance of Random Forest (RF), which is a decision tree based ensemble learning method and Naïve Bayes ( a probabilistic learning technique) for crop classification of Lekoda gram panchayat, Ujjain district, using multi-temporal Sentinel 2 of Rabi 2017–18. The study area contains seven different classes of crop types, and in each class, we have used 65% of the ground data for training and 35% to test the classifier. The performance of RF classifier was found to be better than NB classifier. Kappa coefficient of RF classifier in mid of the crop season (December–January) was found to be 0.93. This result indicates that an accurate in-season crop map of the study area can be generated through integrated use of Sentinel 2 temporal data and RF classifier.
DETECTION OF BACTERIAL WILT DISEASE (PSEUDOMONAS SOLANCEARUM) IN BRINJAL USING HYPERSPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING
Authors: Srivastava A. , Roy S. , Kimothi M. M. , Kumar P. , Sehgal S. , Mamatha S. , Ray S. S.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Bacterial wilt disease (pathogen: Pseudomonas solancearum) is a major problem affecting brinjal crop. Infected leaves show yellowing, loss in turgidity, drying and ultimately the entire plant collapses. The study aims to examine the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing for detection of biotic stress caused due to bacterial wilt disease and identify best spectral band widths and hyperspectral indices indicative of disease infestation. This study was conducted in a farmer’s plot at Alampur in Baruipur block, South 24 Pargana district, West Bengal. Canopy spectra (using ASD Fieldspec 2 Spectroradiometer), chlorophyll content (by Chlorophyll meter) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) (by plant canopy imager) were collected. The healthy plants had green and fully turgid leaves whereas diseased plants had lower chlorophyll content and LAI. The reduction in chlorophyll content lowered reflectance in green region and internal leaf damage in near-infrared region. A correlation analysis was carried out between reflectance at specific bandwidths and hyperspectral indices with chlorophyll content and LAI of healthy and stressed plants. Bandwidths of 528–531 nm, 550–570 nm, 710–760 nm, and single bands such as 800 nm and 920 nm and indices viz. Greenness index, Modified Chlorophyll Absorption in Reflectance Index (MCARI), Transformed Chlorophyll Absorption in Reflectance Index (TCARI), Triangular Vegetation Index (TVI), Simple Ratio Pigment Index (SRPI), Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI 2), Lichtenthaler Indices (LIC1, LIC2), Structure Intensive Pigment Index (SIPI) etc. were found to have strong positive correlation (R2 > 0.9) with plant parameters. These specific bandwidths and indices can be helpful in biophysical parameter estimation and early detection of crop stress, crop growth and disease monitoring.
NON-LINEAR AUTOENCODER BASED ALGORITHM FOR DIMENSIONALITY REDUCTION OF AIRBORNE HYPERSPECTRAL DATA
Authors: Priya S. , Ghosh R. , Bhattacharya B. K.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Hyperspectral remote sensing is an advanced remote sensing technology that enhances the ability of accurate classification due to presence of narrow contiguous bands. The large number of continuous bands present in hyperspectral data introduces the problem of computational complexity due to presence of redundant information. There is a need for dimensionality reduction to enhance the ability of users for better characterization of features. Due to presence of high spectral correlation in the hyperspectral datasets, optimum de-correlation technique is required which transforms the hyperspectral data to lower dimensions without compromising with the desirable information present in the data. In this paper, focus has been to reduce the spectral dimensionality problem. So, this research aimed to develop computationally efficient non-linear autoencoder algorithm taking the advantage of non-linear properties of hyperspectral data. The proposed algorithm was applied on airborne hyperspectral image of Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer - Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) over Anand region of Gujarat and the performance of the algorithm was evaluated. The Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) increased from 22.78 dB to 48.48 dB with increase in number of nodes in bottleneck layer for reconstruction of image. Spectral distortion was also measured using Spectral Angle Mapper Algorithm (SAM), which reduced from 0.38 to 0.05 with increase in number of nodes in bottleneck layer up to 10. So, this algorithm was able to give good reconstruction of original image from the nodes present in the bottleneck layer.
KNOWLEDGE BASED CLASSIFIER BASED ON BACKSCATTERING COEFFICIENT FOR MONITORING THE CROP GROWTH ANALYSIS USING MULTI-TEMPORAL IMAGES OF SPACE-BORNE SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR (SAR) SENSORS
Authors: Verma A. K. , Nandan R. , Verma A.
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Space-based observation of crops and agro-system on the Earth surface is one of the most important applications of remote sensing using the sensors in optical and microwave spectrum to assess the crop growth for decision making for developing crop information and management system. Remote sensing technology provides scalable and reliable information in respect of rice crop grown area, its crop growth and prediction of crop yield due to acquisition of satellite imagery during the revisit of the orbit by space-borne sensors in optical and microwave spectrum. Synthetic Aperture Radar has the advantages of all-weather, day and night imaging, canopy penetration, and high-resolution capabilities, which makes Space-borne SAR sensors as an effective system for monitoring crop growth, crop classification and mapping of crop area based on the crop canopy interaction of SAR signals due to backscattering coefficients of the earth surface. SAR data from ERS-1/2 SAR, ENVISAT ASAR, ALOS-1/2 PALSAR, Radarsat-1/2 SAR, TerraSAR, COSMO-SkyMed, and Sentinel-1 have been used by various researchers for identification and analysis of rice crop growth based on the backscattering values in different regions of Asia and European region, where backscattered image depends of various earth surface and SAR sensors parameters. In this paper, knowledge based classifier using SAR images of existing space-borne-SAR sensors have been developed based on modeling of SAR backscattering coefficients in C-band and X-band for monitoring the rice crop growth and its analysis using multi-temporal and multi-frequency- SAR sensors data.
Baboon induced pluripotent stem cell generation bypiggyBactransposition of reprogramming factors
Authors: Rodriguez-Polo Ignacio , Stauske Michael , Becker Alexander , Bartels Iris , Dressel Ralf , Behr Rüdiger
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Clinical application of regenerative therapies using embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells is within reach. Progress made during recent years has encouraged researchers to address remaining open questions in order to finally translate experimental cell replacement therapies into application in patients. To achieve this, studies in translationally relevant animal models are required to make the final step to the clinic. In this context, the baboon (Papio anubis) may represent a valuable nonhuman primate (NHP) model to test cell replacement therapies because of its close evolutionary relationship to humans and its large body size. In this study, we describe the reprogramming of adult baboon skin fibroblasts using the piggyBac transposon system. Via transposon-mediated overexpression of six reprogramming factors, we generated five baboon induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines. The iPSC lines were characterized with respect to alkaline phosphatase activity, pluripotency factor expression analysis, teratoma formation potential, and karyotype. Furthermore, after initial cocultivation with mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we were able to adapt iPSC lines to feeder-free conditions. In conclusion, we established a robust and efficient protocol for iPSC generation from adult baboon fibroblasts.
Digital Public Criminology in Australia and New Zealand: Results from a Mixed Methods Study of Criminologists’ Use of Social Media
Authors: Wood Mark A , Richards Imogen , Iliadis Mary , McDermott Michael
Published: July 2019

The proliferation of social media in the ‘post-broadcast era’ has profoundly altered the terrain for researchers to produce public scholarship and engage with the public. To date, however, the impact of social media on public criminology has not been subject to empirical inquiry. Drawing from a dataset of 116 surveys and nine interviews, our mixed-methods study addresses this opening in the literature by examining how criminologists in Australia and New Zealand have employed social media to engage in public criminology. This article presents findings from surveys that examine the practices and perceptions of criminologists in relation to social media, and insights from an analysis that explores the political and logistical issues raised by respondents. These issues include the democratising potential of social media in criminological research, and its ability to provide representation for historically marginalised populations. Questions pertaining to ‘newsmaking criminology’ and the wider performance of ‘public criminology’ on social media are also addressed.
Telling allomorphy from agreement
Authors: Weisser Philipp
Published: July 2019

Recent work on allomorphy has tried to propose various notions of locality domains in order to constrain the relation between the trigger and the target of allomorphy. However, unless we have a way to clearly distinguish between allomorphy and cases of syntactic agreement, this approach is bound to fail as one can never tell whether a given alternation is due to agreement or non-local allomorphy. The goal of this paper is thus to provide a set of coherent diagnostics to distinguish the two phenomena empirically. In order to do this, I provide three case studies about phenomena previously analyzed as instances of agreement. For each of these cases, I argue that an analysis in terms of allomorphy is empirically more adequate for a number of reasons. Since two of these case studies involve phenomena where the trigger and the target of allomorphy are not part of the same word, the present paper also substantiates the claim that context-sensitive spell-out phenomena are not restricted to words. Building on these case studies, the final section revisits six diagnostics that can be applied to a given alternation to determine whether it is an instance of allomorphy or agreement.
Análisis de la problemática de los adolescentes desde la educación y la salud pública, del partido de Malvinas argentinas – Año 2018
Authors: Ledesma Dardo Ernesto , Tapiola Marcela Victoria , Daveggio Silvia , Pratto Selva Alejandra , Liever Marcela
Published: July 2019

El propósito de esta investigación es conocer las expectativas y necesidades habituales de los estudiantes y pacientes adolescentes del área centro del partido de Malvinas Argentinas, primer cordón del conurbano bonaerense, y cómo se los atiende. Se estudiarán los registros y las actividades que se realizan para mejorar la asistencia educativa y sanitaria. La metodología de investigación será exploratoria, se empleará un diseño mixto y se utilizarán entrevistas, encuestas y cuestionarios, con instrumentos ya validados mediante el análisis estadístico Alfa de Cronbach, utilizando el software SPSS 15.0 y ATLAS.ti. 8. Se espera alcanzar evidencias relevantes y replicables que posibiliten mejoras sustanciales en el sistema educativo y de la salud pública en el desarrollo futuro de programas dirigidos hacia la prevención y educación de los adolescentes y la comunidad.
Elementos culturales visual que generan identidad en la ciudad de Santa Ana
Authors: Monterroza-Matute Leida Guadalupe , Núñez-Hernández David Alberto , Estrada-De León Claudia María , Martínez Jaime Josué
Published: July 2019

Esta investigación cuantitativa describe los elementos culturales visuales que generan identidad en la ciudad de Santa Ana. Realizada en la zona urbana del municipio durante el 2017, con muestra de 734 personas. Permitió identificar información referente a elementos como monumentos, edificaciones, parques y lugares turísticos; de estos, los que poseen mayor representatividad fueron analizados tomando en cuenta los factores sociodemográficos de los encuestados para determinar si estos intuyen en la percepción respecto a dichos elementos. También se conoció la opinión de la población santaneca sobre el trabajo que realizan las instituciones encargadas de velar por la promoción y la preservación de la cultura. Los resultados reﬂeja que el monumento más representativo es el cañón, la edificación que más los identifica es la catedral, el parque insignia es el Libertad, y el lugar turístico más representativo es el Sihuatehuacán. Los encuestados manifiestan que la Universidad Autónoma de Santa Ana es la institución de educación superior que vela por el fortalecimiento y la promoción de la cultura; y que el Centro de Artes de Occidente es la institución que más realiza esfuerzos en pro de la conservación del arte y la cultura. Esta investigación expone que la catedral es el elemento cultural más representativo para los santanecos, y plantea que es necesario realizar acciones de comunicación encaminadas a resaltar la belleza cultural de la ciudad de Santa Ana tanto a escala nacional como fuera de las fronteras.
Implementación de estrategias scientometrics, webometrics, altmetrics, bibliometrics en una IES que oferta programas académicos de modalidad a distancia, construyendo escenarios de I+D+I (CTI) 2017-2018
Authors: Poveda Aguja Fernando Augusto , Vélez-Ramírez Amparo Concepción
Published: July 2019

La investigación desarrollada logra el fortalecimiento de la ciencia, la tecnología y la innovación, en una institución de educación superior (IES) colombiana, en los programas académicos que oferta en la modalidad de educación a distancia, aplicando estrategias de cienciometría, altimetría, cibermetría, webometría, informetría y bibliometría en la investigación, la ciencia, la tecnología y la innovación en su sistema de investigación científica, logrando incorporar en las dinámicas cotidianas de la institución procesos de estructuración de I+D+I. Se aplicó a los recursos actuales, tanto de infraestructura física como de tecnológica y de recursos humanos disponibles, obteniendo como resultados comunidades científicas de interés que propician la consolidación de investigadores de base que articulan la investigación formativa con la investigación aplicada o situada, o propiamente dicha, propiciando escenarios de experimentación futura. La metodología aplicada es cuantitativa exploratoria-descriptiva; se inició indagando a los participantes del proceso, lo que incluyó personas y políticas institucionales y gubernamentales, para luego proceder a interpretar los resultados de reconocimiento de actores del Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación [Colciencias], de Colombia, con el fin de identificar las propiedades, características y perfiles de personas con el mínimo curriculum vitae como investigador, entre otros fenómenos. Se diseñaron indicadores para cada herramienta a corto, mediano y largo plazo. En el caso de estudio Uniminuto Virtual y a Distancia Colombia, los resultados en los años 2017 y 2018 reﬂejan el incremento proporcional a la aplicación de índices de cohesión, aplicando indicadores sintéticos de acuerdo con el modelo de reconocimiento del país, con la visibilidad especifica en el fortalecimiento de una cultura científica adecuada para el entorno en el cual se desarrolla la IES.
Construcción, validación y confiabilidad de escala de medición de deserción estudiantil universitaria
Authors: Ventura-Romero José Modesto , Lobos-Rivera Marlon Elías , Gutiérrez-Quintanilla José Ricardo
Published: July 2019

El objetivo del presente estudio es la construcción, validación y confiabilidad de una escala para medir la deserción estudiantil universitaria. El estudio es de tipo instrumental. El muestreo es no probabilístico; la muestra estaba conformada por 361 estudiantes universitarios que hubieran desertado una o más veces. La media de edad general es de 28.35 años. La muestra de mujeres fue de 181 (50,1 %), y la de hombres fue de 180 (49,9 %). La técnica utilizada fue la encuesta. Los instrumentos aplicados fueron la escala de deserción estudiantil universitaria y el cuestionario de adaptación a la vida universitaria. En los resultados, se tiene que la prueba posee adecuados índices de validez de contenido, de constructo, de criterio divergente y confiabilidad para medir deserción estudiantil universitaria.
El efecto de la teoría de carga cognitiva en el aprendizaje de la programación básica
Authors: Arévalo-Mercado Carlos Argelio , Estrada-Rentería Blanca Guadalupe , Muñoz-Andrade Estela Lizbeth
Published: July 2019

El aprendizaje de la programación es un tópico difícil para los estudiantes universitarios que inician estudios en carreras afines a las ciencias de la computación. Este aprendizaje exige desarrollar habilidades de resolución de problemas mediante estructuras básicas para diseñar algoritmos y programas. De manera simultánea, el alumno debe aprender la sintaxis de un lenguaje de programación, un entorno de desarrollo integrado (IDE) y desarrollar modelos mentales correctos. La combinación de estos requerimientos frecuentemente conlleva una sobrecarga cognitiva en el estudiante. La teoría de carga cognitiva (TCG) propone mecanismos de aprendizaje para ayudar a disminuir esta sobrecarga. Uno de ellos es el “efecto del problema por completar”. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo medir uno de los efectos predichos por la TGC. Con base en esta, se diseñó material didáctico que se utilizó en un cuasi experimento controlado (aplicado durante el segundo semestre de 2017) con dos grupos de estudiantes de primer semestre de Ingeniería en Sistemas Computacionales de la Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes (UAA). El grupo experimental (n = 42) utilizó el material didáctico diseñado con la TCC, y el grupo de control (n = 47) utilizó material didáctico tradicional. La prueba de diferencia de medias mostró una diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p = 0.002) entre el rendimiento final de ambos grupos. El estudio concluye que los ejercicios por completar tuvieron un efecto positivo en el aprendizaje de los alumnos del grupo experimental, permitiendo una mejor adquisición de esquemas de programación en la forma de planes de programación. Posteriores réplicas aleatorizadas permitirán corroborar o descartar el efecto encontrado.
El campo investigativo de los doctorados en educación de Colombia
Authors: Carvajal Mauricio
Published: July 2019

Esta investigación muestra desde el enunciado, diversas formas de investigación en los doctorados en educación de Colombia. Timaná (1990: p. 110) afirma que estos programas son de cuarto nivel o formación avanzada que propenden a la cualificación del recurso humano, a través de prácticas investigativas para generar conocimiento científico. Ese conocimiento previamente ha resistido y sobrevivido de objeciones y arbitramento de investigadores reconocidos a nivel internacional, que concuerdan frente a lo que es real, a lo que representa esos conceptos ahí trabajados, y así se va configurando el campo científico (Bourdieu, 2001: p. 64). Diferentes hitos han servido de antecedentes para visualizar la consolidación de políticas internacionales en educación y ciencia promulgadas por agencias de cooperación mundial, con la intención de generar políticas interestatales distribuidas por regiones de países del tercer mundo. En el caso colombiano no es la excepción, también inciden en la creación de las políticas públicas y las políticas institucionales que soportan la investigación en programas de doctorado. De esta manera, los saberes de los doctorados deben estar configurados en los grupos de investigación validados por Colciencias, pues todo este discurso está enfocado al desarrollo de investigación desde ciencia y tecnología en aras de la gestión global del conocimiento. El propósito de la creación de los doctorados en educación a finales del siglo XX en Colombia era en primera instancia formar investigadores del más alto nivel científico para comprender las dinámicas propias de la educación colombiana, y solucionarlos mediante las investigaciones de las tesis doctorales, y no estar preocupados por problemáticas foráneas y metodologías en investigación que no responden a la realidad del país (Quiceno, 2006: p. 136). De esta manera, ¿existe un campo especifico en investigación para los doctorados en educación en nuestro país?
Promoting Indigenous nursing student success in post-secondary education: A phenomenological study
Authors: Cox-White Twana , Ziefflie Beverlee , Nelson Heather Joyce
Published: July 2019

Background and aim: Indigenous students have a lower rate of post-secondary completion than non-Indigenous students. This is due to a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Current literature revealed a variety of concerns that were naturally divided under the themes of academic preparedness, cultural safety, intrinsic student factors, and student supports. This study examined the completion rates of Indigenous students within a nursing program, student associated success strategies, and predominant personal barriers to success. Using focus groups and interviews, the researchers examined the lived experiences Indigenous students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Western Canada.Methods: A qualitative design using a phenomenological approach was utilized to gather data. Focus groups and interviews with Indigenous students were conducted to gather personal perspectives and experiences. This data was then coded and themed.Results: The results of this study identified various strategies and supports that advanced and promoted Indigenous student success along with numerous barriers that Indigenous students felt impeded their success within the nursing program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The themes in this study included academic preparedness, cultural safety, resolve/resilience, confidence, social expectations, and financial support.Conclusions: There is a need to expand and develop support systems that enable Indigenous students to improve academic completion rates. Building confidence and a sense of belonging are important factors in improving student success from post-secondary programs.
Integration of a community-based engagement model of service learning in a master’s entry nursing program
Authors: Amer Kim , Aquino Elizabeth , Handrup Jonathan , Larimer Karen , Lee Young Me , Morales Marisol , Simatovich Shannon
Published: July 2019

The future of nursing will include a growing presence in communities with less focus on hospital health care. In response to the need for community health focused learning a five-course community engagement experience model was designed for the master’s entry to nursing practice students in a nursing program. Community Engagement, defined as the process of working together in a collaborative spirit with groups of persons who are affiliated by geographic, special interest, or health care needs (CDC/ASTDR, 2006), is an ideal way for nursing students to fully understand the assets and needs of communities and develop goals for the health care concerns of specific communities. The goals of community engagement are to establish trust between clients, agencies, and the School of Nursing, to then develop mutual goals, enlist needed resources and improve learning and health outcomes in the community. This article describes the leveled objectives and course structure for the implementation of the community engagement pedagogy and model.
Thumb Metacarpophalangeal Joint Arthritis
Authors: Earp Brandon , Cefalu Charles , Blazar Philip
Published: July 2019

Arthritis of the thumb metacarpophalangeal joint can be debilitating whether in isolation or in conjunction with degenerative disease at the adjacent joints. Despite its crucial role in fluid and dexterous motion of the thumb axis, little is known about the isolated incidence of pathology at this joint. Etiologies include primary, posttraumatic, and inflammatory arthritis. For early, isolated degenerative disease, arthroscopic synovectomy has been shown to yield satisfactory results. For more advanced disease, fusion is the benchmark. The literature suggests that increased flexion angles may mitigate development of trapeziometacarpal arthritis. In case of advanced arthropathy of the entire thumb axis, arthroplasty is a viable option to reduce pain, preserve motion, and thus limit progression of adjacent joint disease. Special considerations should be given to the rheumatoid thumb because a select combination of treatments for each deformity is thought to best address the unique pathomechanics.
Teachers’ Knowledge, Beliefs, and Attitudes about Climate Change
Authors: Seroussi Dominique-Esther , Rothschild Nathan , Kurzbaum Eyal , Yaffe Yosi , Hemo Tahel
Published: July 2019

A sample of eighty Israeli in-service teachers filled out a questionnaire assessing their beliefs about the existence and the anthropogenic origin of climate change, their knowledge about the causes and consequences of climate change and the actions which can be taken to remediate it, as well as their level of concern about it and their readiness to act and teach in a climate-friendly way. The results show gaps in knowledge especially regarding the consequences of climate change, and misconceptions about the causes of climate change. The anthropogenic nature of climate change is well admitted. The percentage of teachers ready to take action to slow down climate change is smaller than the percentage of teachers understanding climate change. There is a significant correlation between knowledge about the consequences of climate change and concern about it and readiness to act. These results lay out the path for possible improvement of climate change instruction in teachers’ preparation programs.
The Effect of Drama Activities on the Life Skills of Five-Year-Old Children
Authors: CEYLAN Remziye , ÇOLAK Feride GÖK
Published: July 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of drama activities on the life skills of five-year-old children. Experimental design with pretest posttest control group was used in the study. The sample group of the study consisted of 32 children aged five years who were educated in a kindergarten in Istanbul province in the academic year of 2017-2018. In the study, “General Information Form” and “Preschool Life Skills Scale” were used as data collection tools. A total of 24 drama activities have been applied to the children in the experimental group for three times a week for eight weeks. After drama activities were completed, the same scale was applied as a post-test for the experimental and control group and four weeks later as a permanence test for the experimental group. As a result, drama activities have been found to be effective in supporting life skills.
Detecting and Date-Stamping Rational Bubbles in Asset Price: An Empirical Investigation in the Tunisian Stock Market
Authors: Helali Siwar Mehri
Published: July 2019

This study tests the existence of periodically collapsing speculative bubbles in the Tunisian stock market. We use the Phillips, Wu, and Yu (2011) and Phillips, Shi, and Yu (2015) approaches, based on right-tailed unit root tests, in order to explore the existence and to date-stamp the origination and termination of bubbles. An empirical application was conducted in the Tunisian stock market, using monthly data on stock price-dividend ratio, for the period running from January 2004 to December 2014. The empirical findings provide evidence for the existence of exuberance in the Tunisian stock market over the period and date-stamp its origination and collapse.
Democracy, Dictatorship, and Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Cross-Sectional Comparison Across the Iron Curtain
Authors: Antonson Carl , Thorsén Frida , Berg Rada , Palmér Karolina , Sundquist Jan , Sundquist Kristina
Published: July 2019

BACKGROUND: Democracy and dictatorship are opposite forms of governance and may influence children differently, partly through the school curriculum.

METHODS: Data were collected in the communistic dictatorship of Bulgaria before the fall of the Berlin wall and in the West-European democracy of Sweden. The aims were to compare self-esteem between Swedish and Bulgarian adolescents, examine sex differences and investigate potential interactions between country and sex. We used the well-validated self-reporting questionnaire ‘I Think I Am’ scale (ITIA) measuring self-esteem.

RESULTS: A total of 100 Swedish (58 boys, 42 girls) and 88 Bulgarian (41 boys, 47 girls) were included in the analyses. The Swedish male adolescents reported a significantly higher global self-esteem than the Bulgarian males. No country difference in global self-esteem was found between the females. For the two relational sub-scales ‘Relations with the family’ and ‘Relations with others’ there were significant differences between the two countries where the Swedish adolescents of both sexes had significantly higher scores. The Bulgarian adolescents had fewer sex differences than the Swedish ones.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study is based on the only known existing data from before the fall of the Berlin wall comparing self-esteem in a country belonging to the autocratic Soviet-bloc and a West-European democracy, data that are no longer possible to obtain. The observed differences between countries and sexes may be explained by the differences in governance. Sweden formed adolescents with significantly higher self-esteem than Bulgaria, which might have been caused by social stressors leading to a ‘Dictatorship damage’ consisting of a lower self-esteem. The lower difference in self-esteem between the sexes in Bulgaria could possibly be attributed to the idealization of the strong emancipated woman, which was a social icon in the Soviet-bloc.
Evaluation of Different Best Management Practices for Erosion Control on Machine Operating Trails
Authors: Solgi Ahmad , Naghdi Ramin , Labelle Eric R. , Behjou Farshad Keivan , Hemmati Vahid
Published: July 2019

Ground-based mechanized forest operations often lead to increased runoff and soil loss on unbound forest roads and machine operating trails, which in turn can impede the technical trafficability of machines and cause negative impacts on the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three Best Management Practice (BMP) treatments used to control erosion occurring on machine operating trails. The treatments included water bar, water bar and hardwood brush (H-brush), and water bar and softwood brush (S-brush). For a more comprehensive assessment of both brush treatments, two levels of brush thickness were tested; 0.5 m and 1.0 m. Results indicate that the most effective BMP treatments were the water bar and softwood brush followed by the water bar and hardwood brush and finally the least effective was the water bar. The average runoff rates and soil loss from the machine operating trails with the water bar treatment (52.64 l per plot, 8.49 g m-2) were higher than runoff and soil loss at the trails protected with hardwood brush (23.75 l per plot, 4.5 g m-2), and the trails protected by the hardwood brush had higher runoff and soil loss compared to trails covered by softwood brush (15.83 l per plot, 2.98 g m-2). Furthermore, results of this study showed that regardless of the treatment, the amount of runoff and soil loss decreased consistently as the thickness of the brush mat increased. Overall, erosion control techniques similar to either H-brush or S-brush that provide direct soil coverage should be used for erosion control, and final selection should be based on costs, availability of material, or landowner objectives.
Effects of Ground-Based Skidding on Soil Physical Properties in Skid Trail Switchbacks
Authors: Solgi Ahmad , Naghdi Ramin , Zenner Eric K. , Tsioras Petros A. , Hemmati Vahid
Published: July 2019

Effective skid-trail design requires a solid understanding of vehicle-soil interactions, yet virtually no data exist on the effects of harvest traffic on soils in the switchback curves common in mountainous terrain. We contrast for the first time the effect of skidding on dry bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, and microporosity in the
straight segments of the skid trail and in various positions within switchbacks
of differing trail curvature (deflection angle) on different slope gradients.
Treatment plots with three replications included combinations of two classes of
curvature (narrow = high deflection angle, 60–70°; wide = low deflection angle,
110–130°) and two categories of slope gradient (gentle = ≤20%; steep = >20%).
The Cambisol soil was sampled in control and trafficked areas both before and
after three passes with a rubber-tired skidder. After only three passes,
significant effects were seen for dry soil bulk density (+), total porosity (–),
macroporosity (–), and microporosity (+), with steady trends from undisturbed
controls to straight segments to wide curves to narrow curves. Soil damage
increased gradually and consistently toward the apex of the curve, particularly
in narrow curves on gentle slopes. Our results establish that curvature and
switchback position are important factors affecting soil compaction in ground
skidding. The strong observed effects of even low harvest traffic volume on
soil physical properties in curves indicate that the degree of soil compaction
in skid trails may be underestimated in areas with numerous switchbacks, the
placement of which within a skid trail system may require careful consideration
on mountainous terrain.