bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Turkish Agricultural Policy on Competitiveness of Cotton Production
Authors: Gürer Betül , Türkekul Berna , Ören M. Necat , Abay Canan , Özalp Burhan
Published: June 2017

This study applied Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) to assess the competitiveness of cotton production in terms of profitability and to measure the effects of agricultural policies at national level which is produced under a set of various subsidies in Turkey. First, agricultural policies applied for cotton production in Turkey were examined. Policy transfers, resource utilization, costs, private and social profits resulting from these applications were also presented with PAM. Also some important indicators such as Domestic Resource Cost (DRC), Effective Protection Coefficient (EPC), and Nominal Protection Coefficient (NPC) were calculated from PAM framework to measure competitiveness. This method is widely used to analysis of the impact of policies on production economics and it is a very effective method. PAM is mainly based on benefit-cost analysis. Besides the secondary data analysis of the effects of policy, the data obtained through face to face interviews with producers selected through stratified sampling method in the 3 regions and 4 provinces with high productions.
Demand for Food Diversity in Romania
Authors: Luca Lucian , Alexandri Cecilia , Pǎuna Bianca
Published: June 2017

The present research work applied a food diversity measurement tool (Transformed Berry Index) on the 2011 Household Budget Surveys data. The investigation was performed on household purchased based TBI measure and on actual consumption TBI, in order to highlight the errors that one would make if one fails to take into account the production of goods by the household. There are some important differences in the food diversity of the actual food consumption in comparison to the purchased food quantities, the number of food items being higher in the case of actual consumption. However, food diversity does not seem to be influenced by the residence area (urban vs. rural) in any of the two approaches.
Cutting Edge: Eosinophils Undergo Caspase-1–Mediated Pyroptosis in Response to Necrotic Liver Cells
Authors: Palacios-Macapagal Daphne , Connor Jane , Mustelin Tomas , Ramalingam Thirumalai R. , Wynn Thomas A. , Davidson Todd S.
Published: June 2017

Many chronic liver disorders are characterized by dysregulated immune responses and hepatocyte death. We used an in vivo model to study the immune response to necrotic liver injury and found that necrotic liver cells induced eosinophil recruitment. Necrotic liver induced eosinophil IL-1β and IL-18 secretion, degranulation, and cell death. Caspase-1 inhibitors blocked all of these responses. Caspase-1–mediated cell death with accompanying cytokine release is the hallmark of a novel form of cell death termed pyroptosis. To confirm this response in a disease model, we isolated eosinophils from the livers of Schistosoma mansoni–infected mice. S. mansoni eggs lodge in the hepatic sinusoids of infected mice, resulting in hepatocyte death, inflammation, and progressive liver fibrosis. This response is typified by massive eosinophilia, and we were able to confirm pyroptosis in the infiltrating eosinophils. This demonstrated that pyroptosis is a cellular pathway used by eosinophils in response to large-scale hepatic cell death.
Kawasaki Disease Presenting With Bloody Diarrhea and Acute Renal Failure: First Case
Authors: Saviour Mary Jacqueline , Hassan Sam
Published: June 2017

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile vasculitis of an unknown cause. It affects children ≤5 year of age, even if cases over 5 years old have been also reported. It is the commonest cause of acquired heart diseases in children which may lead to serious morbidity and mortality. The complications and mortality increase when the diagnosis is delayed. One of the main reasons leading to delayed diagnosis and consequent delayed treatment is the unusual presentation of KD. Its unusual manifestations have been increasingly reported to jeopardize the timely diagnosis and proper treatment. As there is not yet available blood test to diagnose it, low threshold should be taken into account for considering KD, when the clinical criteria are not typical. KD with renal manifestations is infrequently described. We present and discuss a case of an unusual presentation of KD presenting as bloody diarrhea and acute renal failure.
The Role of Athletic Trainers in Preventing and Managing Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis in Physically Active Populations: a Consensus Statement of the Athletic Trainers' Osteoarthritis Consortiuma
Authors: Palmieri-Smith Riann M. , Cameron Kenneth L. , DiStefano Lindsey J. , Driban Jeffrey B. , Pietrosimone Brian , Thomas Abbey C. , Tourville Timothy W. , Consortium Athletic Trainers' Osteoarthritis
Published: June 2017

Objective: 

To provide athletic trainers with a fundamental understanding of the pathogenesis and risk factors associated with the development of posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) as well as the best current recommendations for preventing and managing this condition.

Background: 

Posttraumatic osteoarthritis, or osteoarthritis that develops secondary to joint injury, accounts for approximately 5.5 million US cases annually. A young athlete with a joint injury is at high risk for PTOA before the age of 40, which could lead to the patient living more than half of his or her life with a painful and disabling disorder. Given our frequent contact with physically active people who often sustain traumatic joint injuries, athletic trainers are in a unique position to help prevent and manage PTOA. We can, therefore, regularly monitor joint health in at-risk patients and implement early therapies as necessary.

Recommendations: 

The recommendations for preventing and managing PTOA are based on the best available evidence. Primary injury prevention, self-management strategies, maintenance of a healthy body weight, and an appropriate level of physical activity should be encouraged among those at risk for PTOA after acute traumatic joint injury. Education of athletic trainers and patients regarding PTOA is also critical for effective prevention and management of this disease.
Strategies used in the translation of fixed expressions in magazines: A comparison of selected texts with Afrikaans as source language and South African English as target language
Authors: Murdoch Alan
Published: June 2017

This article will look at the translation of idioms and other types of fixed expressions from Afrikaans (the source language) into South African English (the target language), from selected texts in Huisgenoot and You magazines from a study conducted over the 10-week period from 18 July 2013 to 19 September 2013. The article will start by looking at the difficulties in defining idioms and other types of fixed expressions and will draw on the work of Rosamund Moon for this. It then uses the strategies on the translation of idioms (and other types of fixed expressions) in Mona Baker’s In Other Words to categorise a set of 70 such expressions according to the strategy used to translate them and concludes by looking at whether equivalence is obtained.
Limiting foetal doses during a four-vessel angiogram and endovascular stent-assisted berry aneurysm repair: A case report
Authors: Potgieter Demaré , Rae William I.D. , De Vries Coert S.
Published: June 2017

A 36-year-old female patient, 20 weeks pregnant, was diagnosed with a left internal carotid artery aneurysm. Fluoroscopically guided repair was justified. A four-vessel cerebral angiogram was performed, and a left paraclinoid aneurysm was demonstrated. The patient subsequently underwent endovascular stent-assisted berry aneurysm repair. As the patient was pregnant, the procedure was preceded by consideration of the required radiation protection. The foetal dose was estimated as negligible. Active management of foetal exposures may improve radiation protection during pregnancy.
Exploring judgement and internal bias of Life Orientation teachers in sexuality teaching
Authors: Swanepoel Eben H. , Beyers Christa , De Wet Lizette
Published: June 2017

There are various challenges in the teaching of sexuality within a South African multicultural context, as there is no uniform knowledge across learner backgrounds. As such, teachings often revert to the teacher’s beliefs, in order to create meaning within the uncertainty, at the expense of the individual learners’ personal identity formation. This paper explores the teachers’ internal bias and its subsequent influence on the teaching of alternative sexualities in Life Orientation classes. Through purposive sampling, four teachers in the Mangaung area of the Free State province participated in semi-structured interviews and electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements. Data were analysed by means of thematic analysis and descriptive statistics collected through EEG readings in order to explore how teachers construct knowledge about alternative sexualities while mediating internal conflict, specifically through measuring frustration responses to stimuli. Findings suggest that the challenge of personal background influences teaching practice as well as limitations at curriculum level, leading to personal interpretations of content. Furthermore, sensitisation to content significantly affects levels of frustration, while the active versus reactive nature of teaching sexuality becomes apparent in how teachers ultimately accommodate personal bias. Recommendations include the need for sensitisation, during teacher induction, to sensitive topics such as sexuality, and to provide less biased messages during teaching.
Comparative analysis of higher education study programs’ quality, efficiency and effectiveness
Authors: Arhipova Irina , Paura Liga , Eiduks Janis , Vitols Gatis
Published: June 2017

Many definitions of quality, efficiency and effectiveness exist in literature and can be considered as the relationships between inputs, outputs and outcomes. From this point of view efficiency may be defined simply as the relation of outputs to inputs, effectiveness as the relation of outcomes to outputs and inputs, but quality as a measure of change of outputs and outcomes. The objective of this paper is evaluation of higher education study programs quality, efficiency and effectiveness in the case of Latvia University of Agriculture engineering study programs. The conceptual framework of quality, efficiency and effectiveness was defined, which allow to perform the comparative analyze of the study programs inputs, outputs and outcomes depending on the study year. It is concluded that even the quality, as the change of inputs or outputs, decreases, at the same time the quality, as the change of outcomes, can increase. If the efficiency of study program, as the relation of outputs to inputs, decreases at the same time the effectiveness of the study program, as the relation of outcomes to outputs or inputs, can increase depending on study year.
Short Story in an ESL Freshman English Course: Bridging the Gap between language and literature
Authors: AVCI VILE Deniz Ezgi
Published: June 2017

In recent years, the place of literature in language teaching has regained its impetus and the prominent role it plays in promoting linguistic, cultural, intellectual and academic benefits has been acknowledged. Nevertheless, the place of literature in language teaching context in Turkey is still approached to be an outside source to be assigned as extensive reading rather than to be a classroom worthy material to be utilized in class. This article describes a literature lesson at a Freshman Englih level and outlines the steps to be taken to implement language based activities to promote ‘language awareness’ and to foster ‘meaning construction’ and ‘cultural awareness’ in a process based classroom setting. The steps also show that ESL Freshman students have much to gain from literature when the text is explored through language based activities without losing the literary nature of literature.Keywords: literature; short story; esl; once upon a time; freshman English; turkey
A new approach to the introductory teaching of Computing and IT at the Open University UK
Authors: Bissell Chris
Published: June 2017

The Open University of the United Kingdom is a distance-teaching university with no entrance requirements; modules are available world wide. This paper presents a novel approach to the teaching of introductory Computing and IT at the University (level 1 / first-year bachelor’s degree). The new module covers: digitization; elementary programming; fixed and mobile communication networks; webpage design; the Internet of Things; and socio-technological aspects of ICT (such as the ‘information society’, gender issues, health care, and the ‘digital divide’). The rationale and structure of the course are presented, with an outline of the content and assessment strategy. Major aims of the new module are: to improve skills development; redress the current gender imbalance in the subject area at the Open University; and improve general completion and progression rates. The module also makes widespread use of on-line activities and forums in support of learning and the development of a sense of a ‘community at a distance’.
Attitudes and attitude change of students towards the relationship between theory and practice
Authors: Fischer Thomas , Bach Andreas , Rheinländer Kathrin
Published: June 2017

The present study examines the attitudes towards the relationship between theory and practice of students in the context of teaching-oriented Master's programs. The data are based on the project “intensity and stability of job-related attitudes in teacher training” (ISabEL), which was conducted at the University of Flensburg. The study analyses the change of student's attitudes towards the relationship of theory and practice during a practical semester. The attitudes were measured using a self-developed scale, which was developed on the basis of a qualitative reconstruction of Thon (2014). The results reveal that the contradiction between theory and practice tends to increase after the practical semester.
University and Enterprises Linkages for Regional Development in México
Authors: López Sergio , Moctezuma Patricia , Mungaray Alejandro
Published: June 2017

This article evaluates the incentives to Mexico Innovation Program (PEI), from a regional perspective based on its contribution to the Regional Innovation System (RIS) of Baja California, between 2009 and 2013. Through the both additional behavioral and networks methodologies, the decision making process at companies, and the level of linkages among them, higher education institutions and governmental actors of the RIS is analyzed. The results show that by imposing the financing of innovation projects on the linking of business and scientific actors, PEI is helping to strengthen the RIS, encouraging 15% of its interactions.
Applied learning through international collaboration: Using research on domestic violence as a learning tool
Authors: Tushaus David William , Gamez Hernandez Jose Luis , Hidalgo López Cristina , Surian Barrios Maria de los Angeles
Published: June 2017

This article describes how applied learning may be achieved through a research project on an international scale. The research for this article was conducted by three Missouri Western State University (MWSU) exchange students in collaboration with the MWSU professor in charge of managing the project. This research involves an analysis of Domestic Violence. The main purpose of this study is to show what can be learned in the academic field through research from the perspective of advanced level students. This article will go over the processes the students followed to conduct good investigative work as well as the skills and abilities the researchers have mastered by working on this project. Such investigative work is comprised of three different approaches. The students were free to develop the research to explore the legal perspective, a sociological approach, and the area of prevention of Domestic Violence. Each approach goes into the analysis of Domestic Violence to give a multidisciplinary understanding of this phenomenon. Lastly, the paper offers examples of the results obtained from surveys conducted in Nepal by the MWSU professor and Nepal NGO.
Teaching agile methodologies in a project management course
Authors: Berbegal-Mirabent Jasmina , Gil-Doménech Dolors , Berbegal-Mirabent Nídia
Published: June 2017

The increasingly dynamic, competitive and volatile business environment that characterizes today’s marketplace demands for rapid delivery of high-quality outcomes, aligning development with customer needs and company goals. Agile methodologies have gained widespread popularity due to their easy implementation and adaptability to different industrial contexts. Although these methodologies originally emerged in the software and computer science field, they have been rapidly imported to other disciplines such as management and business. This paper describes an activity developed in a Project Management course during the academic year 2016/17. The activity is designed with the objective of not only teaching students agile methodologies (and scrum in particular), but also to allow them understand the basis of such methodologies by implementing a class project. The activity details as well as students’ perceptions are analyzed and discussed. The feedback collected indicates that students positively valued the activity and that they believe that through this activity they have been able to learn the fundamentals of agile methodologies.
In Search of Reusable Educational Resources in the Web
Authors: Steinberger Claudia
Published: June 2017

Nowadays there is a high demand from teachers to precisely find online learning resources that are free from copyright restrictions or publicly licensed to use, adapt and redistribute in their own courses. This paper investigates the state of the art to support teachers in this search process. Repository based strategies for dissemination of educational resources are discussed and critiqued and the added value of a semantic web approach is shown. The ontology schema.org and its suitability for semantic annotation of educational resources is introduced. Current ways and weaknesses to discover educational resources based on appropriate semantic data are presented. The possibility to use the wisdom of the crowd of learners and teachers defining semantic knowledge about used learning resources is addressed. For demonstration purposes within all sections the course subject ‘Semantic SEO’, dealt in the course ‘SEO – Search Engine Optimization’ held by the author in 2016, is used.
“Nobody is strange”: mobility and interculturality in higher education from the viewpoint of a group of Portuguese international music students
Authors: Moreira Darlinda , Antão Gabriel
Published: June 2017

The benefits of mobility are often related to the development of skills and competences on the adaptation to new environments and organizational forms, foreign languages, and cultures in general. In the specific case of the international students, mobility enhances the view of the institution of higher education as a global and intercultural learning space, which promotes the exchange of ideas, resources and opportunities for experimentation, global citizenship and professional opportunities. Nowadays we assist to a rising number of international students, a fact that deserves special attention and makes us turn our interest to what our own (Portuguese) international students believe as being important not only in their actual experience, but also relevant in its intercultural dimension and their academic and professional success. Henceforth, after theoretical considerations about mobility and the intercultural experiences amidst the internationalization of higher education institutions, our communication presents part of the results of a broader study focused on viewpoints and perspectives of a group of Portuguese international music students, about their intercultural experience in a foreign country ant its relationship with academic success.
Insights into the expectations of mobility students: the impact of Erasmus in their future professional careers
Authors: Pinheiro Margarida M. , Simões Dora , Santos Cláudia Amaral , Filipe Sandra , Barbosa Belem , Paiva Dias Gonçalo
Published: June 2017

At the celebration of its 30th anniversary, Erasmus is recognised as the most successful exchange program ever implemented. The prospects of attaining a common European consciousness challenged the program's ability to blend together knowledge, attitudes and skills in a winning combination. It is no longer sufficient to communicate and integrate: mobility should actively foster skills to support students's professional career at national and international levels. Although literature on mobility is vast and interesting, studies on the impact of the mobility experience in the students' future employability profile rarely provide first-hand data on their expectations in this regard. This exploratory research comprises a qualitative focus group approach with Erasmus students during their exchange period in a Portuguese university and collected some insightful data on how students consider their mobility in terms of new learning outcomes, the professional value of the experience and the development of new skills. Results indicate that students seem to be quite aware of the positive implications of mobility in their professional careers and of the set of skills developed during that period. Overall, this article contributes to demonstrating the importance of assessing skills development during Erasmus mobility experiences. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are provided.
Introducing a Cross-Course Teaching Innovation to Enhance Group Project Performance
Authors: DeFanti Mark
Published: June 2017

Marketing educators and students recognize the benefits derived from group assignments. Nonetheless, serious problems that occur frequently in student groups are diminished effort by some free-riding team members or disassociation from the group by lone wolf team members.  In a highly innovative manner, the American Marketing Association’s integrated marketing plan international competition was concurrently adopted by Principles of Marketing, Marketing Research and Advanced Advertising courses in an attempt to leverage the many benefits of team projects while minimizing their drawbacks.
Use of webcasting and development of critical thinking skills
Authors: Poce Antonella , Agrusti Francesco , Re Maria Rosaria
Published: June 2017

The present contribution describes the results of a research carried out at the Laboratory of Experimental Research - Department of Education, Roma TRE University. Main aim of the research is to assess if it possible to increase critical thinking skills in university students, through meaningful online cultural insights in general and webcasting in particular. Students in Education attended part of the course “Methodology of Research” online, through a webcasting activity: cultural insights, guided discussions, videos, built on structured models, prompted reasoning, elaboration of ideas and knowledge connections. Students had the possibility to deepen knowledge and abilities linked to the themes of the course, but also to develop argumentation skill, communication and critical evaluation skill. The data analysis presented in this report were developed along the double diachronic and synchronic dimensions; the evolution of critical thinking skills has been verified by the lexicon-metric analyses of written production.
Undergraduates’ Views of Assessment in Higher Education: A Study carried out in Portugal
Authors: Santos Patricia , Pereira Diana , Mesquita Diana , Flores Paulo , Pereira Rui , Dourado Nuno , Flores Maria Assunção
Published: June 2017

This paper looks at how undergraduates look at assessment in Higher Education. It focuses on their views about assessment practices in five Portuguese public universities. The main purpose is to look at the students’ perceptions of assessment in higher education taking into account the assessment methods used, the influence of assessment in their motivation to learn as well as self-regulation of the learning process. Data were collected through questionnaires in five Portuguese Public Universities in different fields of knowledge. An intervention project focused on Assessment for Learning (AfL), with students enrolled at an Engineering programme, in one public university in Portugal, in one course with student-centred methodologies and AfL practices was also carried out and evaluated. Findings are presented according the categories emerging from the data. Issues of assessment methods, the connection between teaching, learning and assessment as well as the impact of AfL environments on students’ perceptions are analysed. Implications of the findings for assessment, teaching and learning process are discussed.
The Role of Coherent Research-Based Curricular Unit in Mediating Students’ Integrated Vision of Human Impact on the Environment
Authors: Ghalichi Narmin Shahin , Roehrig Gillian
Published: June 2017

The ongoing development of the high school ecology curricular unit presented in this proposal is a response to the new tide of educational reforms in the United States.  This curricular unit represents an attempt to frame K-12 science curriculum around three dimensions: crosscutting concepts, disciplinary core ideas and scientific practices recently released in the report on a Framework for New K-12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012).  Integration of three dimensions into the development of agriculture-related curricular unit reflects complexity and logic inherent in science education facilitating deeper conceptual understanding.  The development of this curricular unit takes place under the initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project and explores the efficacy of the agriculture-related unit on students’ integrated vision of the human impact on natural systems.  Research project seeks to recognize the characteristics that identify research-based curriculum (Clements, 2007).  The interdisciplinary nature of this project has the potential to investigate how close adherence to features identifying research-based curriculum can support the development of coherent curricular unit mediating students’ integrated vision of environmental issues.  Mediation results of this nature have larger implications on future efficacy studies of curriculum intervention.
Fostering entrepreneurship in an international university collaboration
Authors: Rybnicek Robert , Gutschelhofer Alfred , Bergner Sabine , Seidenberger Alexander , Taferner Remo
Published: June 2017

The European Union is taking action on enhancing entrepreneurship in Europe and recommends appropriate entrepreneurship training in schools and higher education institutions. Due to the globalization of businesses it seems to be appropriate to realize an international perspective on entrepreneurial issues and to develop international programmes for young entrepreneurs. In this case study, we examined an international university collaboration between two universities, one in Austria and one in the United States. The programme’s goals include the establishment of an international network for students and an awareness of the students of different cultural dimensions and entrepreneurial mindsets. Our findings show how this programme enables the students to work on their professional and behavioural skills, how these students work practice-oriented under the guidelines of experts from different entrepreneurial mindsets and how they become aware of cultural differences. Besides other aspects, it seems to be advantageous for international entrepreneurship programmes to remain open and flexible during the whole process and to offer a programme that allows students to integrate participation into their regular studies. Furthermore, it seems beneficial that students can tailor the programme to meet their specific needs.
Virtual USATIC: A totally on-line conference to share good practices and experiences using ICT on Higher Education
Authors: Lozano Albalate María Teresa , Alejandre Marco José Luis , Allueva Pinilla Ana , Trillo Lado Raquel
Published: June 2017

During the last decades, the use of virtural environments and platforms to leverage the learning-teaching processes has increased enormously. However, there exists few virtual initiatives to discuss and promote good practices on these environtments. This paper presents the initiative Virtual USATIC (Ubicuo y Social: Aprendizaje con TIC), a conference with a totally virtual format, whose main goal is to provide a virtual environment where people involved in higher education (students, professors, etc.) can share and discuss their experiences about the use of Information and Communication Technologies in learning processes. Moreover, the conference also promotes the participation of the attendants to on-line tutorials, courses and virtual training workshops on specific topics (Digital Right Managements of material, Accesability and Usuability of materials, etc.) where all participants can learn and experience  on issues related to the conference. This iniciative started on June 2013 and has been repeated every year since then. So, different parameters to evaluate its evolution and success are described along this paper.
An Investigation into Third Level Module Similarities and Link Analysis
Authors: Keane Michael , Hofmann Markus
Published: June 2017

The focus of this paper is on the extraction of knowledge from data contained within the content of web pages in relation to module descriptors as published on http://courses.itb.ie delivered within the School of Business in the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. We show an automated similarity analysis highlighting visual exploration options. Resulting from this analysis are three issues of note. Firstly, modules although coded as being different and unique to their particular programme of study indicated substantial similarity. Secondly, substantial content overlap with a lack of clear differentiation between sequential modules was identified.. Thirdly, the document similarity statistics point to the existence of modules having very high similarity scores delivered across different years across different National Framework of Qualification (NFQ) levels of different programmes. These issues can be raised within the management structure of the School of Business and disseminated to the relevant programme boards for further consideration and action. Working within a climate of constrained resources with limited numbers of academic staff and lecture theatres the potential savings outside of the obvious quality assurance benefits illustrate a practical application of how text mining can be used to elicit new knowledge and provide business intelligence to support the quality assurance and decision making process within a higher educational environment.
Getting in and getting out: Predicting the likelihood of graduation of master’s program students
Authors: Lukkarinen Anna Miriam , Koivukangas Paula
Published: June 2017

We assess the predictors of the likelihood that a student will graduate from the master’s program of a business university. We use data from three years of a master’s program, totaling 455 students. The methods used are bivariate tests and logistic regression analysis. We find that the likelihood of a student graduating from the master’s program is positively related to the student i) holding their previous degree from business, as opposed to another field, ii) moving from another country to take the master’s program, and iii) taking up a master’s program with a qualitative, rather than quantitative, orientation. Interestingly, we find no evidence to suggest that whether a student’s previous degree is from a research university or from a practically oriented polytechnic would be related to the student’s odds of graduating. The results are relevant for master’s program teachers who can benefit from taking into account their students’ varying backgrounds, and for people responsible for planning the selection criteria and implementation of master’s programs. The results are also encouraging for polytechnic students who are contemplating taking further studies at a research university.
Learning Pronunciation with OERs: a practical case for Medicine students
Authors: Bellés-Fortuño Begoña , Bellés-Calvera Lucía
Published: June 2017

The aim of this study is to improve English pronunciation in the university classroom of first-year Medicine students through the use of OERs. Technologies such as Voki or LEO network are used in the practical sessions of the English for Health Sciences module. Voki platform allows learners to practise and improve their fluency and spoken skills in the target language. LEO network was also used to allow students to exercise and check their pronunciation performance with the tool ‘Learn English through dictation’. Two surveys addressed to students tried to delve into their level of English pronunciation and the importance given to this ability up to now. We aimed at knowing how much the students were exposed to pronunciation training before entering university and whether this training was presented through the use of new technologies. First-year Medicine students seemed motivated to the improvement and learning of pronunciation techniques through the use of OERs. A final questionnaire revealed that, although the teaching proposal with the use of computer tools was rewarding, not all of them seemed so fond of new technologies as expected.
Use of LinkedIn in teaching and labour monitoring of the Master in Hotel Companies Management
Authors: Babinger Frank , Maseda Moreno Araceli , Susaeta Erburu Lourdes , Heras Jiménez María Victoria de las
Published: June 2017

The present paper explores the use of the professional social network LinkedIn in the teaching of official masters. It is based on two projects of teaching innovation that are based on the information contained in the alumni profiles of the Master in Hotel Companies Management of the Complutense University of Madrid. Thanks to its analysis, valuable information about the insertion and career of the master’s graduates is obtained, while it implies a greater interrelation between the academic and labour world. In this way, the quality of the teaching-learning process can be verified and improved with the approach of the labour world and the incorporation of the experiences of alumni to the classroom as an enrichment of regulated teaching.
Leadership Academic Program Development in North America: Theoretical and Contextual Challenges
Authors: Diallo Lamine
Published: June 2017

Abstract: The development of a new academic field of study is always confronted by many challenges including carving a space for the program but also defining and designing a curricular that is unique and different from existing traditional academic programs. The research and debates about leadership academic education contribute to a rich debate about program design, content, curriculum and positioning. This paper explores the different levels of the theoretical debate about the best approaches to provide leadership education in colleges and universities in North America. Although the area of program design still lacks harmonization, many areas of agreement have emerged over the years. Keywords: Leadership Education, Curricular Design, Program Development.
Cracking the Cocoon: Promoting Self-Directed Lifelong Learning in EFL Pre-service Teachers in Chile Through the Guided Use of Social Media Tools
Authors: Charbonneau-Gowdy Paula Antoinette , Salinas Carvajal Danisa Thamara
Published: June 2017

Abstract While is it an obvious observation that in the 21st century individuals will need to continue to learn to keep pace with the rapid changes that affect their personal and professional lives, the practicalities of doing so are daunting. Where do we begin to instill a sense of self-directed learning that leads to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and, more importantly, how? The aim of our study was to determine the influence of providing guided support in the use of social media to a group of future EFL teachers in Chile. In this context, where traditional teaching practices and cultural norms, not to mention resistance to technology adoption often stand in the way of learner agency and evolving self-directed learner identities, we focussed on pre-service teachers as a strategic step in changing these trajectories. Our results were encouraging in that for this group of participants there was evidence of change not only in responsibility for learning but in a metacognitive awareness of ‘how’ to learn – key ingredients in reaching personal and professional potential. We conclude that the use of technology needs to be re-conceptualized as not only an information provider but as a key player in constructing self-directed, lifelong learners. Keywords: self-directed learning, social media, lifelong learning, Teacher Education, ICT, learner identities
Using open software to teach resource assessment of solar thermal and geothermal energy
Authors: Ulazia Alain , Urresti Aitor , Campos Alvaro , Ibarra-Berastegi Gabriel , Antxustegi Mirari , Gonzalez-Alriols Maria
Published: June 2017

The students of the Faculties of Engineering of the Universitty of Basque Country (Gipuzkoa-Eibar and Bilbao) in the last years of their studies, before becoming engineers, have the opportunity to select a block of subjects intended to enhance their knowledge on renewable energy systems. One of these subjects is Solar Thermal and Geothermal energy. These subjects are devoted to assessing the renewable energy resource, and designing optimal systems. Apart from the transmission of good practices, the focus is practical and is based on hands-on computer real-life exercises, which involves not only intensive programming using high-level software, but also the spatial representation of results. To that purpose two main open source codes are used: Octave (https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/), and QGIS (https://www.qgis.org/). Students learn how to address real-life problems regarding the geographical representation of solar radiation and low temperature geothermal resources using QGIS, and solar thermal system modelling using Octave.
Influência da calça de compressão no lactato sanguíneo após exercício de agachamento
Authors: Guazzelli Lia Nara de Moraes , Souza Lucas Pereira , Mota Márcio Rabelo
Published: June 2017

Os atletas sempre buscam novas formas de aumentar o rendimento, com melhor recuperação muscular após o exercício resistido. O uso das roupas de compressão durante o exercício aumenta o fluxo sanguíneo favorecendo a ressíntese de adenosina difosfato com menores níveis de ácido lático pós-atividade. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi comparar, pré e pós o exercício de agachamento, a concentração de lactato sanguíneo utilizando e não utilizando calça de compressão. Oito sujeitos, com pelo menos 6 meses de prática de exercício, participaram do estudo. A concentração de lactato foi mensurada nos momentos Pré, Pós0’ e Pós10' de exercício. A concentração de lactato não apresentou diferença entre as intervenções no momento pré (p>0,05). Conforme os resultados obtidos e apresentados no artigo, conclui-se que comparando os níveis de lactato no agachamento, o uso de calça de compressão foi associado a níveis significativamente mais altos no teste Pós0' e no teste Pós10'.
A importância da educação física como forma inclusiva numa perspectiva docente
Authors: Lara Fabiane Matos , Pinto Celeida Belchior Garcia Cintra
Published: June 2017

A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo de estudo investigar de que forma a Educação Física contribui para o desenvolvimento inclusivo dos alunos que apresentam necessidades educacionais especiais, junto a dez professores de Educação Física de uma escola pública do Distrito Federal. Utilizou-se como recurso um questionário com perguntas fechadas e abertas. Os dados coletados foram analisados por meio do programa Word e Excel 2010. Verificou-se que 50% dos professores consideram a inclusão uma forma gradativa respeitando a capacidade, especificidades e o processo de aprendizagem e 20% apontam como dificuldade a falta de material, monitores e falta de espaço físico. Concluiu-se que a prática de atividades físicas é considerada fundamental nos processos de inclusão de alunos que apresentam necessidades especiais, em turmas regulares, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento cognitivo, afetivo e motor, ressaltando a relevância dos professores de Educação Física nesse processo.
Sustainable remote Australian transport for living on country and going out bush
Authors: Spandonide Bruno
Published: June 2017

Both the domestic and international academic literature’s analysis of links between transport and wellbeing focuses mainly on urban settings and vulnerable population groups including older people, people with health issues, socio-economically disadvantaged people, or people undergoing more frequent extreme climatic events. While the relationship between remote Australians wellbeing and travelling activities is evident, its complexity still remains an under-researched topic. This is paradoxical when considering that extreme distances, high supply chain costs, limited access to services and to economic participation are well recognised obstacles for sustaining vibrant remote Australian communities. The latest accessibility-driven technological innovations in both the digital and the sharing economies are highly topical in transport projects in urban agglomerations but still a distant reality for remote Australia. There is a need for researching an appropriateness framework of such technologies because of the strong relevance of the multiple outcomes in terms of wellbeing that some of these innovations provide. Furthermore what defines a good quality of life can sometimes be very similar and other times greatly differ between remote and urban contexts. In the light of some recent transport and mobility research this paper analyses the potential connections between more appropriate transport innovations and increasingly resilient remote communities.
An overview of thriving through transformation
Authors: Blackwell Boyd Dirk
Published: June 2017

The articles published in this special issue come from the blind peer review and refinement of papers presented to the biennial conference of the Australia New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics (ANZSEE) held at the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, New South Wales (NSW), Australia on 19-23 October 2015. All papers jointly contribute to helping transform the human existence toward one that is socially, culturally, environmentally, ecologically, economically and politically sustainable. Transforming our human existence to meet these multiple dimensions of ‘true’ sustainability is a difficult task, balancing potentially competing interests and, inevitably, involving trade-offs between these dimensions.
From Theory to Practice: A Critical Review of Positive Youth Development Program Frameworks
Authors: Arnold Mary Elizabeth , Silliman Ben
Published: June 2017

Many positive youth development (PYD) programs are based on a particular PYD framework as a method for describing the program’s intention and expected outcomes. This paper presents a critical review of eight select program frameworks that are commonly used to describe PYD programs. The review reveals considerable variation in the science supporting these frameworks, with corresponding variability in their programmatic application. To account for this variation, the frameworks were grouped into three categories based on the science and context in which they were developed. After a review of the historical and organizational context for the need and use of program frameworks, we present brief reviews of the frameworks, then close by discussing implications for practice, research, and policy.
¿Es el concepto platónico del amor intelectualista? Eros como impulso contemplativo y desiderativo en Platón
Authors: Cruz Ortiz de Landázuri Manuel
Published: June 2017

Frecuentemente se asume en los estudios de Platón que su concepción del ἔρως tiene un mero carácter instrumental respecto a la contemplación del bien, la belleza y la justicia; ha sido objeto de debate hasta qué punto los sentimientos y apetitos tienen importancia en su teoría del amor. Podría parecer que para Platón lo verdaderamente importante habría sido el conocimiento, y el amor, en todo caso, sólo entra en la vida porque supone un impulso para la contemplación. Frente a esta interpretación intelectualista del amor propongo una lectura de Platón (concretamente de algunos pasajes del Banquete, Fedro y República) que interprete el amor, en la línea de Charles Kahn, como una fuerza inscrita en lo más profundo del ser humano. Deseo, contemplación y acción no aparecen como conceptos contrarios, sino como elementos fundamentales de su ética.
La intervención cartesiana en el cuerpo y la mente a través de las nociones de «hábito» y «memoria»
Authors: García Rodríguez Sergio
Published: June 2017

El hábito cartesiano constituye el elemento clave que posibilita la implantación de determinadas regularidades en mente y cuerpo, facilitando la intervención del sujeto en ambas dimensiones. Así, se observa cómo el hábito juega un importante papel en propuestas cartesianas centrales ― la asunción del método, los prejuicios de la infancia o la educación de las pasiones―, de forma que toda comprensión que se dirija a examinar éstas, deberá referirse previamente al concepto cartesiano de hábito. El presente artículo tratará, en consecuencia, de elucidar el sentido de hábito. Para ello se efectuará una distinción entre los tipos de movimientos encargados de generar distintos hábitos y las diversas formas de memoria que permiten preservar las conexiones sobre las que éste se genera. Una vez ofrecida esta explicación sobre cómo se producen los hábitos, se propondrá una categorización apelando a la distinción establecida por Descartes entre alma y cuerpo.
“Uno de los misterios más incomprensibles de la religión”. El problema del mal en Pierre Bayle y David Hume
Authors: Calvente Sofía
Published: June 2017

El objetivo de este trabajo es revisar las posturas de Pierre Bayle y David Hume en torno al problema del mal, para determinar si la postura de Hume se reduce a la de su predecesor o si existen diferencias más profundas entre ambos. Bayle propone una solución fideísta, declarando que se trata de un misterio que está por encima de la razón al que debemos adherir a partir de la creencia, mientras que Hume se limita a suspender el juicio al respecto. En primer lugar, se reconstruye el planteo del problema del mal y sus consecuencias sobre la moral en los dos autores. Luego, se revisan sus críticas a la teología racional y el papel que juega el escepticismo respecto de la religión. Se concluye que la influencia de Bayle sobre Hume está centrada en mostrar las limitaciones de la razón humana para abordar el problema, y que el aporte original de este último se vincula con la defensa de la filosofía como un tipo de especulación autónoma.
MACHADO, Giancarlo Marques Carraro. De “carrinho” pela cidade: a prática do skate em São Paulo. São Paulo: Intermeios, FAPESP, 2014. 232 pp.
Authors: Pacheco Leonardo Turchi
Published: June 2017

Resenha do livro MACHADO, Giancarlo Marques Carraro. De “carrinho” pela cidade: a prática do skate em São Paulo. São Paulo: Intermeios, FAPESP, 2014. 232 pp.
OLIVEIRA, João Pacheco de; Cohn, Clarice (orgs.). (2014). Belo Monte e a questão indígena. Brasília: ABA. 337 p.
Authors: Oliveira Alessandro Roberto
Published: June 2017

Resenha