bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Derailed locomotive? Petrobras investments and economic growth in Brazil
Authors: Yabiko Raíssa Fernandes , Bone Rosemarie Bröker
Published: February 2018

Petrobras is the largest firm in Brazil and one of the largest in the world. Its investment plans are among the biggest in the oil and gas industry, focused in Brazil and on E&P. Petrobras is responsible for a large share of gross capital formation and gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the country. The correlation between its investments and the country investment and GDP growth is above 0.8 and shows the dependency of the economy to Petrobras activity. At the same time, as a state enterprise it has been a tool of macroeconomic policy. In the 2010´s its gasoline and diesel prices were frozen to keep inflation down. The recent crisis in the company, including corruption scandals and oil price slump increased debt levels and reduced its capital expenditures. The sale of assets directive since 2016 is required to reduce its net debt. While a medium to long term survival strategy, the change in Petrobras’ investment profile may decrease the prospects of GDP growth in the Brazilian economy.
Atmospheric organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in urban areas of Nepal: spatial variation, sources, temporal trends, and long-range transport potential
Authors: Pokhrel Balram , Gong Ping , Wang Xiaoping , Khanal Sanjay Nath , Ren Jiao , Wang Chuanfei , Gao Shaopeng , Yao Tandong
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The study of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in low-latitude tropical and subtropical urban cities is necessary to assess their local and global impacts on ecosystems and human health. Despite studies on levels of POPs in water, soils, and sediments, analysis of the distribution patterns, seasonality, and sources of POPs in urban regions of Nepal remain limited. Polyurethane foam (PUF)-based passive air samplers were deployed in three major cities in Nepal: Kathmandu (the capital city), Pokhara, and Hetauda (agricultural cities). Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) were the dominant organochlorine pesticides in the atmosphere at all sites. The average concentrations of POPs were  ∑ DDTs, 8.7–1.0  ×  103 pg m−3;  ∑ HCHs, 5.3–3.3  ×  103 pg m−3; HCB, 5.8–3.4  ×  102 pg m−3;  ∑ endosulfan, BDL–51 pg m−3; and  ∑ 6PCBs, 1.4–47 pg m−3. Isomer and metabolite ratio analyses suggested that the concentrations present were from both new and historical applications of the POPs. Vegetable production sites and their market places appeared to be the major DDT and HCH source areas. Higher atmospheric concentrations of DDT and HCH occurred during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons, and winter, respectively, closely associated with their local application for soil preparation and vegetable spraying. The estimated travel distances of the POPs (HCB, α-HCH, γ-HCH, and p, p′-DDT) under the Nepalese tropical climate were all above 1000 km, suggesting that high precipitation levels in the tropical climate were not enough to scavenge the POPs and that Nepal could be an important source region for POPs. Due to their close proximity and cold trapping (driven by low temperatures), the high Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are likely the key receptors of POPs emitted in Nepal. These results add to the information available on POPs from tropical developing countries.
Soil fluxes of carbonyl sulfide (COS), carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide in a boreal forest in southern Finland
Authors: Sun Wu , Kooijmans Linda M. J. , Maseyk Kadmiel , Chen Huilin , Mammarella Ivan , Vesala Timo , Levula Janne , Keskinen Helmi , Seibt Ulli
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Soil is a major contributor to the biosphere–atmosphere exchange of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon monoxide (CO). COS is a tracer with which to quantify terrestrial photosynthesis based on the coupled leaf uptake of COS and CO2, but such use requires separating soil COS flux, which is unrelated to photosynthesis, from ecosystem COS uptake. For CO, soil is a significant natural sink that influences the tropospheric CO budget. In the boreal forest, magnitudes and variabilities of soil COS and CO fluxes remain poorly understood. We measured hourly soil fluxes of COS, CO, and CO2 over the 2015 late growing season (July to November) in a Scots pine forest in Hyytiälä, Finland. The soil acted as a net sink of COS and CO, with average uptake rates around 3 pmol m−2 s−1 for COS and 1 nmol m−2 s−1 for CO. Soil respiration showed seasonal dynamics controlled by soil temperature, peaking at around 4 µmol m−2 s−1 in late August and September and dropping to 1–2 µmol m−2 s−1 in October. In contrast, seasonal variations of COS and CO fluxes were weak and mainly driven by soil moisture changes through diffusion limitation. COS and CO fluxes did not appear to respond to temperature variation, although they both correlated well with soil respiration in specific temperature bins. However, COS : CO2 and CO : CO2 flux ratios increased with temperature, suggesting possible shifts in active COS- and CO-consuming microbial groups. Our results show that soil COS and CO fluxes do not have strong variations over the late growing season in this boreal forest and can be represented with the fluxes during the photosynthetically most active period. Well-characterized and relatively invariant soil COS fluxes strengthen the case for using COS as a photosynthetic tracer in boreal forests.
Representation of solar tides in the stratosphere and lower mesosphere in state-of-the-art reanalyses and in satellite observations
Authors: Sakazaki Takatoshi , Fujiwara Masatomo , Shiotani Masato
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Atmospheric solar tides in the stratosphere and the lower mesosphere
are investigated using temperature data from five state-of-the-art
reanalysis data sets (MERRA-2, MERRA, JRA-55, ERA-Interim, and CFSR)
as well as TIMED SABER and Aura MLS satellite
measurements. The main focus is on the period 2006–2012 during
which the satellite observations are available for direct comparison
with the reanalyses. Diurnal migrating tides, semidiurnal migrating
tides, and nonmigrating tides are diagnosed. Overall the reanalyses
agree reasonably well with each other and with the satellite
observations for both migrating and nonmigrating components,
including their vertical structure and the seasonality. However, the
agreement among reanalyses is more pronounced in the lower
stratosphere and relatively weaker in the upper stratosphere and
mesosphere. A systematic difference between SABER and the reanalyses is
found for diurnal migrating tides in the upper stratosphere and the
lower mesosphere; specifically, the amplitude of trapped modes
in reanalyses is significantly smaller than that in SABER, although
such difference is less clear between MLS and the reanalyses. The
interannual variability and the possibility of long-term changes in
migrating tides are also examined using the reanalyses during
1980–2012. All the reanalyses agree in exhibiting a clear quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the tides, but the most significant
indications of long-term changes in the tides represented in the
reanalyses are most plausibly explained by the evolution of the
satellite observing systems during this period. The tides are also
compared in the full reanalyses produced by the Japan Meteorological
Agency (i.e., JRA-55) and in two parallel data sets from this agency:
one (JRA-55C) that repeats the reanalysis procedure but without any
satellite data assimilated and one (JRA-55AMIP) that is
a free-running integration of the model constrained only by observed
sea surface temperatures. Many aspects of the tides are closer in
JRA-55C and JRA-55AMIP than these are to the full reanalysis JRA-55,
demonstrating the importance of the assimilation of satellite data
in representing the diurnal variability of the middle atmosphere. In
contrast to the assimilated data sets, the free-running model has no
QBO in equatorial stratospheric mean circulation and our results
show that it displays no quasi-biennial variability in the tides.
Recent decrease trend of atmospheric mercury concentrations in East China: the influence of anthropogenic emissions
Authors: Tang Yi , Wang Shuxiao , Wu Qingru , Liu Kaiyun , Wang Long , Li Shu , Gao Wei , Zhang Lei , Zheng Haotian , Li Zhijian , Hao Jiming
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Measurements of gaseous elemental Hg (GEM), other air pollutants including SO2, NOx, O3, PM2.5, CO, and meteorological conditions were carried out at Chongming Island in East China from March 1 in 2014 to December 31 in 2016. During the sampling period, GEM concentrations significantly decreased from 2.68 ± 1.07 ng m−3 in 2014 to 1.60 ± 0.56 ng m−3 in 2016. Monthly mean GEM concentrations showed a significant decrease with a rate of −0.60 ng m−3 yr−1 (R2 = 0.6389, p
An interoperable research data infrastructure to support climate service development
Authors: De Filippis Tiziana , Rocchi Leandro , Rapisardi Elena
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Accessibility, availability, re-use and re-distribution of scientific data are prerequisites to build climate services across Europe. From this perspective the Institute of Biometeorology of the National Research Council (IBIMET-CNR), aiming at contributing to the sharing and integration of research data, has developed a research data infrastructure to support the scientific activities conducted in several national and international research projects. The proposed architecture uses open-source tools to ensure sustainability in the development and deployment of Web applications with geographic features and data analysis functionalities. The spatial data infrastructure components are organized in typical client–server architecture and interact from the data provider download data process to representation of the results to end users. The availability of structured raw data as customized information paves the way for building climate service purveyors to support adaptation, mitigation and risk management at different scales.This work is a bottom-up collaborative initiative between different IBIMET-CNR research units (e.g. geomatics and information and communication technology – ICT; agricultural sustainability; international cooperation in least developed countries – LDCs) that embrace the same approach for sharing and re-use of research data and informatics solutions based on co-design, co-development and co-evaluation among different actors to support the production and application of climate services. During the development phase of Web applications, different users (internal and external) were involved in the whole process so as to better define user needs and suggest the implementation of specific custom functionalities. Indeed, the services are addressed to researchers, academics, public institutions and agencies – practitioners who can access data and findings from recent research in the field of applied meteorology and climatology.
Modelling the water energy nexus: should variability in water supply impact on decision making for future energy supply options?
Authors: Cullis James D. S. , Walker Nicholas J. , Ahjum Fadiel , Rodriguez Diego Juan
Published: February 2018

Abstract. Many countries, like South Africa, Australia, India, China and the United States, are highly dependent on coal fired power stations for energy generation. These power stations require significant amounts of water, particularly when fitted with technology to reduce pollution and climate change impacts. As water resources come under stress it is important that spatial variability in water availability is taken into consideration for future energy planning particularly with regards to motivating for a switch from coal fired power stations to renewable technologies. This is particularly true in developing countries where there is a need for increased power production and associated increasing water demands for energy. Typically future energy supply options are modelled using a least cost optimization model such as TIMES that considers water supply as an input cost, but is generally constant for all technologies. Different energy technologies are located in different regions of the country with different levels of water availability and associated infrastructure development and supply costs. In this study we develop marginal cost curves for future water supply options in different regions of a country where different energy technologies are planned for development. These water supply cost curves are then used in an expanded version of the South Africa TIMES model called SATIM-W that explicitly models the water-energy nexus by taking into account the regional nature of water supply availability associated with different energy supply technologies. The results show a significant difference in the optimal future energy mix and in particular an increase in renewables and a demand for dry-cooling technologies that would not have been the case if the regional variability of water availability had not been taken into account. Choices in energy policy, such as the introduction of a carbon tax, will also significantly impact on future water resources, placing additional water demands in some regions and making water available for other users in other regions with a declining future energy demand. This study presents a methodology for modelling the water-energy nexus that could be used to inform the sustainable development planning process in the water and energy sectors for both developed and developing countries.
Water, energy and agricultural landuse trends at Shiroro hydropower station and environs
Authors: Adegun Olubunmi , Ajayi Olalekan , Badru Gbolahan , Odunuga Shakirudeen
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The study examines the interplay among water resources, hydropower generation and agricultural landuse at the Shiroro hydropower station and its environs, in north-central Nigeria. Non-parametric trend analysis, hydropower footprint estimation, reservoir performance analysis, change detection analysis, and inferential statistics were combined to study the water-energy and food security nexus. Results of Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator for the period 1960 to 2013 showed a declining rainfall trend at Jos, around River Kaduna headwaters at −2.6 mm yr−1, while rainfall at Kaduna and Minna upstream and downstream of the reservoir respectively showed no trend. Estimates of hydropower footprint varied between 130.4 and 704.1 m3 GJ−1 between 1995 and 2013. Power generation reliability and resilience of the reservoir was 31.6 and 38.5 % respectively with year 2011 being the most vulnerable and least satisfactory. In addition to poor reliability and resilience indices, other challenges militating against good performance of hydropower generation includes population growth and climate change issues as exemplified in the downward trend observed at the headwaters. Water inflow and power generation shows a weak positive relationship with correlation coefficient (r) of 0.48, indicating less than optimal power generation. Total area of land cultivated increased from 884.59 km2 in 1986 prior to the commissioning of the hydropower station to 1730.83 km2 in 2016 which signifies an increased contribution of the dam to ensuring food security. The reality of reducing upstream rainfall amount coupled with high water footprint of electricity from the reservoir, therefore requires that a long term roadmap to improve operational coordination and management have to be put in place.
An integrated approach to improving rural livelihoods: examples from India and Bangladesh
Authors: Croke Barry , Merritt Wendy , Cornish Peter , Syme Geoffrey J. , Roth Christian H.
Published: February 2018

Abstract. This paper presents an overview of work in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and SW Bangladesh through a series of projects from 2005 to the present, considering the impact of farming systems, water shed development and/or agricultural intensification on livelihoods in selected rural areas of India and Bangladesh. The projects spanned a range of scales spanning from the village scale (∼  1 km2) to the meso-scale (∼  100 km2), and considered social as well as biophysical aspects. They focused mainly on the food and water part of the food-water-energy nexus. These projects were in collaboration with a range of organisations in India and Bangladesh, including NGOs, universities, and government research organisations and departments. The projects were part funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and built on other projects that have been undertaken within the region. An element of each of these projects was to understand how the hydrological cycle could be managed sustainably to improve agricultural systems and livelihoods of marginal groups. As such, they evaluated appropriate technology that is generally not dependent on high-energy inputs (mechanisation). This includes assessing the availability of water, and identifying potential water resources that have not been developed; understanding current agricultural systems and investigating ways of improving water use efficiency; and understanding social dynamics of the affected communities including the potential opportunities and negative impacts of watershed development and agricultural development.
Performance assessment of the Gash Delta Spate Irrigation System, Sudan
Authors: Ghebreamlak Araya Z. , Tanakamaru Haruya , Tada Akio , Ahmed Adam Bashir M. , Elamin Khalid A. E.
Published: February 2018

Abstract. The Gash Delta Spate Irrigation System (GDSIS), located in eastern Sudan with a net command area of 100 000 ha (an area currently equipped with irrigation structures), was established in 1924. The land is irrigated every 3 years (3-year rotation) or every 2 years (2-year rotation) so that about 33 000 or 50 000 ha respectively can be cultivated annually. This study deals with assessing the performance of the 3- and 2-year rotation systems using the Monte Carlo simulation. Reliability, which is a measure of how frequently the irrigation water supply satisfies the demand, and vulnerability, which is a measure of the magnitude of failure, were selected as the performance criteria. Combinations of five levels of intake ratio and five levels of irrigation efficiency for the irrigation water supply of each rotation system were analysed. Historical annual flow data of the Gash River for 107 years were fit to several frequency distributions. The Weibull distribution was the best on the basis of the Akaike information criteria and was used for simulating the ensembles of annual river flow. The reliabilities and vulnerabilities of both rotation systems were evaluated at typical values of intake ratio and irrigation efficiency. The results show that (i) the 3-year rotation is more reliable in water supply than the 2-year rotation, (ii) the vulnerability of the 3-year rotation is lower than that of the 2-year rotation and (iii) therefore the 3-year rotation is preferable in the GDSIS. The sensitivities of reliability and vulnerability to changes in intake ratio and irrigation efficiency were also examined.
The Nineteenth Century American Promenade. Precedent and Form
Authors: Jacobson Wendy R.
Published: February 2018

The promenade became firmly established in Europe as a public space type in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, appearing on the North American continent in the late eighteenth century. By the mid-nineteenth century a number of American cities offered designated outdoor settings for citizens to engage the social practice of “seeing and being seen”, in locations as diverse as cemeteries, fashionable streets, waterfront embankments, resort beachfronts, and later, in urban parks and along parkways. These public spaces attracted diverse populations, from working and middle classes to social elites, fulfilling a range of social and recreational goals in a variety of contexts. The promenade has endured as a highly popular public space type over many generations and across diverse cultural and geographic contexts, prompting the question whether there are certain formal qualities that have enhanced the success of the promenade as a public space? Are there are particular physical and spatial conditions that have persisted, contributing to its capacity to endure?
This paper describes the evolution of urban promenades in Western Europe and in the United States from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, before applying typological analysis to a set of promenade precedents drawn from several countries and across a span of several hundred years. The analysis reveals that factors such as location, connectivity, adjacency, alignment, dimensions, scale, and amenity features have contributed to the qualities of accessibility, activity, and comfort that have attracted people to promenades and supported their popularity over time. The paper concludes that nineteenth century American promenades were legitimate successors to earlier European precedents, exhibiting similarities in physical and spatial attributes that place them squarely within a typological tradition.
About Public Place. A joint work of Behnam Zakeri and Morteza Niknahad
Authors: Zakeri Behnam , Niknahad Morteza
Published: February 2018

Iran has a special position in the world geographically, politically, socially, culturally and artistically. Mentioned features lead the intellectual and artistic atmosphere of the Iranian community to a certain extent that causes most of the artists to make an inspiration source out of social constraints. In the meantime, many artists choose urban and urban space, many openly criticize the community in the language of art, some are trying to improve the city-human relationship so that people behave the city more responsibly.
Urban space identical to generality and accessibility has ever been a channel for many artists. In addition to the city's mysterious mysteries, and the source of plurality of the population, it also occasionally displays a face of stillness and silence. With all its limitations and disadvantages, the city provides an experience of diversity and proliferation of new images; urban space, as it always is visible and accessible, is not considered as an important subject, and this could make the urban space invisible. This feature has become a commonplace in the great cities of modern life. For the first time, the cinema depicted the invisible face of the city, a monotonous and routine image that always faces the eyes of the people, now its features and aesthetic appeal have been discovered, and in this direction, the diminutive visual improvisation towards the city became more conscious.
In protest of apathy. The case of Panjim, Goa
Authors: Kambli Namita
Published: February 2018

Whenever I mention that I grew up in Goa, those who have heard of it react with wonder and curiosity, both of which are almost always laced with a twinge of envy. India’s smallest state is synonymous with beaches, hippies, trance music, vindalhoo, and, to my enormous displeasure, drugs. To me, however, Goa signifies lush paddy fields in a shade of green I still cannot define, coconut palms framing soothing sunsets, and whitewashed churches in perfect harmony alongside colourful temples. As a child, I of course took these landscapes for granted. As a fresh-faced architecture graduate, I came to better appreciate the state’s well-kept public gardens, pastel-coloured facades and bustling marketplaces. As an expat who has now been away for more than a decade, my heart breaks a little for the Goa that awaits me each time I return, with streets choked by rule-flouting cars, off-shore casinos that are killing the capital’s main river, and my favourite beach littered with plastic and beer bottles. This viewpoint is both a form of protest against the growing apathy evident in my hometown and also a plea to better cherish our public spaces.

 
Datação por Luminescência Opticamente Estimulada (LOE) de uma planície de cordões litorâneos do litoral norte do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
Authors: Bitencourt Volney Junior Borges , Dillenburg Sérgio Rebello , Barboza Eduardo Guimarães , Manzolli Rogério Portantiollo , Caron Felipe , Sawakuchi André Oliveira
Published: February 2018

Neste trabalho, é utilizada a aplicação da Luminescência Opticamente Estimulada (LOE) para datar sedimentos em uma planície de cordões litorâneos arenosos de margem lagunar, na porção norte do litoral do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Essa planície de cordões constitui parte da margem nordeste da Lagoa dos Quadros, segunda maior lagoa do sistema lagunar norte do RS. Um total de cinco amostras foram coletadas em diferentes cordões da planície, na porção de máxima progradação (região central da planície). Neste estudo, as idades de luminescência foram obtidas por doses equivalentes estimadas por protocolo SAR (Single-Aliquot Regenerative dose) aplicado a alíquotas de grãos de quartzo. Concentrações de K, U e Th para cálculo de taxas de dose foram medidas por espectrometria gama de alta resolução. As amostras estudadas apresentaram doses equivalentes entre 1,8 e 3,6 Gy e taxas de dose entre 0,442 e 0,806 Gy/ka. As idades obtidas variaram entre 2,6 ± 0,2 a 6,3 ± 0,4 ka. Foram definidos cinco intervalos com diferentes taxas de progradação na planície de cordões. Esses intervalos podem ser enquadrados em dois estágios: o primeiro marcado por um aumento na taxa de progradação média, e o segundo, com o decréscimo nas taxas. O primeiro estágio é caracterizado por uma grande disponibilidade de sedimentos que foram transportados para o interior da Lagoa dos Quadros, durante as fases de desenvolvimento dos depósitos eólicos da barreira holocênica, que se desenvolveu ao mesmo tempo, entre a lagoa e o Oceano Atlântico. O segundo estágio, com taxas que se situam num patamar de cerca de metade do primeiro estágio, provavelmente se desenvolveu em uma época mais úmida e, consequentemente, em um período com menor transporte de areias eólicas para o interior da lagoa; e também em um tempo em que os processos costeiros ativos da barreira oceânica holocênica já se encontravam muito distantes da Lagoa dos Quadros.
The Effect of Activity-Based Costing (ABC) on Managing the Efficiency of Performance in Jordanian Manufacturing Corporations – An Analytical Study
Authors: Al-Halabi Nabil Bashir , Shaqqour Omar Fareed
Published: February 2018

The study explored the effect of  activity-based costing (ABC) on the efficiency of performance in Jordanian manufacturing corporations. A questionnaire form was designed and distributed to a sample of 72 managers in 20 manufacturing corporations, and data were collected and analyzed using EXCEL and SPSS packages. The results found  that the application of  ABC has a significant effect on managing resources, performance efficiency, cost reduction, and costs of unused capacity in Jordanian manufacturing corporations. The conclusion showed that ABC were able to differentiate between high and low volume products among different activities of manufacturing corporation in Jordan. The research also concluded that the main difficulties were in differentiating between value added and non value added activities, unclear strategies, and incomplete information for decision making processes, thus, whatever activity-slack existed more levels of cooperation also existed between members of the value chain (VC). The study recommended more application of the ABC in different corporations as proved its effect on pricing decisions, cost reduction and a competitive ability of corporations in different markets.
Understanding the Importance of the Teres Minor for Shoulder Function: Functional Anatomy and Pathology
Authors: Williams Matthew D. , Edwards Thomas Bradley , Walch Gilles
Published: February 2018

Although the teres minor is often overlooked in a normal shoulder, it becomes a key component in maintaining shoulder function when other rotator cuff tendons fail. The teres minor maintains a balanced glenohumeral joint and changes from an insignificant to the most significant external rotator in the presence of major rotator cuff pathology. The presence or absence of the teres minor provides prognostic information on the outcomes of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty and tendon transfers. Clinical tests include the Patte test, the Neer dropping sign, the external rotation lag sign, and the Hertel drop sign. Advanced imaging of the teres minor can be used for classification using the Walch system. Understanding the function and pathology surrounding the teres minor is paramount in comprehensive management of the patient with shoulder pathology. Appropriate clinical examination and imaging of the teres minor are important for preoperative stratification and postoperative expectations.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Global Journal of Health Science, Vol. 10, No. 2
Authors: Grey Erica
Published: February 2018

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Global Journal of Health Science, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2018.
Clique Structure and Enterprise Innovation: an Empirical Research on China's High-end Equipment Manufacturing Industry
Authors: Zheng Xiangjie
Published: February 2018

Clique problem has been fully researched in the social relations network of sociology，But the cliques in inter-enterprise networks have attracted people's attention in recent years. Based on the alliance data of the high-end equipment manufacturing industry in China in 2000-2013, we construct innovation network，and use negative binomial regression models to analyze the impact of the clique structure on enterprise innovation. The results show that the more the clique numbers in the alliance innovation network, the stronger the enterprise innovation capability. Whether the enterprises listed have a negative moderating effect on the impact of clique numbers on enterprise innovation performance. That is, for the listed enterprises, more clique numbers cannot significantly promote enterprise innovation, but for non-listed enterprises, more clique numbers are conducive to enterprise innovation. Innovation accumulation has no significant positive moderating effect on the impact of clique numbers on enterprise innovation performance. The impact of the coreness values on the enterprise innovative output in an inverted-U curvilinear way, and the coreness values also moderates the effect of innovation accumulation on enterprise innovation capability in an inverted-U curvilinear way. The conclusions of the research can provide the basis for the enterprise to embed the network cliques and for the relevant government departments to formulate the alliance policy.
The Availability and Efficiency of Health Insurance to Expatriates: Empirical Findings from Saudi Arabia
Authors: AlNemer Hashem Abdullah
Published: February 2018

Health Insurance represents the largest sectors among all types of insurance in Saudi Arabia with a Gross Written Premiums of 51% of the whole insurance market in Saudi Arabia. The high growth of health insurance sector in Saudi Arabia was driven by the obligation mandated by the Ministry of Health "MOH" and Council of Cooperative Health Insurance "CCHI" for expatriates and their families living in Saudi Arabia to have their health insurance, affected mid of 2014. However, the regulations didn’t specify the types and quality of health insurance used. The regulations also didn’t take into consideration the salaries of the expatriates which might affect their financial positions in case of policy cancelation. No studies have been conducted on the Saudi Arabian health insurance market to explore the efficiency and quality of expatriates’ health insurance policy. This paper attempts to fill the gap. The main aim of this study was to explore the availability and efficiency of health care system to expatriates. The quality of health insurance policy relies on the selections made by the employers. The research used qualitative methodology for collection of primary data. A total of 324 responds were received and considered usable for the research. The results were astonishing that most of the participants have their own health insurance policy, however not all service are available to them. Most of the participants clarified that their health insurance policy, did not cover of most of the risk they encountered, it did not cover the medical treatment expenses, as well as the surgery and operation expenses. Such results will put financial burden on expatriates in case their health insurance claims been canceled.
Evaluation of Plant Growth on Expanded Black Cotton Soil
Authors: Nyakach Samwel , Owido Seth F.O. , Onyando Japheth O.
Published: February 2018

In aggregate hydroponics, the suitability of a particular medium is often guided by its physical properties. However these may not provide adequate evaluation. By growing a crop, the growth characteristics can also be used to guide medium preparation and selection. Tomatoes (Anna F1 variety) were grown in containers under a greenhouse and provided with equal amount of nutrient solution. The expanded black cotton soil was prepared by mixing with rice husk at a ratio of 90:10, fired at 750oC for 30 minutes and size reduced to various textures. The crops planted in the expanded clay aggregates performed better than the black cotton soil both in terms of stem elongation and enlargement due to improved drainage, nutrient flow and aeration conditions. The root length density was 25654 m m-3 in black cotton soil, being the highest and lowest in the coarse aggregates which had 9433 m m-3.
The Effect of Element Types on Force Analogy Method Analysis
Authors: Toloue Iraj , Liew Mohd Shahir , Harahap Indra Sati Hamonangan
Published: February 2018

In this study, the seismic performance of a 2D portal frame subjected to the recorded seismic ground motions of the Northridge 1994 earthquake was evaluated by the force analogy method (FAM) with different element types. To increase the accuracy of FAM, Timoshenko (TS) elements were employed instead of the classical Euler Bernoulli (EB) elements, to revert the shear deformations that are neglected in EB elements. To perform evaluation, the same material and section properties were considered and the same portal frame was analyzed with different element lengths, from 0.5 to 7.0 m in 0.5 m steps.
New academic library leader discussion series: Part three
Authors: Powers Amanda Clay , Garnar Martin , Fife Dustin
Published: February 2018

Amanda Clay Powers (ACP), Martin Garnar (MG), and Dustin Fife (DF) are all relatively new library deans or directors. This series is their attempt to discuss the process of moving to a new library and becoming more than just a new manager, but truly a leader. In part three, Powers, Garnar, and Fife will explore some of the lessons they have learned. In part two, the authors focused on their first 100 days on the job and, in part one, they discussed finding their new jobs. Powers, Garnar, and Fife believe this open and honest conversation is essential to help prepare future library deans, directors, and leaders.
Presidential research resources: A guide to online information
Authors: DeLuca Lisa
Published: February 2018

This article highlights the breadth of freely available digital collections of presidential documents. These repositories are excellent resources for presidential, political science, history, and foreign relations research. From the resources listed in this article, librarians can choose multiple starting points for student and faculty research inquiries for primary and secondary sources that include handwritten documents by the founding fathers, interview transcriptions, digitized documents, and photographs, to name a few. This article does not contain public opinion, election, or media content sources, which are an important component of presidential research.
Julio Cortázar en el “Mariano Acosta”. Marcas biográficas de su formación
Authors: Ayuso María Luz , Pineau Pablo Luis
Published: February 2018

A partir de una investigación en el archivo histórico «Armenia Euredgian» de la Escuela Normal N.º 2 «Mariano Acosta» de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, nos proponemos desarrollar tres versiones de la relación entre el escritor Julio Cortázar y su formación como docente durante la década de 1930. Nuestra hipótesis de partida es que la historia de una institución debe ser comprendida en el doble marco dado por la historia de la educación y la historia general del país. Por eso, preguntarse acerca de cómo la historia de la escuela se entretejió con la historia de la educación y del país busca desplegar indicios acerca de distintas configuraciones de la cultura escolar producidas por los sujetos que la habitaron. La primera de esas versiones remite a la posición más explícita del autor, que denuncia a la formación recibida como «una máquina de fascistas». La Escuela Normal, para esa época era oficialmente reconocida como un elemento de irradiación cultural, enaltecida y respetada en su papel de formación de ciudadanos para la República; es descripta por Cortázar como «un inmenso camelo». A través de sus imágenes, denuncia el incumplimiento de la función del sistema educativo de formación de ciudadanos y hombres cultos. La segunda versión de escuela se monta sobre la primera, desplazándose hacia una versión onírica y siniestra representada principalmente a través del cuento «La escuela de noche». En palabras del propio Cortázar se trata de «hechos imaginarios que han sido escritos como un equivalente simbólico de una realidad». Con su relato, nos invita a pensar que en la supuesta normalidad de la «Escuela Normal» se esconden fantasmas  oscuros, en el contexto de un período de avance de posiciones autoritarias en el país y en su educación. Finalmente, una tercera versión permite presentar una escuela donde los sujetos se rebelan contra los modelos propuestos en las versiones anteriores y la inscriben en otras tradiciones políticas, culturales y pedagógicas más democráticas. Esta lectura se evidencia mayormente a través de las formas concretas en la que Cortázar habitó la escuela en sus años de estudiante, y más concretamente como director de la revista Addenda, publicación de su Centro de Estudiantes.
Los catálogos de material escolar como fuente de la historia de la educación matemática: el caso de los ábacos
Authors: Carrillo Gallego Dolores
Published: February 2018

En este trabajo se pretende estudiar el potencial que tienen los catálogos de material escolar como fuente para el estudio de la Historia de la Educación Matemática (HEM). En primer lugar, se describen algunas características de los catálogos de material escolar a tener en cuenta cuando se utilizan como fuente histórica. A continuación, se analiza cómo aparece en un conjunto de catálogos un material muy característico de la enseñanza de la aritmética: los ábacos. Para poder realizar ese análisis se dedica un apartado a caracterizar los ábacos escolares y su uso. Los aparatos ofertados en los catálogos se han caracterizado a partir de la descripción y las imágenes de los mismos. La existencia de series temporales en los documentos utilizados ha permitido valorar la estabilidad y el cambio en la oferta que se realizaba. Este análisis de los ábacos que aparecen en los catálogos nos permitirá valorar los catálogos como fuente para la HEM.
De la escuela aposento a la escuela “Presidente Trujillo”. Transformaciones espaciales y genealógicas en la escuela rural dominicana, 1844-1944
Authors: Alfonseca Giner de los Rìos Juan Bernardo
Published: February 2018

El tránsito histórico al que alude este escrito describe el proceso de formación del sistema de escolarización de masas moderno en la República Dominicana. Parcialmente pública en sus inicios republicanos, cuando emergió de la entraña del espacio domiciliar del profesorado, la educación provista por el Estado avanzaría lentamente hacia formas más plenas de libre acceso a la escuela. Entre las cuasi públicas escuelas-aposento de 1844 y las escuelas «Presidente Trujillo» de la dictadura dominicana nacidas en 1933, se verifica no sólo el progreso del acceso libre y gratuito del ciudadano a la enseñanza pública, sino la transformación profunda del espacio y las relaciones sociales que daban vida a la escuela.Este escrito analiza la gran transformación que comportó la eclosión de las escuelas «Presidente Trujillo», como modalidad escolar basada en el espacio aislado, de propiedad pública, al que podía gratuitamente acceder la población rural. Aunque focalizaremos el proceso de transformación del espacio escolar rural, nuestro principal interés analítico reside en la configuración y el cambio en las relaciones sociales entramadas por el desarrollo de la enseñanza pública, entendiendo por tales tanto las basadas en procesos de poder e interés derivados de la articulación entre poder público y estructuras sociales como las fundadas en la epistemología social que pretendió regularla durante el primer siglo de vida republicana de la sociedad dominicana (1844-1944)
La scuola di Barbiana. La felice esperienza scolastica di un prete, “obbedientissimo ribelle”
Authors: Betti Carmen
Published: February 2018

El análisis pretende poner de manifiesto la singularidad de la escuela realizada por don Milani, en un espacio perdido de la campiña toscana, en Barbiana, entre el 1958 y el 1967; una escuela configurada como un laboratorio pedagógico-didáctico de gran interés a escala nacional como internacional, que, sin embargo, ha suscitado múltiples críticas que aún hoy continúan. Tal experimento se benefició de una precedente experiencia de educación popular en San Donato de Calenzano, próximo a Prato, entre 1947 y 1954
Democracia, renovación pedagógica y territorio rural: la escuela agrícola comarcal valenciana “La Serranía”
Authors: Agulló Díaz Mª Carmen , Paya Rico Andres
Published: February 2018

El surgimiento en Francia de las Maisons familiales d’apprentissage rural en los años 30 del siglo xx supuso la incorporación de la pedagogía activa y la cogestión a la formación profesional agrícola. Esta propuesta guiará las experiencias cooperativistas de las Escuelas Agrícolas Comarcales valencianas que se crearán en España en los últimos años de la dictadura franquista y se desarrollarán durante la transición política hacia la democracia, para dar respuesta a la demanda de una mejor formación y capitalización cultural del campo. Entre ellas cabe ubicar la existente en la población rural de Chulilla (Valencia), de la que nos ocupamos en el presente artículo y que ensayó acciones educativas de gestión democrática y renovación pedagógica. El análisis y estudio de esta breve pero significativa experiencia de la historia de la educación valenciana, nos muestra cómo una comunidad educativa puede construir una escuela crítica practicando la libertad y, de manera simultánea, mantener sus raíces. Recurriendo a las fuentes orales, hemos podido recuperar de la memoria de sus protagonistas, una parte de la historia de esta iniciativa cooperativa de educación rural, analizando tanto los presupuestos pedagógicos en los que se fundamentaba (metodología activa, alternancia, cogestión, democracia, formación integral, etc.), como su desarrollo en la práctica cotidiana.
La escuela primaria rural en Italia entre los siglos XIX y XX
Authors: Montecchi Luca
Published: February 2018

El artículo tiene como objetivo explicar el desarrollo histórico de la educación primaria impartida a los jóvenes campesinos italianos entre la Unificación nacional y la caída del Fascismo (1861-1943). En particular, pretende destacar las continuidades y los cambios en las políticas escolares promulgadas por el Gobierno Italiano en relación con las escuelas rurales, analizando —desde un punto de vista institucional— la evolución de la legislación y la historia de las instituciones estatales y privadas que fueron encargadas de organizar las escuelas para los jóvenes campesinos entre los siglos XIX y XX
Los inicios de la educación teatral superior en España. Primeras formulaciones y experiencias
Authors: Vieites García Manuel Francisco , Solveira Díaz Ricardo
Published: February 2018

Coincidiendo con la presentación de informes sobre la necesidad de un sistema nacional de educación, a partir de la segunda mitad del sigloXVIII y hasta los primeros años del xix, se suceden en España propuestas orientadas a crear un estado de opinión favorable a la formación reglada de los profesionales de la escena, y se desarrollan iniciativas para crear centros de formación, en no pocos casos como parte substantiva de informes y memorias que buscaban el arreglo de los teatros. Todo ello habría de contribuir a legitimar los oficios de la escena, pero también la imagen pública de los comediantes, en tanto el teatro se convierte para los ilustrados en instrumento de educación popular. Con este trabajo, elaborado a partir de una revisión de la literatura disponible y asentado en el análisis de lo que ya se configura como cultura científica y cultura normativa en educación teatral, ofrecemos una panorámica de lo que fue la articulación de lo que cabe entender como razón educativa aplicada a los oficios de la escena y consideramos algunas realizaciones empíricas.
EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP: ERNEST SIMON’S IDEALS OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY AND CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION IN ENGLAND, 1934-1944
Authors: Ku Hsiao-Yuh
Published: February 2018

En 1934, con los crecientes desafíos a la democracia por parte de naciones totalitarias como Alemania e Italia, Sir Ernest Simon (1879-1960), un industrial británico y exdiputado liberal, fundó la Asociación para la Educación en Ciudadanía (AEC) para propugnar la reforma de la educación para la ciudadanía con el fin de cultivar la ciudadanía democrática. Los esfuerzos de Simon y su enfoque característico de la educación para la ciudadanía, que presentaba diferencias con respeto al de sus contemporáneos como Fred Clarke, R. H. Tawney y Richard Livingstone, ha sido tratada y reconocida por los historiadores. Aun así, pocos historiadores han intentado captar los ideales de democracia liberal de Simon y cómo se reflejaron en su visión de la educación para la ciudadanía. Debido a esta falta de vinculación entre los ideales democráticos de Simon y su visión de la educación para la ciudadanía, la bibliografía existente no sólo fracasa al explicar de qué manera el acercamiento de Simon a ciudadanía fue «liberal», sino que también interpreta erróneamente las ideas de Simon sobre la ciudadanía democrática y su campaña por una nueva educación para la ciudadanía. En vista de esto, el presente escrito explora la visión de Simon de la ciudadanía democrática y su campaña por una nueva educación para ciudadanía en relación a sus ideales de democracia liberal con el fin de ofrecer una mejor compresión del enfoque de Simon a la educación para la ciudadanía. El artículo, además, ayudará a arrojar luz sobre el desarrollo de la educación para la ciudadanía en la Inglaterra del siglo XX
La costilla de Adán. Mujeres, educación y escritura en el Renacimiento
Authors: Grana Gil Isabel
Published: February 2018

Reseña del libro de Antonella Cagnolati, La costilla de Adán. Mujeres, educación y escritura en el Renacimiento.
Entre lo público y lo doméstico. Capacitación profesional de las mujeres rurales en España (1940-1970)
Authors: Grana Gil Isabel
Published: February 2018

Reseña del libro de Sara Ramos Zamora (ed.), Entre lo público y lo doméstico. Capacitación profesional de las mujeres rurales en España (1940-1970).