bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling tourism demand volatility using a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model for Victoria Falls Rainforest arrivals in Zimbabwe
Authors: Makoni Tendai , Chikobvu Delson
Published: August 2018

Accurate tourism volatility forecasts for popular tourist destinations, like the Victoria Falls Rainforest, are vital to tourism destination managers and policymakers. The Victoria Falls Rainforest in Zimbabwe is under the town of Victoria Falls and is one of the natural wonders of the world. The rainforest has many exceptional plant species not common in the region and hence attracts many tourists. Financial, political and economic environments differently affect the Zimbabwean tourism industry, as evidenced by large tourist arrival fluctuations. Previous research focused more on tourism determinants than tourism volatilities. Researchers noted political instability and exchange rates as the major Zimbabwean tourism determinants. Estimates of the Victoria Falls Rainforest tourist arrival volatilities are projected using the monthly tourist arrival figures from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. The first difference of logarithmic transformed series is stationary. The univariate SARIMA(2,1,0)(2,0,0)12-ARCH(1) model fits extremely well and provides an informative out-of-sample volatility forecast because it captures tourism volatility effects, dynamics and non-linearity of conditional variances. The results indicate that positive tourism shocks affect tourist arrival volatility positively. Volatility estimates indicated minimal uncertainty in the first half of the forecasted year and then became constant throughout the year. This encourages the continuation of the implementation of new favourable policies and marketing strategies by the government and tourism destination managers to keep the destination distinctive and attractive. The New Zimbabwe political dispensation is likely to enhance investment opportunities at the Victoria Falls Rainforest as a destination because of minimal uncertainties exhibited by volatility forecasts. Potential employment creation, improved economic environment and other positives are some of the expectations from the model results.
On Intrinsic Quadrics
Authors: Fahrner Anne , Hausen Jürgen
Published: August 2018

An intrinsic quadric is a normal projective variety with a Cox ring defined by a single quadratic relation. We provide explicit descriptions of these varieties in the smooth case for small Picard numbers. As applications, we figure out in this setting the Fano examples and (affirmatively) test Fujita’s freeness conjecture.
Киральные следовые соотношения в $\mathcal N=2^*$ суперсимметричных калибровочных теориях
Authors: Fachechi Alberto , Macorini Guido , Beccaria Matteo
Published: August 2018

Проведен анализ кирального кольца в $\Omega$-деформированных $\mathcal N=2^*$ суперсимметричных калибровочных теориях. С применением метода локализации выведены в замкнутом виде тождества для вакуумных средних киральных операторов следа. Для задания киральных операторов следа и системы локальных интегралов движения в соответствующей двумерной конформной теории поля в $SU(2)$-случае использован подход Алдая-Гайотто-Тачикавы. В рамках этого подхода предсказаны некоторые универсальные члены, появляющиеся в киральных следовых тождествах.
Development and Control of Active Suspension System with Energy Regeneration Implementation Scheme
Authors: Thiyagarajan J. , Sathishkumar P. , Arivarasan J. , Rajeshkumar S. , Rajalakshmi T.S.
Published: August 2018

Active suspension systems have been used in the recent years as they provide better ride comfort, road handling and safety. The effect of vehicle vibration caused by road roughness is effectively reduced by active suspension system which plays an important role in improving the vehicle performance indices. The application of active suspension system is limited because it consumes high amount of energy. From the point of energy saving, a regenerative active suspension system is designed and its working principle with two modes switched in different conditions was implemented. In this implementation scheme, operating electric circuits are designed based on different working status of the actuator and power source. In the first stage an electromotor mode in which an active suspension system uses a linear electric actuator controlled by constrained PID controller. In the generator mode, under certain circumstances using linear motor as actuators enables to transform mechanical energy of the car vibrations to electrical energy and accumulated to charge the energy-storage capacitor and fed back into the power source when needed.
A Review on Dynamic Analysis of Rail Vehicle Coach
Authors: Palli S. , Koona R. , Sharma S.K. , Sharma R.C.
Published: August 2018

Railway vehicle is one of the rigorously developing passenger and goods carrier in the past few centuries. Dynamic behaviour of the railway coach is a vital aspect in its design and also in terms of passenger safety and ride comfort. Dynamic response includes both deterministic and probabilistic analyses. Modal, harmonic and transient dynamic analysis is part of deterministic analyses, whereas random response using spectrum methods and power spectral density (PSD) is a probabilistic approach. This paper is an attempt to cover various modelling and simulation methods of the railway bogie and coach adopted by various researchers to understand the dynamic behaviour of the railway coach. Further, the research findings of various dynamic parameters obtained theoretically and practically against different inputs like sinusoidal and random inputs to the car body have been discussed. This forms a basis in understanding the development of railway coach design when one is interested in carrying out free and forced vibration analysis on the coach, as well as assists to optimize various design parameters of components like bogie, car body and suspension elements in terms of vehicle dynamics.
Digital Governance of Education
Authors: Landri Paolo
Published: August 2018

Digital Governance of Education explores the multiple ways in which digital technologies are changing the experience of education. With much contemporary education practice either taking place or being documented digitally, a huge amount of data is constantly being collected and analysed to give sophisticated and up-to-date accounts of education practice in contemporary societies. Such ‘datafication’ of education, mediated through technology, gives rise to what the author defines as ‘digital governance’ of education – a transnational assemblage of people, technologies and policies that increasingly affects how national education systems are organized and managed.
Aerosol as a potential factor to control the increasing torrential rain events in urban areas over the last decades
Authors: Lee Seoung Soo , Kim Byung-Gon , Li Zhanqing , Choi Yong-Sang , Jung Chang-Hoon , Um Junshik , Mok Jungbin , Seo Kyong-Hwan
Published: August 2018

Abstract. This study examines the role played by aerosol in torrential rain that occurred in the Seoul area, which is a conurbation area where urbanization has been rapid in the last few decades, using cloud-system-resolving model (CSRM) simulations. The model results show that the spatial variability in aerosol concentrations causes the inhomogeneity of the spatial distribution of evaporative cooling and the intensity of associated outflow around the surface. This inhomogeneity generates a strong convergence field in which torrential rain forms. With the increases in the variability in aerosol concentrations, the occurrence of torrential rain increases. This study finds that the effects of the increases in the variability play a much more important role in the increases in torrential rain than the much-studied effects of the increases in aerosol loading. Results in this study demonstrate that for a better understanding of extreme weather events such as torrential rain in urban areas, not only changing aerosol loading but also changing aerosol spatial distribution since industrialization should be considered in aerosol–precipitation interactions.
Marine microorganisms as amber inclusions: insights from coastal forests of New Caledonia
Authors: Schmidt Alexander R. , Grabow Dennis , Beimforde Christina , Perrichot Vincent , Rikkinen Jouko , Saint Martin Simona , Thiel Volker , Seyfullah Leyla J.
Published: August 2018

Abstract. Marine microorganisms trapped in amber are
extremely rare in the fossil record, and the few existing inclusions
recovered so far originate from very few pieces of Cretaceous amber from
France. Marine macroscopic inclusions are also very rare and were recently
described from Cretaceous Burmese amber and Early Miocene Mexican amber.
Whereas a coastal setting for the amber source forests is generally proposed,
different scenarios have been suggested to explain how these marine
inclusions can become trapped in a resin of terrestrial origin. These
scenarios include an introduction of marine organisms (i) through high tides,
(ii) from storms and resulting in flooding of the littoral/estuarine forest
floor, (iii) in resin dropped into the sea in mangrove-type settings, or
(iv) by wind and sea spray. We investigated the possibility of a wind-driven
introduction of marine microorganisms into tree resins using modern coastal
conifer forests with the highly resinous Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris) in New Caledonia as a model for the Cretaceous amber forests
from France. By exposing fresh resin surfaces on the seaward side of the
trees and the collection of older in situ resins, we confirmed that marine
microorganisms can become trapped on sea-exposed resin, along with remnants
from terrestrial organisms, and salt crystals. We suggest that, for cases
where only a few marine inclusions are discovered in an amber deposit, an
origin from aeolian background deposition is feasible. However, a more
energetic but possibly still aeolian event is likely needed to explain the
high numbers of marine microorganisms embedded in pieces of Cretaceous amber
from France.
Incremental model breakdown to assess the multi-hypotheses problem
Authors: Jehn Florian U. , Breuer Lutz , Houska Tobias , Bestian Konrad , Kraft Philipp
Published: August 2018

Abstract. The ambiguous representation of hydrological processes has led to the
formulation of the multiple hypotheses approach in hydrological modeling,
which requires new ways of model construction. However, most recent studies
focus only on the comparison of predefined model structures or building a
model step by step. This study tackles the problem the other way around: we
start with one complex model structure, which includes all processes deemed
to be important for the catchment. Next, we create 13 additional simplified
models, where some of the processes from the starting structure are disabled.
The performance of those models is evaluated using three objective functions
(logarithmic Nash–Sutcliffe; percentage bias, PBIAS; and the ratio between the root mean
square error and the standard deviation of the measured data). Through this
incremental breakdown, we identify the most important processes and detect
the restraining ones. This procedure allows constructing a more streamlined,
subsequent 15th model with improved model performance, less uncertainty and
higher model efficiency. We benchmark the original Model 1 and the final
Model 15 with HBV Light. The final model is not able to outperform HBV Light,
but we find that the incremental model breakdown leads to a structure with
good model performance, fewer but more relevant processes and fewer model
parameters.
Combining temporal 3-D remote sensing data with spatial rockfall simulations for improved understanding of hazardous slopes within rail corridors
Authors: van Veen Megan , Hutchinson D. Jean , Bonneau David A. , Sala Zac , Ondercin Matthew , Lato Matt
Published: August 2018

Abstract. Remote sensing techniques can be used to gain a more detailed understanding
of hazardous rock slopes along railway corridors that would otherwise be
inaccessible. Multiple datasets can be used to identify changes over time,
creating an inventory of events to produce magnitude–frequency relationships
for rockfalls sourced on the slope. This study presents a method for using
the remotely sensed data to develop inputs to rockfall simulations, including
rockfall source locations and slope material parameters, which can be used to
determine the likelihood of a rockfall impacting the railway tracks given its
source zone location and volume. The results of the simulations can be
related to the rockfall inventory to develop modified magnitude–frequency
curves presenting a more realistic estimate of the hazard. These methods were
developed using the RockyFor3D software and lidar and photogrammetry data
collected over several years at White Canyon, British Columbia, Canada,
where the Canadian National (CN) Rail main line runs along the base of the slope. Rockfalls
sourced closer to the tracks were more likely to be deposited on the track or
in the ditch, and of these, rockfalls between 0.1 and 10 m3 were
the most likely to be deposited. Smaller blocks did not travel far enough to
reach the bottom of the slope and larger blocks were deposited past the
tracks. Applying the results of the simulations to a database of over 2000
rockfall events, a modified magnitude–frequency can be created, allowing the
frequency of rockfalls deposited on the railway tracks or in ditches to be
determined. Suggestions are made for future development of the methods
including refinement of input parameters and extension to other modelling
packages.
What can seabirds tell us about the tide?
Authors: Cooper Matthew , Bishop Charles , Lewis Matthew , Bowers David , Bolton Mark , Owen Ellie , Dodd Stephen
Published: August 2018

Abstract. Small GPS trackers are now routinely used to study the movement and behaviour of birds at sea. If the birds rest on the water they become drifters of opportunity and can be used to give information about surface currents. In this paper, we use a small data set from satellite-tracked razorbills (Alca torda) in the Irish Sea to test the potential of this idea for measuring tidal streams. Razorbills regularly rest on the sea overnight and their tracks at this time are consistent with them drifting with the tidal flows and changing direction as the flood turns to ebb. Data from four years (2011–2014 inclusive) have been binned in a geographical grid and analysed to give the variation of current speed over a mean tidal cycle in each grid element. A map of maximum current speed is consistent with a numerical model of the tidal currents in the region. The root-mean-square difference between observed maximum speed and that predicted by the model is 0.15 m s−1, about 15 % of typical current speeds in the area. The divergence between bird-track speed and model prediction increases in regions of fastest tidal streams. The method clearly has its limitations, but the results of this study show that tagged birds resting on the sea have great potential for providing relatively inexpensive quantitative information about surface tidal currents over an extended geographical area.
Diversidad y televisión en Argentina: el caso del Programa Polos Audiovisuales Tecnológicos
Authors: Albornoz Luis A. , Cañedo Azahara
Published: August 2018

Este artículo describe y analiza el Programa Polos Audiovisuales Tecnológicos (PPAT), implementado en la Argentina entre 2010 y 2015. La iniciativa formó parte de la política pública de la Administración Fernández de Kirchner que tuvo por finalidad impulsar una industria televisiva que reflejase la diversidad cultural de este país. A partir de la división del territorio en nueve polos audiovisuales tecnológicos, en los cuales las universidades públicas nacionales tuvieron un papel protagónico, se desarrollaron sucesivas fases de producción de contenidos. El texto analiza la diversidad de fuentes y de géneros/subgéneros televisivos considerando 18 temporadas producidas para televisión; asimismo se examina la restricta comercialización de los contenidos elaborados. A modo de cierre se expresan unas breves reflexiones sobre esta iniciativa que intentó dar respuesta a un histórico problema: la elevada concentración geográfica de la producción de contenidos televisivos en la ciudad de Buenos Aires.
¿Cómo mapear la diversidad de la industria audiovisual en la era digital? Notas metodológicas
Authors: García Leiva Mª Trinidad
Published: August 2018

Se presenta una propuesta metodológica para mapear la diversidad de la industria audiovisual digital, prestando especial atención tanto a los poderosos intermediarios como a los pequeños y medianos agentes independientes, a partir de retratar las redes de interacción más importantes entre los agentes que crean, producen, distribuyen, difunden y/o exhiben audiovisual en internet. Se propone partir de una concepción amplia del análisis de redes para contribuir a la comprensión de la estructura de la industria audiovisual en internet, de forma tal que, a partir de un sector dado, se preste atención a los actores sociales, las relaciones que se establecen entre ellos y las redes a las que dan lugar, así como a los condicionantes estructurales en los que operan. La idea es responder a qué es mapear, qué interesa mapear, cómo se puede hacerlo y qué fortalezas y debilidades presentarán los resultados.
Cines nacionales y lenguas no hegemónicas. La invisibilidad del gallego frente a las políticas de diversidad cultural
Authors: Roca Baamonde Silvia , Pérez Pereiro Marta , Rodríguez Vázquez Ana Isabel
Published: August 2018

En línea con los postulados de la Agenda 2020 respecto al rol estructural del cine en la configuración de la(s) identidad(es) europea(s), el artículo destaca la trascendencia de las cinematografías nacionales en lenguas no hegemónicas en la consecución de una cultura europea diversa. Desde esta perspectiva, se asume el estudio de caso del cine en Galicia, y se analiza la presencia (o, para ser más exactos, la ausencia) de la versión original gallega en los largometrajes cinematográficos estrenados entre 2008 y 2012. La propuesta surge al abrigo del proyecto de I+D+i “Hacia el Espacio Digital Europeo. El papel de las cinematografías pequeñas en versión original” (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Ref. CSO2012- 35784).
El movimiento estudiantil 2011 en la prensa chilena. ¿Pluralismo en la prensa digital?
Authors: Nitrihual Valdebenito Luis , López Dietz Sandra , Mayorga Rojel Javier , Nitrihual Valdebenito Carlos
Published: August 2018

Este artículo presenta resultados de dos proyectos de investigación que exploraron la cobertura del movimiento estudiantil 2011 realizada por dos cadenas de diarios de Chile: El Mercurio S.A.P y Diarios Mi Voz, en tres regiones del país. Dichas cadenas de medios corresponden a prensa impresa y digital, respectivamente. En las investigaciones se analizaron informaciones y fotografías que permitieron establecer transformaciones en las prácticas periodísticas así como similitudes en las formas de representar al movimiento estudiantil.
“Periodismo ciudadano”, ¿un nuevo fenómeno de periodismo?
Authors: Sánchez-Guijaldo Pintor María Paz
Published: August 2018

El siglo XXI, caracterizado por el mundo digital y los nuevos cambios sociales, permite que la ciudadanía adopte un papel activo en la comunicación social, generando a su vez nuevas formas de informar tanto por medios de comunicación como por medios virtuales. Esta novedad junto con la pérdida de credibilidad de los medios de comunicación tradicionales ha generado la aparición del “periodismo ciudadano”, denominando así a cualquier ciudadano que produce y difunde información. Este fenómeno está experimentando un gran auge por la interactividad que ofrece las nuevas tecnologías, insertándose así en un ámbito que compete al periodista profesional. Por lo tanto, es interesante ahondar en el ”periodismo ciudadano” para saber si dispone o no de legitimidad, y de ciertas competencias que corresponden a un periodismo profesional.
PROCESSO ÂNIMA: A IMAGINAÇÃO MATERIAL E A DESCOBERTA DA ANCESTRALIDADE
Authors: Haderchpek Robson Carlos , Da Silva José Ricardo Roberto
Published: August 2018

Este artigo é resultado da Pesquisa de Iniciação Cientifica “A Imaginação Material e a Poética dos Elementos” realizada na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) com financiamento do PIBIC-CNPQ. A pesquisa que tomou como referência o Processo Ânima do Arkhétypos Grupo de Teatro colocou o discente pesquisador em contato com as suas raízes ancestrais indígenas e permitiu que este re-significasse o processo de criação a partir de imagens arquetípicas. O grupo trabalha numa perspectiva laboratorial (GROTOWSKI, 2011), inspirada no treinamento psicofísico do ator e na “dramaturgia dos encontros” (HARDERCHPEK, 2015). A pesquisa de caráter prático-reflexivo colocou o ator-pesquisador como participante criador da cena e da dramaturgia e permitiu que este entrasse em contato com sua ancestralidade.
TRILHAS DE UM PROCESSO DE CRIAÇÃO ENTRE COMICIDADES AMERÍNDIAS DA AMAZÔNIA
Authors: Flores Andréa Bentes , Lima Wladilene De Sousa
Published: August 2018

Este artigo é uma cartografia de invenções poéticas acerca do riso ameríndio, acionadas no processo de criação de Curupirá, poética cênica em desenvolvimento enquanto pesquisa acerca de comicidades da Amazônia de floresta profunda. Escrito entre o que denomino de trilhas, convida o leitor a criar uma ordem própria de leitura, no desordenamento da escrita, enquanto cria para si uma configuração possível do caminho incerto por onde tenho seguido em pesquisa e criação. O artigo discute a comicidade presente nos mitos ameríndios, a partir de Makunaima, e tece compreensões acerca do comportamento traquino, cômico, de seres espirituais da floresta, presente também no cotidiano das comunidades, traçando linhas acerca do imbricamento, presente no pensamento ameríndio, entre humano e animal. Atravessa, ainda, a noção inventada de Makunaimação enquanto ato de torção operado pelas comicidades ameríndias, poeticamente acionado em Curupirá. Inconcluso, o artigo encerra com uma imagem de diário de bordo, deixando ao leitor apenas provocações de pensamentos que reverberem para além da escrita.
FRAGMENTOS DA HISTÓRIA DA RÁDIO E DA TV BRASILEIRA A PARTIR DO OLHAR DA ATRIZ GOIANA CICI PINHEIRO
Authors: Ramaldes Karine
Published: August 2018

Neste estudo, a partir dos relatos da atriz goiana Cici Pinheiro, reflito sobre parte da história regional do teatro goiano relacionando-a com alguns fatos históricos da rádio e TV brasileira. O objetivo é apontar de que modo a história do teatro goiano está interconectada com a história nacional do teatro brasileiro. A metodologia se apoia na análise documental bibliográfica e memorialística, tendo em vista que o sujeito principal da investigação já não está mais vivo.
O OLHAR DA ONÇA: PERCURSOS DA EXPERIÊNCIA
Authors: Figueiredo Andreia Duarte
Published: August 2018

A presente escrita busca traçar uma metodologia de pensamento em uma pesquisa na Arte da Cena, no intuito de convidar para a reflexão sobre a possibilidade que envolve a relação entre a questão indígena e o teatro. Para isso, apresenta um percurso que se deu durante 18 anos, a partir da noção de invisibilidade, da vivência por cinco anos na aldeia Kamayura e na insistência de uma prática atoral que procurou entender: como criar procedimentos de atuação a partir da corporeidade indígena e o que sublinhar do contexto dos povos originários em um espetáculo teatral? É relevante dizer que conceitos como corporeidade e colonização estiveram presentes e ajudaram a construir um teatro poético-político que busca tomar posição e resistir enquanto oportunidade. Nesta conjuntura conceitual e da prática, também no diálogo com o saber Kamayura, com líderes do movimento indígena, na discussão da performatividade e sobre a noção de experiência que passo a descrever o percurso de um não-método-método, que assenta para o teatro a abrangência que a conexão étnica pode proporcionar.
SDHB mutated paraganglioma imitating thyroid tumor: A case report and review of literature
Authors: Maskoliunaite Vygante , Makunaite Gabija , Garnelyte Ausra , Abraitiene Agne , Beisa Virgilijus
Published: August 2018

Paragangliomas of the head and neck are uncommon tumors arising from parasympathetic ganglia. Paragangliomas are mostly asymptomatic and may manifest as palpable mass of neck. The morphologic features are non-specific and comparable to the other neuroendocrine tumors. Most of hereditary cases are associated with alterations in genes of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). SDHA and SDHB immunohistochemistry is considered as reliable screening method to detect tumors with genetical alterations. Of note, SDHB mutated paragangliomas have the highest risk of local recurrence, distant metastasis and the development of other tumor phenotypes, which are associated with mutation. Therefore, active surveillance of patients and early surgical treatment are essential. In contrast, SDHB mutated head and neck paragangliomas was considered as completely benign tumors, although, the latest literature describes more controversial cases, which may increase awareness. Here, we present a rare case of 21 years old female with asymptomatic neck paraganglioma, which was unexpectedly diagnosed after pathological and immunohistochemical testing of removed thyroid gland and showed unusual immunohistochemical variation for SDH mutation.
Investigating the Effectiveness of Media Research on Noticing Media Effects: A Multiple Case Study
Authors: Kartal Osman Yılmaz
Published: August 2018

Pre-school education is carried out during a developmental period in which children are vulnerable and dependent oncognitive and affective aspects. In this period, the media is being used at a remarkable level in the formal andinformal educational life of children. As a result of their interactions with the media, children are exposed to bothpositive and negative impositions of the media. Teachers are one of the stakeholders with professionalresponsibilities that should support children in the face of media impositions. Teachers need to have a high level ofawareness of the influence of the media. In the study, the effectiveness of media research on the level of awareness ofpreschool teachers' media influence is examined. The study was carried out with multiple case studies. Differentmedia researches were conducted on 6 different cases. Pre-school prospective teachers who conduct media researchstate that media research is quite effective in recognizing the media effect. They emphasize that media should beused consciously in pre-school education practices and media should not be used without conducting mediaresearches.
The Effect of Flipped Classroom on the Academic Achievement and Attitude of Higher Education Students
Authors: Saglam Duygu , Arslan Ali
Published: August 2018

This study aims to search the effect of flipped classroom on students’ learning a new grammar structure and theirattitudes towards the English course. The study was carried out for 6 weeks with 56 students studying in fivedifferent preparatory classes at a black sea region university’s foreign languages school in the fall term of 2015-2016academic year. The design of the study was ‘non-equivalent control group design’ which is one ofquasi-experimental designs. Data were gathered with help of an achievement test and an attitude scale. Flippedclassroom model was applied in the experimental group while traditional instruction was applied in the control group.At the end of the study, it was concluded that flipped classroom had medium effect on students’ academicachievements and attitudes comparing to traditional instruction.
Change Management Strategies in Policies and Reforms and Administrative Functions Competence in Delta State Colleges of Education
Authors: Anho Joseph Efe
Published: August 2018

This research change management strategies and administrative functions competence, used the expo-facto researchdesign of the survey method. The population of the study was made up of the 865 lecturers in the Delta StateColleges of Education in the 2015/216 academic session. The study used the stratified random sampling technique tosample 120 lecturers. The questionnaire tagged “Change Management Strategies and Administrative FunctionCompetence” (CAMSAFC) was the main instrument used. It was validated by expert judgement and tested forreliability using the split-half method and Pearson Moment Correlation co-efficient statistics to obtain a reliabilityindex of 0.75, from 20 respondents of the College of Education, Ekiadalor, Edo State. The results/data from the fourresearch questions were presented and analyzed on a table using the mean scores and standard deviation with theacceptance mean rating at 2.50 and above. The only hypothesis raised was tested using the t-test statistics forsignificant difference in the perception of respondents at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that staffand students personnel services, curriculum and instruction, school community relations, school finance, school plant,are the main administrative functions that experience change frequently and that change management strategiescommonly used includes; articulation of problems to be solved with change, collaborative approach in plan andimplementing change, among others. The findings also revealed that there is no significant difference in theperception of respondents when experience is considered.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for English Language and Literature Studies, Vol. 8, No. 3
Authors: Ding Alice
Published: August 2018

Reviewer Acknowledgements for English Language and Literature Studies, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2018.
Education and Bureaucracy
Authors: Skipper Robert Boyd ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: August 2018

I argue that bureaucracies, as described by Max Weber, have essential characteristics that clash with basic educational values. On the one hand, bureaucracies, because of their divisions of labor, inevitably narrow all those who participate. Bureaucracies also, because of the need for impartiality, inevitably dehumanize all who participate. On the other hand, education aims to broaden and humanize those who participate in it. This tension between bureaucracy and education makes bureaucracy an unsuitable mechanism for delivering an education. Bureaucracies are often the best ways to accomplish large tasks involving many people; however, the task of educating all humanity is not one of those tasks. Problems in education can only be exacerbated by “fixing” the bureaucracy, because efficiency, the greatest bureaucratic virtue, is harmful to education. While I offer no solution, I share some thoughts about how a humanizing, broadening, and suitably inefficient education might look.
Conforto térmico de vacas leiteiras mestiças durante a inseminação e a relação com a taxa de concepção
Authors: Hooper Henrique Barbosa , Salomão Daniela De Oliveira Santana , Ayres Gustavo Ferreira , Titto Cristiane Gonçalves , Santos Ricarda Maria dos , Nascimento Mara Regina Bueno de Mattos
Published: August 2018

Avaliou-se o conforto térmico de vacas leiteiras mestiças, anteriormente à inseminação artificial, e a relação com a taxa de concepção. Este estudo foi realizado em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, região caracterizada por invernos secos e verões chuvosos, utilizando 112 vacas leiteiras mestiças, cuja composição genética envolvia as raças Holandesa, Gir, Jersey e Pardo Suíça. Os parâmetros fisiológicos, frequência respiratória e temperatura retal foram mensurados previamente à inseminação artificial, juntamente com os parâmetros ambientais,  temperatura, umidade do ar e velocidade do vento. A temperaturamínima e a umidade relativa foram maiores no verão do que no inverno. Já a amplitude térmica foi menor no verão em relação ao inverno (p ˂ 0,05). As temperaturas média e máxima do ar, ITU (índice de temperatura e umidade) e ITE (índice de temperatura equivalente) não diferiram entre as estações (p ˃ 0,05). Observou-se uma tendênciade maior taxa de concepção quando as inseminações foram realizadas no ITU ≤ 72 (p = 0,06). Conclui-se que o momento em que foram realizadas as inseminações artificiais contribuiu para que os animais estivessem em  conforto térmico e, portanto, não foi observado prejuízo na taxa de concepção das vacas leiteiras mestiças.
Bem-estar durante o período gestacional de ovelhas: uma breve revisão
Authors: Hooper Henrique Barbosa , Henrique Fábio Luís , Rodríguez Lina Fernanda Pulido , Titto Cristiane Gonçalves
Published: August 2018

Nesta revisão, objetiva-se abordar práticas e cuidados relacionados ao bem-estar de ovelhas durante a gestação em suas fases distintas. O bem-estar tem sido foco de estudos em diversas áreas na ovinocultura, mas pouco se tem discutido a respeito de boas práticas durante o período gestacional. A gestação é um ponto-chave para produtividade e rentabilidade da ovinocultura, e os bons cuidados neste período podem evitar problemas futuros. Dessa forma, são abordados aspectos principais do comportamento ovino, pontos relacionados à reprodução, gestação e relação materno-filial. Também são discutidos os impactos do estresse pré-natal nas funções fisiológicas, neuroendócrinas, reprodutivas e de desempenho dos cordeiros. Estas considerações permitirão o melhor entendimento do bem-estar positivo das ovelhas gestantes por meio de aspectos nutricionais, ambientais e de manejo que favorecem a gestação, o parto e o nascimento de cordeiros saudáveis.
Quantitative color profiling of digital images with earth mover's distance using the R package colordistance
Authors: Weller Hannah , Westneat Mark
Published: August 2018

Biological color may be adaptive or incidental, seasonal or permanent, species- or population-specific, or modified for breeding, defense or camouflage. Although color is a hugely informative aspect of biology, quantitative color comparisons are notoriously difficult. Color comparison is limited by categorization methods, with available tools requiring either subjective classifications, or expensive equipment, software, and expertise. We present an R package for processing images of organisms (or other objects) in order to quantify color profiles, gather color trait data, and compare color palettes on the basis of color similarity and amount. The package treats image pixels as 3D coordinates in a “color space", producing a multidimensional color histogram for each image. Pairwise distances between histograms are computed using earth mover's distance, a technique borrowed from computer vision that compares histograms using transportation costs. Users choose a color space, parameters for generating color histograms, and a pairwise comparison method to produce a color distance matrix for a set of images. The package is intended as a more rigorous alternative to subjective, manual digital image analyses, not as a replacement for more advanced techniques that rely on detailed spectrophotometry methods unavailable to many users. Here, we outline the basic functions colordistance, provide guidelines for the available color spaces and quantification methods, and compare this toolkit with other available methods. The tools presented for quantitative color analysis may be applied to a broad range of questions in biology and other disciplines.
Hominin evolution was caused by introgression from Gorilla
Authors: Nygren Johan
Published: August 2018

ABSTRACT: The discovery of Paranthropus deyiremeda in 3.3–3.5 million year old fossil sites in Afar, together with 30% of the gorilla genome showing lineage sorting between humans and chimpanzees, and a NUMT (“nuclear mitochondrial DNA segment”) on chromosome 5 that is shared by both gorillas, humans and chimpanzees, and shown to have diverged at the time of the Pan-Homo split rather than the Gorilla/Pan-Homo split, provides conclusive evidence that introgression from the gorilla lineage caused the Pan-Homo split, and the speciation of both the Australopithecus lineage and the Paranthropus lineage.
Variant analysis of RNA sequences in severe equine asthma
Authors: Tessier Laurence , Côté Olivier , Bienzle Dorothee
Published: August 2018

Background. Severe equine asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lung in horses similar to low-Th2 late-onset asthma in humans. This study aimed to determine the utility of RNA-Seq to call gene sequence variants, and to identify sequence variants or potential relevance to the pathogenesis of asthma. Methods. RNA-Seq data were generated from endobronchial biopsies collected from 6 asthmatic and 7 non-asthmatic horses before and after challenge (26 samples total). Sequences were aligned to the equine genome with Spliced Transcripts Alignment to Reference software. Read preparation for sequence variant calling was performed with Picard tools and Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK). Sequence variants were called and filtered using GATK and Ensembl Variant Effect Predictor (VEP) tools, and two RNA-Seq predicted sequence variants were investigated with both PCR and Sanger sequencing. Supplementary analysis of novel sequence variant selection with VEP was based on a score of <0.01 predicted with Sorting Intolerant From Tolerant (SIFT) software, missense nature, location within the protein coding sequence and presence in all asthmatic individuals. For select variants, effect on protein function was assessed with Polymorphism Phenotyping (PolyPhen) 2 and Screening for Non-Acceptable Polymorphism (SNAP) 2 software. Sequences were aligned and 3D protein structures predicted with Geneious software. Difference in allele frequency between the groups was assessed using a Pearson's Chi-squared test with Yates' continuity correction, and difference in genotype frequency was calculated using the Fisher's exact test for count data. Results. RNA-Seq variant calling and filtering correctly identified substitution variants in PACRG and RTTN. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the PACRG substitution was appropriately identified in all 26 samples while the RTTN substitution was identified correctly in 24 of 26 samples. These variants of uncertain significance had substitutions that were predicted to result in loss of function and to be non-neutral. Amino acid substitutions projected no change of hydrophobicity and isoelectric point in PACRG, and a change in both for RTTN. For PACRG, no difference in allele frequency between the two groups was detected but a higher proportion of asthmatic horses had the altered RTTN allele compared to non-asthmatic animals. Discussion. RNA-Seq was sensitive and specific for calling gene sequence variants in this disease model. Even moderate coverage (<10-20 cpm) yielded correct identification in 92% of samples, suggesting RNA-Seq may be suitable to detect sequence variants in low coverage samples. The impact of amino acid alterations in PACRG and RTTN proteins, and possible association of the sequence variants with asthma, is of uncertain significance, but their role in ciliary function may be of future interest.
Random forest as a generic framework for predictive modeling of spatial and spatio-temporal variables
Authors: Hengl Tomislav , Nussbaum Madlene , Wright Marvin N. , Heuvelink Gerard B.M. , Gräler Benedikt
Published: August 2018

Random forest and similar Machine Learning techniques are already used to generate spatial predictions, but spatial location of points (geography) is often ignored in the modeling process. Spatial auto-correlation, especially if still existent in the cross-validation residuals, indicates that the predictions are maybe biased, and this is suboptimal. This paper presents a random forest for spatial predictions framework (RFsp) where buffer distances from observation points are used as explanatory variables, thus incorporating geographical proximity effects into the prediction process. The RFsp framework is illustrated with examples that use textbook datasets and apply spatial and spatio-temporal prediction to numeric, binary, categorical, multivariate and spatiotemporal variables. Performance of the RFsp framework is compared with the state-of-the-art kriging techniques using fivefold cross-validation with refitting. The results show that RFsp can obtain equally accurate and unbiased predictions as different versions of kriging. Advantages of using RFsp over kriging are that it needs no rigid statistical assumptions about the distribution and stationarity of the target variable, it is more flexible towards incorporating, combining and extending covariates of different types, and it possibly yields more informative maps characterizing the prediction error. RFsp appears to be especially attractive for building multivariate spatial prediction models that can be used as “knowledge engines” in various geoscience fields. Some disadvantages of RFsp are the exponentially growing computational intensity with increase of calibration data and covariates and the high sensitivity of predictions to input data quality. The key to the success of the RFsp framework might be the training data quality—especially quality of spatial sampling (to minimize extrapolation problems and any type of bias in data), and quality of model validation (to ensure that accuracy is not effected by overfitting). For many data sets, especially those with lower number of points and covariates and close-to-linear relationships, model-based geostatistics can still lead to more accurate predictions than RFsp.
Tolerance and accumulation of lithium in Apocynum pictum Schrenk
Authors: Jiang Li , Wang Lei , Zhang Lei , Tian Changyan
Published: August 2018

Primarily, lithium (Li) resource development and wider application of Li-ion batteries result in Li pollution and concomitantly poses increasing and inevitable problems to environmental health and safety. However, information is rare about the scope of the remediation of Li contaminated soil. Apocynum venetum is already proved to be a Li-accumulator with high Li tolerance and accumulation (Jiang et al., 2014). However, it is not clear whether Apocynum pictum, another species of the same genus with the same uses as A. venetum, is also a Li-accumulator. We investigated germination, growth and physiological responses of A. pictum to different levels of LiCl. Germination was not significantly affected by low Li concentration (0–100 mmol L−1). As LiCl increased from 100 to 400 mmol L−1, both germination percentage and index decreased gradually. For germination of A. pictum seeds, the critical value (when germination percentage is 50%) in LiCl solution was 235 mmol L−1, and the limit value (when germination percentage is 0%) was 406 mmol L−1. A. pictum could accumulate >1,800 mg kg−1 Li in leaves, and still survived under 400 mg kg-1 Li supply. The high Li tolerance of A. pictum during germination and growth stage was also reflected by activity of α-amylase and contents of soluble sugar, proline and photosynthetic pigments under different Li treatments. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) (except control) and translocation factors (TF) were higher than 1.0. High tolerance and accumulation of Li indicated that A. pictum is Li-accumulator. Therefore, this species could be useful for revegetation and phytoremediation of Li contaminated soil.
PDT‐Driven Highly Efficient Intracellular Delivery and Controlled Release of CO in Combination with Sufficient Singlet Oxygen Production for Synergistic Anticancer Therapy
Authors: Wu Lihuang , Cai Xiaojun , Zhu Haofang , Li Junhua , Shi Dongxu , Su Dunfan , Yue Dong , Gu Zhongwei
Published: August 2018

The precise delivery and controllable release of carbon monoxide (CO) to tumor tissues is an emerging anticancer therapy because CO in a high dose can be detrimental to cell survival and tumor growth. However, CO gas therapy is limited by the gaseous nature of CO that hinders its enrichment and controllable release to tumor tissues. Here, a novel photodynamic therapy (PDT)‐driven CO controllable release system (CORM@G3DSP‐Ce6) that integrates the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) and H2O2‐sensitive CO releasing molecule CORM‐401 into peptide dendrimer‐based nanogels (G3DSP) is described. Upon excitation with near‐infrared light, Ce6‐mediated photochemical effect not only promotes the efficient cellular internalization of CORM@G3DSP‐Ce6, but also triggers the rapid intracellular CO release from CORM‐401 by depleting the H2O2 produced during PDT. Importantly, the PDT‐driven CO release does not impair the generation capability of singlet oxygen (1O2). As a result, accompanied with the simultaneous generation of large amounts of 1O2 and CO in cells, the combination of PDT and CO gas therapy offers significant synergistic anticancer effects and superior therapeutic safety both in vitro and in vivo.
Photochemical Synthesis of Radiate Titanium Oxide Microrods Arrays Supporting Platinum Nanoparticles for Photoassisted Electrooxidation of Methanol
Authors: Zheng Lijun , Zheng Shizheng , Zhu Zhengyou , Xu Qiaoling , Zhang Gaixia , Sun Shuhui , Yang Dachi
Published: August 2018

Photoassisted catalysis is recently adopted to accelerate the kinetics of the methanol oxidation, which allows the photocatalysis and electrocatalysis simultaneously occur on the catalyst surface and even on interior region. The rational design of highly efficient photoassisted electrocatalysts is highly desirable, however, it is very challenging. In this study, architectures of radiate TiO2 microrods arrays support Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs/TiO2 MRs) are developed, via the combination of first hydrothermal and subsequent photodeposition process. Benefited from the synergetic effect of photocatalytic acceleration and the radiate architectures, the mass activity of Pt NPs/TiO2 MRs for methanol electrooxidation, under UV irradiation (wavelength: 365 nm), is 2.77 and 6.1 times as high as those of Pt NPs/TiO2 MRs without irradiation and commercial Pt/C, respectively. Moreover, under UV irradiation, both the CO tolerance and durability of the Pt NPs/TiO2 MRs catalysts are significantly improved. Notably, in both acidic and alkaline media, the Pt NPs/TiO2 MRs catalysts show improved electrocatalytic performance for photoassisted electrooxidation of methanol. This study provides a building art toward 3D architectures of radiate semiconductor MRs arrays supporting metallic NPs, and offers an effective way to improve the electrochemical activity of methanol oxidation utilizing the synergistic combination of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis.
A study on carbon fiber reinforced poly(lactic acid)/polycarbonate composites
Authors: Hazer Seda , Coban Meral , Aytac Ayse
Published: August 2018

In this study, the properties of carbon fiber (CF) reinforced poly(lactic acid)/polycarbonate (PLA/PC) composites was investigated. Two compositions of PLA/PC (90/10 and 50/50) blends were used as matrix. Characterization of composites was carried out by differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, tensile test, dynamic mechanical analysis, limiting oxygen index (LOI), scanning electron microscope, and heat release rate (HRR). The tensile strength values of 90PLA/10PC and 50PLA/50PC blends were improved by the addition of CF. The highest tensile strength value was observed at 50PLA50PC30CF composite as 114.6 MPa. Storage modulus values of CF reinforced PLA/PC composites enhanced with increasing CF loading. The highest LOI value was obtained for 50PLA50PC30CF composite. It was observed that there is a significant decrease in peak of HRR (pHRR) and total heat release value for all of the composites with increasing CF loading. It was concluded that CF reinforced 50PLA/50PC composite has better mechanical and thermal properties than 90PLA/10PC composite. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46881.