bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Echelon analysis and its software for spatial lattice data
Authors: Kurihara Koji , Ishioka Fumio 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn this study, we explore the use of echelon analysis and its software named EcheScan for spatial lattice data. EcheScan is developed as a web application via an internet browser in R language and Shiny server for echelon analysis. The technique of echelon is proposed to analyze the topological structure for spatial lattice data. The echelon tree provides a dendrogram representation. Regional features, such as hierarchical spatial data structure and hotspots clusters, are shown in an echelon dendrogram. In addition, we introduce the conception of echelon with the values and neighbors for lattice data. We also explain the use of EcheScan for one‐ and two‐dimensional regular lattice data. Furthermore, coronavirus disease 2019 death data corresponding to 50 US states are illustrated using EcheScan as an example of geospatial lattice data.This article is categorized under:
Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Exploratory Data Analysis
Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Clustering and Classification
Data: Types and Structure > Image and Spatial Data
Educated Romania—Focusing on Inclusive Policymaking After 30 Years of Shifting Reforms in the Romanian Education System
Authors: Deca Ligia , Santa Robert 
Published: March 2022

AbstractRomanian education policy was notoriously plagued by instability and a tendency to escape the normal policymaking cycle via top-down highly politicised reforms. After almost three decades, a new initiative by the President of Romania attempts to promote a more inclusive style of policymaking that would ensure wider societal support to upcoming educational reforms. The purpose of this article is to set the background to the wider discussion on Romanian higher education, placing it inside the context of the countryï¿½s efforts to reform its schools and universities via the Educated Romania project, on which the authors had the privilege of working. It aims to create a long-term, structured vision on which to centre future education reforms and to correct some of the imbalances that have emerged in Romanian education over the past few decades. The conclusion also analyses the chances of its survival in the current Romanian political and administrative status-quo.
How to Cope with GDPR for Graduate Tracking: A Discussion at the Intersection of Law and Policy and Two Solutions
Authors: Proteasa Viorel , Vertes-Olteanu Andreea 
Published: March 2022

AbstractResearch on higher education, and not only, has used data collected for administrative purposes—register data, to answer various policy-relevant questions. The employability of university graduates is one of such questions, which have been pending, especially in those countries whose higher education massified in the last decades. The promise of register data relies on its objective nature and apparent low cost: researchers are basically processing data that is collected for administrative purposes. In spite of these advantages, register data is still underused. Data protection restrictions, especially the alignment to the General Data Protection Regulation, are reported to temper the thrust towards making administrative data available as micro-data for secondary use. We consider that the policy dialogue would benefit from a transdisciplinary exploration of the solutions found in the EU to counter such reservations to the use of register for research. We propose an analysis at the intersection of policy studies and law of two solutions found in the EU to make register data available to researchers. We attempt to address two related questions: how are the processes designed? How is the GDPR compliance put into practice? We used structured observations of primary and secondary literature to collect our data. Our aim is to enrich the debate surrounding register data as a basis for policy-relevant research and, pragmatically, to indicate policy solutions that can be easily adjusted to national contexts in the EU and put on the table of decision-makers.
Losing Ground: Romanian Higher Education Since 2006 in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Usher Alex , Williams Jonathan 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis article uses a new global data set on higher education enrolments and finance covering 56 countries and well over 90% of the global higher education sector by enrolment, in order to examine the Romanian experience in higher education since 2006 in both a regional and a global comparative perspective. These comparisons highlight a few key facts about Romanian higher education, in particular: how different the institutional typology is compared to others in the region, how unprecedented the collapse in enrolments in the years after 2009, and how few resources, either public or private, the country invests in higher education compared to either a continental or global standard. The implications of these facts for Romanias future economic growth are briefly discussed.
Performance-Based Funding—The Romanian Experience of the Last Five Years (2016–2020)
Authors: Păunescu Mihai , Gheba Andreea , Jitaru Gabriela 
Published: March 2022

AbstractPerformance-based funding has a long experience of debates and implementation in Romania, distinguishing three main stages of refinement in its implementation, starting with 2002. The actual form is similar starting with 2016, an important share of Romanian higher education funding for teaching activities in public universities (26.5%) being distributed according to quality indicators (applied by field of study). Given that the main objective of this mechanism is to reward performance, as well as to assure a more transparent and predictable resource allocation, the aim of this paper is to identify how this allocation mechanism actually worked over the past five years. The performance-based criteria employed in the supplementary funding component cover four main categories: teaching/learning, scientific research/artistic creation, international orientation, regional orientation & social equity. According to the national funding allocation mechanism, each quality indicator is assigned a share of the total funding, with the final distribution being determined by each institutions performance score relative to the others in the same scientific field. The paper unfolds the evolution of this systems implementation in the five years since its adoption (2016–2020) and presents the main results of a preliminary analysis. We also explore the extent to which certain characteristics of universities, such as their size or their dominant field of study, impact the resulting distribution of funds. This paper results may enrich and contribute to the larger national and international debate on performance-based funding and quality assurance in higher education.
Access to Higher Education: Losing Precious Human Resources Before the Start Line
Authors: Hâj Cezar Mihai , Ţucă Petrişor Laurenţiu 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn the last five years in Romania, a series of measures and policies have been adopted that aimed to increase the enrolment and participation of Romanian citizens in higher education. However, we are still witnessing a decline in the number of students even though Romania has the lowest proportion of graduates (30–34 years) with a higher education diploma in the EU. Through this paper, we will follow the educational path of students in final grades in upper secondary education to analyse how many of them graduated from the national baccalaureate exam and later became students. The data come from the interconnection of two important databases from the Romanian education system, the National Student Register (RMUR) and the Integrated Information System of Education in Romania (SIIIR). Access to higher education must be viewed not only from the perspective of the admissions process but also from the perspective of generational losses that have a direct impact on the human resources eligible for higher education. Thus, we will insist on analysing the “losses” of human capital registered in the national education system in the last year of study in pre-university education, looking at the same time at the characteristics of students who manage to enter higher education. The current analysis is based on the work done within the project “Quality in higher education: internationalization and databases for the development of Romanian education” (code POCU/472/6/8/126766/21.11.2018, implemented by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) in partnership with the Ministry of Education (ME).
The Impact of Social Scholarships and of Reserved Places for Graduates from Rural High Schools in Improving Access to Higher Education and Academic Performance
Authors: Cismaru Diana-Maria , Corbu Nicoleta , Frunzaru Valeriu , Hâj Cezar Mihai , Ştefăniţă Oana 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAlthough the level of tertiary education attainment as a share of the population aged 30 to 34 increased in Romania up to 26.3% in 2017, it is still modest in comparison with the EU average (39.9% in 2017) (Eurostat, 2021). Therefore, while the rate of young people exposed to the risk of poverty and exclusion increased in the last decade in Romania, there is a need to evaluate the support measures for students from disadvantaged categories. The paper presents the results of two impact studies for two public policies, social scholarships and reserved places for graduates from rural high schools. In order to find out to which extent the two public policies fulfil their aims in supporting students from vulnerable social categories to graduate higher education, a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods has been used. The quantitative analysis used data extracted from two national databases for higher education and data collected by a survey to which about half of the Romanian universities responded. The data for qualitative analysis were collected by face-to-face interviews (with professors in management positions and students beneficiary of the two policies) from eight universities with different profiles, located in five regions of Romania. The results of the quantitative analysis revealed that the social scholarships policy fulfils its objectives of improving academic performance and increasing the chances of graduation for beneficiaries. The results of the qualitative analysis revealed a high level of satisfaction of beneficiaries with both policies and a positive evaluation of both policies by the management of universities.
The Socio-Economic Challenges in Access to Romanian Higher Education. Student Perception and Funding Policy Directions
Authors: Dervis Oana-Alexandra , Trifan Elena , Jitaru Gabriela 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAccess to education, specifically in relation to socio-economic background, is one of the enduring issues in educational research. The theme is particularly salient for the Romanian case from a policy perspective, given the increase in social polarisation specific to the post-communist transition and its effect on access to higher education. Recent reforms in university funding have started to address this issue, with the inclusion of several mechanisms that allocate financial resources according to university efforts towards social equity. The main objective of our research is to provide an overview of the policies concerning the inclusion of students from low socio-economic backgrounds and assess the degree to which progress has been made towards reaching current national targets regarding access to higher education. We argue that although significant improvements have been made at the level of policy initiative, more precise targeting is needed in order to meet labour market demands, given that most current efforts are directed either at fresh high school graduates or at diminishing the dropout rate. These efforts, even if 100% successful, will not prove sufficient given current demographic trends. Therefore, we consider another potential avenue for increasing student numbers, suggesting that an orientation towards non-traditional students (adult students) might be beneficial. With this in mind, in the second half of the paper, we explore the main characteristics and trends concerning Romanian mature students using the results from the EUROSTUDENT VI and EUROSTUDENT VII studies, with the goal of formulating policy proposals that aim to unlock the potential of this demographic.
Doctoral Studies in Romania: Thriving or Surviving?
Authors: Iftimescu Simona , Stîngu Mihaela , Lupescu Delia 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis paper explores the specificities of doctoral studies, focusing on students’ well-being. It is part of an ongoing research project analysing doctoral studies in Romania, focusing on three main themes: access, participation and completion. The multiple facets of the doctoral studies within the Bologna Process—seen at a crossroad between EHEA and ERA, and as a cornerstone of the ‘knowledge-based society’—reflect onto the various roles assigned to doctoral candidates: students, emerging researchers, teaching and research assistants. While the doctoral cycle tends to prioritise the development of research and academic skills, it appears to be lacking appropriate support mechanisms for students. In order to better understand these mechanisms, the paper is structured on three levels: current context, practices and the students’ perspective. This latter level explores internal and external factors of success—among others: motivation, personal/professional development, academic identity, doctoral supervision, research guidance, financial support, career counselling, and societal role. To do so, the paper draws upon a mixed methodology, using data collected from workshops with relevant stakeholders and a questionnaire addressed to Ph.D. students. By superimposing these layers, our paper aims to provide an overview of the current state of doctoral studies in Romania, with a focus on the well-being of doctoral students. Finally, it attempts to shape several proposals for improving both the practices and the policy framework of doctoral studies in Romania while taking into account the future of higher education and research in Europe, as well as European good-practice examples.
Measuring Students’ Perception of COVID-19 Impact on Higher Education Through the National Student Survey in Romania
Authors: Deaconu Stefan-Marius , Olah Roland 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe article presents the first National Student Survey (NSS-RO) results. The questionnaire was opened to all Romanian students between November 2020 and January 2021 and involved 23,796 respondents from 76 higher education institutions. Initially designed to be a tool to improve the quality of higher education, given the epidemiological context created with the Covid-19 pandemic, it expanded with one section to measure students’ perception of its impact on higher education. This work intends to establish a correlation between student dropout intention during the Covid-19 pandemic and the direct support received from higher education institutions regarding material resources, such as tablets, laptops, or other similar tools. Secondly, it analyses the students’ perception of the transition into emergency remote education. We measured in this sense their opinion on how easily they accessed mainly online educational resources, the information received, and the teachers’ performance during classes. These results provide one of the first steps towards understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Romanian higher education system. The massive interference provoked a giant leap in digitalisation and significantly changed how universities apply Student-Centred Learning (SCL) practices. Also, this study contributes to the area of national student surveys.
Romanian Universities: The Use of Educational Marketing to Strengthen Internationalization of Higher Education
Authors: Fiţ Cristina Ramona , Panţir Cristian Andrei , Cheregi Bianca-Florentina 
Published: March 2022

AbstractWith the European Universities Initiative underway, the COVID-19 pandemic and various national or European strategies reaching their initially designated timeline, 2021 is a good moment to take stock of how Romania fulfilled its commitments regarding internationalization. One of the key dimensions of internationalization of higher education, both in Romania and global terms, is marketing and promotion, especially if one looks at the institutional efforts to attract talent. The article aims to show how Romanian universities use educational marketing to promote their study programs offer, in order to attract both international students and national students in the context of a steep student population decrease. The paper addresses two main research questions: How do universities use media and other mechanisms to promote their educational offer globally? Which are the main strengths allowing Romanian higher education to better attract international students? The article presents the main findings of the SWOT analysis for the Romanian higher education system, with information from 47 public universities. It compares the current findings with those from a similar SWOT analysis performed in 2015, while also putting forward a cost-benefit analysis of attracting international students and developing internationalization of higher education. The paper also underlines several areas where universities can focus their efforts in attracting international students (such as the www.studyinromania.gov.ro portal) and policy recommendations based on the data analyzed
Holomorphic anomalies, fourfolds and fluxes
Authors: Lee Seung-Joo , Lerche Wolfgang , Lockhart Guglielmo , Weigand Timo 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
We investigate holomorphic anomalies of partition functions underlying string compactifications on Calabi-Yau fourfolds with background fluxes. For elliptic fourfolds the partition functions have an alternative interpretation as elliptic genera of N = 1 supersymmetric string theories in four dimensions, or as generating functions for relative, genus zero Gromov-Witten invariants of fourfolds with fluxes. We derive the holomorphic anomaly equations by starting from the BCOV formalism of topological strings, and translating them into geometrical terms. The result can be recast into modular and elliptic anomaly equations. As a new feature, as compared to threefolds, we find an extra contribution which is given by a gravitational descendant invariant. This leads to linear terms in the anomaly equations, which support an algebra of derivatives mapping between partition functions of the various flux sectors. These geometric features are mirrored by certain properties of quasi-Jacobi forms. We also offer an interpretation of the physics from the viewpoint of the worldsheet theory, and comment on holomorphic anomalies at genus one.
Crystal bases and three-dimensional 𝒩 = 4 Coulomb branches
Authors: Santilli Leonardo , Tierz Miguel 
Published: March 2022

AbstractWe establish and develop a correspondence between certain crystal bases (Kashiwara crystals) and the Coulomb branch of three-dimensional 𝒩 = 4 gauge theories. The result holds for simply-laced, non-simply laced and affine quivers. Two equivalent derivations are given in the non-simply laced case, either by application of the axiomatic rules or by folding a simply-laced quiver. We also study the effect of turning on real masses and the ensuing simplification of the crystal. We present a multitude of explicit examples of the equivalence. Finally, we put forward a correspondence between infinite crystals and Hilbert spaces of theories with isolated vacua.
Color-kinematics duality, double copy and the unitarity method for higher-derivative QCD and quadratic gravity
Authors: Menezes Gabriel 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Here we discuss color-kinematics duality for higher-derivative QCD-like amplitudes. We explicitly show that the duality still holds in this case and it can be instrumental in constructing the associated quadratic-gravity amplitudes by using the double-copy prescription. This allows one to drastically simplify calculations. We also evaluate some tree-level Compton scattering amplitudes in higher-derivative Yang-Mills and quadratic gravity coupled with matter. Furthermore, we illustrate the application of generalized unitarity method for both cases by studying a specific one-loop amplitude.
Higher-dimensional symmetry of AdS2×S2 correlators
Authors: Abl Theresa , Heslop Paul , Lipstein Arthur E. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
It was recently shown that IIB supergravity on AdS5×S5 enjoys 10d conformal symmetry and that superstring theory on this background can be described using a 10d scalar effective field theory. In this paper we adapt these two complementary approaches to correlators of hypermultiplets in AdS2×S2. In particular, we show that 4-point correlators of 1/2-BPS operators in the 1d boundary can be computed using 4d conformal symmetry and a 4d effective action in the bulk. The 4d conformal symmetry is realised by acting with Casimirs of SU(1, 1|2), and is generically broken by higher derivative corrections. We point out similar structure underlying α′ corrections to IIB supergravity in AdS5×S5. In particular, while the α′3 corrections can be written in terms of a sixth order Casimir acting on a 10d conformal block, similar structure does not appear in higher-order corrections. We note however that a specific combination of higher derivative corrections can give rise to Witten diagrams with higher dimensional symmetry at the integrand level, with breaking then arising from the measure.
Generalizations of the double-copy: the KLT bootstrap
Authors: Chi Huan-Hang , Elvang Henriette , Herderschee Aidan , Jones Callum R. T. , Paranjape Shruti 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
We formulate a new program to generalize the double-copy of tree amplitudes. The approach exploits the link between the identity element of the “KLT algebra” and the KLT kernel, and we demonstrate how this leads to a set of KLT bootstrap equations that the double-copy kernel has to satisfy in addition to locality constraints. We solve the KLT bootstrap equations perturbatively to find the most general higher-derivative corrections to the 4- and 5-point field theory KLT kernel. The new kernel generalizes the string KLT kernel and its associated monodromy relations. It admits new color-structures in the effective theories it double-copies. It provides distinct generalized KK and BCJ relations for the left and right single-color theories and is in that sense a ‘heterotic’-type double-copy. We illustrate the generalized double-copy in detail for 4d Yang-Mills theory with higher-derivative corrections that produce dilaton-axion-gravity with local operators up order ∇10R4. Finally, we initiate a search for new double-copy kernels.
A tale of (M)2 twists
Authors: Couzens Christopher 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
We study the parameter space of magnetically charged AdS2×$$ {\mathbbm{WCP}}_{\left[{n}_{-}{n}_{+}\right]}^1 $$

WCP

n
−

n
+

1

solutions in 4d U(1)4 gauged STU supergravity. We show that both twist and anti-twist solutions are realised and give constraints for their existence in terms of the magnetic charges of the solution. We provide infinite families of both classes of solution in terms of their magnetic charges and weights of the orbifold. As a byproduct of our analysis we obtain a closed form expression for the free-energy of the 4-charge magnetic solution in terms of the magnetic charges and weights n±. We also show that the AdS2 solution is the near-horizon of an asymptotically AdS4 black hole which can be found in the literature.