scholarly journals Validating the University of Delaware’s precipitation and temperature database for northern South America

DYNA ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (194) ◽  
pp. 86-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
José David Santos-Gómez ◽  
Juan Sebastián Fontalvo-García ◽  
Juan Diego Giraldo Osorio
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Data Representation ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Weather Stations ◽  
Access Information ◽  
The University ◽  
Temporal Coverage

Vast sections of the planet face either a dearth of ground-based weather stations or are hampered by the poor quality of those in service. In response, researchers are forced to turn to climate field databases, as they constitute a source of reliable information for local studies. Insofar as the Amazon region, these databases prove to be valuable given their open-access platform and the fact that this expansive region possesses few quality stations (coupled with insufficient temporal coverage). However, before basing research on such archives, this information should be compared against in situ station measurements. Then, the present study assesses the validity of temperature and precipitation information furnished by University of Delaware’s database (UD-ATP) by means of a comparison with the open-access information available from Climate Explorer project (CLIMEXP). Results show that UD-ATP database offers better precipitation data representation, especially on Brazil, which is perhaps the effect of higher-quality and larger-quantity observed data.

scholarly journals Whitelists as blacklists: The use of external lists when evaluating scientific journals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gry Ane Lavik
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Simple Explanation ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Open Access Journals ◽  
The University ◽  
Professional Impact ◽  
Better Than

Watch the VIDEO here.NSD – Norwegian Centre for Research Data operates the Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers on behalf of the University and Higher Education Council. The publishing arena for researchers is changing. Yet every researcher is responsible for publishing in channels that are serious and have a professional impact. At NSD we experience that there is a need for advice about where to publish and about how to recognize quality in new international publication channels. Much of the need for advice stems from the increase of new open access channels and the pressure towards publishing in these channels.The somewhat notorious Beall’s list closed down last year. All though controversial, this list was a useful tool to become aware of channels to check more closely. It also provided a useful checklist to use when evaluating OA-channels. So what to do with no such blacklist operating?* At the Norwegian register, we have come to believe that multiple whitelists can work in much the same way or even better than a blacklist. A simple explanation for this is that if a journal is not featuring on any whitelist, this says something about the quality of the journal in much the same way a blacklist does by including it. But there are fallacies and problems to be aware of when using this approach.The aim of this presentation is to problematize advantages and disadvantages connected to the use of whitelists as a form of quality control. To this end a description of how whitelists are used when evaluating channels for inclusion in the Norwegian register will form the basis for the presentation. The term “whitelist” is here used in broad sense, denoting a list that only includes journals after making some sort of positive judgement about the quality of the journal while leaving out journals considered of poor quality. The Norwegian register has recently entered a Nordic collaboration which gives access to compare with the Finnish and the Danish national lists of authorized research publication channels.  A closer collaboration with Directory of Open Access Journals - DOAJ was also formally in place earlier this year. A description of the Nordic list project and some thoughts on the expected outcome of the collaboration will be part of the presentation.

scholarly journals Annual range of temperature and precipitation forecast for Altai-Sayan mountain country

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuriy Borisovich Kirsta ◽  
Olga Volfova Loucka
Keyword(s):  
Precipitation Forecast ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Model Quality ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Annual Range ◽  
Weather Stations ◽  
Sayan Mountain ◽  
Mountain Country

Analysis and long-term forecasting of climatic characteristics of the mountains is laborious and extremely difficult due to complex vertical and horizontal differentiation of climatic fields and insufficient number of weather stations in the region. We have developed a method for statistical forecast of average monthly temperature in the surface air layer and monthly precipitation for the mountain areas with an annual lead time. The method is based on the description of monthly dynamics of the mentioned factors expressed in percent of their average annual monthly values measured in situ. Such a dynamics remains the same throughout the study territory, regardless of its height and exposure. To convert the relative values of temperature and precipitation into their conventional units of measurements (C and mm) one needs just mean annual January and July values of air temperature and precipitation for the territory under study. By the example of the Altai-Sayan mountain country, it is shown that the use of observation data for 67 years obtained from several reference weather stations ensure reliable prediction. The forecast is equally true for any part of the mountainous country due to spatial generalization of relative changes in these factors. The universal criterion A for assessing the quality of various predictive methods (including those, which do not use the model quality indices RSR and NashSutcliffe) is proposed. The criterion is the error of predictive method Sdiff normalized by standard deviation Sobs of observations from their average and equals to Sdiff/ Sobs. It is associated with NSE and RSR indices through dependencies RSR = A and NSE = 1RSR2 = 12A2. The proposed criterion was used in assessing the quality of temperature and precipitation forecasts; it was close to the theoretically best one for statistical prognoses.

scholarly journals Awareness of Open Access Issues Differs among Faculty at Institutions of Different Sizes

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Reed
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Liberal Arts University ◽  
University Of Wisconsin ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Promotion Process ◽  
The University

A Review of: Kocken, G. J. & Wical, S. H. (2013). “I’ve never heard of it before”: Awareness of open access at a small liberal arts university. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, 32(3), 140-154. http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1080/01639269.2013.817876 Abstract Objective – This study surveyed faculty awareness of open access (OA) issues and the institutional repository (IR) at the University of Wisconsin. The authors hoped to use findings to inform future IR marketing strategies to faculty. Design – Survey. Setting – University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a small, regional public university (approximately 10,000 students). Subjects – 105 faculty members. Methods – The authors contacted 397 faculty members inviting them to participate in an 11 question online survey. Due to anonymity issues on a small campus, respondents were not asked about rank and discipline, and were asked to not provide identifying information. A definition of OA was not provided by the authors, as survey participants were queried about their own definition. Main Results – Approximately 30% of the faculty were aware of OA issues. Of all the definitions of OA given by survey respondents, “none . . . came close” to the definition favoured by the authors (p. 145). More than 30% of the faculty were unable to define OA at a level deemed basic by the authors. A total of 51 (48.57%) of the survey respondents indicated that there are OA journals in their disciplines. Another 6 (5.71%) of the faculty members claimed that there are no OA journals in their disciplines, although most provided a definition of OA and several considered OA publishing to be “very important.” The remaining 48 participants (46%) were unsure if there are OA journals in their disciplines. Of these survey respondents, 38 answered that they have not published in an OA journal, 10 were unsure, and 21 believed that their field benefits or would benefit from OA journals. Survey respondents cited quality of the journal, prestige, and peer review as extremely important in selecting a journal in which to publish. Conclusion – The authors conclude that the level of awareness related to OA issues must be raised before IRs can flourish. They ponder how university and college administrators regard OA publishing, and the influence this has on the tenure and promotion process.

scholarly journals The Quality of Colonoscopy Reporting in Usual Practice: Are Endoscopists Reporting Key Data Elements?

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. D. Hadlock ◽  
N. Liu ◽  
M. Bernstein ◽  
M. Gould ◽  
L. Rabeneck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Usual Practice ◽  
Quality Reporting ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Data Elements ◽  
Colonoscopy Quality

Background. High quality reporting of endoscopic procedures is critical to the implementation of colonoscopy quality assurance programs.Objective. The aim of our research was to (1) determine the quality of colonoscopy (CS) reporting in “usual practice,” (2) identify factors associated with good quality reporting, and (3) compare CS reporting in open-access and non-open-access procedures.Methods. 557 CS reports were randomly selected and assigned a score based on the number of mandatory data elements included in the report. Reports documenting greater than 70% of the mandatory data elements were considered to be of good quality. Physician and procedure factors associated with good quality CS reporting were identified.Results. Variables that were consistently well documented included date of the procedure (99.6%), procedure indication (88.9%), a description of the most proximal anatomical segment reached (98.6%), and documentation of polyp location (97.8%). Approximately 79.4% of the reports were considered to be of good quality. Gastroenterology specialty, lower annual CS volume, and fewer years in practice were associated with good quality reporting.Discussion. CS reporting in usual practice in Ontario lacks quality in several areas. Almost 1 in 5 reports was of poor quality in our study.Conclusions. Targeted interventions and/or use of mandatory fields in synoptic reports should be considered to improve CS reporting.

scholarly journals Nutritional and hygienic quality of raw milk intended for consumption in the region of Guelma, Algeria 

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bousbia ◽  
S. Boudalia ◽  
Y. Gueroui ◽  
B. Belaize ◽  
S. Meguelati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Raw Milk ◽  
Physicochemical Characteristics ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Bacteriological Quality ◽  
Quality Of Milk ◽  
Cattle Farms

The main objective of this study is to assess nutritional and hygienic qualities of raw milk collected in situ in dairy cattle farms in the region of Guelma, Algeria. For this purpose, a total of 144 milk samples were collected and analyzed to determine their physicochemical characteristics and bacteriological quality. Results showed an acceptable nutritional quality, with a poor bacteriological quality. The average contamination was 11.69 x 105 CFU ml-1 for total flora, against 23.44 x 105 CFU ml-1 for total Coliforms and 7.34 x 104 CFU ml-1 for fecal Coliforms. In addition, 6% of total samples were positive for Clostridium. For the suspected pathogenic flora, Staphylococcus aureus has been detected in 9 samples; however, all milk samples were devoid of Salmonella. The poor quality of milk reflects the dismal conditions of production and the no-control of hygienic practices.

A Curious Middle Kingdom Stela in Birmingham

2001 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-54
Author(s):  
Daniel Lines
Keyword(s):  
Poor Quality ◽  
Middle Kingdom ◽  
Points Of Interest ◽  
Human Figure ◽  
The University

A small limestone stela from the collection of the University of Birmingham is considered. The main points of interest are the relatively poor quality of the inscription, which has given rise to a number of mistakes and idiosyncrasies, and the difficulty in correctly recognizing the identity and significance of the single human figure shown.

scholarly journals Diagnosis and Prognosis of Prostate Cancer from Circulating Matrix Metalloproteinases and Inhibitors

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Khalil El-Chaer ◽  
Clayton Franco Moraes ◽  
Otávio Toledo Nóbrega
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinases ◽  
Specific Antigen ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
Precise Diagnosis ◽  
New Biomarkers

Although prostate cancer (PCa) is the sixth most common type of neoplasm in the world and the second in prevalence among men (10% of all cases), there is shortage of studies focused on primary prevention of the disorder as well as little understanding on its pathophysiology. Currently, the PCa screening tools are the prostate specific antigen (PSA) dosage conjugated to rectal examination and confirmed by prostate biopsy. Despite the name, the PSA presents reduced specificity, being necessary the identification of new biomarkers that allow an earlier and more precise diagnosis and even better prognosis. Several studies have associated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) to PCa tumorigenesis and metastasis. Most of the studies so far have been carried out by investigating in situ expression of the metalloproteinases, either by transcriptional measures or by immunohistochemistry with biopsy or postoperative tissue. Investigations in human plasma and serum are scarce, and a bibliographical search resulted in 17 studies which are presented and interpreted herein. This narrative review discusses their settings and findings along with aspects related to circulating metalloproteinases as potential biomarkers for diagnosis or prognosis of the prostatic malignancy, expressing the authors' reticent view on their applicability due to the poor quality of evidence available.

Quality Assurance for Massive Open Access Online Courses

2015 ◽  
pp. 25-47
Author(s):  
Justin Walls ◽  
Jo-Anne Kelder ◽  
Carolyn King ◽  
Sara Booth ◽  
David Sadler
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Teaching Platform ◽  
Traditional Courses ◽  
The University ◽  
Teaching Modality ◽  
Education Courses

Institutional quality assurance frameworks enable systematic reporting of traditional higher education courses against agreed standards. However, their ability to adequately evaluate quality of a MOOC has not been explored in depth. This chapter, Quality Assurance for Massive Open access Online Courses – building on the old to create something new, explores the added learning and teaching dimensions that MOOCs offer and the limitations of existing frameworks. Many components of a MOOC are similar to traditional courses and, thus, aspects of quality assurance frameworks directly apply, however they fail to connect with the global, unrestricted reach of an open learning and teaching platform. The chapter uses the University of Tasmania's first MOOC, Understanding Dementia, as a case. MOOC-specific quality assurance dimensions are presented in an expanded framework, to which the Understanding Dementia MOOC is mapped, to demonstrate its usefulness to a sector grappling with this new learning and teaching modality. This chapter continues the commentary on – Policy issues in MOOCs Design, through the topic of ‘quality issues critical comparison – contrasting old with new.'

scholarly journals “You feel you don’t actually belong:” Attending High School in the Sioux Lookout Zone, 1969-1996

2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-8
Author(s):  
North De Pencier ◽  
Ian Puppe ◽  
Carrie Davis ◽  
Drishti Dhawan ◽  
Mithila Somasundaram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
High School Education ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Social ◽  
Time To Learn ◽  
The University

From 1969-1996, in the Sioux Lookout Zone of Northwestern Ontario, there were no local high schools, and teenagers travelled to boarding schools in larger communities further south. During these years, the University of Toronto coordinated medical services in the Sioux Lookout Zone, and many documents in the University of Toronto Archives capture the challenges faced by adolescents from the Zone while pursuing a high school education. In this paper, I use Indigenous voices in the records of the Sioux Lookout Zone Hospital to study the experience of going to high school from the perspective of the Social Determinants of Health. I argue that the poor quality of on-reserve elementary schools and the isolation of leaving home for high school combined with less time to learn traditional skills to set students up for failure in their academic studies.

scholarly journals The digital divide in the university: The appropriation of ICT in Higher Education students from Bogota, Colombia

Comunicar ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (43) ◽  
pp. 133-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Berrío-Zapata ◽  
Hernando Rojas-Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
The University ◽  
Good Access

The growth and integration of ICTs in the global economy has created conditions that profoundly affect our society, dividing communities between those who effectively appropriate these resources and those who do not, the «digital divide». This exploratory study seeks to propose and validate ways of assessing this phenomenon in higher education, from the construction of a model and comprehensive methodology that values contextual conditions, in addition to measuring access factors and motivation for use, that have been employed in previous research. To obtain indications about the behavior of this phenomenon, we developed research with students from three universities in Bogota, administering 566 surveys in four phases that would test the variables proposed in the model. The results show that the variables of the model link causally, with the strongest relations between education, attitude towards ICTs and ICT application. Although students have good access to ICTs and high levels of education, no strong relationship was found in regards to «perceived impact on production». This may be explained by a superficial appropriation of ICT, due to a context that is alien to its conditions of origin (industrialism, innovation), poor quality of education and economies not centered around R&D. El crecimiento e inserción de las tecnologías de la comunicación (TIC) en la economía mundial, ha generado condiciones que afectan profundamente a nuestra sociedad, dividiéndola entre comunidades que apropian efectivamente estos recursos y aquellos que no lo hacen, situación denominada «brecha digital». Este estudio exploratorio buscó proponer y validar formas de evaluación de tal fenómeno en la educación superior, a partir de la construcción de un modelo y metodología integral que atiendan a las condiciones de contexto, en adición a la medición de elementos de acceso y motivación de uso ya utilizadas en investigaciones anteriores. Se trabajó con estudiantes de tres Universidades de Bogotá para obtener indicios con respecto al comportamiento del fenómeno. 566 encuestas fueron administradas en cuatro fases para probar las variables propuestas por el modelo. Los resultados muestran que las variables del modelo se relacionan de manera encadenada y escalonada; la relación más fuerte se dio entre educación, actitud frente a las TIC y su aplicación. Aun cuando los estudiantes encuestados tienen condiciones óptimas de acceso y formación, no se encontró una relación fuerte con la percepción de impacto productivo; esto puede deberse a una apropiación superficial de las TIC producto de un contexto extraño a sus condiciones de origen (industrialismo, innovación), educación de calidad pobre y economías no centradas en I+D.

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