Внимателно с модерните методи за обучение и оценка

Доклад, поместен в сборника на Националната конференция "Образованието в информационното общество", Пловдив, май, 2009 г.

Zoocoenological state of microhabitats and its seasonal dynamics in an aquatic macroinvertebrate assembly (Hydrobiological case studies on lake Balaton, No. 1.)

In the years 2002, 2003 and 2004 we collected samples of macroinvertebrates on a total of 36 occasions in Badacsony bay, in areas of open water (in the years 2003 and 2004 reed-grassy) as well as populated by reed (Phragmites australis) and cattail (Typha angustifolia). Samples were taken using a stiff hand net. The sampling site includes three microhabitats differentiated only by the aquatic plants inhabiting these areas. Our data was gathered from processing 208 individual samples. The quantity of macroinvertebrates is represented by biovolume value based on volume estimates. We can identify taxa in abundant numbers found in all water types and ooze; as well as groups associated with individual microhabitats with various aquatic plants. We can observe a notable difference between the years in the volume of invertebrate macrofauna caused by the drop of water level, and the multiplication of submerged macrophytes. There are smaller differences between the samples taken in reeds and cattail stands. In the second half of 2003 – which was a year of drought – the Najas marina appeared in open waters and allowed to support larger quantities of macroinvertebrates. In 2004 with higher water levels, the Potamogeton perfoliatus occurring in the same area has had an even more significant effect. This type of reed-grass may support the most macroinvertebrates during the summer. From the aspect of diversity relations we may suspect different characteristics. The reeds sampling site proved to be the richest, while the cattail microhabitat is close behind, open water (with submerged macrophytes) is the least diverse microhabitat.

Systems Engineering Perspective of the Cruise Industry

The maturation of the cruise industry has led to increased competition which demands more efficient operations. Systems engineering, a discipline that studies complex organizations of material, people, and information, is traditionally only applied in the manufacturing sector; however, it can make significant contributions to service industries such as the cruise industry. The author describes this type of engineering, explores how it can be applied to the cruise industry, and presents two case studies demonstrating applications to the cruise industry luggage delivery process and the information technology help desk process. The results show that this approach can make the processes more productive and enhance profitability for the cruise lines.

The Beacon, November 02, 2009

Vol. 22, Issue 36, 8 pages

Relevance of the community college curriculum to the international student

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perception of the level of satisfaction that international students have regarding the services and the relevance of the curriculum offered at Miami-Dade Community College. Trends and issues at universities and community colleges in providing services and an international curriculum for foreign students are outlined. Focus is on characteristics, personal and career needs as well as needs of national development for the students' countries. A sample of students from four developing nations was selected to qualitatively and quantitatively determine their level of satisfaction. The nations are the Bahamas, Colombia, Haiti and Pakistan. Students responses were recorded through group interviews, four personal interviews, an open ended questionnaire and a Likert scaled survey questionnaire. Matrix charts, mean calculations and one way analysis of variance were used to analyze data collected. Country of origin and major program of study were the variables used for statistical analysis. Information gathered through qualitative research presented a variety of perspectives and responses, both positive and negative. Students supplied specific examples of experiences and insights to help explain their various perceptions. Statistically, there were no significant differences between the variables of country of origin and major program of study regarding program services and relevance of the curriculum. Implications and recommendations for community college programs were outlined.

Global compilation of benthic data sets I

Approaches to quantify the organic carbon accumulation on a global scale generally do not consider the small-scale variability of sedimentary and oceanographic boundary conditions along continental margins. In this study, we present a new approach to regionalize the total organic carbon (TOC) content in surface sediments (<5 cm sediment depth). It is based on a compilation of more than 5500 single measurements from various sources. Global TOC distribution was determined by the application of a combined qualitative and quantitative-geostatistical method. Overall, 33 benthic TOC-based provinces were defined and used to process the global distribution pattern of the TOC content in surface sediments in a 1°x1° grid resolution. Regional dependencies of data points within each single province are expressed by modeled semi-variograms. Measured and estimated TOC values show good correlation, emphasizing the reasonable applicability of the method. The accumulation of organic carbon in marine surface sediments is a key parameter in the control of mineralization processes and the material exchange between the sediment and the ocean water. Our approach will help to improve global budgets of nutrient and carbon cycles.

Data compilation on the biological response to ocean acidification: environmental and experimental context of data sets and related literature

The exponential growth of studies on the biological response to ocean acidification over the last few decades has generated a large amount of data. To facilitate data comparison, a data compilation hosted at the data publisher PANGAEA was initiated in 2008 and is updated on a regular basis (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.149999). By January 2015, a total of 581 data sets (over 4 000 000 data points) from 539 papers had been archived. Here we present the developments of this data compilation five years since its first description by Nisumaa et al. (2010). Most of study sites from which data archived are still in the Northern Hemisphere and the number of archived data from studies from the Southern Hemisphere and polar oceans are still relatively low. Data from 60 studies that investigated the response of a mix of organisms or natural communities were all added after 2010, indicating a welcomed shift from the study of individual organisms to communities and ecosystems. The initial imbalance of considerably more data archived on calcification and primary production than on other processes has improved. There is also a clear tendency towards more data archived from multifactorial studies after 2010. For easier and more effective access to ocean acidification data, the ocean acidification community is strongly encouraged to contribute to the data archiving effort, and help develop standard vocabularies describing the variables and define best practices for archiving ocean acidification data.

Seawater carbonate chemistry and sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus biological processes during experiments, 2011

Ocean acidification is predicted to have significant effects on benthic calcifying invertebrates, in particular on their early developmental stages. Echinoderm larvae could be particularly vulnerable to decreased pH, with major consequences for adult populations. The objective of this study was to understand how ocean acidification would affect the initial life stages of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, a common species that is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and the NE Atlantic. The effects of decreased pH (elevated PCO2) were investigated through physiological and molecular analyses on both embryonic and larval stages. Eggs and larvae were reared in Mediterranean seawater at six pH levels, i.e. pHT 8.1, 7.9, 7.7, 7.5, 7.25 and 7.0. Fertilization success, survival, growth and calcification rates were monitored over a 3 day period. The expression of genes coding for key proteins involved in development and biomineralization was also monitored. Paracentrotus lividus appears to be extremely resistant to low pH, with no effect on fertilization success or larval survival. Larval growth was slowed when exposed to low pH but with no direct impact on relative larval morphology or calcification down to pHT 7.25. Consequently, at a given time, larvae exposed to low pH were present at a normal but delayed larval stage. More surprisingly, candidate genes involved in development and biomineralization were upregulated by factors of up to 26 at low pH. Our results revealed plasticity at the gene expression level that allows a normal, but delayed, development under low pH conditions.

Body composition changes in acute stroke by type of feeding regimen

Funded by University of East Anglia Birzeit University

Differences in expenditure and amounts of fresh foods, fruits & vegetables and fish purchased in urban and rural Scotland

Peer reviewed

International expert opinion on the management of infection caused by azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus

Acknowledgements We thank Gilead Sciences Europe Ltd., UK for financially supporting logistical aspects of this study. The logistics of the meeting were handled by Congress Care, Den Bosch, The Netherlands. The sponsor was not involved in the selection of the participants or procedures, or in the discussion, data collection, analysis or writing of the manuscript. The medical writer was financially supported by the Dutch Society for Medical Mycology and the Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Assessing the relative validity of the Scottish Collaborative Group Food Frequency Questionnaire for measuring dietary intake in adults

Peer reviewed

Differences in expenditure and amounts of fresh foods, fruits & vegetables and fish purchased in urban and rural Scotland

Peer reviewed