GIS Modeling of Site-Specific Fertilization Requirements

Application of Geographic Informatic System (GIS) in land-planning management has been well known among researchers for over 40 years, and for site-specific fertilization, it started to be recognized in the early 90s. GIS modeling in agriculture helps to identify site-specific distribution of a certain characteristics, and by creating theme maps associated with a database, a visual display of numerical information for a certain field site can be created. Present study of GIS modeling of sustainable crop selection and optimization of fertilization used the database from AGRI-CONTO-CLEEN project and decision making support systems (DSS) based on agronomists expertise. The aim of our study was to determine and visually display soil properties, needs for liming and fertilization recommendations on two family farms (Vinogradci and Berak). The soils of two investigated farms differ significantly in soil properties as well as in needs for nutrient application. GIS modeling identified liming requirement only on Vinogradci site. The same site was characterized by more intensive fertilization requirement, indicating lower soil quality and lower suitability for agricultural production at Vinogradci site. Proposed fertilizing recommendations considered application of farm yard manure to decrees the application of mineral fertilizers and cost of fertilizers and to improve the soil quality, particularly on the Vinogradci farm. GIS modeling in sustainable crop selection and optimization of fertilization contribute to easier, faster and accurate decisions within agricultural production and helps to reduce negative impact on the environment

Samoocena kompetentnosti hrvaskih vzgojiteljev za spoprijem z neželenim vedenjem otrok

Managing behaviour is a complex component of the teaching process and one that teachers consistently identify as an area of great concern. This study aimed to examine teachers’ perceptions regarding their competence for managing the challenging behaviour of young children and to identify the factors that affect these beliefs. A total of 204 preschool teachers working in Kindergarten Rijeka, Croatia participated. Teachers completed an exploratory survey of self-perceptions of competence in managing the challenging behaviours encountered in their classrooms. Factor analysis revealed a one-factor structure for self-perceived competence, and all scales showed good psychometric properties. Preschool teachers’ assessment of their own competence in managing challenging behaviour was explained by the level of support they received from other professionals when faced with children’s challenging behaviour and prior coursework in classroom management. Participants with higher levels of professional support and more coursework in classroom management estimated themselves to be more competent in managing challenging behaviour. The results suggest that Croatian preschool teachers need training in classroom management and greater access to professional support personnel when working with students with challenging behaviours. (DIPF/Orig.

All they need is love? Placing romantic stress in the context of other stressors: A 17-nation study

The present study focuses on romantic stress and coping styles in the context of identity and future-related stressors in 8,654 adolescents with a mean age of M = 15.3; SD = 1.84. The adolescents from 17 countries were grouped into seven regions, i.e., Mid-Europe, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, South Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Future-related stressors were perceived as being more stressful than romantic stressors by all adolescents, irrespective of the region in which they lived. Identity-related stressors were of greater concern to adolescents from South Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Romantic stress was much higher in adolescents from Mid-Europe and Southern Europe compared to adolescents from other regions. Roughly 80% of all adolescents employed adaptive coping styles in that they negotiated with the romantic partner, sought support from friends and others, and shared an overall positive outlook. Adolescents from Mid-, Northern, and Eastern Europe were the most active in negotiating and support-seeking when dealing with romantic stressors

Adolescent Coping with Everyday Stressors: A Seven-Nation Study of Youth from Central, Eastern, Southern, and Northern Europe

The present study compares problem-specific coping strategies and coping styles of European adolescents from seven nations. The sample consisted of 3031 adolescent participants, aged 11 to 20, from Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, and Switzerland. The adolescents completed the Coping Across Situations Questionnaire (CASQ) by indicating which coping strategies (from 20 alternatives) they usually employed in dealing with age-specific problems (covering 8 different domains). The strategies can be collapsed to three coping styles: active coping, internal coping, and withdrawal. Results show that adolescents from all seven nations predominantly employed functional forms of coping, i.e., active coping and internal coping. In addition, the pattern of frequently and rarely applied coping strategies was similar across cultures. Differences in coping style were revealed for some, but not all problem domains, suggesting that cross-cultural similarity in coping exists for specific stressors. Problem-specific analyses helped to clarify where cultural influence is most distinct. Whereas cultural diversity was highest for coping with job-related problems, coping with self- and future-related problems was highly similar among adolescents from all the nations. Despite the considerable traditional, educational, and economic differences among the cultures investigated, the similarities in coping behaviour were impressive. Explanations for cultural universals and differences in adolescent coping are discussed