The Study of Pedagogical Practice of Mobile Learning in Russia

The analysis of Russian and International experience of mobile learning is given in the article, the components of mobile learning (mobile devices, net technologies, pedagogical technologies) are revealed, pedagogical conditions of introduction of mobile learning in practice of Russian school are formulated. The special attention is paid to importance of the use of mobile learning under conditions of transfer to the new educational standards, because the use of mobile devices at the lessons develops in pupils the ability to work with information, interact with a teacher and other pupils in net. It is demonstrated, that mobile learning is oriented on the attainment of meta-subject educational results, favors the formation of ability to study during the whole life. The existing practice of mobile learning (inverted lesson, park lesson, distant courses and so on) are analyzed. The importance of pedagogical technologies, oriented on the wide independent work of the pupils is proved. The prospects of further studies on this problem are described, the necessity of specialized training of teachers to the use of mobile learning at school is proved, the list of topics for the study in the system of qualification improvement of the teachers and forms of the work with them is given: webinars, qualification improvement courses and also informal improvement of qualification in net communities (blogs)

Economics of Management Zone Delineation in Cotton Precision Agriculture

This paper develops a management zone delineation procedure based on a spatial clustering approach and evaluates its economic impact for the case of Texas cotton production. The results show that there is potential economic value in using a spatial approach to management zone delineation, but its value critically depends on the cost of collecting soil test information needed to delineate those zones.Management Zones, Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, Site-Specific Nitrogen Management, Cotton Precision Agriculture, Crop Production/Industries, Q12,

Economics of Management Zone Delineation in Cotton Precision Agriculture

This paper develops a management zone delineation procedure based on a spatial statistics approach and evaluates its economic impact for the case of Texas cotton production. With the use of an optimization model that utilizes a yield response function estimated through spatial econometric methods, we found that applying variable N rates based on the management zones delineated would result in higher cotton yields and higher net returns, above Nitrogen cost, relative to uniformly applying a single N rate for the whole field. In addition, a variable rate N application using the delineated management zones produced higher net returns, above Nitrogen cost, relative to a variable N rate system where the zones are based solely on landscape position. This is indicative of the potential economic value of using a spatial statistics approach to management zone delineation.Management Zones, Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, Site-Specific Nitrogen Management, Cotton Precision Agriculture., Crop Production/Industries, Q1, Q16,

Speaker change detection using BIC: a comparison on two datasets

Abstract — This paper addresses the problem of unsupervised speaker change detection. We assume that there is no prior knowledge on the number of speakers or their identities. Two methods are tested. The first method uses the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), investigates the AudioSpectrumCentroid and AudioWaveformEnvelope features, and implements a dynamic thresholding followed by a fusion scheme. The second method is a real-time one that uses a metric-based approach employing line spectral pairs (LSP) and the BIC criterion to validate a potential change point. The experiments are carried out on two different datasets. The first set was created by concatenating speakers from the TIMIT database and is referred to as the TIMIT data set. The second set was created by using recordings from the MPEG-7 test set CD1 and broadcast news and is referred to as the INESC dataset. I

Farmers' Perceptions about Spatial Yield Variability and Precision Farming Technology Adoption: An Empirical Study of Cotton Production in 12 Southeastern States

This paper examines how cotton farmers' perceptions about their spatial yield variability influence their decision to adopt precision farming technologies. Utilizing cross-section survey data from 12 Southeastern states and a two-step econometric modeling approach, we find that farmers who perceive their yields as more spatially heterogeneous will more likely use site specific information gathering technologies and apply their inputs at a variable rate. In addition, our empirical analysis shows that perceptions about future profitability and importance of precision farming, along with socio-economic factors, also drive the technology adoption decision. These results have implications for producers contemplating the variable rate management decisions, as well as dealers selling these precision farming technologies.Multinomial logit, endogeneity, variable rate input applications, site specific information gathering technology, yield perceptions, Agribusiness, Farm Management, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Q12, Q16,