Center-commissioned external review of International Water Management Institute: Consolidated report, 19-29 May 2003

Agricultural research / Research institutes / Research policy / Research priorities / Planning / Monitoring / Evaluation / Financial resources / Gender

The ConRed Program, an Evidence-based Practice

La vertiginosa incorporación de las TIC a la sociedad y los consecuentes riesgos a los que los menores se enfrentan en Internet y las redes sociales han dejado en evidencia la necesidad de incorporar en el currículum escolar el dominio de los entornos virtuales. En cambio, son escasas las iniciativas en esta dirección y más aún programas rigurosamente evaluados, de modo que sirvan de fundamento para el diseño de las líneas de acción educativa. El programa ConRed está basado en la teoría del comportamiento social normativo y persigue los objetivos de mejorar y reducir problemas como el cyberbullying, la dependencia a Internet y la desajustada percepción del control de la información en las redes sociales, para así potenciar el uso beneficioso de éstas. La evaluación del ConRed se ha desarrollado mediante una metodología cuasi experimental, con un grupo experimental (N=595) y uno cuasi-control (N=298). Del total de los 893 estudiantes, el 45,9% eran chicas y la edad media 13,80 años (DT=1,47). Los resultados positivos de reducción de problemas en el grupo experimental y la ausencia de cambio en el grupo control son muestra de su validez y demuestran que trabajando con toda la comunidad educativa y en colaboración con ella es posible mejorar la calidad de la vida virtual y, por tanto, real de los adolescentes.The incredible force with which ITCs have arrived in society and the consequent risks to children when dealing with the Internet and social networks make it necessary for the domain of virtual environments to be included in the school curriculum. However, the initiatives in this direction are limited and there is a lack of rigorously evaluated programs that might act as a basis for designing educational lines of action. The ConRed Program is based on the theory of normative social behavior and aims to reduce problems such as cyber-bullying and addiction to the Internet and refocus the misadjusted perception of information control in the social networks in order to promote their use in a more beneficial way. The ConRed Program has been evaluated using a quasi-experimental methodology, with an experimental group (N=595) and a quasi-control group (N=298) consisting of 893 students (45.9% girls) with an average age of 13.80 years (SD=1.47). The reduction of problems in the experimental group and the lack of change in the control group is evidence of the program’s validity, and show that by working and collaborating with the whole educational community it is possible to improve the quality of the virtual and, therefore, the real life of adolescents

Fuzzy Inference System for VOLT/VAR control in distribution substations in isolated power systems

This paper presents a fuzzy inference system for voltage/reactive power control in distribution substations. The purpose is go forward to automation distribution and its implementation in isolated power systems where control capabilities are limited and it is common using the same applications as in continental power systems. This means that lot of functionalities do not apply and computational burden generates high response times. A fuzzy controller, with logic guidelines embedded based upon heuristic rules resulting from operators at dispatch control center past experience, has been designed. Working as an on-line tool, it has been tested under real conditions and it has managed the operation during a whole day in a distribution substation. Within the limits of control capabilities of the system, the controller maintained successfully an acceptable voltage profile, power factor values over 0,98 and it has ostensibly improved the performance given by an optimal power flow based automation system

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Marketing Mix Used By Transport Network Vehicle Services

This research assessed the level of effectiveness of the 4Ps or the marketing mix employed by Grab Car using the Four Ps of Marketing—Price, Place, Promotion, and to identify if Grab Car really is living up to the expectations of the riding public in the NCR. Findings may have shown that passengers are satisfied with the services provided by Grab Car, focusing on the concerns of the commuters can still be used by Grab and other Transport Network Vehicle Services in improving their marketing strategies. Keywords: Grab Car, Marketing Mix, Marketing Strategies, Transport Network Vehicle Service

Hydrometallurgical removal of uranium and thorium from Ethiopian tantalite ore

This study focused on the leaching of uranium and thorium from a high grade Ethiopian tantalite ore using sulfuric acid. The effects of variables such as acid concentration, temperature and leaching time were studied. In general, the leaching efficiency of uranium increases with increasing temperature from 100 to 300 °C whereas the opposite trend was observed for thorium. The amount of uranium leached increased from 69.1% at contact time of 1 hr to 88.6% when the tantalite ore was leached for 3 hrs. On the other hand, for the experiments conditions considered in this study, the leaching behavior of uranium and thorium did not change significantly with varying sulphuric acid concentration from 70 to 90 wt%. Overall, the highest dissolution of uranium and thorium were achieved at 100 °C, 70 wt% H2SO4 concentration and 1 hr contact time

Odonata larvae associated with the root system of eichhornia crassipes (pontederiaceae), in the chalons dam, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

  Se estudiaron las larvas de odonatos asociadas al sistema radicular de Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms en dos localidades del aliviadero de la represa Chalons de Santiago de Cuba desde marzo de 2005 hasta marzo de 2006. Fueron caracterizadas las larvas de odonatos en el sistema radicular mediante la determinación de su composición taxonómica y estructura trófica. Se estimó la variación espacio-temporal de los grupos de especies a través de la densidad de individuos y de taxones, calculando el volumen total por el método del volumen de cono radicular. En el estudio fueron recolectadas 19 especies pertenecientes a cuatro familias. La variación temporal presentó un patrón relacionado con las precipitaciones y el número de días lluviosos. En el período de homogeneidad de las variables climatológicas se mantuvo estable la densidad de taxones e individuos, sin embargo, las variaciones en ambas densidades estuvieron asociadas a la heterogeneidad en los regímenes de precipitaciones. Las localidades muestreadas tuvieron diferencias en la densidad de individuos. La relación entre las variables climatológicas, el volumen radicular y la densidad de individuos sugiere que el número de días lluviosos y las precipitaciones acumuladas influyen sobre la abundancia de determinados taxones y que las raíces de Eichhornia crassipes se pueden estimar como un hábitat importante para las larvas de odonatos y un excelente sitio para encontrar el alimento.Were studied the Odonata’s larvae associated with the root system of Eichhornia crassipes (Mart. Solms) in two localities of the “Chalons”, dam overflow channel locate in Santiago de Cuba, from March 2005 to March 2006. For the Odonata’s larvae in the root system was determining the taxonomic composition and the trophic structure. A Spatial-temporal species group was estimated by the density of individuals and taxa, calculating the total volume by the method of root cone volume. In the study were collected 19 species belonging to four families. The temporal variation was correlated with the rainfall and the number of rainy days, according to Spearman Correlation. On the period of homogeneity of climatic variables the taxa’s and individuals’ density remained stable; however, the oscillations in the both densities were associated with the heterogeneity in the precipitation patterns. The densities of individual were different in both the sampled localities. The relationship between climatic variables, root volume and density of individuals suggests that the number of rainy days and accumulated rainfall influence in the abundance of certain taxa and that the roots of Eichhornia crassipes can be appraised as an important habitat for dragonflies larvae and a great place to find food for them

Violencia escolar: conceptos y etiquetas verbales del fenómeno del acoso

El problema de la violencia escolar y bullying se ha convertido en la última década en uno de los aspectos que más preocupan a todos los que se encuentran implicados en la buena marcha de la institución educativa. Esta preocupación ha despertado toda clase de actuaciones para conocer mejor este fenómeno (Ortega y Mora-Merchán, 2000), valorar su presencia en los centros educativos (Defensor del pueblo, 1999, 2006; Ortega y Angulo, 1998; Smith et al., 1999) y, sobre todo, prevenirlo y ofrecer respuestas adecuadas cuando se presenten episodios de naturaleza violenta entre escolares (Ortega, 2000; Ortega y del Rey, 2003; Smith, Pepler y Rigby, 2004)

Niveles de infección de helmintos de Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) en la ciudad de Corrientes, Argentina

The aim of this study was to describe the infection levels of helminths of Rattus rattus in Corrientes city, Corrientes Province, Argentina. In order to determine the role of rodents as potential reservoirs for zoonotic parasites, different indices of helminth infection were assessed with respect to sex, age, season and urban landscapes. A total of 107 individuals of R. rattus were examined. Seven species of helminths were found. The values of total prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance were 68%, 20 and 13, respectively. Nippostrongylus brasiliensis was the species more prevalent and abundant. The results showed that the age of the rodents and the season of capture had effects on the helminth infection.El objetivo del trabajo fue describir los niveles de infección de Rattus rattus en la ciudad de Corrientes, provincia de Corrientes, Argentina. Con el objetivo de determinar el rol de los roedores como reservorios potenciales de parásitos zoonóticos, se analizó la distribución de helmintos respecto al sexo, edad, estación del año y ambientes urbanos. Un total de 107 individuos de R. rattus fueron examinados. Se identificaron siete especies de helmintos. Los valores de prevalencia total, intensidad media y abundancia media fueron 68%, 20 y 13, respectivamente. Nippostrongylus brasiliensis fue la especie más prevalente y abundante. Los resultados demostraron que la edad de los roedores y la estación del año tuvieron efectos en la infección con helmintos.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse