Reconnaissance Stage Research Articles

Knowledge and training among nursing students regarding the conspiracy of silence in palliative care: A participatory action research

AimTo develop and implement specific training based on the knowledge and management of conspiracy of silence among nursing students. BackgroundConspiracy of silence refers to the concealment of information from a patient on the family’s request, under the influence of a paternalistic culture that seeks to protect the patient. DesignParticipatory action research. MethodsWas conducted in the following stages: reconnaissance (focus groups); planning, action and observation (theoretical sessions); and reflection (analysis of care plans). The focus group consisted of six fourth year and eight second-year students. The intervention was conducted with 42 s-year students and a total of 93 s-year students participated in the resolution of the clinical case. The study was conducted between October 2022 and June 2023 at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Valencia. For data analysis, the process described by Carrillo et al. (2011) was followed, involving coding and the creation of categories and subcategories. ResultsThe focus group deficiencies were detected in the students' learning of palliative care competence, breaking bad news and the conspiracy of silence (reconnaissance stage). Therefore, an intervention was conducted to reinforce these knowledge areas, specifically addressing the conspiracy of silence (planning, action and observation stages). The resolution of the case showed how students with training approached the situation more comprehensively, including the family and proposed activities that were consistent with managing the situation (reflection stage). ConclusionsAn active feedback process was successfully established, where the students' feedback helped create specific training on oncological palliative care and provided the students with tools to manage the conspiracy of silence. The results underscore the importance of providing students with training in palliative care and managing conspiracy of silence, through therapeutic communication training, active training or enhancing emotional intelligence. This training is essential for cultivating the attitudes and skills required to deliver high-quality palliative care.

A Proposed Framework of Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) in Cloud Computing Environments from Penetration Tester Perspective

Penetration testing is a process that focuses on finding security vulnerabilities in a target environment that could let an attacker penetrate the network or computer system or steal information. Due to the COVID-19 endemic, most employees still implement working from home or a hybrid approach, even though the number of new cases of COVID-19 is decreasing. However, working from home depends mainly on cloud computing applications that help employees efficiently accomplish their daily work. This situation also increased the number of data generated from various sources, so they may be exposed to different security risks. This research will propose a framework to conduct vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT) in cloud service models such as SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS from the perspective of penetration testers. This proposed framework is developed through the integration and mapping of existing frameworks and guidelines to conduct VAPT on testing components such as web applications, APIs, network testing, etc. In this proposed framework, the method of conducting VAPT for each cloud service model will be discussed in detail, from the planning and reconnaissance stage until the report is delivered to the cloud subscriber or cloud provider. An advantage of this proposed framework for the penetration tester is that there is still a lack of methods or guidelines for conducting VAPT that cover all the cloud service models in one comprehensive document

Information Fusion and Metallogenic Prognosis of Gold Deposits in the Qixia Area, Northern Shandong Province, China

Analyzing and fusing information layers of exploratory parameters is a critical step for enhancing the accuracy of identifying mineral potential zones during the reconnaissance stage of mineral exploration. The Qixia area in Shandong Province is characterized by intricate geological structures and abundant mineral resources. Numerous gold polymetallic deposits have been discovered in this region, highlighting the potential for discovering more such deposits in the ore concentration zone and its adjacent areas. In this study, we focus on the Qixia area and employ the box dimension method to analyze the fractal dimension of fault structures. We investigate the relationship between orebody occurrence and fault incidence within the mining region. Furthermore, we combine fractal analysis with Fry analysis to comprehensively predict the metallogenic potential in the area. This study reveals the fractal dimension values of fault structures, demonstrating that fault structures govern the distribution of ore bodies, with NE and NW fault structures being the primary ore-hosting features. Based on thorough analysis, we hypothesize that gold deposits in this area are generally distributed along the northeastern direction. By considering mineral distribution characteristics, this study identifies five potential metallogenic prospect areas within the study region. Capitalizing on advancements in information technology and big data, digital geology has gained prominence in prospecting and prediction. To this end, we construct a multi-information comprehensive prospecting model based on the structure-geochemical anomaly-mineralization alteration, employing the convolutional neural network (CNN) model for quantitative estimation of regional gold mineral resources. The findings validate the CNN model’s robust prediction performance in this area, leading to the determination of five prediction prospects. We observe a notable congruence between the two methods, offering significant insights for subsequent exploration endeavors in the region.

Proposition of LULC mapping in progressive detailing for the surroundings of hydroelectric powerplant reservoirs: Case study for the Batalha (Brazil)

Surroundings of hydroelectric powerplant reservoirs have peculiar conditions of land use dynamics. In this sense, the objective of this work is to provide a methodological proposal for mapping the land use and land cover (LULC) in progressive detailing of surroundings of reservoirs of Hydroelectric Power Plants (HPP). To achieve this objective, we're mapped Batalha HPP (Brazil) as a case study. The approach to mapping LULC with progressive detailing consisted of three successive and complementary stages: the first, of reconnaissance (1:100,000), is based on the use of secondary cartographic and census data for the period 1985 to 2020, contemplating the Area of Direct Influence (ADI) of the Batalha HPP reservoir; the second stage, of semi-detail (1:25,000), consists of the use of Sentinel 2 images from the year 2021, spectral indices and the incorporation of manually vectorized files, for the spatial clipping of the Direct Contribution Basins (DCBs) and; the third and final step, of detail (1:10,000), made use of merged CBERS 4A images with a spatial resolution of 2 m analyzing the Limit of the Immediate Margins (LIM) of the reservoir. The data from the reconnaissance stage showed a clear dynamic of LULC change between 1985 and 2020 in the ADI of the Batalha HPP reservoir, with reduction and fragmentation of vegetation, due to the incorporation of areas for pasture and mainly, agriculture. In the semi-detail stage, the data showed that the DCBs of the reservoir of Batalha HPP were mainly related to agricultural use. The last step, of detail for the analysis of LIM, portrayed a condition of greater protection of the margins by vegetation cover, due to proximity to reservoirs. Due to the overall accuracy of 0.87, 0.95, and 0.91, respectively, the mapping of LULC changes in the three subsequent steps showed very good performance.

Information Protection in Complexes with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using Moving Target Technology

This article is devoted to the problem of information security in complexes with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Science knows a new promising method of information protection: moving target defense (MTD). The essence of this method is that due to periodic changes in the parameters of the infocommunication network the information about the information infrastructure collected by the attacker at the reconnaissance stage becomes irrelevant, and the attack becomes ineffective. This article also discusses the features and types of confidential information processed in complexes with UAV and provides a review of the experience of creating systems for protecting information from unauthorized access of complexes with UAV. The proposed hypothesis is tested using a model created using a tool: the GNS3 program. The model in the form of a test network in the GNS3 emulator recreates the proposed method. It was concluded that the effectiveness of the harmful impact on the complex with UAV was reduced by three times. The disadvantages of the proposed method include the problem of ensuring the availability of protected information resources for other legitimate, authorized participants in network interaction, as well as the need to solve the problem of choosing the optimal frequency of changing parameters.

Load Oscillating Attacks of Smart Grids: Vulnerability Analysis

We investigate the vulnerability of a power transmission grid to load oscillation attacks. We demonstrate that an adversary with a capability to oscillate a small fraction of load and monitor some tie line flows can launch a successful load oscillation attack to destabilize the grid. The adversary is assumed to be able to compromise smart meters at a subset of load buses and control their switches. In the reconnaissance stage of the proposed attack, the adversary estimates the line flow sensitivity factors (LFSFs) associated with the monitored tie lines by perturbing a small amount of load at compromised buses and observing how the monitored line flow changes. The learned LFSF values are used to select a target line and optimize the oscillation attack magnitudes at the compromised load buses to cause the target line to trip. In the execution stage, the oscillation attack frequency is adjusted in real time, based on the monitored target line flow measurements, in order to maximize the attack impact under the system condition at the attack time. We experimentally demonstrate that the proposed attack strategy can result in a much more severe consequence than benchmark oscillation attacks, using the COSMIC time-domain simulator with two test cases, the IEEE RTS-96 and Polish 2383-Bus Systems. The proposed attack strategy succeeded in causing a full blackout by oscillating only 8% of the load in the IEEE RTS-96 test system, and 1.7% of the load in the Polish test system.

A reconnaissance study for tracing and ordering new mineralisation zones using integrated remote sensing, GIS, and aeromagnetic techniques, west Allaqi-Heiani-Suture,Egypt

ABSTRACT Reducing expenses is a critical aspect of natural resource explorations, especially in the reconnaissance stage. Accordingly, GIS algorithms using the free remote sensing data were used to rank the probable mineralised zones before any future implementations of the high-cost drilling and/or detailed geophysical programmes. Geological and tectonic settings, and being a historical mineral resource were motivations to choose the Allaqi-Heiani Suture (AHS), Upper Egypt, as a study area. Remote sensing data were processed for tracing the probably mineralised alteration zones, determining fractures and dominating structural systems, and mapping different geological units. Various alteration minerals including hydroxyls–carbonates, ferrous and ferric iron oxides were detected over different rock units using band ratio (BR) and Crosta techniques. Different geological units were distinguished using false colour composite (FCC) images. Moreover, an intense fractured system, demonstrating the area, was revealed by tracing lineaments using informative, spatially enhanced remote-sensed images. Fractures within the altered rocks represent 35% of the total fracturing system in the AHS to indicate a structural system controlling mineralisation occurrences. The processing of magnetic data suggested a deep/buried nature of these remotely detected lineaments/structures. Reduced to pole (RTP) and tilt derivative (TDR) maps detected the buried magnetic sources, whereas zero contours of TDR, Euler deconvolution, analytic signal and source parameter imaging (SPI) techniques traced buried contacts/structures and estimated their depths. A GIS strategy depending on the intensity of the fracturing system and the presence of more than one type of alteration was applied to potential-rank the prospective mineralised occurrences over AHS. The correlation between ranked zones with the old/known mines showed encouraging evaluation.

Electromagnetic Surveys for Petroleum Exploration: Challenges and Prospects

Transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveys constitute an important element in exploration projects and can be successfully used in the search for oil and gas. Different modifications of the method include shallow (sTEM), 2D, 3D, and 4D (time-lapse) soundings. TEM data allow for solving a large scope of problems for estimating resources and reserves of hydrocarbons, discriminating reservoir rocks, detecting tectonic features, and characterizing drilling conditions. TEM surveys are applicable at all stages, from initial prospecting to production, and are especially efficient when combined with seismic surveys. Each stage has its specific objectives: estimation of net pay thickness, porosity, and fluid type during prospecting, optimization of well placement and prediction of drilling conditions in exploration, and monitoring of flooding during production. Electromagnetic soundings resolve permafrost features well and thus have a high potentiality for exploration in the Arctic petroleum province. At the first reconnaissance stage of regional prospecting in East Siberia, electromagnetic and seismic data were used jointly to map the junction of the Aldan basin (part of the Aldan-Maya foredeep) with the eastern slope of the Aldan uplift and to constrain the limits of Neoproterozoic sediments. The TEM-based images revealed reservoir rocks in the Upper and Middle Neoproterozoic strata. TEM data have implications for the amount of in-place oil and gas resources in prospects, leads, and plays (Russian categories D1–3) at the prospecting and exploration stages and contingent recoverable reserves (C2) during exploration (latest stage). The contribution of the TEM survey to oil and gas evaluation is quantified via economic variables, such as the value of information (VOI) and expected monetary value (EMV).

Multi-Dimensional Data Fusion for Mineral Prospectivity Mapping (MPM) Using Fuzzy-AHP Decision-Making Method, Kodegan-Basiran Region, East Iran

Analyzing and fusing information layers of exploratory parameters is a crucial stride for increasing the accuracy of pinpointing mineral potential zones in the reconnaissance stage of mineral exploration. Remote sensing, geophysical, geochemical, and geology data were analyzed and fused for identify metallic mineralization in the Kodegan-Basiran region (East Iran). Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), aeromagnetic data, geological data, and geochemical stream sediment samples were utilized. The study area contains some copper indices and mines. Thus, the main focus of this study was identifying the zones with high potential for metallic copper mineralization. A two-stage methodology was implemented in this study: First, extraction of the exploratory parameters related to metallic mineralization and second is data fusion by the hybrid fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP) method. Hydrothermal alterations and iron oxides in the area were mapped by applying the optimum index factor (OIF), band ratio (BR), and least squared fit (LS-Fit) to ETM+ data. Intrusive masses were positioned as one of the effective parameters in identifying metallic mineralization zones using the gradient tensor method to assess aeromagnetic data. In order to determine the threshold concentration and the location of mineralization anomalies, the K-means clustering algorithm, vertical geochemical zonality (Vz) index, as well as concentration-area (C-A) multi fractal and singularity analysis were implemented on the geochemical data. In conclusion, the potential zones of metallic mineralization in the Kodegan-Basiran region were displayed in a mineral prospectivity map (MPM) derived from the Fuzzy-AHP decision-making method. Finally, to validate the prospectivity map of metallic mineralization, a control area was selected and surveyed by collecting mineralogical, petrological, and stream sediment samples. Field works confirmed the mineralization of Cu and Fe sulfides, oxides, and hydroxides. The high potential areas identified in the MPM can be considered as targets for future Cu exploration in the Kodegan-Basiran area.

Neuro-Fuzzy-AHP (NFAHP) Technique for Copper Exploration Using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Geological Datasets in the Sahlabad Mining Area, East Iran

Fusion and analysis of thematic information layers using machine learning algorithms provide an important step toward achieving accurate mineral potential maps in the reconnaissance stage of mineral exploration. This study developed the Neuro-Fuzzy-AHP (NFAHP) technique for fusing remote sensing (i.e., ASTER alteration mineral image-maps) and geological datasets (i.e., lithological map, geochronological map, structural map, and geochemical map) to identify high potential zones of volcanic massive sulfide (VMS) copper mineralization in the Sahlabad mining area, east Iran. Argillic, phyllic, propylitic and gossan alteration zones were identified in the study area using band ratio and Selective Principal Components Analysis (SPCA) methods implemented to ASTER VNIR and SWIR bands. For each of the copper deposits, old mines and mineralization indices in the study area, information related to exploration factors such as ore mineralization, host-rock lithology, alterations, geochronological, geochemistry, and distance from high intensity lineament factor communities were investigated. Subsequently, the predictive power of these factors in identifying copper occurrences was evaluated using Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) technique. The BPNN results demonstrated that using the exploration factors, copper mineralizations in Sahlabad mining area could be identified with high accuracy. Lastly, using the Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy-AHP) method, information layers were weighted and fused. As a result, a potential map of copper mineralization was generated, which pinpointed several high potential zones in the study area. For verification of the results, the documented copper deposits, old mines, and mineralization indices in the study area were plotted on the potential map, which is particularly appearing in high favorability parts of the potential map. In conclusion, the Neuro-Fuzzy-AHP (NFAHP) technique shows great reliability for copper exploration in the Sahlabad mining area, and it can be extrapolated to other metallogenic provinces in Iran and other regions for the reconnaissance stage of mineral exploration.

Geoarchaeological Investigation of Abydos Area Using Land Magnetic and GPR Techniques, El-Balyana, Sohag, Egypt

Abydos Temple is one of Egypt’s most significant sites which has a long history that dates back to the ancient monarchy and continued until the coming of Islam and also served as one of Egypt’s most significant ancient royal and high-ranking official burial sites. The main objective of this work was discovering more archaeological features buried underground such as ancient walls, monuments, and tombs. This objective was achieved using two near surface sophisticated geophysical techniques, namely ground magnetic survey and ground penetrating radar (GPR). This site was surveyed firstly using ground magnetic survey as reconnaissance stage and the locations which contain potential anomalies were resurveyed using GPR technique for determination the depth and the geometry of this potential targets. This site was divided into four regular grids and GPR model SIR-4000 equipment with 200 MHz central frequency antenna was used in this survey. The output of the magnetic survey is a total magnetic anomaly map which was filtered using High pass (HP) and first vertical derivative (VFD) techniques to extract the residual component of the shallow objects which may be archaeological targets. The results of the magnetic methods showed a group of anomalies which appeared on the residual map and were attributed to archaeological features by comparing them with the current excavated objects in and around the site. Their geometrical shapes and depths were estimated using source parameter imaging (SPI) and analytical signal (AS) techniques in Geosoft Oasis Montag Software. The estimated depth of these objects is between 1–3 m. Several hyperbolic shapes appeared in the radargram sections, indicating the possibility of probable buried archaeological objects. These potential objects can be found at depths of 2 to 4 m below the ground surface. The presence of eight probable targets associated with archaeological features at depths between 1–4 m is therefore the most likely outcome from both magnetic and GPR approaches. Therefore, this site contains potential archaeological targets which need confirmation by excavation. These results will influence domestic and foreign tourism in Egypt, leading to an increase in visitors and a rise in Economy.

Implementation of ASTER data for lithologic and alteration zones mapping: Derhib area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

Derhib area is dissected by narrow E–W-trending shear zones that delineate the alteration zones accommodating the infamous structurally-controlled talc mineralization in the South Eastern Desert of Egypt. A multidisciplinary remote sensing approach using ASTER images integrated with field data and petrographic investigations have been used for mapping the alteration zones at the Derhib area. Band ratios composites, band ratio, selective Principal Component Analysis (PCA) have been used for discriminating rocks and mineralization zones. Iron oxide/hydroxides-, phyllic and propyllitic-rich alteration zones were mapped using band ratios and selective PCA. Fuzzy logic modeling was implemented to integrate the most informative thematic layers for generating mineral prospectivity map. Based on eigenvector loadings, the map was produced by merging the selected PC thematic layers using fuzzy AND operator. The present study is consistent with the recent literature and shows the capability of fuzzy model as a valuable cost-effective tool to produce mineral potential maps, especially at the reconnaissance stages of mineral exploration.

Family Empowerment Models in Fighting the Problem of Mental Health Children and Adolescent

BACKGROUND: Handling mental health problems in children and adolescents greatly help prevent the emergence of more severe problems. Early detection and treatment as early as possible can prevent a decrease in productivity and health costs and reduce the burden on families and communities AIM: This study aims to develop a family empowerment model based on modifications and additions of existing designs that are applied operationally by families and health workers. METHODS: The design of this study used a mixed method, the first stage of the study used a descriptive qualitative approach and the second stage of the study was a quasi-experiment. Respondents were 14 parents that had the risk of mental health problems in their adolescents. In the reconnaissance and reflecting stages, the data were analyzed qualitatively and the acting phase was included in the family empowerment model. After all the actions taken were completed, it was followed by observation and comparing of data before and after applying the empowerment model. RESULTS: The reconnaissance stage was carried out to obtain the theme for the family behavior in overcoming mental health problems through early detection, education, and participation. The planning phase was developed using the early mental health detection instrument and workbook. During the acting stage, assistance was provided by the family through information in developing the designed model. The dependent t-test showed an increase in family knowledge after applying the empowerment model (p = 0,000; alpha = 0.05). This indicated that there was a significant effect in the implementation of the model in overcoming mental health problems in children and adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Family empowerment models include the detection of children with mental health issues, provision of education according to these problems, and participation in the care of those at risk of experiencing it.

Markov Decision Process for Modeling Social Engineering Attacks and Finding Optimal Attack Strategies

It is important to comprehend the attacker’s behavior and capacity in order to build a stronger fortress and thus be able to protect valuable assets more effectively. Prior to launching technical and physical attacks, an attacker may enter the reconnaissance stage and gather sensitive information. To collect such valuable data, one of the most effective approaches is through conducting social engineering attacks, borrowing techniques from deception theory. As a result, it is of utmost importance to understand when an attacker behaves truthfully and when the attacker opts to be deceitful. This paper models attacker’s states using Markov Decision Process (MDP) and studies the attacker’s decision for launching deception attacks in terms of cooperation and deception costs. The study is performed through Markov Decision Process (MDP) modeling, where the states of attackers are modeled along with the permissible actions that can be taken. We found that the optimal policy regarding being deceitful or truthful depends on the cost associated with deception and how much the attacker can afford to take the risk of launching deception attacks. More specifically, we observed that when the cost of cooperation is low (e.g., 10%), by taking MDP optimal policy, the attacker cooperates with the victim as much as possible in order to gain their trust; whereas, when the cost of cooperation is high (e.g., 50%), the attacker takes deceptive action earlier in order to minimize the cost of interactions while maximizing the impact of the attack. We report four case studies and simulations through which we demonstrate the trade-off between cooperative and deceptive actions in accordance with their costs to attackers.

Reinforcement Learning for Generating Secure Configurations

Many security problems in software systems are because of vulnerabilities caused by improper configurations. A poorly configured software system leads to a multitude of vulnerabilities that can be exploited by adversaries. The problem becomes even more serious when the architecture of the underlying system is static and the misconfiguration remains for a longer period of time, enabling adversaries to thoroughly inspect the software system under attack during the reconnaissance stage. Employing diversification techniques such as Moving Target Defense (MTD) can minimize the risk of exposing vulnerabilities. MTD is an evolving defense technique through which the attack surface of the underlying system is continuously changing. However, the effectiveness of such dynamically changing platform depends not only on the goodness of the next configuration setting with respect to minimization of attack surfaces but also the diversity of set of configurations generated. To address the problem of generating a diverse and large set of secure software and system configurations, this paper introduces an approach based on Reinforcement Learning (RL) through which an agent is trained to generate the desirable set of configurations. The paper reports the performance of the RL-based secure and diverse configurations through some case studies.

Development of School-based Mental Health Program

BACKGROUND: Mental health services for school-aged children can help prevent the emergence of more severe problems. AIM: This study aims to create a mental health program for school-aged children. METHODS: An action design was used, and the implementation procedure consisted of four stages, namely reconnaissance, planning, acting, and reflecting. Furthermore, the respondents were 12 teachers, and the samples for the program were 73 students. In the reconnaissance stage, data were recorded and documented in transcript form. RESULT: At the planning stage, the instrument of mental health status, workbooks, and modules were developed. Meanwhile, in the acting stage, psychosocial intervention was conducted, and in the reflecting stage, the child mental health status before and after were measured using a dependent t-test. Furthermore, Focus Group Discussion activity in the Development of School-based Mental Health Program has 6 themes. The analysis results showed significant changes, meaning that there was a change in mental health status in school-aged children (p = 0,000; alpha 0.05). This showed that there was a significant influence of the program implementation on mental health status. CONCLUSION: The programs include identification, assessment, intervention, and mental health facilitation in school-aged children. Therefore, it is recommended for health service and education office to synergize in developing the program to improve achievement.

Stream Sediments Geochemistry of the Nyambaka Drainage System Northern Cameroon (Central Africa): A Target for Mining Exploration

Mining exploration in the Nyambaka area Northern Cameroon still at reconnaissance stage. In this study, ten active stream sediments samples were collected for geochemical survey. These stream sediments were analyzed by inductively coupled Plasma/ Mass Spectometry (ICP/MS), the data set obtained was transformed into a standard formation an excel database, and was subject to statistical treatment using IBM SPSS statistics 21 for 33 chemical elements to highlight the relationship between the stream sediments geochemistry, the region lithology, the geological processes and eventual primary mineralization. The data were analyzed using multivariate statistics. R-mode analysis produced a five-factor model behind multi-elements associations which account for 93.40% of the total variance in the data with the following metals associations: Sc-Mo-V-In-Ga-Cu-Cr, Ba-Sr-Ag-Cr-Cu-Co-Be-Ni-Y-Zn-V, Ga-Hf-Zr, Sn-Au, As-Cd. Sn-Au association indicates that Au mineralization is link to Sn mineralization. As-Cd, Cu Ga, In, Mo suggested that the paragenesis represent others sulphidation events that is barren with respect to Au. The spatial distribution of Sn-Au and As-Cd factors show that these factors are mores express in the centre part of the study area; they can be link to granitic rocks, defining a primary gold target. A detail mining investigation have to me carry out in that area to highlight the primary mineralizations.

PERSEPSI GURU TENTANG PROGRAM KESEHATAN JIWA BERBASIS SEKOLAH (PKJ-BS)

Mental health services for school-age children are very helpful in preventing more serious problems. Mental health problems that are mild in nature can be handled by the teacher at school or in collaboration between the teacher and the child's parents. To create a conducive climate, it is necessary to develop a mental health program in schools to be able to facilitate school-age children to achieve their developmental tasks. This study used an action research design. The implementation procedure consists of four stages, namely reconnection, planning, acting and reflecting. Research respondents were all 12 teachers in SD Negeri 060891. At the reconnaissance stage of qualitative analysis, the data were recorded and documented in the form of a transcript which then determined the appropriate theme. The stages of Reconnaissance were carried out by means of FGD (Focus Group Discussion) on research on the Development of School-Based Mental Health Programs (PKJ-BS) at SD Negeri 060891 Medan resulting in 6 themes, namely: 1) teachers' knowledge of mental health for school age children, 2) mental health problems in school-age children, 3) teacher's handling of mental health problems for school-age children, 4) mental health education for school-age children, 5) parental involvement and 6) efforts made by schools to improve mental health for school-age children. It is recommended that the health and education offices work together in developing the mental health of school-age children in order to improve student achievement

Assessment of agency or assessment for agency?: a critical realist action research study into the impact of a processfolio assessment within UK HE preparatory courses for international students

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a three-year action research project action investigating the relationship between assessment as a social structure and the agency of students within a preparatory course for postgraduate international students at a UK Russell Group University. Action research into academic writing assessment within this highly constrained context was informed by critical realism, which allows for impacts of assessment on students to be conceptualised as ‘absence’, in this case of agency and for change to be understood as the ‘absenting of absences.’ An initial reconnaissance stage precipitated the implementation of an intervention called processfolio. The first intervention cycle involved one class of 14 students; the second cycle widened the scope to three classes. A range of data sets was employed at each cycle, including interviews, and the students’ processfolios. Students demonstrated varying stages of critical consciousness of assessment as a constraining social structure and, through the processfolio, some found space to resist and make agentic choices. Through the iterative process of action research, it became clear that the real purpose of the processfolio was to use assessment itself as a tool to absent the negative impacts of these assessment practices, thereby subverting and disrupting assessment as a social structure.

Integration of Selective Dimensionality Reduction Techniques for Mineral Exploration Using ASTER Satellite Data

There are a significant number of image processing methods that have been developed during the past decades for detecting anomalous areas, such as hydrothermal alteration zones, using satellite images. Among these methods, dimensionality reduction or transformation techniques are known to be a robust type of methods, which are helpful, as they reduce the extent of a study area at the initial stage of mineral exploration. Principal component analysis (PCA), independent component analysis (ICA), and minimum noise fraction (MNF) are the dimensionality reduction techniques known as multivariate statistical methods that convert a set of observed and correlated input variables into uncorrelated or independent components. In this study, these techniques were comprehensively compared and integrated, to show how they could be jointly applied in remote sensing data analysis for mapping hydrothermal alteration zones associated with epithermal Cu–Au deposits in the Toroud-Chahshirin range, Central Iran. These techniques were applied on specific subsets of the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) spectral bands for mapping gossans and hydrothermal alteration zones, such as argillic, propylitic, and phyllic zones. The fuzzy logic model was used for integrating the most rational thematic layers derived from the transformation techniques, which led to an efficient remote sensing evidential layer for mineral prospectivity mapping. The results showed that ICA was a more robust technique for generating hydrothermal alteration thematic layers, compared to the other dimensionality reduction techniques. The capabilities of this technique in separating source signals from noise led to improved enhancement of geological features, such as specific alteration zones. In this investigation, several previously unmapped prospective zones were detected using the integrated hydrothermal alteration map and most of the known hydrothermal mineral occurrences showed a high prospectivity value. Fieldwork and laboratory analysis were conducted to validate the results and to verify new prospective zones in the study area, which indicated a good consistency with the remote sensing output. This study demonstrated that the integration of remote sensing-based alteration thematic layers derived from the transformation techniques is a reliable and low-cost approach for mineral prospectivity mapping in metallogenic provinces, at the reconnaissance stage of mineral exploration.