bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ATENÇÃO FARMACÊUTICA A IDOSOS PORTADORES DE DOENÇAS CRÔNICAS NO ÂMBITO DA ATENÇÃO PRIMÁRIA À SAÚDE
Authors: Ferreira Júnior Edimar , Mariz Batista Almária
Published: July 2018

Atenção Farmacêutica constitui a prática farmacêutica desenvolvida no contexto da Assistência Farmacêutica, compreendendo atitudes, valores éticos, comportamentos, habilidades, compromissos e co-responsabilidades na prevenção de doenças, promoção e recuperação da saúde, de forma integrada à equipe de saúde. Tem foco no usuário do medicamento, na educação em saúde, na orientação farmacêutica, no registro sistemático de atividades, mensuração e avaliação de resultados, na busca da resposta satisfatória à terapêutica farmacológica. O presente estudo teve como objetivo revisar a literatura pertinente à Atenção Farmacêutica no contexto de idosos portadores de doenças crônicas atendidos pela atenção primária à saúde. Trata-se de revisão bibliográfica realizada nas bases de dados NCBI (via Pubmed), Web of Science, Scopus e LILACS. Sem a atuação do farmacêutico, o medicamento e o cuidado relacionado ao seu uso apresentam-se desordenados e desqualificados no âmbito do SUS. Há problemas significativos em todos os pontos envolvendo a farmacoterapia, como adesão, polifarmacoterapia, automedicação, problemas relacionadosa medicamentos e interações medicamentosas. A Atenção Farmacêutica no contexto de problemas de saúde em idosos é essencial para o fortalecimento da adesão ao tratamento, redução dos gastos, promoção do uso racional dos medicamentos, redução dos problemas relacionados aos medicamentos, informações sobre a doença e seus agravos.
Key Features of the Activity of Tourism Firms within the Russian Federation. The Financial Aspect
Authors: BERESNEV Dmitrii Nikolaevich , FILIMONOVA Nadezhda Nikolaevna , VERSHININA Olga Vasil'evna , KUVSHINOVA Yuliya Aleksandrovna , MOSKVITI Gennadii Ivanovich
Published: July 2018

The research reported in this paper owes its relevance to the fact that tourism appears today to be a rather promising sector within the economy of the most nations around the world. In Russia, the influence of the tourism industry on the nation’s economy is not yet widely visible, with tourism being funded only residually. The nation’s failure to ensure the proper operation of its tourism industry costs it billions in missed revenue, which could otherwise fill the state’s budget based on increases in tourism flows. Despite its tremendous tourism potential, the nation remains quite a modest player in the global tourism market.

To enable the sector to develop further and help maximize the nation’s wealth, it is worth, on the one hand, ensuring sufficient funding for it. Some of the key objectives in the area include creating the actual tourism product, developing the nation’s market for tourism services, enhancing the market’s infrastructure, boosting the quality of services, and promoting internal and foreign tourism. On the other hand, a critical issue is the caliber of financial business activity by the actual organization, its compliance with tax and any other legislation, and its conformance to all economic/legal requirements prescribed both by the Russian Federation constituent where it operates and by the federal government as a whole.
Species diversity of fungi on damaged branches and leaves of ashes (Fraxinus spp.) in different types of stands in Slovakia
Authors: Pastirčáková Katarína , Ivanová Helena , Pastirčák Martin
Published: July 2018

The diversity of fungi on branches and leaves of ashes (Fraxinus angustifolia, F. excelsior, F. ornus) in Slovakia was studied. Symptomatic material collected in Slovakia during the period of 2013 to 2017 and herbarium specimens previously collected were examined. In total, 30 fungal taxa (15 Deuteromycetes, 14 Ascomycetes and one Basidiomycetes) were recorded. Twenty-three of them have never been recorded on ashes in the country. The most frequently occurring fungi were Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (anamorph Chalara fraxinea) that causes necrosis of shoots and branches, and Phyllactinia fraxini, a foliar pathogen that causes powdery mildew disease. Fungal diversity on ashes growing in different types of stands was compared. Species richness was the greatest in seed orchards (20 fungal taxa) compared to private gardens, which contained the lowest (two fungal taxa). Species diversity in forest stands comprised 18 fungal taxa and the urban greenery was represented by 10 fungal taxa. Nine fungal taxa were recorded in tree alley along the road. The widest fungal species spectrum was recorded on F. excelsior.
Examining the Reversibility of Long-Term Behavioral Disruptions in Progeny of Maternal SSRI Exposure
Authors: Maloney Susan E. , Akula Shyam , Rieger Michael A. , McCullough Katherine B. , Chandler Krystal , Corbett Adrian M. , McGowin Audrey E. , Dougherty Joseph D.
Published: July 2018

Serotonergic dysregulation is implicated in numerous psychiatric disorders. Serotonin plays widespread trophic roles during neurodevelopment; thus perturbations to this system during development may increase risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Epidemiological studies have examined association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment during pregnancy and increased autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in offspring. It is unclear from these studies whether ASD susceptibility is purely related to maternal psychiatric diagnosis, or if treatment poses additional risk. We sought to determine whether maternal SSRI treatment alone or in combination with genetically vulnerable background was sufficient to induce offspring behavior disruptions relevant to ASD. We exposed C57BL/6J orCelf6+/-mouse dams to fluoxetine (FLX) during different periods of gestation and lactation and characterized offspring on tasks assessing social communicative interaction and repetitive behavior patterns including sensory sensitivities. We demonstrate robust reductions in pup ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and alterations in social hierarchy behaviors, as well as perseverative behaviors and tactile hypersensitivity.Celf6mutant mice demonstrate social communicative deficits and perseverative behaviors, without further interaction with FLX. FLX re-exposure in adulthood ameliorates the tactile hypersensitivity yet exacerbates the dominance phenotype. This suggests acute deficiencies in serotonin levels likely underlie the abnormal responses to sensory stimuli, while the social alterations are instead due to altered development of social circuits. These findings indicate maternal FLX treatment, independent of maternal stress, can induce behavioral disruptions in mammalian offspring, thus contributing to our understanding of the developmental role of the serotonin system and the possible risks to offspring of SSRI treatment during pregnancy.
Genetic Control of Myelin Plasticity after Chronic Psychosocial Stress
Authors: Laine Mikaela A. , Trontti Kalevi , Misiewicz Zuzanna , Sokolowska Ewa , Kulesskaya Natalia , Heikkinen Aino , Saarnio Suvi , Balcells Ingrid , Ameslon Pierre , Greco Dario , Mattila Pirkko , Ellonen Pekka , Paulin Lars , Auvinen Petri , Jokitalo Eija , Hovatta Iiris
Published: July 2018

Anxiety disorders often manifest in genetically susceptible individuals after psychosocial stress, but the mechanisms underlying these gene-environment interactions are largely unknown. We used the chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) mouse model to study resilience and susceptibility to chronic psychosocial stress. We identified a strong genetic background effect in CSDS-induced social avoidance (SA) using four inbred mouse strains: 69% of C57BL/6NCrl (B6), 23% of BALB/cAnNCrl, 19% of 129S2/SvPasCrl, and 5% of DBA/2NCrl (D2) mice were stress resilient. Furthermore, different inbred mouse strains responded differently to stress, suggesting they use distinct coping strategies. To identify biological pathways affected by CSDS, we used RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) of three brain regions of two strains, B6 and D2: medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), ventral hippocampus (vHPC), and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). We discovered overrepresentation of oligodendrocyte (OLG)-related genes in the differentially expressed gene population. Because OLGs myelinate axons, we measured myelin thickness and found significant region and strain-specific differences. For example, in resilient D2 mice, mPFC axons had thinner myelin than controls, whereas susceptible B6 mice had thinner myelin than controls in the vHPC. Neither myelin-related gene expression in several other regions nor corpus callosum thickness differed between stressed and control animals. Our unbiased gene expression experiment suggests that myelin plasticity is a substantial response to chronic psychosocial stress, varies across brain regions, and is genetically controlled. Identification of genetic regulators of the myelin response will provide mechanistic insight into the molecular basis of stress-related diseases, such as anxiety disorders, a critical step in developing targeted therapy.
Bone metabolism in Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Authors: Anastasilakis Athanasios D , Tsoli Marina , Kaltsas Gregory , Makras Polyzois
Published: July 2018

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease of not well-defined etiology that involves immune cell activation and frequently affects the skeleton. Bone involvement in LCH usually presents in the form of osteolytic lesions along with low bone mineral density. Various molecules involved in bone metabolism are implicated in the pathogenesis of LCH or may be affected during the course of the disease, including interleukins (ILs), tumor necrosis factor α, receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) and its soluble ligand RANKL, osteoprotegerin (OPG), periostin and sclerostin. Among them IL-17A, periostin and RANKL have been proposed as potential serum biomarkers for LCH, particularly as the interaction between RANK, RANKL and OPG not only regulates bone homeostasis through its effects on the osteoclasts but also affects the activation and survival of immune cells. Significant changes in circulating and lesional RANKL levels have been observed in LCH patients irrespective of bone involvement. Standard LCH management includes local or systematic administration of corticosteroids and chemotherapy. Given the implication of RANK, RANKL and OPG in the pathogenesis of the disease and the osteolytic nature of bone lesions, agents aiming at inhibiting the RANKL pathway and/or osteoclastic activation, such as bisphosphonates and denosumab, may have a role in the therapeutic approach of LCH although further clinical investigation is warranted.
On Special Fuzzy Differential Subordinations Using Generalized Sala gean Operator and Ruscheweyh Derivative
Authors: Alina Alb Lupas
Published: July 2018

: In the present paper we establish several fuzzy differential subordinations regardind the operator RD!,"m , givenby RD!,"m : A # A, RD!,"m f (z) = (1#")Rm f (z)+"D!m f (z), where Rm f (z) denote the Ruscheweyh derivative, D!m f (z) is thegeneralized S !a l!a gean operator and A = { f !H(U), f (z) = z + a2z2 +…, z !U} is the class of normalized analyticfunctions. A certain fuzzy class, denoted by RDmF (!,",# ), of analytic functions in the open unit disc is introduced bymeans of this operator. By making use of the concept of fuzzy differential subordination we will derive various properties and characteristics of the class RDmF (!,",# ). Also, several fuzzy differential subordinations are established regardingthe operator RD!,"m .
Performance Evaluation of a Modified DC Compressor Powered by Solar Energy
Authors: Orhan Ekren
Published: July 2018

In this study, a modified direct current compressor (MDC) is tested experimentally. The experimental study is conducted in order to observe the performance of a solar energy powered MDC. Then, the performance of this MDC is compared with brand new direct current compressors (BNDC) in the market. The experimental setup has a mini fridge with 50 liters capacity, a photovoltaic panel, a battery, a charge regulator and measurement equipments. Also, a pyranometer is used to define solar radiation on the photovoltaic panel. Experiments are conducted for various cabinet loads such as no storage items, low, nominal and over load at steady state condition.
Illness Severity of Children Admitted to the PICU From Referring Emergency Departments
Authors: Evans Jacqueline M. , Dayal Parul , Hallam Douglas L. , Natale JoAnne E. , Kodali Pranav , Sauers-Ford Hadley S. , Marcin James P.
Published: July 2018

OBJECTIVES:

To compare patient factors and outcomes among children admitted to PICUs from referring versus children’s hospital emergency departments (EDs).

METHODS:

Pediatric patients (<19 years old) admitted to PICUs from referring and children’s hospital EDs from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013. We compared demographic and clinical factors, including severity of illness as measured by a recalibrated Pediatric Index of Mortality, version 2 score.

RESULTS:

Of 80 045 children from 109 PICUs, 35.6% were admitted from referring EDs and 64.4% were admitted from children’s hospital EDs. Children from referring EDs had higher illness severity (Pediatric Index of Mortality, version 2–predicted risk of mortality, 3.1% vs 2.2%, P < .001), were more likely to be mechanically ventilated within their first hour in the PICU (28.4% vs 23.4%, P < .001), and had higher observed mortality (3.3% vs 2.1%, P < .001). Once adjusted for illness severity and other confounders in a multivariable logistic regression model, there was no difference in the odds of mortality between children from referring and children’s hospital EDs (odds ratio: 0.90; 95% confidence interval: 0.79 to 1.02, P = .09)

CONCLUSIONS:

Children transferred to PICUs from referring EDs had higher illness severity on arrival compared with children admitted from children’s hospital EDs. Variations in patient selection for transfer or pretransfer treatment at referring EDs may contribute to the greater illness severity of transferred children. Referring hospitals may benefit from leveraging existing resources to improve patient stabilization before transfer.
Time to Pathogen Detection for Non-ill Versus Ill-Appearing Infants ≤60 Days Old With Bacteremia and Meningitis
Authors: Aronson Paul L. , Wang Marie E. , Nigrovic Lise E. , Shah Samir S. , Desai Sanyukta , Pruitt Christopher M. , Balamuth Fran , Sartori Laura , Marble Richard D. , Rooholamini Sahar N. , Leazer Rianna C. , Woll Christopher , DePorre Adrienne G. , Neuman Mark I. ,   for the Febrile Young Infant Research Collaborative
Published: July 2018

OBJECTIVES:

We sought to determine the time to pathogen detection in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for infants ≤60 days old with bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis and to explore whether time to pathogen detection differed for non–ill-appearing and ill-appearing infants.

METHODS:

We included infants ≤60 days old with bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis evaluated in the emergency departments of 10 children’s hospitals between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2016. The microbiology laboratories at each site were queried to identify infants in whom a bacterial pathogen was isolated from blood and/or CSF. Medical records were then reviewed to confirm the presence of a pathogen and to extract demographic characteristics, clinical appearance, and the time to pathogen detection.

RESULTS:

Among 360 infants with bacteremia, 316 (87.8%) pathogens were detected within 24 hours and 343 (95.3%) within 36 hours. A lower proportion of non–ill-appearing infants with bacteremia had a pathogen detected on blood culture within 24 hours compared with ill-appearing infants (85.0% vs 92.9%, respectively; P = .03). Among 62 infants with bacterial meningitis, 55 (88.7%) pathogens were detected within 24 hours and 59 (95.2%) were detected within 36 hours, with no difference based on ill appearance.

CONCLUSIONS:

Among infants ≤60 days old with bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis, pathogens were commonly identified from blood or CSF within 24 and 36 hours. However, clinicians must weigh the potential for missed bacteremia in non–ill-appearing infants discharged within 24 hours against the overall low prevalence of infection.
MORPHOLOGY OF THE SURFACE OF COOKED SAUSAGES MADE WITH THE COLLAGEN-CONTAINING PROTEIN ADDITIVE “BILKOZYNE”
Authors: Pasichnyi V. , Kotliar Ye. , Polumbryk M. , Polumbryk M. , Litvyak V.
Published: July 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the collagen-based additive Bilkozyne on the texture of cooked sausages. This additive is a food ingredient obtained by partial hydrolysis of a beef skin split. We suggested that Bilkozyne usage in the formulae of meat products will allow reducing production costs and improving the texture of the final product. We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) regarded as a unique tool in the comprehensive research of the texture of food products. Prior to that, we had developed a protein stabiliser (PS), based on Bilkozyne and other hydrocolloids, in order to distribute fats uniformly in the protein matrix of mincemeat. The influence of PS on the surface morphology of dried samples of cooked chicken sausages made from the mincemeat has been investigated. The main component (60 %) of the PS was collagen containing the protein Bilkozyne. The PS levels in the cooked sausages were 10 % and 15 %. Qualitative changes of the texture of cooked sausages have been examined by means of high resolution SEM. The following morphological parameters of the samples have been examined: the number of holes per 1000 µm2 of the area of the sample; the average area of the holes, µм2; the holes ellipticity; the average area of the surface without the holes per 1000 µм2 of the area of the sample. It has been shown that adding 10 % of the PS in the hydrated form results in essential improvement of the morphological features of the sausages as compared to those made with non-hydrated PS. It has been found that an increase of the PS in the formulae from 10 % to 15 % has a negative impact on the texture of the final products, causing a significant decrease in the hydration degree of the myofibrillar proteins of the meat’s muscle tissues. Bilkozyne has a positive effect on the distribution of fats and proteins in the mincemeat. This makes it possible not to change the source of fats in cooked sausages. Thus, the inclusion of Bilkozyne into the formula of cooked sausages results not only in the improvement of their texture, but also in the increase of essential amino acids content.
STUDYING THE PROPERTIES OF GRAPE POMACE AS OF AN OBJECT OF DRYING
Authors: Derevenko V. , Kasyanov G. , Pylypenko L.
Published: July 2018

Grape pomace contains a complex of valuable and biologically active compounds. Drying is one of the main ways of microbiological stabilisation and preservation of the nutritional value of this secondary raw material. Kinetic parameters of dehydration of grape pomace from different industrially cultivated and processed varieties have been studied, namely, of the red grape varieties Cabernet and Shiraz, and of the white varieties Chardonnay and Riesling. Dependences of the moisture content in the process of convective drying at different drying agent rates have been obtained at a regulated temperature of 80 °C. The components of such an important technological parameter as the drying time have been determined. These components include the duration of the constant drying rate period Φ2 and the time of the decreasing drying rate period Φ1 of the two zones of the second drying period. The coefficients of the dehydration process have been calculated depending on the type of grape pomace processing. It has been shown that the discrepancy between the calculated and experimental results does not exceed ±3.9%. The specific features of the moisture yield of the pomace have been revealed, the pomace being viewed as a complex heterogeneous system with colloidal and capillary-porous properties. There are different types of its technological preparation: it can be fresh, frozen, fermented, and this makes for the fact that the drying time and drying rate may differ by 1.32–1.46 times. High preservation of valuable properties of grape pomace has been shown. Thus, the concentration of biologically active substances (BAS) in the total polyphenolic compounds is up to 69% of their initial concentration in the grape pomace samples, and the microbial contamination of the samples after drying is reduced by 51–82% of their initial contamination.
THE RATE OF THE TEMPERATURE DROP IN SWEET PEPPERS AT THE TECHNICAL STAGE OF RIPENESS DURING THEIR COOLING
Authors: Koltunov V. , Kalaida K. , Zabolotna A. , Volkova T.
Published: July 2018

The leading vegetables in Ukraine are cabbages, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and aubergines.  More than 27 million tons of sweet pepper is grown in the world yearly, and only about 161,600 tons of it in Ukraine. However, it takes one of the leading places in vegetable growing, and it is a traditional and the most common type of the vegetable.The article presents the results of research on the rate of the temperature drop in sweet peppers at the technical stage of ripeness during their cooling and warming. Fruits of the sweet pepper of the Sondela variety at the technical stage of ripeness, with a weigh of 375, 208, and 104 g, ripening and harvested at the same time, were taken for the experiments.The studies have shown that the fruit temperature dropped most actively in the first 40–50 minutes of storage, and then the rate of cooling decreased, the decrease starting in the pepper fruit weighing the least. Fruits weighing 104 g, 68 mm in diameter, reached their optimum temperature (0.0°С) in 2 hours. The cooling of peppers weighing 208 g, 80 mm in diameter, was only 10 minutes longer. The temperature of the largest fruits became 0°C after 3 hours 40 min. The enthalpy of the fruits, too, slowed down rapidly. If the rate of the decrease in the enthalpy is the same, it will have a positive effect on maintaining an even temperature of storage of peppers. Besides, it will make it possible to avoid the external sweating caused by an uneven temperature of the fruits. Also, the cooling process is not smooth and uniform: the temperature remains the same for some time, and then it sharply decreases, in percentage terms, between the indices. These processes indicate the resistance of a plant organism to unfavourable temperature conditions of the environment.
MODERN TECHNOLOGY OF PRODUCTION AND STRATEGY OF PROMOTION OF NEW CEREAL PRODUCTS ON UKRAINIAN CONSUMER MARKET
Authors: Mardar M. , Yegorova А. , Ustenko I. , Stateva M. , Cherevaty T.
Published: July 2018

In the article, based on analysis of the market of dry breakfasts in Ukraine and calculations of the assortment of instant and quick-cooked cereals, which are implemented in trading networks of Odessa and Odessa region, it was established that studied supermarkets can not provide stable, complete and wide assortment of products to fully meet needs of consumers. This means that it is necessary to carry out various measures in the field of forming domestic assortment of instant and quick-cooked cereals and improving its structure. Purpose of work was to develop strategy for launching a new product on the market, namely instant and quick-cooked cereals, on the basis of assortment analysis, mapping of strategic groups and construction of differentiation scale to enhance competition and create useful product advertising. With help of strategic group cards it was discovered that domestic products are poorly represented in such segments as a wide assortment at low prices and average latitude of assortment at low prices, therefore these segments can be considered as strategic for domestic instant and quick-cooked cereals producers. Based on construction of differentiation scale by trademarks of instant and quick-cooked cereals, it has been established that strategy of promotion in creating useful advertising to increase the competition of new products by means of differentiation can become emotional and social motives that are not used or very little used by competitors: originality, fashion, trendset, morality, sexual attractiveness, fear, revenge, status, socialization, self-realization, freedom, invovement, co-creation.  Obtained results indicate that market for consumption of instant and quick-cooked cereals in Ukraine is sufficiently "young", demand for this kind of products is constantly growing, therefore the development and implementation into production of high-quality instant and quick-cooked cereals and expansion of its range is very relevant. The article also proposes and improves the technology of production of cereal extrudates with high nutritional value based on different kinds of cereal crops and vegetable raw materials. A substantial expansion of the range of products of instant and fast cereals in the form of flakes, muesli, granola, couscous based on a mixture of extruded flour and grains of extrudates has been proposed.
DETERMINING THE MODES OF TECHNOLOGICAL OPERATIONS IN THE PRODUCTION OF EINKORN WHEAT BREAD MADE OF FROZEN DOUGH AND ENRICHED WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE FLOUR
Authors: Stankova N. , Gogova T. , Paramonenko L.
Published: July 2018

Einkorn wheat is a grain crop characterized by the ability not to accumulate heavy metals from the soil. Besides, it is rich in selenium. Jerusalem artichoke is rich in inulin. From the combination of these two types of flour (einkorn wheat and Jerusalem artichoke), bread can be produced for people for who suffer from type 2 diabetes. It is proved that consuming bread enriched with Jerusalem artichoke for two months every day significantly reduces the glycaemic index of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. To provide these patients systematically with fresh bread, the bread dough freezing technique is suggested. We have studied how the storage time of dough enriched with a flour mix (100 % einkorn wheat flour and Jerusalem artichoke flour) in the frozen state influence the modes of the main technological operations in the production of bread made of frozen dough, namely, defrosting, the time of increasing the temperature of the dough up to the operational level, the duration of the final fermentation and of baking. It has been established that the storage time of the dough in the frozen state reduces the duration of defrosting (which differs by 91 min. from that of the reference sample). However, there is a reverse effect, too, for the rise of the temperature of the dough to the operational level and for the final fermentation. The duration of the two above-mentioned operations is determined simultaneously. It is 5 min. more, compared with the reference sample. It has been established that the storage time of frozen dough does not affect the duration of baking. By the organoleptic indicators, the bread from the frozen dough is very similar to the reference sample.
Struktura wydatków publicznych w krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej – analiza porównawcza
Authors: Mikołajczyk Katarzyna
Published: July 2018

The recent economic crisis and a search for instruments to overcome its consequences have revived the discussion on the effectiveness of public fiscal intervention on economic growth. The nature and persistence of such interventions have been the subject of numerous studies, which take into account not only the size, but also the financing and composition of public expenditures. The aim of this paper is to compare the size and the structure of public spending in Central and Eastern European countries, stressing their growth-stimulating impact on the economy. The results support the main research hypothesis – that is, the differences in public spending composition in CEE countries are significant and persistent, reflecting the needs of individual fiscal policy. The empirical analysis is based on functional classification of public expenditures for the period 2002–2014 while the main research methods are comparative analysis and panel regressions.
Tradycyjne i nowoczesne formy budowania sieci bankowej w Polsce
Authors: Folwarski Mateusz
Published: July 2018

The article analyses trends and the level of traditional and modern methods of building a banking network in Poland. The development of technologies, modern access channels to banking services, as well as the promotion of non-cash transactions in Poland favours the development of not only the infrastructure of a banking system focused on reducing operating costs, but also financial innovations (FinTech). Banks both in Poland and globally are waiting for a change in banking market strategy, especially as regards sales of banking services. The changing preferences of bank customers have been brought about by adaptation processes that have a significant impact on the organisation of the banking network. In the near future, the number of bank branches and ATMs will be limited, mainly due to the response to market demand (consumers) as well as the falling costs of banking. The development of the payment card market and modern forms of payment allows banks to diversify the distribution channels of banking services. Changing regulations (including the PSDII directive) also creates broad possibilities for the development of financial innovations offered by the FinTech market. That market will go a long way to expanding the banking network in Poland in the near future.
Zmiany w finansowaniu przedsięwzięć ochrony środowiska przyrodniczego w Polsce
Authors: Kożuch Małgorzata
Published: July 2018

The level of outlays for environmental protection reflects the scale of actions taken in this sector of the economy. However, the problem lays in their financing. The purpose of the study is to identify the amount of investment outlays incurred on environmental protection and their intended use, as well as to assess changes in the structure of sources of funding of pro-ecological undertakings in Poland in the period 1996–2015. The critical analysis of reference books and source materials suggests that, although the main sources of funding were investors’ own funds, in line with the principle of “the contaminating party shall bear the costs”, the share of public subsidies used significantly supplemented the financial installation. Public funds came from national environmental funds and the European Union budget. Seeking additional capital, investors used market forms of financing of environmental protection, such as bank credit, equity interest and, to a smaller extent, they issue bonds.
Analiza znaczenia wydatków oświatowych w zależności od kategorii jednostki samorządu terytorialnego
Authors: Maj-Waśniowska Katarzyna
Published: July 2018

Tasks in education are among the most important local government units (SGU) perform. Their importance arises both from the role that education plays in the development of individuals and entire societies, and from the level of expenditures incurred by local governments to perform them. The article presents arguments justifying the need for state activity in the financing of education, as well as a characterisation of educational tasks of local government units, and the analysis of educational expenditures of individual SGUs. In addition, the empirical distributions of the share of educational expenditures in total expenditures, conditional on the category of local government units, and on that of years, are analysed. For this purpose, basic descriptive statistics for conditional distributions in relation to categories (types of SGUs and commune types) were determined in subsequent years. In addition, a cartogram was constructed for the assessment of the spatial variation of the analysed value for communes.The analysis of the share of educational expenditures in total expenditures in 2012–2016 indicates that the distribution of the variable analysed depends on the type of local government unit that is involved, but it does not show significant differences in particular years within the period analysed. In addition, research also indicates that the spatial distribution of the share of educational expenditure in total expenditure for communes shows spatial patterns.
Pedagogical Agents: Back to the Future
Authors: Johnson W. Lewis , Lester James C.
Published: July 2018

Back in the 1990s, we started work on pedagogical agents — a novel paradigm for interactive learning. Pedagogical agents are autonomous characters that inhabit learning environments to engage with learners in rich, face‐to‐face interactions. Building on this work, in 2000, together with our colleague Jeff Rickel, we published an article on pedagogical agents (Johnson, Rickel, and Lester 2000) that surveyed and discussed the potential of this new paradigm. We made the case that pedagogical agents that interact with learners in natural, lifelike ways can help learning environments achieve improved learning outcomes. This article has been widely cited, and was a winner of the 2017 IFAAMAS Award for Influential Papers in Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems.1

On the occasion of receiving the IFAAMAS award, and after 20 years of work on pedagogical agents, we take another look at the future of the field. We start by revisiting the predictions we made in 2000 for pedagogical agents, and examine which predictions panned out. Then, informed by what we have learned since then, we take another look at emerging trends and reexamine the future of pedagogical agents. Advances in natural language dialogue, affective computing, machine learning, virtual environments, and robotics are making possible even more lifelike and effective pedagogical agents, with potentially profound effects on the way people learn.
Application of artificial intelligence to predict moisture damage of hot-mix asphalt mixes
Authors: Veeraragavan Ram Kumar , Kottayi Nivedya Madankara , Mallick Rajib B. , Nirala Mehul Kumar , Sarkar Sudeshna
Published: July 2018

Moisture damage is a prevalent problem for hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavements all over the world and the use of moisture-resistant pavement materials is critical for ensuring durable pavements. There is thus a need for the development of an accurate method of identification of moisture-susceptible mixes during laboratory mix design. The objective of this study was to develop a system of identification of poor- and good-performance HMA mixes based on artificial intelligence. The work involved stiffness and strength testing and imaging of pre- and post-conditioned mix samples that were compacted from plant-produced loose mixes with known field performance. A deep convolutional neural network (CNN) was applied to classify the moisture damage potential of the mixes based on images. As the number of samples was small, transfer learning using a standard CNN architecture (Inception V3) was used, which was pre-trained on a large-scale object identification task. The predictions from the resulting model were 88% accurate, which is higher than the accuracy of statistical analyses of the results of mechanical tests and black pixel analysis. Implementation of the proposed method in laboratory mix design can help engineers in screening poor mixes quickly and with high accuracy.
Parental Criminal Responsibility for the Misconduct of Their Children: A Consideration
Authors: Van der Bijl Charnelle
Published: July 2018

This contribution examines parental criminal responsibility for the delinquent acts of their children.  As South African law has been swayed by legal philosophy of Anglo-American jurisprudence, a comparative analysis is undertaken with the United States of America, where this issue has been addressed legislatively in both civil tort law and criminal law. The reasoning behind the implementation of specific legislation in the United States is that the common law principles are rooted on the principles of individualisation, which does not specifically cater for parental liability.  Parental responsibility laws have been challenged constitutionally over the years in the United States. Critics are of the view that such laws interfere with the rights of parents to raise their children and are a form of cruel punishment. Additional criticism raised is that parental responsibility laws impose strict liability on parents. Furthermore, some misgivings have been shed that many parents face challenges of being single parents or poverty, which will be exacerbated with the imposition of fines or imprisonment for the misconduct of their children. Despite these concerns and criticism, it will be shown that these laws have withstood the challenges over many decades, in the United States, in both the fields of the law of tort and criminal law. The common law of tort provides for the liability of parents for the conduct of their child. However, such conduct must be specifically attributable to a parent’s action or inaction. The purpose behind tort parental responsibility legislation focuses not only on providing monetary compensation by parents where their children are unable to do so, but also aims to encourage parents to provide better supervision of their children.  At the opposite end of the spectrum, the focus of statutory criminalisation tends to remain on criminal liability of parents for failing to protect others from their child, due to a failure in supervision and to prevent juvenile delinquency.  The South African law of delict is briefly contiguously considered in the context of parental responsibility laws. The concept of parental criminal responsibility laws under South African law is then considered and proffered as a useful mechanism to regulate misconduct of children currently falling outside the aegis of the criminal law.
Intermediaries and the International Obligation to Protect Child Witnesses in South Africa
Authors: Fambasayi Rongedzayi , Koraan René
Published: July 2018

This contribution examines the protection of child witnesses in criminal proceedings under international and regional laws. This consideration is made against the background that the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 proclaims in section 39(1)(b) that in interpreting the Bill of Rights and any legislation a court or tribunal must consider international law. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990) and the United Nations Guidelines on Justice for Child Victims and Witnesses to Crime (2005) do not make specific reference to child witnesses and how they should be treated. However, it is argued that the guiding principles enshrined therein provide for the protection of child witnesses, particularly the best interests of the child and the right to participate. In addition, the article enumerates and explains the rights of child witnesses as provided for in the UN Guidelines. International law will be discussed first, and then South African law, to establish if the international obligation to protect child witnesses is being adhered to.
Diseño de una red neuronal para la predicción del coeficiente de pérdidas primarias en régimen de flujo turbulento
Authors: Castillo Calderón Jairo Dario , Solórzano Castillo Byron Agustin , Moreno Moreno José Andrés
Published: July 2018

La presente investigación está orientada al diseño de una red neuronal para la predicción del factor de fricción en régimen de flujo turbulento, siendo este indispensable para el cálculo de pérdidas primarias en conductos cerrados o tuberías. Se utiliza Neural Networks Toolbox de MATLAB® para diseñar la red neuronal artificial (RNA), con retropropagación, cuya base de datos comprende 724 puntos obtenidos del diagrama de Moody. Las variables de entrada de la RNA son el número de Reynolds y la rugosidad relativa de la tubería; la variable de salida es el coeficiente de fricción. Utilizando el algoritmo de entrenamiento de Levenberg-Marquardt se entrena la RNA con distintas topologías, variando el número de capas ocultas y el número de neuronas ocultas en cada capa. Con una estructura 2-30-30-1 de la RNA se obtuvo el mejor resultado, exhibiendo un error cuadrático medio (ECM) de 1,75E-8 y un coeficiente de correlación de Pearson R de 0,99999 entre la salida de la red neuronal y la salida deseada. Además, mediante un análisis descriptivo de variable en el software SPSS®, se obtiene que el error relativo medio es de 0,162 %, indicando que el modelo diseñado es capaz de generalizar con alta precisión.
Detección de peatones en la noche usando Faster R-CNN e imágenes infrarrojas
Authors: Galarza Bravo Michelle Alejandra , Flores Marco
Published: July 2018

En este artículo se presenta un sistema de detección de peatones en la noche, para aplicaciones en seguridad vehicular. Para este desarrollo se ha analizado el desempeño del algoritmo Faster R-CNN con imágenes en el infrarrojo lejano. Por lo que se constató que presenta inconvenientes a la hora de detectar peatones a larga distancia. En consecuencia, se presenta una nueva arquitectura Faster R-CNN dedicada a la detección en múltiples escalas, mediante dos generadores de regiones de interés (ROI) dedicados a peatones a corta y larga distancia, denominados RPNCD y RPNLD, respectivamente. Esta arquitectura ha sido comparada con los modelos para Faster R-CNN que han presentado los mejores resultados, como son VGG-16 y Resnet 101. Los resultados experimentales se han desarrollado sobre las bases de datos CVC-09 y LSIFIR, los cuales demostraron mejoras, especialmente en la detección de peatones a larga distancia, presentando una tasa de error versus FPPI de 16 % y sobre la curva Precisión vs. Recall un AP de 89,85 % para la clase peatón y un mAP de 90 % sobre el conjunto de pruebas de las bases de datos LSIFIR y CVC-09.
Módulos elásticos equivalentes para predicción de deformaciones en articulaciones
Authors: Marinelli Franco , Weiss Brenda Anahí , Berli Marcelo E. , Di Paolo José
Published: July 2018

En el estudio de la mecánica de contacto de las articulaciones humanas, la deformación de las superficies en contacto es fundamental porque posibilita un canal por el que fluye el lubricante reduciendo el desgaste. Para determinar la validez de las predicciones de los desplazamientos de estas superficies a partir de distintos métodos, estos se aplican al estudio del contacto seco y estático de articulaciones de rodilla y de cadera, sanas y protésicas. Aplicando una carga hertziana, se evaluaron tres módulos elásticos equivalentes en un modelo simplificado de columna: el correspondiente a un sólido de pequeño espesor, el correspondiente a un sólido semiinfinito o de Winkler y el correspondiente a un sólido semiinfinito corregido. Los resultados se contrastaron con la solución obtenida resolviendo numéricamente las ecuaciones de elasticidad mediante el método de elementos finitos (MEF). Los resultados para el módulo de Young correspondiente a un material de pequeño espesor, son los que mejor se aproximan a los obtenidos por el MEF. Se demuestra también, que los módulos de Young derivados de la aproximación de sólido semiinfinito son inapropiados. Asimismo, con este trabajo se ha entrenado un becario en las artes de la Mecánica Computacional.
The effect of biguanide derivatives on oxidative stress in rats with hyperglycemia
Authors: Gorina E.I. , Popova T.N. , Shulgin K.K. , Popov S.S. , Panchenko L.F. , Safonova O.A.
Published: July 2018

The effect of the synthetic biguanide derivatives N-[imino(1-piperidinyl)methyl]guanidine (NIPMG) and 1,3-dimethyl-5-[(carbamimidamidomethanimidoil) amino]benzoyl-1,3dicarboxylate (DCB) on the degree of proteins oxidative modification (POM) and the DNA fragmentation, the content of the lipid peroxidation primary products – conjugated dienes (CD), and the activity of glutathione antioxidant system in the liver and heart of rats with experimental hyperglycemia was investigated. Administration of the biguanides (15.0 mg/kg) to hypoglycemic rats promoted reduction of the free radical processes intensity in the studied tissues. Data about CD and POM level changes in hyperglycemic rats treated by NIPMG and DKB correlate with the results of DNA fragmentation degree evaluation. At the same time, the activity of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase), and the reduced glutathione content in the liver and heart of rats changed toward control values. For metformin, which was used as a comparison drug, changes in the studied parameters in the same direction were also found. These results indicate the ability of the tested biguanide derivatives to exhibit a positive regulatory effect on free radical homeostasis, reducing the degree of oxidative stress at this pathology.
Waqf fundraising management: a conceptual comparison between traditional and modern methods in the waqf institutions
Authors: Sulthoni Muhammad , Saad Norma Md
Published: July 2018

This paper focuses on the theoretical structure of funding for Islamic philanthropy, especially waqf. Waqa>f is projected to play further significant role to tackle present social problems, where financial sustainability has become one of the foremost challenges faced by awqa>f institutions. There is a need to study various models of fundraising that could be applied to reform awqa>f institutions. Employing content analysis approach, this paper analyses traditional and modern structures of fundraising that are applicable for development and management of waqa>f fundraising: istibda>l, h}ukr, ija>ratayn, venture philanthropy of waqf model (VPWM), value-based capital model of waqf (VBCMW), and social enterprise waqf fund model (SEWF).The discussions are expected to be able to contribute towards boosting a better fundraising management of awqa>f institutions in Muslim communities as well as countries.Makalah ini fokus pada struktur teoritis pendanaan untuk filantropi Islam, terutama wakaf. Wakaf diproyeksikan untuk memainkan peran penting lebih lanjut untuk mengatasi masalah sosial saat ini, di mana keberlanjutan keuangantelah menjadi salah satu tantangan utama yang dihadapi oleh lembaga-lembagaawqa>f. Ada kebutuhan untuk mempelajari berbagai model penggalangan danayang dapat diterapkan untuk mereformasi institusi awqa>f. Dengan menggunakanpendekatan analisis isi, makalah ini menganalisis struktur penggalangan danatradisional dan modern yang berlaku untuk pengembangan dan pengelolaanpenggalangan dana wakaf: istibda>l, h}ukr, ija>ratayn, venture philanthropy ofwaqf model (VPWM), value-based capital model of waqf (VBCMW), dan socialenterprise waqf fund model (SEWF). Diskusi diharapkan dapat berkontribusiuntuk meningkatkan manajemen penggalangan dana yang lebih baik darilembaga awqaf di komunitas Muslim serta negara.