bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ancestry of Amerindians and its Impact in Anthropology, Transplantation, HLA Pharmacogenomics and Epidemiology by HLA Study in Wiwa Colombian Population
Authors: Arnaiz-Villena Antonio , Muñiz Ester , del Palacio-Gruber Jose , Campos Cristina , Alonso-Rubio Javier , Gomez-Casado Eduardo , Lopez-Pacheco Filogonio , Martin-Villa Manuel , Silvera Carlos
Published: December 2016

Background:

HLA autosomic genes are unique because they conform the most polymorphic human system. Importance of this system is recognized in Medicine for Transplantation, Epidemiology (HLA and disease linkage), Pharmacogenomics (HLA linked to drug side effects) and for defining the origin of populations in both male and female lineages.

Objectives:

Studying HLA profile of a isolated Amerindian group from North Colombia (Wiwa) in order to draw conclusions about its Preventive Medicine, the genetic relationship with Worldwide populations and America peopling, since this last issue is hotly debated.

Methodology:

A total of 14,660 HLA chromosomes were included. Peripheral blood was obtained from volunteer blood donors belonging to Wiwa (also named Arsario) ethnic group. HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 and -DQB1 genes were analyzed by standard methods. Wiwa Amerindians relationships with others were calculated by using Arlequin, Dispan and Vista software computer packages.

Results:

Extended HLA, -A, -B, -C, -DRB1 and -DQB1 haplotypes have been studied for the first time in this population. Classical Amerindian haplotypes have been found and also new Wiwa (Arsario) Amerindian haplotypes. New haplotypes are A*68:01 - B*15:01 - C*03:03 - DRB1*14:02 - DQB1*03:02, A*11:01 - B*07:02 - C*07:02 - DRB1*15:03 - DQB1*06:02 and A*68:01 - B*15:01 - C*03:04 - DRB1*14:02 - DQB1*03:01.

Conclusion:

They have been reached after exhaustive comparisons of Wiwa with other Amerindians and Worldwide populations by using genetic distances, Neighbor Joining trees, correspondence analysis and specific group of alleles which are common and frequent in both Amerindians and Pacific Islanders. They are: 1) The Americas First Inhabitants have been probably come through Bering Strait and also through Pacific (from Austronesia and Asia) and Atlantic (from Europe) routes. A bidirectional gene flow is not discarded. 2) Genetic HLA Amerindian profile is separated from that of other Worldwide populations. 3) Amerindians geographical proximity groups’ relatedness is not concordant with HLA genetic relatedness, neither with language. This may be explained by a substantial population decrease that occurred after Europeans invaded America in 1492 and carried new pathogens and epidemics. 4) Our results are also useful for Wiwa and other Amerindians future preventive medicine (HLA linked diseases), HLA pharmacogenomics and transplantation regional programs.
The Use of Technical Simulation Training in Surgical Education in the United Kingdom
Authors: Snashall Emma , Osanlou Orod , Hindocha Sandip
Published: December 2016

Simulation training, where a scenario or setting is replicated, is now firmly associated with surgical training. Involving both technical and non-technical competencies, it provides a valuable tool in training new skills to both new and current surgeons.

As patient safety becomes more of a focus, alongside advances in technology and surgical techniques, there is a continued concern regarding operative exposure for futures surgeons. This void in which simulated training fits, a claim supported by an expanding literature base.

The recent integration of simulation into training curricula aims to promote consistency in access to simulation facilities across deaneries and invite the experience of dedicated instructors to optimise educational use.
“Apps, Phones and Tabs” the Role of Technology in Bedside Teaching
Authors: Hughes LC , Malahias M
Published: December 2016

Bedside teaching is a mainstay of medical education. The development of clinical and practical skills, the use of patient centered care and the team approach cannot be underestimated, although bedside teaching has seen a decline over the recent period. This is possibly due to a combination of patient embarrassment, the pressure placed on doctors to maximize patient treatment time and shorten their stay in hospital, and the recognized effect on training by the European Working Time Directive.

Technology has strongly influenced the development of medicine over the ages, and since the introduction of mobile technology, it has advanced dramatically over the last two decades. The ease of access to a worldwide source of medical opinion has meant that education for both doctors and patients can be hand held and ever present, including at the bedside, with smartphones and tablet computers now an integral part of modern day life.

This review will focus on the potential role and ability of the app to modernise a traditional teaching method, both for the junior doctor and medical student and for the impact on patient education.
Spatial-temporal Variability of Seasonal Precipitation in Iran
Authors: Javari Majid
Published: December 2016

Spatial-seasonal variability and temporal trends has essential importance to climatic prediction and analysis. The aim of this research is the seasonal variations and temporal trends in the Iran were predicted by using rainfall series. The exploratory-confirmatory method, and seasonal time series procedure (STSP), temporal trend (TT), seasonal least squares (SLS) and spatial (GIS) methods (STSP¬-SLS-GIS) were employed to bring to light rainfall spatial-seasonal variability and temporal trends (SSVTT). To explore the spatial-seasonal variability and temporal trends during the period over 1975 to 2014 at 140 stations. To investigate the spatial-seasonal variability and temporal trends amount of each series was studied using ArcGIS 10.3 on different time scale. New climatic findings for the region: the investigates and predictions revealed that: (a) range of monthly and seasonal changes of rainfall tends to be highest (increasing trend) during winter (Winter Seasonal Index or WUSI=137.83 mm); (b) lowest (decreasing trend) during summer (Summer Seasonal Index or SUSI=20.8l mm) and (c) the coefficient of rainfall seasonal pattern variations in winter to 5.94 mm, in spring to 11.13 mm, in summer to 4.44 mm and in autumn to 8.05 mm with seasonality being the most effective of all. Mean annual rainfall changed from 51.45 mm (at Bafgh) to 1834.9 mm (at Bandar Anzali). Maximum decrease in annual rainfall was obtained at Miandeh Jiroft (-143.83%) and minimum at Abali (-0.013%) station. The most apparent year of variation was 2007 in annual rainfall.
Caracterización y evaluación morfológicas de la colección colombiana de achira, Canna edulis Ker Gawl. (Cannaceae)
Authors: Lobo-Arias Mario , Medina-Cano Clara Inés , Grisales-Arias Juan David , Yepes-Agudelo Andrés Felipe , Álvarez-Guzmán Jairo Alonso
Published: December 2016

En el Centro de Investigación La Selva, de la Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agro­pecuaria (Corpoica), se realizó la evaluación de la colección colombiana de achira, Canna edulis Ker Gawl. (Cannaceae). Este proceso de caracterización se desarrolló de acuerdo con variables cualitativas y cuantitativas, y mediante la inclusión de nuevas variables que comprendieron 40 atributos cualitativos (192 estados) y 31 cuantitativos (26 atributos continuos y 5 discontinuos). Se obtuvo variabilidad en 39 de las 40 variables cualitativas, lo que señala un 95,12 % de polimorfismo en los atributos regis­trados, con similitudes máximas del 90 % y mínimas del 50 %. Por su parte, todas las 31 características cuantitativas registradas exhibieron variabilidad entre las introducciones de la colección. En el periodo de registro de la información, 16 de las accesiones no exhibieron floración, lo cual indica que hay diferencias en el comportamiento dentro del mismo ambiente, atribuibles a la constitución genética. El conocimiento logrado permitirá utilizar la colección de este recurso biológico para apoyar el desarrollo del cultivo de la especie, a través de la oferta per se de materiales, de programas de selección, del desarrollo de cultivares y de la recolección de estados de descriptores no presentes en la colección.
Desarrollo y validación de un método ambientalmente amigable para la determinación de carbofurano en suelos
Authors: Chaparro-García Amanda Lucía , Quijano-Parra Alfonso , Rodríguez-Martínez Raúl , Lizarazo-Gutiérrez Luis Francisco
Published: December 2016

En este trabajo se desarrolló y validó un método analítico ambientalmente amigable para la extracción y cuantificación del N-metilcarbamato carbofurano, en muestras de suelos cultivados con papa criolla. La técnica usada para la extracción fue dispersión de matriz en fase sólida (mspd). La cuantificación de los residuos de carbofurano se llevó a cabo por cromatografía de gases con detector de microcaptura de electrones (μ-ecd), con el método del estándar externo. Este método fue comparado con la técnica de extracción Soxhlet para muestras contaminadas con Furadan® 3SC. Se evaluaron diferentes parámetros que afectan el proceso de extracción mspd, como la fase estacionaria, el solvente y el volumen de elución en muestras de suelos dopadas con Furadan® 3SC, con una concentración final de 50 mg/kg de ingrediente activo (carbofurano); se tuvo como variable de respuesta el porcentaje de recuperación. Se encontró que las mejores condiciones de extracción de carbofurano para estas matrices se dieron con 0,2 g de muestra macerados con 0,8 g de sílica gel como adsorbente en una relación 1:4 muestra/adsorbente. Las muestras fueron extraídas en un cartucho con 5 ml de hexano-acetona en relación 8:2 como solvente de elución. La metodología propuesta permitió determinar niveles de trazas de carbofurano en muestras de suelo con porcentajes de recuperación del 96,58 %.
ANALISIS INPUT OUTPUT PENGOLAHAN TEMBAKAU DI PROVINSI JAWA TIMUR
Authors: Wijaya Iswin Raka Agung , Masyhuri Masyhuri , Irham Irham , Hartono Slamet
Published: December 2016

This research aim at knowing tobacco and tobacco agro-industry growth inclination in Jawa Timur Regency, knowing backward and forward linkage of tobacco agro-industry sector to the other economic sectors in Jawa Timur Regency, knowing economic impact is caused by tobacco agro-industry sector base on multiplier effect of output, income, and labor in Jawa Timur Regency. This research used Input-Output Table of Domestic Transaction based on Producer Price in Jawa Timur at 2010, secondary data about land size, production, and productivity of tobacco around 2000-2011, also number of industry, labor, and tobacco ago-industry output value in Jawa Timur Regency around 2000-2011. The results of this research show that tobacco land size is declining, but number of industry, labor, and tobacco industry output value are increasing. Backward linkage for cigarette sector is low while tobacco processing sector is high. Forward linkages for both sectors are low. Cigarette sector is belonging to output and income sector with low impact, but it has high labor impact. Tobacco processing sector is belonging to output and income sector with high impact, but it has low labor impact.
ANALISIS KERENTANAN PENGHIDUPAN RUMAH TANGGA TANI AKIBAT PERUBAHAN IKLIM DI KABUPATEN GUNUNGKIDUL
Authors: Widada Arief Wahyu
Published: December 2016

This research is aim at knowing farmer’s household knowledge to climate change in sub urban and rural area, knowing the farmer’s household is affected by exposure of climate change in sub urban and rural area, knowing adaptive strategy of farmer’s household to climate change in sub urban and rural area, and calculating the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) of farmer’s household to climate change in sub urban and rural area. This research was done in Gunungkidul Regency by purposive included sub urban and rural area.  There was 60 respondents of farmer’s household token by random sampling method and chose every 30 respondents in each area. This research used descriptive table analysis method and index calculation. The results of this research show that farmer’s household in sub urban and rural area of Gunungkidul Regency have low knowledge to climate change. The farmer’s household in sub urban and rural area of Gunungkidul Regency feels the rain more uncertainly and more difficult to determine the beginning of planting season. The farmer’s household in sub urban area is feels more climate change impact. The farmer’s household in sub urban area has more farming adaptive strategy to climate change. The farmer’s household in sub urban area is more expose and more sensitive to climate change but has more adaptive capacity to climate change. The farmer’s household in sub urban area is more vulnerable in climate change than rural area in both of LVI and LVI-IPCC calculation method.
PENGARUH PERILAKU KOMUNIKASI TERHADAP SIKAP DAN ADOPSI TEKNOLOGI BUDIDAYA BAWANG MERAH DI LAHAN PASIR PANTAI KECAMATAN SANDEN KABUPATEN BANTUL
Authors: Sasongko Wahyu Aji
Published: December 2016

This research was conducted in Sanden subdistrict Bantul district with the purpose of finding out: 1) the communication behavior of onion farmers, 2) factors affecting communication behaviour, 3) factors affecting farmer’s attitude, and 4) the influence of communication behavior, attitude, and other factors, toward technology adoption of onion cultivation.The method used in this research was descriptive approach by survey technique. The sampling of village and farming groups were done purposively, while the sampling of respondent farmers was done randomly. The number of total sample was 60 farmers consisted of 30 farmers from Manunggal Farming Group, Srigading Village, and 30 farmers from Karang Rejo Farming Group, Gadingharjo Village. The analysis methods used were proportion test and multiple linier regression analysis.The result of this research showed that farmer’s communication behavior belonged to low category. The credibility of communication media positively affected toward farmer’s communication behavior, while education, land size, and motivation didn’t have significant affect. Communication behavior, motivation, dan education  positively  affected  toward  farmer’s  attitude,  while  land  size  didn’t  have  significant  affect. Farmer’s attitude positively affected toward technology adoption of onion cultivation, communication behavior, motivation, education, dan  land  size didn’t have  significant affect. Communication behavior affected toward attitude and furthermore attitude affected toward technology adoption of onion at sandy coastal land.
PERAN KELOMPOK TANI DALAM PENERAPAN SRI (SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION) DI KECAMATAN KALIKAJAR KABUPATEN WONOSOBO
Authors: Wastika Chindra Yenni , Hariadi Sunarru Samsi , Subejo Subejo
Published: December 2016

This research was conducted in Kalikajar Sub District Wonosobo Regency. The purpose of this research were to understand how far the role of farmer group in the application of SRI (System of Rice Intensification), influencing the factors in the role of farmer group in SRI application, and to understand the influence of the farmer group’s role in the SRI application in Kalikajar Sub Wonosobo Regency. The method were used in this research was descriptive analysis. The data were analyzed by proportion test, multiple linear regression analysis and simple linear regression analysis.The result of this research showed that more than 50% at sample evaluated that using rates the role of farmer group in high category. Farmer’s attitude and the role of extension agents positively affected to the role of farmer group in SRI application. The farmer’s level of education, land scale, farmer’s experience, frequence of the attendance, and the role of farmer group’s leader have no affect in the role of farmer group in SRI application. The role of farmer group as learning media, cooperation media, and production unit has positively affected to SRI application in Kalikajar Sub District Wonosobo Regency which means the application of SRI increased as the increased of the role farmer group.
Ownership structure and financial performance: Evidence from panel data of South Korea
Authors: Lee Sanghoon
Published: December 2016

The study seeks to examine the effect of equity ownership structure on firm financial performance in South Korea. I focus on the role of two main dimensions of the ownership structure: Ownership concentration (i.e., the distribution of shares owned by majority shareholders) and identity of owners (especially, foreign investors and institutional investors). Using panel data for South Korea in 2000—2006, I find that firm performance measured by the accounting rate of return on assets generally improves as ownership concentration increases, but the effects of foreign ownership and institutional ownership are insignificant. I also find that there exists a hump-shaped relationship between ownership concentration and firm performance, in which firm performance peaks at intermediate levels of ownership concentration. The study provides some empirical support for the hypothesis that as ownership concentration increases; the positive monitoring effect of concentrated ownership first dominates but later is outweighed by the negative effects, such as the expropriation of minority shareholders. The empirical findings shed light on the role ownership structure plays in corporate performance, and thus offer insights to policy makers interested in improving corporate governance systems in an emerging economy such as South Korea.
Investment and performance of firms: Correlation or causality?
Authors: Heshmati Almas , Lööf Hans
Published: December 2016

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the two-way causal relationship between investment and performance indicators at the firm level. The performance variables include sales, value added, profit, cash flow, capital structure and employment. The investment variables are research and development and physical capital. A multivariate vector autoregressive approach is applied to a panel of Swedish firms observed between 1992 and 2000. Results show evidence of some two-way causal relationships, which are mainly transitory in character. Significant heterogeneity is observed in the firms’ investment and performance behavior by their size.
Corporate governance and reporting frequency: Hazards of more frequent reporting
Authors: Archilles Wendy , Blaskovich Jennifer , Pitre Terence
Published: December 2016

There has been little research that has examined any of the possible consequences of frequent financial reporting. In this paper, we discuss and provide theoretical explanations for two negative consequences associated with more frequent reporting. Based on search from psychology and sociology we theorize how more frequent reporting can lead to (1) goal seeking behavior by managers, (2) inaccurate predictions from investors (3) higher dispersion of investor beliefs and (4) higher uncertainty of investor beliefs
Political motivations: The nationalization of the Pakistani banking sector
Authors: Rammal Hussain Gulzar
Published: December 2016

The sixth most populated country in the world, Pakistan has faced political instability since her independence. The Pakistani banking sector, which had experienced rapid growth, faced an unexpected move in 1974 when through a parliamentary act; the Government of Pakistan nationalized the industry and seized control of all assets. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the events leading to the nationalization and the impact of the decision on the banking sector in Pakistan. The findings of the paper reveal that the decision to take control of the banking sector was a politically motivated one which failed to achieve the objectives that were set out during the nationalization
Theoretical foundations of corporate governance revisited: A critical review
Authors: Dühnfort Alexander , Klein Christian , Lampenius Niklas
Published: December 2016

In this paper we review some of the initial ideologies regarding corporate governance, focusing in particular on the – in the literature dominating – Principal-Agent-Approach. We detail the implied assumptions and the thereof resulting consequences for corporate governance, including some resulting inconsistencies. Overall, we find that in the discussion about „Corporate Governance‟ the often referred to principal-agent-conflict is rarely defined with the necessary rigor, but find that the model seems to be applied to almost any situation loosely tied to the topic of corporate governance. We conclude that due to the missing theoretical rigor and the missed developments in the area of management theory the resulting corporate governance policy recommendations are often inconsistent and that the commonly applied theoretical framework for corporate governance discussions might not be the most suitable one for policy recommendations as well as for regulatory actions
The adjustments of corporate governance mechanisms in Canadian banks following regulatory changes
Authors: Maingot Michael , Zéghal Daniel
Published: December 2016

The recent scandals on corporate governance have forced the regulatory bodies to issue new corporate governance mechanisms. These new governance mechanisms include banks. The purpose of this study was to observe changes to the boards of directors, to the committees reporting to the board, to the board of directors‟ independence and adoption to certain charters and checklists in Canadian banks for the periods covering the years 2002-2004. Our sample covers the eight largest domestic banks in Canada. Results indicate a reduction in board members and in the number of committees reporting to the board. However, it increased supervision by increasing the number of board committee meetings. Most of the banks in our sample have separated the role of Chairman and CEO, thereby increasing the independence of the board. There was also an improvement in the adoption of a new charter for the board of directors.
Corporate governance and takeovers: Insights from past research and suggestions for future research
Authors: Costa Eduardo , Marques Ana
Published: December 2016

This paper reviews the literature on the association between corporate governance and takeovers. It approaches takeovers as an effective external corporate governance mechanism. The main conclusions to be drawn is that although the mere threat of an active market for corporate control may be positively correlated with good internal governance, takeovers will always take place independently of good internal corporate governance by targets and that managerial ownership is crucial for a favorable shareholder outcome in a takeover event. We believe future research on corporate boards, cross-national takeovers and managers of bidding firms would be of great interest
Can board mechanism affect the firm value in Pakistan?
Authors: Nazir Mian Sajid , Ali Shafaqat , Haque Abdul
Published: December 2016

Corporate governance is, undoubtedly, extremely essential for the performance of the organizations. The structure of corporate ownership has significant impact on the external as well as internal performance factors of firms. The relationship between corporate governance indicators and firm performance has been extensively investigated; however, a little work has been done on how the structure of board can add value to the firm. This paper sheds light on the relationship of some aspects of board structure like board size, board composition, and CEO duality with the performance variables Tobin’s Q and Return on Assets (ROA) by using a sample of 53 firms of cement and sugar sectors of Pakistan for a period of 2005-2007. The results indicate that the firms perform better with moderate board size and the performance is adversely affected if CEO also acts as chairperson of board of directors whereas the external directors can play a positive role for firm performance in Pakistan.
Takeover activities in the last European merger wave: A cross-country comparison
Authors: Damiani Mirella , Pompei Fabrizio
Published: December 2016

The efficiency of “markets vs corporations” in reallocating assets, changing industry structure and moving capital from declining industries to emerging industries is a very important issue. The vast literature on this subject has examined the role played by corporate governance systems, technological shocks and institutional factors in triggering mergers and takeovers, but has not considered the specific influence that technological regimes of innovation can exert in reallocating assets and moving capital among sectors. In the present work we attempt to fill this gap, evaluating on empirical grounds not only the role of corporate governance systems and investor protection factors, but also the influence that alternative technological regimes can play on mergers and takeovers. This comprehensive analysis is another step along the lines suggested by Hall and Soskice (2001), two authors who have shown that the industrial specialization of each country may be seen in its complementarity with its institutional framework. Until now, this complementarity between production regimes and varieties of capitalism has not been fully explored in terms of the role of the market for corporate control. The present paper is a first attempt at filling this gap, by taking into account the European experience of the last few years (2002-2005) which seems to mark a new wave in M&A activities.
Audit committees in Nigeria
Authors: Ekumankama Ogbuagu , Uche Chibuike
Published: December 2016

A new requirement in the Nigerian Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) of 1990 is the introduction of audit committees as an additional layer of control and certification in the bid to make annual accounts of public corporations more acceptable and reliable. This paper reviews the law and practice of audit committees in Nigeria. It argues that for audit committees to become more useful in the Nigerian context there is need for changes to be made in both its law and practice. Key areas of concern include the need to: determine and codify the qualification for membership of the committee given its technical nature; allow appropriate remuneration for committee members, and; the determination of appropriate membership tenure for such committees. The above review is necessary if audit committees are to be in a position to effectively perform their oversight functions aimed at improving the quality and information content of corporate financial reports.
Layer histogram patterns in financial time series
Authors: Van Zyl-Bulitta Verena Helen , Otte R. , Van Rooyen JH
Published: December 2016

This study aims to investigate whether the phenomena found by Shnoll et al. when applying histogram pattern analysis techniques to stochastic processes from chemistry and physics are also present in financial time series, particularly exchange rate and index data. The phenomena are related to fine structure of non-smoothed frequency distributions drawn from statistically insufficient samples of changes and their patterns in time. Shnoll et al. use the notion of macroscopic fluctuations (MF) to explain the behavior of sequences of histograms. Histogram patterns in time adhere to several laws that could not be detected when using time series analysis methods. In this study special emphasis is placed on the histogram pattern analysis of high frequency exchange rate data set. Following previous studies of the Shnoll phenomena from other fields, different steps of the histogram sequence analysis are carried out to determine whether the findings of Shnoll et al. could also be applied to financial market data. The findings presented here widen the understanding of time varying volatility and can aid in financial risk measurement and management. Outcomes of the study include an investigation of time series characteristics, more specifically the formation of discrete states.
Debt of family firms: A comparison based on accounting indicators
Authors: Colot Olivier , Croquet Mélanie
Published: December 2016

The financial behavior of family firms represents a field of research that has been little explored up to the present time. In this context, we wanted to contribute to understanding the problems linked to financing in family firms, and more specifically to family SMEs in Belgium, because they represent a major part of the Belgian economy. This paper uses paired samples methodology to compare the financial debt of family SMEs with that of non-family SMEs. The results show that family SMEs seem to be more indebted. Among all of the ratios tested, six indicators were statistically significant. The theory of the agency cost of debts seems to be confirmed for Belgian family SMEs.
Board monitoring and firm performance: Controlling for endogeneity and multicollinearity
Authors: Azim Mohammad , Taylor Dennis
Published: December 2016

Prior corporate governance studies have resulted in inconsistent findings on the significance of relationships between combinations of board monitoring characteristics and firm performance, due to a failure to properly control for endogeneity and multicollinearity problems inherent in the multivariate analysis of their data. In this study, panel data of the top 500 listed companies from the Australian Stock Exchange is used over three years. Results reveal that all but one of the five board characteristics and seven board committee characteristics considered in this study are significantly related to both return on assets and earnings per share in each of the three years. It is concluded that results in this study are much stronger and more consistent than prior governance-performance studies because the structural equation modelling and lagged measures of performance used are able to control for endogeneity and multicollinearity.
Executive board members’ remuneration: A longitudinal study
Authors: Lazarides Themistokles , Drimpetas Evaggelos , Koufopoulos Dimitrios N.
Published: December 2016

Remuneration is considered to be closely connected with financial performance (positively), firm size (positively), the organizational structure (negatively) and corporate governance mechanisms (negatively). Furthermore, a connection of ownership structure and executives’ remuneration has been well established (theoretically and empirically) in the literature (agency theory). The paper examines if these relationships are valid in Greece. Greece hasn’t the characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon country. Overall the study has shown that remuneration levels in Greece are defined by a different set of factors than the ones that are prominent in an Aglo-Saxon country. Notably, fundamental financial measures of performance are more widely used. The age of firms and corporate governance quality have a catalytic impact on remuneration levels.
REORIENTASI PENDIDIKAN AGAMA BERBASIS MULTIKULTURALISME DAN TASAMUH
Authors: Hidayah Nur
Published: December 2016

This article aims to describe the growing discourse on religious education-based multicultural, then reorienting the discourse according to the concept of tasamuh. This study, with a qualitative analysis of literature, found that the instigators of the concept of multiculturalism had enough influence Muslims so that religious education should be reorientated. Reorientation does with reconciling tasamuh in religious education-based multicultural. This reorientation is important, because the mission of multicultural education containing religious pluralism, humanism, and democracy, can not be an alternative in the practice of religious education. If this model is applied in education, then this could threaten the faith and morals of students, especially for Muslim students. In society, Islam has implemented the concept of tasa>muh}. With this concept, Islam made it easier for other people to not disturb the faith of Muslims. This reorientation is very appropriate for addressing diversity, with formulations that do not harm the unity of the nation, at the same time the Islamic faith was still solid.
AL-SIYASAH WA AL-AKHLAQ ‘INDA MACHIAVELLI WA AL-MAWARDI
Authors: Zein Fuad Muhammad
Published: December 2016

The issue of politics and ethics are two sides of a coin that invited attention of medieval scholars both in the West and the Islamic world. Although interrelated, but the implementation raises the difference between the two worlds. For the Western world, represented by Machiavelli, politics and ethics should be separated. A ruler should not be bound by ethics and tradition, and does not need to obey the law. In domestic relations affairs, a ruler must collect on his love and fear of people. While in foreign affairs, a ruler must reflect "a smart wolf and a strong lion. As for the world of Islam represented by al-Mawardi, politics and ethics cannot be separated. Even the basics of government, he said, are inspired by Islamic values based on the Qur'an and Hadith. Even a ruler must have and improve its ethical because it is a basic rule.
Study of the effect of using duct burner on the functional parameters of the two repowered cycles through exergy analysis
Authors: Maghsoudi Mehrabani , Mehrpanahi Abdollah , Rouhani Vahid , Nikbakht Naser
Published: December 2016

Steam power plants have been extensively used in Iran for a long time, yet no specific step has been taken for promoting their performance. In this regard, full repowering is considered as a way to enhance the performance of steam power plants. Furthermore, because of the continental condition of Iran, duct burners can be used as a common strategy to compensate for power generation shortage caused by environmental conditions. In this study, the effect of using a duct burner on the full repowering of Be?sat Steam Cycle representing both single-and dual-pressure cycles was investigated based on exergy analysis. The results showed that by using the duct burner, due to the increase in the heat recovery steam generator inlet gas temperature, the general thermal efficiency of the combined cycle and the exergy efficiency of the combined cycle and heat recovery steam generator decreased. However, the results revealed an increase in the stack temperature and resulting exergy losses, steam flow and power generation.
Non-parabolic interface motion for the one-dimensional Stefan problem: Neumann boundary conditions
Authors: Otero Jose , Hernandez Ernesto , Santiago Ruben , Martinez Raul , Castillo Francisco , Oseguera Joaquin
Published: December 2016

In this work, we study the liquid-solid interface dynamics for large time intervals on a 1-D sample, with homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. In this kind of boundary value problem, we are able to make new predictions about the interface position by using conservation of energy. These predictions are confirmed through the heat balance integral method of Goodman and a generalized non-classical finite difference scheme. Since Neumann boundary conditions imply that the specimen is thermally isolated, through well stablished thermodynamics, we show that the interface behavior is not parabolic, and some examples are built with a novel interface dynamics that is not found in the literature. Also, it is shown that, on a Neumann boundary value problem, the position of the interface at thermodynamic equilibrium depends entirely on the initial temperature profile. The prediction of the interface position for large time values makes possible to fine tune the numerical methods, and given that energy conservation demands highly precise solutions, we found that it was necessary to develop a general non-classical finite difference scheme where a non-homogeneous moving mesh is considered. Numerical examples are shown to test these predictions and finally, we study the phase transition on a thermally isolated sample with a liquid and a solid phase in aluminum.
Design of a natural circulation circuit for 85 MW steam boiler
Authors: Pleshanov Konstantin , Khlyst Ekaterina , Zaichenko Mikhail , Sterkhov Kirill
Published: December 2016

The paper describes research and design of fluidized bed steam boiler natural circulation circuit. The capacity of the drum boiler is 85 MW, superheated steam pressure is 98 bar. There are two variants research results of the designed circulation circuit. The first circulation circuit variant was designed as a complex circuit with a common downcomers and risers for the boiler evaporating screen. In the second variant the flow is separately supplied to and discharged from the evaporator that is divided into independent sections. We have researched and described the influence of heat absorption inequality on the furnace evaporation pads using the Boiler Designer software. We also have calculated main characteristics of the two-phase flow in the evaporation pads and evaluated reliability of the natural circulation. The circulation circuit is optimized from point of view of reliability and metal expenses. Results demonstrate that the specific quantity of metal of complex and simple circuit variants is approximately the same with equal reliability.
Turbulence investigation of the NASA common research model wing tip vortex
Authors: Cantrak Djordje , Heineck James , Kushner Laura , Jankovic Novica
Published: December 2016

The paper presents high-speed stereo particle image velocimetry investigation of the NASA Common Research Model wing tip vortex. A three-percent scaled semi?span model, without nacelle and pylon, was tested in the 32- by 48-inch Indraft tunnel, at the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at the NASA Ames Research Center. Turbulence investigation of the wing tip vortex is presented. Measurements of the wing-tip vortex were performed in a vertical cross-stream plane three tip-chords downstream of the wing tip trailing edge with a 2 kHz sampling rate. Experimental data are analyzed in the invariant anisotropy maps for three various angles of attack (0?, 2?, and 4?) and the same speed generated in the tunnel (V? = 50 m/s). This corresponds to a chord Reynolds number 2.68x105, where the chord length of 3? is considered the characteristic length. The region of interest was x = 220 mm and y = 90 mm. The 20 000 particle image velocimetry samples were acquired at each condition. Velocity fields and turbulence statistics are given for all cases, as well as turbulence structure in the light of the invariant theory. Prediction of the wing tip vortices is still a challenge for the computational fluid dynamics codes due to significant pressure and velocity gradients.
Comparison of different CFD software performances in the case of an incompressible air flow through a straight conical diffuser
Authors: Novkovic Djordje , Burazer Jela , Cocic Aleksandar
Published: December 2016

Paper gives a review of the most important results of turbulence research achieved by the Laboratory for Thermal Engineering and Energy at the Vinca Insitute of Nuclear Sciences. Paper presents detailed overview of the history of the scientific research provided in the laboratory, from the beginning in the mid-60s to today, pointing out the main reasons initiating the investigations in this field. After the first period, which was mainly devoted to the research of the structure of the turbulence, since the beginning of the 80s, research is mainly oriented to the flows at high temperatures including chemical reactions and to the development and improvement of differential mathematical models as a modern and very efficient tool in the technological development. This research significantly contributed to the development of pulverized coal burners, plasma-chemical reactors, and optimization of pulverized coal fired boilers operating parameters and prediction of the greenhouse gases emissions. Most recent period includes experimental and numerical studies of the coherent structures in turbulent fluid jets, mathematical modeling of various turbulent thermal flow processes including two-phase turbulent flow in the multiphase heat exchangers and mathematical modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer.
Experimental research of pressure drop in packed beds of monosized spheres a novel correlation for pressure drop calculation
Authors: Stamenic Mirjana
Published: December 2016

Flow through packed beds of spheres is a complex phenomenon and it has been extensively studied. Although, there is many different correlations there is still no reliable universal equation for prediction of pressure drop. The paper presents the results of experimental research of pressure drop in packed bed of monosized spheres of three different diameters, 8, 11, and 13 mm set within cylindrical vessel of diameter dk = 74 mm, and two different heights of packed bed, hs = 300 and 400 mm. It has been proposed modification of widely used Ergun?s equation in the form of fp = [150+1.3?(Rep/(1-?))]?(1-?)2/(?3?Rep) and new correlation fp = 1/[(27.4-25700?dh)/Rep+0.545+6.85?dh] for pressure drop calculation in simple and convenient form for hand and computer calculations. For total number of 362 experimental runs the correlation ratio of the modified Ergun?s relation was CR = 99.3%, and standard deviation SD = 12.2%, while novel relation has CR = 93.7% and SD = 5.4%.
An analytical method for defining the pump`s power optimum of a water-to-water heat pump heating system using COP
Authors: Nyers Jozsef
Published: December 2016

This paper analyzes the energy efficiency of the heat pump and the complete heat pump heating system. Essentially, the maximum of the coefficient of performance of the heat pump and the heat pump heating system are investigated and determined by applying a new analytical optimization procedure. The analyzed physical system consists of the water-to-water heat pump, circulation and well pump. In the analytical optimization procedure the "first derivative equal to zero" mathematical method is applied. The objective function is the coefficient of performance of the heat pump, and the heat pump heating system. By using the analytical optimization procedure and the objective function, as the result, the local and the total energy optimum conditions with respect to the mass flow rate of hot and cold water i. e. the power of circulation or well pump are defined.
Experimental and numerical investigation of flame characteristics during swirl burner operation under conventional and oxy-fuel conditions
Authors: Jovanovic Rastko , Strug Krzysztof , Swiatkowski Bartosz , Kakietek Sławomir , Jagiełło Krzysztof , Cvetinovic Dejan
Published: December 2016

Oxy-fuel coal combustion, together with carbon capture and storage or utilization, is a set of technologies allowing to burn coal without emitting globe warming CO2. As it is expected that oxy-fuel combustion may be used for a retrofit of existing boilers, development of a novel oxy-burners is very important step. It is expected that these burners will be able to sustain stable flame in oxy-fuel conditions, but also, for start-up and emergency reasons, in conventional, air conditions. The most cost effective way of achieving dual-mode boilers is to introduce dual-mode burners. Numerical simulations allow investigation of new designs and technologies at a relatively low cost, but for the results to be trustworthy they need to be validated. This paper proposes a workflow for design, modeling, and validation of dual-mode burners by combining experimental investigation and numerical simulations. Experiments are performed with semi-industrial scale burners in 0.5 MWt test facility for flame investigation. Novel CFD model based on ANSYS FLUENT solver, with special consideration of coal combustion process, especially regarding devolatilization, ignition, gaseous and surface reactions, NOx formation, and radiation was suggested. The main model feature is its ability to simulate pulverized coal combustion under different combusting atmospheres, and thus is suitable for both air and oxy-fuel combustion simulations. Using the proposed methodology two designs of pulverized coal burners have been investigated both experimentally and numerically giving consistent results. The improved burner design proved to be a more flexible device, achieving stable ignition and combustion during both combustion regimes: conventional in air and oxy-fuel in a mixture of O2 and CO2 (representing dry recycled flue gas with high CO2 content). The proposed framework is expected to be of use for further improvement of multi-mode pulverized fuel swirl burners but can be also used for independent designs evaluation.
Decision making for the surgical approach of posterior petrous bone meningiomas
Authors: Roche Pierre-Hugues , Lubrano Vincent , Noudel Rémy , Melot Anthony , Régis Jean
Published: December 2016

Object

The authors undertook this study to examine the surgical approaches used to treat posterior petrous bone meningiomas at a single institution and retrospectively evaluate their surgical strategy based on a previously published classification.

Methods

Cases in which craniotomies were performed to treat posterior petrous bone meningiomas between 2002 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Data were examined from 57 patients who were treated for 59 tumors. The tumors were classified into 3 types according to the location of their primary dural attachment: Type A, located around the porus trigeminus (33 tumors); Type M, located at the level of the porus of the internal auditory canal (IAC) (12 tumors); and Type P, located laterally to the IAC (14 tumors). The median tumor diameter was 34 mm (range 20–67 mm).

Results

The choice of the approach was based on tumor location, as the displacement of vascular structures and cranial nerves was primarily determined by the site of dural attachment on the posterior petrous bone. An anterior petrosectomy was performed in 82% of Type A meningiomas, and a retrosigmoid approach was used in 86% of Type P meningiomas. The spectrum of approaches was less uniform for Type M meningiomas. Overall, total resection was obtained in 39% of all cases, and in 18%, 50%, and 86% of Type A, Type M, and Type P tumors, respectively. The postoperative mortality rate was 8.8% (5 deaths among 57 patients), and all 5 patients who died during the early postoperative period had large Type A tumors. At last follow-up, the functional preservation of the facial nerve was excellent in 49 (94%) of the 52 surviving patients.

Conclusions

The authors believe that proper selection of the approach favorably impacts functional outcome in patients undergoing surgery for the treatment of skull base tumors. In the authors' case series of posterior petrous bone meningiomas, Type P and most Type M tumors were safely managed through a regular retrosigmoid approach, whereas Type A tumors were optimally treated via an epidural anterior petrosectomy.
Hemangiopericytomas of the skull base
Authors: Schirmer Clemens M. , Heilman Carl B.
Published: December 2016

Object

Intracranial hemangiopericytomas are frequently located along the dural sinuses along the skull base and represent rare, aggressive CNS neoplasms that are difficult to distinguish from meningiomas based on both imaging and gross characteristics. The authors of this study describe 3 patients with these lesions and review the pertinent literature.

Methods

Two men and 1 woman, whose median age at the time of the initial presentation was 37 years (range 20–53 years), constitute this series. They underwent multimodal treatment consisting of resection, embolization, radiation therapy, and in 1 case chemotherapy.

Results

Two of the 3 patients treated were alive after a mean follow-up of 93 months (range 4–217 months). One patient died 217 months after the initial diagnosis. The longest tumor progression–free interval after the initial or secondary resection was 43 months (range 4–84 months).

Conclusions

Hemangiopericytomas have been reclassified as mesenchymal nonmeningothelial tumors. They have an inevitable tendency to recur locally and metastasize distally. The mainstay of therapy remains an aggressive attempt to achieve gross-total resection at the initial surgery. Postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy should be offered to all patients, regardless of the degree of resection achieved. Diligent long-term follow-up is paramount as local recurrences and distal metastases can develop sometimes years after the initial treatment.