bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aggregate Uncertainty Can Lead to Incorrect Herds
Authors: Monzón Ignacio
Published: April 2017

A continuum of homogeneous rational agents choose between two competing technologies. Agents observe a private signal and sample others' previous choices. Signals have an aggregate component of uncertainty, so aggregate behavior does not necessarily reflect the true state of nature. Nonetheless, agents still find others' choices informative, and base their decisions partly on others' behavior. Consequently, bad choices can be perpetuated: aggregate uncertainty makes agents herd on the inferior technology with positive probability. I derive the optimal decision rule when agents sample exactly two individuals. I also present examples with herds on the inferior technology for arbitrarily large sample sizes. (JEL C72, D83)
How Important Can the Non-Violation Clause Be for the GATT/WTO?
Authors: Staiger Robert W. , Sykes Alan O.
Published: April 2017

The “non-violation” clause of GATT is Exhibit A for the proposition that international trade agreements are incomplete contracts. According to the terms-of-trade theory of trade agreements, it underpins the success of the GATT/WTO's “shallow integration” approach. Yet the observed role of the non-violation complaint is minimal. We develop a model of non-violation claims in trade agreements, demonstrate that it predicts a minimal on-equilibrium-path role for non-violation claims under reasonable parameter restrictions, and show that the non-violation clause may nevertheless play an important off-equilibrium-path role in the GATT/WTO. (JEL D74, D86, F12, F13, K33)
Dynamic Agenda Setting
Authors: Chen Ying , Eraslan Hülya
Published: April 2017

A party in power can address a limited number of issues. What issues to address—the party's agenda—has dynamic implications because it affects what issues will be addressed in the future. We analyze a model in which the incumbent addresses one issue among many and the remaining issues roll over to the next period. We show that no strategic manipulation arises without checks and balances and identify strategic manipulations in the forms of waiting for the moment, seizing the moment, steering, and preemption with checks and balances depending on how power fluctuates. We also discuss efficiency implications. (JEL C78, D72, D78)
Two phases fermentative process for hydrogen and methane production from cassava wastewater
Authors: Oliveira Aryane Mota , Amorim Norma Candida dos Santos , Amorim Eduardo Lucena Cavalcante , Salomon Karina Ribeiro
Published: April 2017

Introduction: Hydrogen and methane production was investigated in two phases of fermentative process. Objective: At the acidogenic phase, an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor was fed with cassava wastewater producing hydrogen. Methods: Expanded clay was used as a support material for biomass immobilization. The reactor was operated with HRT ranging from 8-1 h. Results: The best hydrogen yield production was 1.91 mol H2/mol glucose at HRT of 2 h. At the methanogenic phase, the acidogenic process effluent fed a fixed-bed reactor producing methane. Conclusion: Sururu (Mytella falcata) shells was used as support acted as pH neutralizer in the fixed-bed reactor, yielding best (0.430±0.150 Lmethane/gCOD) with 12h HRT phase.
Características dos óbitos infantis em um munícipio de médio porte da região Nordeste do Brasil
Authors: Oliveira Maria Nice Dutra de , Camargo Bruna Argolo , Pinto Junior Elzo Pereira , Luz Leandro Alves da
Published: April 2017

Introdução: A mortalidade infantil é um importante indicador de saúde e desenvolvimento dos municípios, revelando importantes aspectos da organização da assistência à saúde. Objetivo: Descrever as características dos óbitos infantis em um munícipio de médio porte da região Nordeste do Brasil. Métodos: Estudo epidemiológico, descritivo, utilizando dados da Declaração de Óbito de crianças com idade de 0 a 364 dias, classificados segundo os critérios de evitabilidade, referentes ao município Jequié, Bahia, entre os anos 2007 a 2012. A análise estatística consistiu no cálculo de frequências absolutas e relativas. Resultados: Entre 2007 e 2012, foram notificados 286 óbitos infantis, dos quais 64,7% foram considerados evitáveis. Entre os 185 óbitos infantis evitáveis, 38,4% se caracterizavam como redutíveis por ações de prevenção, diagnóstico e tratamento precoce. As caraterísticas relacionadas aos óbitos infantis evidenciaram que, entre os óbitos, 53,6% nasceram com baixo peso, 42,1%, prematuros e 63,1% morreram no período neonatal precoce. Conclusões: Os óbitos infantis, especialmente aqueles considerados evitáveis, ainda representam um grave problema de saúde pública. Nesse contexto, analisar os óbitos, quanto aos critérios de evitabilidade, constituiu-se em um instrumento importante na avaliação da qualidade da atenção à saúde materno-infantil, colaborando na elaboração de estratégias de políticas públicas específicas regionais.
Perfil hematológico e bioquímico de pacientes com doença de Chagas atendidos por um serviço de atenção farmacêutica no estado do Ceará
Authors: Da Silva Filho José Damião , Costa Alanna Carla , Freitas Erlane Chaves , Viana Carlos Eduardo Menezes , Lima Monise Anne , Andrade Mônica Coelho , Pereira Laíse dos Santos , Fidalgo Arduina Sofia Ortet de Barros Vasconcelos , Oliveira Maria de Fátima
Published: April 2017

Introdução: A doença de Chagas (DC) é uma parasitose causada pelo agente infeccioso Trypanosoma cruzi. No Brasil, o tratamento específico da DC é realizado com o Benzonidazol (Bz), que devido à sua toxicidade pode levar ao aparecimento de várias reações adversas aos pacientes que fazem uso deste medicamento. Diante disso, existe uma preocupação em avaliar o paciente antes de iniciar a utilização do Bz, a fim de verificar possíveis alterações hematológicas e bioquímicas que eventualmente possam ser atribuídas à utilização deste medicamento. Objetivo: delinear o perfil dos parâmetros hematológicos e bioquímicos de pacientes com DC antes da farmacoterapia com Bz. Metodologia: Estudo retrospectivo que avaliou o perfil sociodemográfico e os parâmetros laboratoriais (eritrograma, leucograma, plaquetas, aspartato aminotransferase - TGO, alanina aminotransferase - TGP, ureia e creatinina) de 89 pacientes chagásicos crônicos atendidos no Serviço de Atenção Farmacêutica ao Paciente com doença de Chagas da Universidade Federal do Ceará no período de janeiro de 2010 a dezembro de 2015. Resultados: A população estudada se caracterizou feminina (52,8%), média de idade de 53,6 anos, de baixa renda e escolaridade, maioria aposentada, procedente do interior do estado do Ceará. No que se refere às análises hematológicas e bioquímicas, observa-se que todos os parâmetros se encontram dentro dos valores de referência. Na comparação entre gêneros, a análise estatística entre as médias demonstrou diferença significativa nos eritrócitos, no hematócrito, na hemoglobina, nas plaquetas e na contagem de linfócitos. Conclusão: Apesar da evidência de um perfil dentro dos valores normais de referência, o acompanhamento desses parâmetros laboratoriais é de suma importância no seguimento do paciente chagásico, visto que as reações adversas podem aparecer bem no início do tratamento com o Benzonidazol, levando muitas vezes à interrupção do medicamento.Palavras-chaves: Doença de Chagas; Parâmetros bioquímicos; Parâmetros hematológicos.
Endometriose intestinal simulando os achados clínicos e cirúrgicos da doença de Crohn
Authors: Barbosa Orivaldo Alves , Da Silva Priscila Luna , Nogueira José Otho Leal , Fontenelle João Paulo uchoa , De Figueiredo Jessica Teixeira , Freire Caio César Furtado
Published: April 2017

Introdução: A endometriose é caracterizada pelo implante extrauterino de tecido endometrial funcionante. A faixa etária de acometimento é de 25 a 30 anos, estimando-se que esteja presente em 10 a 15% das mulheres em idade reprodutiva, raramente acometendo o trato gastrointestinal. Relato do caso: Descreve-se um caso de uma paciente com sintomas de dor abdominal e alteração do hábito intestinal que evoluiu com semioclusão intestinal. Os achados endoscópicos foram sugestivos de Doença Inflamatória Intestinal, obtendo-se o diagnóstico de endometriose após avaliação de segmento de delgado. Conclusão: Seguiu-se com uma breve revisão de literatura sobre endometriose intestinal, concluindo a importância deste diagnóstico diferencial de doença inflamatória, especialmente em mulheres na idade fértil.
Case Report: Novel mutations in TBC1D24 are associated with autosomal dominant tonic-clonic and myoclonic epilepsy and recessive Parkinsonism, psychosis, and intellectual disability
Authors: Banuelos Erika , Ramsey Keri , Belnap Newell , Krishnan Malavika , Balak Chris D. , Szelinger Szabolcs , Siniard Ashley L. , Russell Megan , Richholt Ryan , De Both Matt , Piras Ignazio , Naymik Marcus , Claasen Ana M. , Rangasamy Sampathkumar , Huentelman Matthew J. , Craig David W. , Campeau Philippe M. , Narayanan Vinodh , Schrauwen Isabelle
Published: April 2017

Mutations disrupting presynaptic protein TBC1D24 are associated with a variable neurological phenotype, including DOORS syndrome, myoclonic epilepsy, early-infantile epileptic encephalopathy, and non-syndromic hearing loss. In this report, we describe a family segregating autosomal dominant epilepsy, and a 37-year-old Caucasian female with a severe neurological phenotype including epilepsy, Parkinsonism, psychosis, visual and auditory hallucinations, gait ataxia and intellectual disability. Whole exome sequencing revealed two missense mutations in the TBC1D24 gene segregating within this family (c.1078C>T; p.Arg360Cys and c.404C>T; p.Pro135Leu). The female proband who presents with a severe neurological phenotype carries both of these mutations in a compound heterozygous state. The p.Pro135Leu variant, however, is present in the proband’s mother and sibling as well, and is consistent with an autosomal dominant pattern linked to tonic-clonic and myoclonic epilepsy. In conclusion, we describe a single family in which TBC1D24 mutations cause expanded dominant and recessive phenotypes. In addition, we discuss and highlight that some variants in TBC1D24 might cause a dominant susceptibility to epilepsy
Development of a clinical algorithm for treating urethral strictures based on a large retrospective single-center cohort
Authors: Tolkach Yuri , Herrmann Thomas , Merseburger Axel , Burchardt Martin , Wolters Mathias , Huusmann Stefan , Kramer Mario , Kuczyk Markus , Imkamp Florian
Published: April 2017

Aim: To analyze clinical data from male patients treated with urethrotomy and to develop a clinical decision algorithm.

Materials and methods: Two large cohorts of male patients with urethral strictures were included in this retrospective study, historical (1985-1995, n=491) and modern cohorts (1996-2006, n=470). All patients were treated with repeated internal urethrotomies (up to 9 sessions). Clinical outcomes were analyzed and systemized as a clinical decision algorithm.

Results: The overall recurrence rates after the first urethrotomy were 32.4% and 23% in the historical and modern cohorts, respectively. In many patients, the second procedure was also effective with the third procedure also feasible in selected patients. The strictures with a length ≤ 2 cm should be treated according to the initial length. In patients with strictures ≤ 1 cm, the second session could be recommended in all patients, but not with penile strictures, strictures related to transurethral operations or for patients who were 31-50 years of age. The third session could be effective in selected cases of idiopathic bulbar strictures. For strictures with a length of 1-2 cm, a second operation is possible for the solitary low-grade bulbar strictures, given that the age is > 50 years and the etiology is not post-transurethral resection of the prostate. For penile strictures that are 1-2 cm, urethrotomy could be attempted in solitary but not in high-grade strictures.

Conclusions: We present data on the treatment of urethral strictures with urethrotomy from a single center. Based on the analysis, a clinical decision algorithm was suggested, which could be a reliable basis for everyday clinical practice.
Parasite control clinics and the role of the veterinary nurse
Authors: Richmond Philippa , Wright Ian , Hamlin Jennifer
Published: April 2017

This article will explore the differing parasites that present a risk to pets in the UK and the role of the veterinary nurse in the instigation of parasite control clinics. Through identification of risk and improved education of clients, the veterinary nurse can increase compliance and therefore the health of pets. The article aims to provide nurses with the fundamental knowledge and information required to set up their own nurse-led parasite clinic.
Factors that cause bandage complications in equines and how they can be resolved
Authors: Bennett Charlotte Mary
Published: April 2017

Bandaging equine limbs in practice is carried out by nearly all veterinary team members although in many practices it is the nurse's responsibility for placement, care and maintenance of the bandage during the patient's time at the hospital. It is a vital part of the veterinary nurse's role to understand the different complications related to inappropriate bandaging as well as noticing signs of discomfort and how to rectify these problems. This will help to educate the future veterinary nursing generation. Techniques and methods of bandaging from small animal and human medicine need to be utilised in equines to help move equine bandaging forward. A standardised method or protocol for bandaging limbs and the abdomen needs to be promoted, and the veterinary team and general public educated to help prevent sores and further complications.
Accessing poisons information
Authors: Bates Nicola
Published: April 2017

At the recent BSAVA Congress The Veterinary Poisons Information Service launched their service which is exclusively for pet owners. Nicola Bates explains how this new service will work.
Open competition or balkanized coexistence? The effects of market segments on Toronto private schools
Authors: Pizarro Milian Roger , Davies Scott
Published: April 2017

For over 25 years, school choice advocates have argued that market competition drives educational organizations to become more differentiated and technically-oriented. However, empirical research has only partially supported this view, observing such outcomes only under certain conditions. To better understand the contingent nature of market effects within education, we draw on sociological and organizational theories that emphasize the ‘embeddedness’ of economic behavior. We test this idea using data from all private schools in Toronto, Canada, a strategic setting that approximates a ‘pure’ market by being mostly free of public governance. We find that, net of factors like school size and age, market segment is associated with the presence of a variety of organizational features. In conclusion, we ponder ways that institutional norms and community ties not only buffer schools from market forces, but also, infuse consumer preferences.
Książka naukowa – między środowiskiem akademickim a branżą wydawniczą
Authors: Breczko Sylwia
Published: April 2017

Celem artykułu jest zwrócenie uwagi na książkę naukową jako przedmiot badawczy, istniejący na przecięciu socjologicznego nurtu badań nad szkolnictwem wyższym i badań nad rynkiem książki. Książka naukowa od lat dominuje na polskim rynku książki w zakresie liczby publikowanych pierwszych wydań, jednak jej znaczenie dla rynku wydawniczego uznawane jest za znikome. Równocześnie monografia naukowa, przez lata uważana – przynajmniej w obszarze nauk humanistycznych i społecznych – za „złoty standard” pracy naukowej, będący wyznacznikiem prestiżu i podstawą awansu akademickiego, zmienia swoją funkcję wraz z reformami szkolnictwa wyższego w Polsce, w coraz większym stopniu nastawionymi na docenianie artykułów w najbardziej uznanych czasopismach (najlepiej z impact factor) i publikacji w formule open access, a także w obliczu dokonujących się innowacji technologicznych dotyczących produkcji, opracowania i dystrybucji tekstu. Analiza tych przemian poprzez poznanie głównych interesariuszy (naukowców i wydawców, ale również bibliotekarzy, księgarzy, czytelników, nie zapominając o politycznych decydentach i gremiach eksperckich odpowiedzialnych za politykę w zakresie nauki i szkolnictwa wyższego) i ich zaplecza instytucjonalnego może nie tylko mieć znaczenie teoretyczne, ale także przyczynić się do dyskusji nad rolą wydawców naukowych i znaczeniem samej monografii naukowej w kontekście przyszłych reform szkolnictwa wyższego.
Nadane stopnie i tytuły naukowe – czy coś się zmieniło?
Authors: Rodzik Piotr
Published: April 2017

Artykuł poświęcony jest trendom w obszarze nadawanych w kraju stopni naukowych doktora i doktora habilitowanego, stopni w zakresie sztuki oraz tytułu naukowego profesora i tytułu profesora w zakresie sztuki. Podczas prezentacji wyników uwzględniono podział osób uzyskujących stopnie i tytuły według płci. Pokazano, jak zmienia się liczba osób, którym nadano stopnie i tytuły w kolejnych latach. Omówiono strukturę nadanych stopni/tytułów w poszczególnych obszarach nauki i sztuki. Określono również, jak zmienia się liczba nadanych stopni i tytułów w poszczególnych latach w zależności od wieku osób uzyskujących stopień lub tytuł. Analizy oparto na danych jednostkowych znajdujących się w Bazie Wiedzy o Nauce Polskiej i obejmujących ostatnie 16 lat (2000-2015).
Change of School Playground Environment on Bullying: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Farmer Victoria L. , Williams Sheila M. , Mann Jim I. , Schofield Grant , McPhee Julia C. , Taylor Rachael W.
Published: April 2017

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate whether increasing risk and challenge in primary school playgrounds influences interactions between children.

METHODS:

In a 2-year cluster-randomized controlled trial, 8 control schools were asked to not change their play environment, whereas 8 intervention schools increased opportunities for risk and challenge (eg, rough-and-tumble play), reduced rules, and added loose parts (eg, tires). Children (n = 840), parents (n = 635), and teachers (n = 90) completed bullying questionnaires at baseline, 1 (postintervention), and 2 (follow-up) years.

RESULTS:

Intervention children reported higher odds of being happy at school (at 2 years, odds ratio [OR]: 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20–2.25) and playing with more children (at 1 year, OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.29–2.15) than control children. Although intervention children indicated they were pushed/shoved more (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.03–1.71), they were less likely to tell a teacher (OR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.52–0.92) at 2 years. No significant group differences were observed in parents reporting whether children had “ever” been bullied at school (1 year: P = .23; 2 years: P = .07). Intervention school teachers noticed more bullying in break time at 1 year (difference in scores: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.06–0.34; P = .009), with no corresponding increase in children reporting bullying to teachers (both time points, P ≥ .26).

CONCLUSIONS:

Few negative outcomes were reported by children or parents, except for greater pushing/shoving in intervention schools. Whether this indicates increased resilience as indicated by lower reporting of bullying to teachers may be an unanticipated benefit.
Nonemergency Acute Care: When It’s Not the Medical Home
Authors: Conners Gregory P. , Kressly Susan J. , Perrin James M. , Richerson Julia E. , Sankrithi Usha M. ,   COMMITTEE ON PRACTICE AND AMBULATORY MEDICINE,   COMMITTEE ON PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE,   SECTION ON TELEHEALTH CARE,   SECTION ON EMERGENCY MEDICINE,   SUBCOMMITTEE ON URGENT CARE,   TASK FORCE ON PEDIATRIC PRACTICE CHANGE, Simon Geoffrey R. , Boudreau Alexy D. Arauz , Baker Cynthia , Barden Graham A. , Hackell Jesse , Hardin Amy , Meade Kelley , Moore Scot , Shook Joan E. , Callahan James M. , Chun Thomas H. , Conway Edward E. , Dudley Nanette C. , Gross Toni K. , Lane Natalie E. , Macias Charles G. , Timm Nathan L. , Alexander Joshua J. , Bell Denise M. , Bunik Maya , Burke Bryan L. , Herendeen Neil E. , Kahn Joseph A. , Macias Charles G. , Mahajan Prashant V. , Gorelick Marc H. , Bajaj Lalit , Gonzalez del Rey Javier A. , Herr Sandra , Mull Colette C. , Schnadower David , Sirbaugh Paul E. , Lumba-Brown Angela , Dahl-Grove Deanna L. , Gross Toni K. , McAneney Constance M. , Remick Katherine E. , Sirbaugh Paul E. , Kharbanda Anupam , Nigrovic Lise , Mullan Paul C. , Wolff Margaret S. , Schor Jeffrey A. , Edwards Anne R. , Alexander Joshua J. , Flanagan Patricia J. , Hudak Mark L. , Katkin Julie P. , Kraft Colleen A. , Quinonez Ricardo A. , Shenkin Budd N. , Smith Tyler K. , Tieder Joel S.
Published: April 2017

This Policy Statement was reaffirmed April 2024.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) affirms that the optimal location for children to receive care for acute, nonemergency health concerns is the medical home. The medical home is characterized by the AAP as a care model that “must be accessible, family centered, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective.” However, some children and families use acute care services outside the medical home because there is a perceived or real benefit related to accessibility, convenience, or cost of care. Examples of such acute care entities include urgent care facilities, retail-based clinics, and commercial telemedicine services. Children deserve high-quality, appropriate, and safe acute care services wherever they access the health care system, with timely and complete communication with the medical home, to ensure coordinated and continuous care. Treatment of children under established, new, and evolving practice arrangements in acute care entities should adhere to the core principles of continuity of care and communication, best practices within a defined scope of services, pediatric-trained staff, safe transitions of care, and continuous improvement. In support of the medical home, the AAP urges stakeholders, including payers, to avoid any incentives (eg, reduced copays) that encourage visits to external entities for acute issues as a preference over the medical home.
Csökkent munkaképességű krónikus mozgásszervi betegek reintegrációjának elősegítése
Authors: Sallai Julianna Rozália , Hunka Aniella , Héjj Gábor , Bálint Géza , Poór Gyula
Published: April 2017

Abstract:

Introduction: An important task of our institute is to support social reintegration: including occupational rehabilitation of patients suffering from chronic musculoskeletal diseases with decreased working ability. Aim: The aim of the authors was to provide informations of their daily practice, how they perform patient education, giving information for their patients about their disease, the rehabilitation possibilities, how they support the patients with decreased working ability to take part in their own rehabilitation. Method: Patients taking part in in-patient rehabilitation received teaching and education about their disease and rehabilitation options in groups. Patients interested in part-time jobs were individually interviewed by a 30–120 minutes talk about their educational level and training, social conditions and about the available part time jobs. The part time jobs were available with the help of the Motivation Foundation of the National Association of the Societies of Motion Disabled, and the Alfa Rehabilitation Nonprofit Rt. The data of patients receiving in-patient rehabilitation betwen the 1st of January 2009 and 31st of December 2014 were analyzed. Results: Out of the 230 patients seeking our help for part time job, our social service could organise jobs for 180 disabled persons, all town-inhabitants, but was unsuccesful in getting jobs for patients living in villages and separated farms. Conclusion: Part time jobs can be organized for musculoskeletal disabled living in cities and towns. For village-dwellers there are no suitable jobs and working places. It is necessary to organize rehabilitation working possibitities for musculoskeletal disabled patients living in villages. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(17): 662–667.
A Lewy-testes demencia klinikai és neuropatológiai jellemzői
Authors: Bencze János , Simon Viktória , Bereczki Erika , Majer Réka , Varkoly Gréta , Murnyák Balázs , Kálmán János , Hortobágyi Tibor
Published: April 2017

Abstract:

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative dementia. The accurate diagnosis is often possible only by neuropathological examination. The morphologic hallmarks are the presence of α-synuclein-rich Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, identical to those seen in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). Neurotransmitter deficits, synaptic and ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) dysfunction play major role in the pathomechanism. Characteristic symptoms are cognitive fluctuation, parkinsonism and visual hallucinations. Due to the often atypical clinical presentation novel imaging techniques and biomarkers could help the early diagnosis. Although curative treatment is not available, therapies can improve quality of life. Clinicopathological studies are important in exploring pathomechanisms, ensuring accurate diagnosis and identifying therapeutic targets. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(17): 643–652.
An Extension of the VSM Documents Representation
Authors: Vintan Lucian Nicolae , Morariu Daniel Ionel , Cretulescu Radu George , Vintan Maria
Published: April 2017

In this paper we will present a new approach regarding the documents representation in order to be used in classification and/or clustering algorithms. In our new representation we will start from the classical "bag-of-words" representation but we will augment each word with its correspondent part-of-speech. Thus we will introduce a new concept called hyper-vectors where each document is represented in a hyper-space where each dimension is a different part-of-speech component. For each dimension the document is represented using the Vector Space Model (VSM). In this work we will use only five different parts of speech: noun, verb, adverb, adjective and others. In the hyper-space each dimension has a different weight. To compute the similarity between two documents we have developed a new hyper-cosine formula. Some interesting classification experiments are presented as validation cases.
Computational Intelligence-based PM2.5 Air Pollution Forecasting
Authors: Oprea Mihaela , Mihalache Sanda Florentina , Popescu Marian
Published: April 2017

Computational intelligence based forecasting approaches proved to be more efficient in real time air pollution forecasting systems than the deterministic ones that are currently applied. Our research main goal is to identify the computational intelligence model that is more proper to real time PM2.5 air pollutant forecasting in urban areas. Starting from the study presented in [27]a, in this paper we first perform a comparative study between the most accurate computational intelligence models that were used for particulate matter (fraction PM2.5) air pollution forecasting: artificial neural networks (ANNs) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). Based on the obtained experimental results, we make a comprehensive analysis of best ANN architecture identification. The experiments were realized on datasets from the AirBase databases with PM2.5 concentration hourly measurements. The statistical parameters that were computed are mean absolute error, root mean square error, index of agreement and correlation coefficient.
Grain-size effect on uplift capacity of plate anchors in coarse granular soils
Authors: Athani S. , Kharel P. , Airey D. , Rognon P.
Published: April 2017

This letter investigates the uplift capacity of plate anchors in granular soils. Simulations based on a discrete-element method are used to measure the uplift capacity of anchors of differing widths to embedment B/H and width to grain-size B/d ratios. Results confirm that the uplift capacity of anchors with a large B/d ratio is well described by existing models developed from continuum mechanics, with no grain-size effect. In contrast, results reveal a strong deviation from these models for anchors with relatively small B/d ratios. A semi-empirical model is introduced that captures this strong grain-size effect. This model is further supported by a micro-mechanical analysis, indicating that anchor uplift capacities are not only governed by a frustum mechanism predicted by continuum mechanics but also involve the mobilisation of grains surrounding this frustum. These results and model are particularly important to rationalise uplift capacities measured in small-scale experiments, typically involving small B/d ratios, and to safely upscale them to larger anchor size relevant to field applications.
CT analysis of core samples from fire-damaged concrete structures
Authors: Lublóy Éva , Balázs György L. , Kapitány Kristóf , Barsi Árpád
Published: April 2017

Fire can cause damage in structures. The level of damage depends on several factors, such as maximal temperature, duration of fire, constituents of the concrete and so on. It is necessary to design fire-resistant buildings and deal with possible reconstruction after fire. For the reconstruction, it is important to determine the level of damage and the necessary steps to take following the fire. This study investigates the possibilities and limitations of non-destructive test methods for fire-affected concrete structures by computed tomography (CT). For demonstration of the applicability of CT measurements, two cases are presented: (a) a 2 h fire test of a tunnel element and (b) a 1:1 scale fire test of a reinforced concrete building. CT analyses were carried out on samples. Considerable reduction of porosity was observed towards the concrete surface that was subjected to fire. The results of CT analyses agree well with the human observations of changing colours from gray to pink.
Teachers’ Written Feedback: Does the Delivery Method Matter?
Authors: Koliadina Natalia
Published: April 2017

Responding to student writing, which is a widely researched area, is still one of the most challenging parts of the EAP (English for Academic Purposes) teacher’s job. Little attention has been given to analyzing the role of systematic feedback on students’ improvement of writing at the university. The paper reports on the results of a small-scale action research conducted among first-year undergraduate students, which explored the effect of record sheets, used as a tool to track student progress in writing argumentative essays. Apart from student portfolios and record sheets, the 8-week study used other methods of data collection that included recorded semi-structured interviews and a survey. Findings show that providing consistently structured (praise and criticism) selective (global and local) feedback to students has a positive effect both on the teacher and on student perception of feedback and, generally, their achievements in developing writing skills. The study may motivate EAP practitioners to change their current classroom practices and seek more effective ways of responding to student writing.
English Phraseology: Integration with Terminology Science
Authors: Nikulina Elena
Published: April 2017

The article is devoted to the study of English semi-idioms (a term suggested by A. Kunin), units with both terminological and metaphorical meanings. These units were studied from different angles but here their dual nature is viewed through the possibility of providing an experiment. The paper shows how a linguistic experiment can reveal not only the meaning of some unit, but the peoples’ attitude towards the use of these phrases, their individual level of understanding, interpreting and realising. As cognition is very important in the understanding of semantics, as well as a new perspective in the study of phraseology, a synergetic approach as well as a cognitive one is becoming one of the ways to scrutinising the nature of terminological phraseological units. The paper focuses on the possible ways of showing that terms can develop metaphorical meanings though sometimes people have no ideas of the etymology of some units. An experiment to show the dual nature of such units as terminological phraseologisms was provided on the bases of a specially created questionnaire. The result of the experiment proved that some terms can acquire new metaphorical meanings and function in the language and speech as phraseological units. The results of the experiment as well as various references to the matter of the study – semi-idioms – may turn to be useful in language studies, learning English as a second language, investigating English Terminology and Phraseology.
Olympiad in the English Language as a Form of Alternative Language Assessment
Authors: Bolshakova Evgeniya
Published: April 2017

Although a variety of the English language written olympiads (language competitions) exist, fairly little is known about how they are different from traditional forms of language assessment.  In Russia, olympiads in the English language are now gaining currency because they provide an opportunity to reveal creative thinking and intellectual abilities of pupils.  The present study examined major differences between language olympiads and traditional forms of language assessment.  A comparison of five main olympiads in the English language in terms of their levels, assessed skills and task types is made and their distinctive features are outlined.  The results of a testing of a new written olympiad of the Higher School of Economics “Vysshaya proba” (Highest Degree) in the English language are analyzed.  A set of test items was developed for 120 secondary school pupils in Moscow to find out whether they can easily cope with non-traditional form of assessment, which is language olympiad.  The results indicate that language competition as a form of alternative assessment may be introduced at schools to encourage better learning.
Graphic and Functional Algorithms of Sequence of Tenses in English Grammar for the Effective Education and Automated Systems of Text Synthesis and Editing
Authors: Kozlova Lyudmila , Trubochkina Nadejda
Published: April 2017

The article describes the optimal graphic language of presenting and studying English grammar using information technology. Among the studies on the use of graphics in teaching a foreign language, there are mostly descriptions of static objects. The authors propose to use a universal graphic language for describing processes. The authors suggest theoretical foundations of visualization of the English grammar rules using time-sequential conversion scale in the sequence of tenses transformation. The research question is the method of archiving knowledge of English grammar to simplify and speed up the memorization and to increase the volume of information memorized. To achieve this goal, the authors used a graphic algorithmization of the English grammar and visualization of grammar rules, as well as the comparative monitoring of the knowledge gained. As part of research, a series of experiments on the visualization of the rules of sequence of tenses were conducted in student groups. The research showed that a simple language of symbols facilitates and accelerates the memorization of English grammar. Systematic tabulation of grammar rules, where each verb tense gets its finished graphic image, becomes easy to understand and quick to memorize. The application of the presented approach is the following: effective linguistic education, local and global automatic synthesis system and text editing.
Fostering Positive Transfer through Metalinguistic Awareness: A Case for Parallel Instruction of Synonyms in L1 and L2
Authors: Talalakina Ekaterina
Published: April 2017

Numerous studies on transfer in language learning focus on the nature of transfer, its mechanisms, and its impact on language proficiency and literacy. The majority of implications for teaching methods concern interpretive skills such as reading, whereas the data on effective transfer strategies related to productive skills such as speaking are scarce. This study focuses on speech development based on metacognitive knowledge built into L1 (Russian) as a tool for fostering transfer regarding language universals into L2 (English). An intervention experiment involving elementary school students was based on parallel instruction of synonyms as explicit metalinguistic knowledge. The findings show that, in contrast to the control group, participants from the experiment group displayed a significantly higher gain in skills regarding synonyms in L2, even though metacognitive knowledge of the subject was presented in L1. The results of the study suggest that metalinguistic awareness can facilitate transfer and its instruction can be an effective teaching strategy in speech development in early childhood education.
Constructions Expressing Inaccurate Quantity: Functions and Status in Modern English
Authors: Zhukova Nina , Petrochenko Ludmila
Published: April 2017

The article reviews lexical units expressing evaluative (inaccurate and/or unspecified) measurement in Modern English. The study reveals that this measurement, located on the periphery of scientific and traditional metric systems, has great significance for operational partitioning and measuring different kinds of objects in the everyday life of native English speakers. To date, there have been no detailed descriptions of lexical representations for evaluative measurement in the English language since existing papers do not approach this issue systematically. The present article, based on the British National Corpus and English dictionaries, as well as on extracts from modern American fiction, is the result of an analysis and systematization of the constructions, or patterns, expressing inaccurate and unspecified quantities in Modern English. In particular, the article provides a list of such constructions and their corresponding classifications based on their functions as specific classifiers. It also studies the structure of each type distinguished, the semantics of their components and their combinatory specificities. The analysis determines the status of these constructions in the paradigm of the category of measure in relation to the other language means of the given conceptual category, with which the constructions in question form the corresponding functional-semantic field. The results of the conducted research reveal how the “human factor” manifests itself in the English-language culture when expressing quantity evaluation of the outward things.
Discourse Elements in English Academic Discourse
Authors: Chubarova Yulia , Rezepova Natalia
Published: April 2017

This paper presents a study of discourse elements in spoken academic discourse – a lecture – and identifies their specificities. The study seeks to identify discourse elements in a wide body of research material; to study structural, functional and pragmatic features of discourse elements in terms of the implementation of the intentions of the speaker; to identify from the auditory analysis any prosodic features of discourse elements. Discourse elements are specifically defined from the point of view of their pragmatics: the intention of the speaker influences the language of the lecture and the way in which ideas are connected with words. The study on discourse elements included several stages. Research material consisted of audio recordings of Philology lectures to students studying English as a foreign language by three native speakers of English (General American standard of pronunciation), all of whom are professors at American colleges and universities. In total, 6 lectures were recorded; they formed a wide body of research material lasting 7 hours 33 minutes. This wide body of research material consisted of 2 306 linguistic facts, i.e. discourse elements in context. From these, 150 fragments containing various discourse elements were then chosen to form a narrow body of research material lasting 40 minutes. The phonetic research consisted of auditory analysis: dividing the fragments of discourses into syntagms; defining the boundaries of syntagms; specifying pitch movement, tone level and type of scale; using perceptual gradations of each prosodic feature, etc. Prosodic marking was carried out in accordance with the method of notation adopted at the Department of English Phonetics at Moscow State Teacher Training University (1997). Scaling enabled the classification and sorting of all the studied elements (discourse elements). The authors used the following types of scales: nominative, ordinal and interval. Structural analysis proved that discourse elements have different structure and may be one-word elements and predicative phrases S+P incorporated into the structure of the academic discourse. All discourse elements can be divided into two large groups – connecting elements (connectors) and pragmatic elements. The results of the research show that the studied elements differ structurally and can perform various functions. The functions of the discourse elements, their structure, intentions of the speaker and also their position in the phrase determine their prosodic features.
The Role of English as a Medium of Instruction in Reshaping Bahraini Senior Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Roles as Middle Leadership in their Schools (An Exploratory Study)
Authors: Al-Wadi Hasan
Published: April 2017

This paper investigates the role English plays as the medium of instruction in reshaping Bahraini senior teachers’ perceptions about their actual role in their schools during their professional development program at the Bahrain Teachers College at the University of Bahrain. The data were collected using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion with an opportunity sample of the senior teachers who recently graduated from the program. The quantitative findings show that using English played a significant role in motivating the participants to form positive attitudes towards their professional development program while the qualitative data reveal how the target language participated in enabling those teachers reshape their perceptions about certain professional practices and assisted them in gaining new skills to improve the overall performance of their teachers in school. The study concludes with implications of how using English as the main medium of instruction facilitates conceptual change in professional development programs.
Learning From Collaborative Teacher Development in an EAP/ESP Context
Authors: Velikaya Elena
Published: April 2017

‘Collaborative teacher development is an increasingly common kind of teacher development found in a wide range of language teaching contexts’. Teachers can collaborate with other teachers in writing materials, books, doing research, and analysing observed lessons. Even the format and the content of a teaching journal can be developed in cooperation with other colleagues. The article reports on collaborative teacher development of English language teachers at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (NRU HSE) in Moscow, Russia. The study used a survey to investigate needs for teacher development at NRU HSE. Findings reveal that not all teachers practise self-observation; many teachers believe that feedback must be personal; the majority of teachers find peer observation subjective; almost all teachers have teaching journals but their understanding of what a teaching journal is seems to be erroneous. These results indicate that without a clear understanding of the listed above issues and their implementation in a given context professional development can hardly be possible. The author analyses the results of this research and makes suggestions about teacher development as a continuous and collaborative process.
Perceptions and Use of English by Secondary School Students From Central Asia
Authors: Komlósi Flora , Ferdinand Siarl
Published: April 2017

After almost two centuries of functioning almost exclusively through the medium of Russian, the governments of the now-independent Kyrgyzstan are trying to implement the knowledge of English among the population as an auxiliary tool of interaction with the rest of the world. Nevertheless, and despite the huge amount of money invested in English education, there is a lack of studies about the attitudes of the Kyrgyzstani students toward this language and the use that they intend to do of it. This paper analyses the attitudes toward the learning and use of English by Kyrgyzstani secondary-school students from four educational models in two regions of the country. A questionnaire given to 182 students from different local and foreign ethnic and language backgrounds was used to collect data. The results of the research show different approaches depending on the location of the schools and the educational program followed. For most students English may be a good asset but very few consider it a language that can be used in contexts other than the classroom.
On the Question of the Semiotic Typology of Signs
Authors: Shuneyko Alexander , Chibisova Olga
Published: April 2017

he article is in the context of linguistic and semiotic studies related to theoretical issues of base units’ typology, in particular, theoretical linguistics and “pure” semiotics. Sign is one of the basic units of linguistics and semiotics. The way of understanding the nature and structure of the sign essentially influences the nature of almost all studies. The depth, consistency and completeness of perception of signs are reflected in the currently existing classifications of signs. The article fills in a gap in the perception of the sign variety nature in the semiotic and linguistic understanding. It provides a tool for the correct interpretation of a large body of facts related to the secondary use of proper names in the specific function and precedential units in a broad context. The analysis of the actual texts indicates that the current classifications of signs do not reflect in their entirety all the signs which actually exist and function in the space of language and culture. Beyond the limits proposed by these classification schemes are left the phenomena of sufficient frequency. The article based on the appositive and distribution methods describes and analyzes the type of signs that has not been previously perceived by researchers as an independent one and has not been studied at all. This sign is called a bifocal sign and it is consistently described in terms of its specific features which do not allow mixing it with other types of signs. The results show that an adequate interpretation of any text which includes a bifocal sign is impossible without taking into account the specificity of this sign.