bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Macromarketing en el Perú: la estrategia de diversificación productiva
Authors: Barrientos Felipa Pedro
Published: November 2016

El artículo presenta parte de los resultados de la investigación que se está realizando acerca de la diversificación productiva en Perú. Se expone cómo el marketing puede aplicarse en las actividades de comercio internacional de un país y cómo puede apoyar la sistematización del proceso. Estar en el mercado internacional implica competir, y se tiene que hacer en las mejores condiciones. La diversificación productiva es un tema que cobra relevancia en los países latinoamericanos, como consecuencia de su excesiva dependencia económica de las materias primas, específicamente de los minerales. La preocupación ahora es modificar relativamente la matriz productiva, y este artículo es el inicio de una investigación relacionada con la diversificación productiva.
La Maestra Argelia Mercedes Laya López. Aportes al imaginario afrodescendiente venezolano (1926 - 1997)
Authors: Mora García Jose Pascual
Published: November 2016

El presente estudio analiza los imaginarios sociales que potenciaron la cultura afrodescendiente en la sociedad venezolana, tomando como referente metodológico la historia de las mentalidades e imaginarios sociales, y teniendo referencia el caso de la luchadora social y maestra Argelia Mercedes Laya López (1926-1997). La maestra Argelia Laya es de origen afrodescendiente y se destacó por cultivar los “andamios mentales” de los derechos de los afrodescendientes y sobre todo en su trabajo en la reivindicación de los derechos de la mujer sin distinción de color o clase social. Su condición de luchadora social y su rol de maestra contribuyó a minar la yuxtaposición de culturas sectarias en Venezuela y el desarrollo de los derechos en igualdad por una cultura de la venezolanidad afrodescendiente. A manera de conclusión, el estudio del imaginario social en Argelia Laya nos permite señalar que su aporte fundamental radica en la reivindicación de lo afrodescendiente con criterios de igualdad de clases, incluso más allá de lo étnico, su lucha es la lucha de todas las mujeres sin discriminación.
La Etnoeducación en comunidades rurales: Caso Escuela San José de Uré, Córdoba, Colombia
Authors: Castro Puche Rubby Cecilia , Taborda Caro María Alejandra , Londoño Agudelo María Yovadis
Published: November 2016

En la investigación que dio origen al presente artículo, la complejidad de la etnoeducación es estudiada desde una mirada a la educación rural, las nuevas versiones de la ruralidad, los actores y una institución etnoeducadora ubicada en una localidad del contexto rural del departamento de Córdoba, Colombia, con el objetivo de analizar las realidades que subyacen en la implementación de la educación diferencial a la que tienen derecho los pueblos étnicos colombianos en el contexto de una educación hegemónica representada por la educación rural y la Escuela Nueva, en el caso de la institución educativa “San José de Uré”. Se trata de un estudio de caso con enfoque etnográfico, conducido en la Institución Educativa mencionada, a través del cual se muestran las dinámicas de una institución etnoeducadora donde convergen las realidades de lo étnico-afro y lo rural. Como consecuencia de esta complejidad, se encontraron durante el estudio algunos desafíos epistemológicos y una serie de interrogantes que muestran la incongruencia de la educación rural con la etnoeducación. Bajo ese prisma se registra la semblanza de algunas problemáticas que hacen complejos estos procesos y finalmente se plasman algunas reflexiones a modo de corolario.
"Nicolasa Gómez, la maestra, aproximación a un esbozo biográfico"
Authors: Pérez van-Leenden Francisco Justo
Published: November 2016

Maestra afrodescendiente riohachera, dedicada a la formación de niños wayuu, brindó instrumentos (lectoescritura) para su supervivencia cultural. Preliminarmente, se plantean elementos metodológicos y teóricos para el acercamiento a su vida; se muestra una revisión bibliográfica en disciplinas como educación, historia, cultura para analizar el contexto, enlazarlo con los fragmentos conocidos de su labor y, con la teoría, comenzar a resolver el interrogante ¿la vida de Nicolasa puede dar cuenta de la historiadelaeducaciónenelDepartamento de La Guajira y viceversa? y la pregunta ¿a qué enfoque teórico e ideológico, responde la bibliografía consultada? El método etnográfico acercará a su práctica y evidenciará el ideal que la anima y la percepción de su comunidad; la entrevista semiestructurada, la revisión en archivos y la elaboración del estado del arte constituirán punto de partida. En esta exploración se percibe que fragmentos de praxis y teoría ‘construyen’ una unidad.
Nelda Graciela Arzú Ramírez (1964…). Maestra Garífuna identificada con su Pueblo y su cultura
Authors: López Rivas Oscar Hugo , Rodríguez Humberto
Published: November 2016

Se presenta la fructífera vida profesional de una maestra que, identificada con la historia de su pueblo y cultura, realiza esfuerzos para su promoción y desarrollo, superando cualquier dificultad en su trayectoria y estableciendo vínculos entre el ejercicio de su profesión y su comunidad. Los esfuerzos de Nelda por conseguir una profesión, le llevaron a elegir, entre las escasas opciones que existían en su municipio, la carrera de maestra; maestra por vocación, para servir a su cultura, que le dio los conceptos y los marcos referenciales para la interpretación de su mundo: la cultura Garífuna.

El trabajo surgió en el marco del proyecto de investigación titulado Maestras Africanas y Afrodescendientes en Colombia, Brasil, Guatemala, Venezuela, Guinea Ecuatorial, siglo XX a XXI, liderado por el grupo de investigacion HISULA – UPTC, en una línea de investigación sobre Educadores Latinoamericanos. Se aplicó el método historia de vida, de enfoque cualitativo, llevando a cabo diversas entrevistas a Nelda, personas que le conocen y a familiares. Se realizaron visitas de campo, se conocieron las impresiones sobre su desempeño por parte de las personas que le han conocido. Esta investigación se realizó en el municipio de Puerto Barrios, departamento de Izabal, Guatemala, bajo la coordinación técnica y financiamiento de la Escuela de Formación de Profesores de Enseñanza Media, de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.

Como integrante del pueblo Garífuna, la maestra Nelda ha tenido una proyección sobresaliente influyendo, desde su cosmovisión y como docente, en la vida cultural, política y social de la comunidad, al promover una educación más acorde a la realidad idiomática y cultural de su pueblo. Todo ello desde sus prácticas pedagógicas que incluyen la construcción curricular, produciendo textos en idioma garífuna y español e impulsando la capacitación docente para el ejercicio profesional, desde la perspectiva del bilingüismo y la interculturalidad.
Reseñas de eventos, Reviews of events, Resenhas de eventos
Authors: Eventos Reseñas de
Published: November 2016

Cátedra HISULA, aprobada por el Consejo Academico de la UniversidadPedagogica y Tecnologica de Colombia 2003.Febrero – junio de 2016
Presentacion
Authors: Cohen Esther
Published: November 2016

Presentación.
Presentación
Authors: Villaseñor Cuspinera Patricia
Published: November 2016

Presentación.
Presentación
Authors: Azuela Cristina , Nava Gabriela
Published: November 2016

Presentación.
Research in Distance Education: A Status Report
Authors: Saba Farhad
Published: November 2016

Since the 1950s and expansion of social science research, distance education has been studied in comparison to face-to-face or classroom instruction. Although researchers continue to conduct comparative studies, their usefulness in revealing more information has diminished over the years; invariably, they have returned a “no significant difference” result between various forms of instruction. In recent years, researchers have moved beyond atheoretical, experimental comparative studies and have introduced new methods, such as discourse analysis, and in-depth interview of learners. These new methods overcome many methodological and theoretical limitations of the physical science view of distance education. These studies have further revealed the complexity of distance education, indicating the many variables involved in the concept. Starting with the core issue of instructional interaction and grounded on the theory of transactional distance, a new strand of research using methods related to systems dynamics, hierarchy and complexity theories, promises a more comprehensive understanding.
Rethinking the Research Agenda
Authors: Perraton Hilary
Published: November 2016

Research is seen as something grounded in theory that can lead to improved practice. Without a theoretical basis it is unlikely to go beyond data gathering. The theoretical insights leading to good research are more likely to come from educational and social theories generally than from an attempt to develop a theory of open and distance learning. An examination of existing research shows that it is often atheoretical and predominantly descriptive. Research on the context of open and distance learning, considering its purposes, outcomes, and relevance to major educational problems, has been relatively neglected as contrasted with research on its application. Significant research issues today include: problems posed by globalisation, including issues of governance and consumer protection; ways of maximising public benefit from new communication technologies; the development of strategies for AIDS education; and the continuing need for educational expansion.
The Technological Consolidation of UNED in Spain
Authors: Garcia Aretio Lorenzo
Published: November 2016

This article discusses the role of the technologies that have been utilized to advance distance teaching and learning by the National Distance Education University (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia -- UNED) of Spain. Following a description of UNED's historical development and organizational structure, UNED's experience with various educational media is discussed. Printed teaching materials, in the form of didactic units, were one of the first methods to be utilized when UNED began its operations in 1972. In turn, the role of radio and audio recordings, television and video recordings, telephone, videoconferencing, computer systems and computer-mediated communications are also described. UNED's pioneering projects, including the virtual classroom, virtual campus and a program for the physically handicapped, are also detailed. Recent experiments include providing access to radio and television programs on the Internet and adoption of WebCT. On the horizon for UNED are portals for cellular phones using WAP technology and gearing up for multiple applications in accordance with Universal Mobile Telecommunications Technology (UMTS).

Lorenzo García Aretio is a Doctor in Educational Science, Professor of Education, and UNESCO Chair in Distance Education at the National Distance Education University (UNED) of Spain. He has also been Director of the University Institute of Distance Education at UNED. As a writer and editor, Lorenzo García Aretio has published 15 books on distance education. He has also written more than 70 articles and chapters for various distance education journals and books.
A New Learning Model for the Information and Knowledge Society: The Case of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Spain
Authors: Sangrà Albert
Published: November 2016

When it was created in 1995, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) served only 200 students and offered two degrees. Today, it has expanded its activities to serve over 20,000 students and 16 official degrees. UOC also offers more than 250 continuing education courses for those wishing to pursue learning opportunities outside of UOC’s official degree programs. As an innovative university, UOC offers a new way of experiencing education, one that is capable of providing answers to an emerging global and universal knowledge society.

Today’s rapidly changing world requires revised learning models that allow the widest possible access to knowledge throughout life, in a continuous, comfortable, and simple manner, irrespective of the geographical constraints. Capitalising on the intensive use of new information technologies, UOC is proactively breaking the barriers of space and time by offering an educational model of distance education based on the use of the Internet. Students of UOC’s Virtual Campus now have easy access to a useful and dynamic learning experience wherever they may be. More significantly, each student becomes the centre of a completely personalized educational process. All receive guidance from an accredited teaching team and have access to some of the most innovative didactic resources and services currently available.

From the start, UOC was designed to be an exemplar of a new generation of distance education providers capable of creating cooperative interaction not only between students and professors, students and learning materials, but also among students themselves. To support this goal, flexibility, co-operation, personalisation and interactivity are the four pillars of practice upon which UOC’s model is founded.

Research is also one of the main objectives UOC has achieved in recent years. Through the creation of the IN3, a research Institute focused on analysing the impact of the Internet on society, the institute is home to a virtual Ph.D. programme, and Edu Lab, which is a laboratory of educational innovation that researches the use of e-learning.

The UOC is open to the world, having achieved this objective by maintaining contacts with the principal international knowledge networks. As a result, it is anticipated that the UOC will become an important actor in future e-learning initiatives.
Global Perspectives: The University of South Australia (UniSA) Case Study
Authors: Nunan Ted , Reid Ian , McCausland Holly
Published: November 2016

This case study describes current developments in the change processes that are underway at the University of South Australia (UniSA) as it develops from a dual mode institution to one that embraces flexibility in delivery of all of its courses and programs. Forces operating in the context of higher education are causing traditional institutions to become dual mode. Institutions that were already operating as dual mode are developing a proliferation of program delivery arrangements that move beyond hybridisation. A number of Australian institutions claim to provide flexibly delivered courses where student centred learning processes are facilitated through the use of information and communication technologies.

Hybridisation and the move to flexible delivery in Australia has partly been driven by changes in the socio-economic context of higher education that have forced universities to compete for income to sustain their operating costs. Offshore teaching and the provision of onshore fee paying courses for international students have required changes to delivery processes for resource-based teaching and online technologies and these changes have washed through institutions. However, for some institutions the development of flexible delivery has been to achieve a wider range of educational purposes for all students. Such purposes are often described in terms of the shift in focus: for example, from teaching to learning; from elite to inclusive; from "producer" to "consumer;" from local perspective to international; from credentialing (four year degree) to life-long learning (40 year degree).

This case study looks at the ways in which UniSA course, student, regulatory, logistical and technological systems or subsystems are changing, both in response to extra-institutional influences and in relation to institution-wide development of greater flexibility in teaching, learning and program delivery. This analysis highlights the ways in which these subsystems interact with each other and the critical importance of shared vision to coordinate changes on multiple fronts within the institution and to facilitate internalisation and ownership of such change by its staff.

The case study highlights how the logistical assumptions and arrangements of online education are significantly different in kind from those of traditional face-to-face or distance education and argues that moves to online education therefore require pervasive change. At the same time, online education can provide an integrating framework for different forms of delivery, thereby achieving synergies and economies of scale.
The Development of CyberLearning in Dual-Mode: Higher Education Institutions in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Yau Jane
Published: November 2016

Open and distance education in Taiwan has evolved into the third phase – cyberlearning – conceptualized as teaching and learning interactions mediated entirely through the application of state-of-the-art information and communications technologies (ICT), such as the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW). Socio-economic influences, the development of new technologies and a marked shift in learning paradigms have increased the utilization of ICT at all levels of the Taiwanese education system. Since the advent and provision of cyberlearning programs, well over half (56 percent) of the conventional universities and colleges have been upgraded to dual-mode higher educational institutions. They offer real-time multicast instructional systems using videoconferencing and cable TV technology, virtual classroom systems via network-based instructional management systems, and curriculum-on-demand systems utilizing video-on-demand technology. Critical success factors in the development of these cyber universities and the opportunities, challenges and implications inherent in these are analyzed. ICT and the provision of cyberlearning have gradually been changing the structure and vision of higher education institutions as well as the entire learning environment and educational systems. Because the Ministry of Education (MOE) has initiated a policy on credit-based degrees for cyberlearning courses/programs, the development of open and distance education is anticipated to hasten the transformation of Taiwan’s education system towards one which will create an ideal learning society in the 21st century.
The Hybridization of Distance Learning in Brazil -- An Approach Imposed by Culture
Authors: Litto Frederick Michael
Published: November 2016

Institutions of higher education in Brazil are seriously behind in their development of approaches which make use of distance education techniques, in part due to widespread lack of credibility of these approaches both inside and outside academic communities, but even more so because of the highly centralized control over all aspects of higher education on the part of the country’s Ministry of Education. Despite the country’s capacity and need to do so, the rigid and pedagogically conservative attitude of this Ministry over the last three decades, combined with the equally intransigent and politically-motivated decisions of the National Congress, have discouraged practically all attempts by educational institutions, public and private, to invest significantly in the development of innovative and far-reaching initiatives employing distance learning methods. Hybridization, or the combination, in the same course, of face-to-face situations for learning with those carried out using distance learning techniques, represents in Brazil is not an option motivated by pedagogical choice, but rather the only avenue legally permitted in the field of formal, degree-granting higher education.
Integrated Course Delivery Packages
Authors: Annis Judy , Hensel Tracy , Lundstrom Patricia , Jones Richard
Published: November 2016

This report contains updates of three products: Elluminate, LearnLinc, and Wimba. Each features audio communication, both asynchronous and synchronous, and has been selected for this report to complement the preceding review of Internet audio products. The three packages also contain integrated applications for online, classroom-like, educational activities and discussions. A fourth service, Ed2Go, offers online tutorial facilities similar to those provided by the Elluminate vendor. The four reviews are offered as examples of the many products now offering integrated applications of this type.
Internet Audio Products (Update)
Authors: Depow Jim , Klaas Jim , Wark Norine
Published: November 2016

The benefits in distance education of collaborative interaction via online, synchronous audio methods have been discussed in previous reports in this series. As the months go by, new software products are continually introduced to the market and existing products updated. In addition, the effect of increased traffic on the software servers is noted. The current report updates some of the series' previous reviews of online audio-conferencing products (i.e., iVisit, NetMeeting, PalTalk, and Yahoo Messenger), selected because they permit conferencing (i.e., interaction between three or more people), are free/ cost-effective, and operate on PC systems of limited capacity. These products are compared with two fully featured educational and commercial products (LearnLinc and VoiceCafé) that provide benchmarks in terms of reliability, technical features, and ease of use.
Getting the Mix Right Again: An Updated and Theoretical Rationale for Interaction
Authors: Anderson Terry
Published: November 2016

No topic raises more contentious debate among educators than the role of interaction as a crucial component of the education process. This debate is fueled by surface problems of definition and vested interests of professional educators, but is more deeply marked by epistemological assumptions relative to the role of humans and human interaction in education and learning. The seminal article by Daniel and Marquis (1979) challenged distance educators to get the mixture right between independent study and interactive learning strategies and activities. They quite rightly pointed out that these two primary forms of education have differing economic, pedagogical, and social characteristics, and that we are unlikely to find a “perfect” mix that meets all learner and institutional needs across all curricula and content. Nonetheless, hard decisions have to be made.

Even more than in 1979, the development of newer, cost effective technologies and the nearly ubiquitous (in developed countries) Net-based telecommunications system is transforming, at least, the cost and access implications of getting the mix right. Further, developments in social cognitive based learning theories are providing increased evidence of the importance of collaborative activity as a component of all forms of education – including those delivered at a distance. Finally, the context in which distance education is developed and delivered is changing in response to the capacity of the semantic Web (Berners-Lee, 1999) to support interaction, not only amongst humans, but also between and among autonomous agents and human beings.

Thus, the landscape and challenges of “getting the mix right” have not lessened in the past 25 years, and, in fact, have become even more complicated. This paper attempts to provide a theoretical rationale and guide for instructional designers and teachers interested in developing distance education systems that are both effective and efficient in meeting diverse student learning needs.
Alteridade de Gênero e Deslocamentos de Sentido Como Prátias Feministas em Rede: Observações Sobre a Página "Moça, Você é Machista"
Authors: Roha Rose De Melo , Silva Josefina Tranquilin
Published: November 2016

O artigo analisa práticas feministasem rede, problematizando a naturezapolítica e comunicacional de iniciativasdesta ordem. Com foco em ações deprotagonismo juvenil brasileiras, tomapor lugar metodológico de indagaçãoa página do Facebook “Moça, você émachista”. Propõe que sua dimensãoestética e tecnológica é indissociável dasapropriações políticas juvenis operadasnestas ambiências digitais. Constata que“Moça” exerce seu ativismo em zonasde liminaridade: a crítica ao binômiode gênero, por meio de estratégiasirônicas de desconstrução do machismo,convive com a progressiva inclusãode problematizações “trans”, quandosugere que não é possível estabelecercategorias universalizantes do que é “sermulher”. Conclui-se que este exercíciofeminista dialoga, cada vez mais, comuma episteme “trans”, promovendoações políticas articuladas a um “quefazer”cotidiano e autoral. Assim, odebate que enseja é um exercícionarrativo e uma escuta de alteridadesde gênero, que parte do estigma para desestabilizá-lo.
Gesto na Tela, Ação no Digital: Experiência Estética e Performance Através das Materialidades de Games Touchscreen
Authors: Thomaz Felippe Calazans
Published: November 2016

Ao tocar na tela, o dedo indica o local para onde o personagem irá. Ao tocar duas vezes rapidamente, uma nova ação se apresenta aos sentidos. Algo distinto também ocorre quando os dedos deslizam pela tela ou quando a “pinçam”. Os gestos humanos encontram na superfície sensível ao toque a condição à sua ação no digital. Defendemos que a manipulação da tela constitui a premissa à experiência de um game touchscreen. Indagamos em que nível esse aparato material influencia a experiência que se configura entre o sujeito e a tela. Investigamos, portanto, as possibilidades de apreensão desta mesma experiência quando a tactilidade é convocada como principal forma de interação. Assim, o fenômeno é abordado de maneira interdisciplinar a partir das Materialidades, Estética, Performance Studies e Gamestudies.
Dispositivos Interacionais: Atravessamentos e Redefinições de Fronteiras na Sociedade em Midiatização
Authors: Xavier Monalisa Pontes , Batista Ana Lúcia De Medeiros
Published: November 2016

Frente à importância de debatesconceituais para o avanço das teorias e aconsolidação do campo da Comunicaçãoe as relações que se estabelecem com astransformações da sociedade, buscamos,neste artigo, contribuir para a discussãoem torno do conceito de dispositivosinteracionais, bem como sua inserçãoe funcionamento enquanto parte dofenômeno da sociedade em midiatização.Para isso, contextualizamos a referidasociedade a partir dos agenciamentosentre campos e a ascensão da mídiacomo “processo interacional dereferência” (BRAGA, 2006). Discutimosconceitualmente o dispositivo, desde aproposição foucaultiana, passando pelasformulações de Agamben, até chegar àconstrução do dispositivo interacionalproduzido nas interações midiatizadascontemporâneas.
Evidence for Recent Polygenic Selection on Educational Attainment Inferred from GWAS Hits
Authors: Piffer Davide
Published: November 2016

The genetic variants identified by three large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of educational attainment were used to test a polygenic selection model. Average frequencies of alleles with positive effect (polygenic scores or PS) were compared across populations (N=26) using data from 1000 Genomes. The PS of 161 GWAS significant SNPs in a recent meta-analysis was highly correlated to population IQ (r=0.863) and to the polygenic score of four alleles independently associated with general cognitive ability. High  correlations with PISA scores for a subsample were observed.SNP p value predicted correlation to population IQ and factors from the two previous GWAS (r= -.25). Factor analysis produced similar estimates of selection pressure for educational attainment across the three datasets. Polygenic and factor scores computed using the top 20 significant SNPs showed very high correlation to population IQ (r=0.88; 0.9). Similar findings were obtained using 52 populations from another database (ALFRED). The results together constitute a replication of preliminary findings and provide strong evidence for recent diversifying polygenic selection on educational attainment and underlying cognitive ability.
Data Analysis for Polymer Flooding That Is Based on a Comprehensive Database
Authors: Saleh Laila Dao , Wei Mingzhen , Zhang Yandong , Bai Baojun
Published: November 2016

It is of major importance to analyze polymer-flooding data because they can be used to obtain screening criteria and identify where and how polymer can be best used to enhance oil recovery. However, recently published screening criteria regarding polymer flooding were based on data collected from the biannual enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) surveys published by the Oil & Gas Journal. These data recorded valuable information for finished and ongoing polymer flooding worldwide, but they are constrained in two ways. First, they do not include some important information, such as the formation-water salinity, divalent-cation concentration, and polymer type and concentration. Second, the field data do not reflect recent polymer-technology developments that are still in the laboratory-evaluation and pilot-testing stages. To overcome these limitations, a comprehensive data set that provides the overall picture of polymer-flooding research and application is presented in this paper. In total, 865 polymer-flooding projects were considered to construct the data set, including 481 field projects from the Oil & Gas Journal (1974–2012), 329 laboratory experiments (1964–2013), and 70 pilot test projects (1966–2016) recorded in the literature. The laboratory data include porosity, permeability, oil viscosity, polymer molecular weight (MW), polymer viscosity, polymer concentration, polymer-slug size, water salinity, and divalent-cation concentration. All the data reported in this paper showed the experimental conditions that researchers used, which is consistent with the objective of our work. Our purpose is to summarize the data and tell the conditions in which polymer had been tested rather than presenting the screening criteria for polymer-flooding applications. For pilot and field tests, we only select those papers in which a project reaches or exceeds the goal of the project design. Graphical and statistical methods are used to analyze and describe the data set. The distribution of major parameters important to polymer-flooding design is presented with histograms, and the range of all parameters and their statistical values are presented with box plots. The existing data collected in this work have been statistically analyzed, resulting in some generic trends that could aid future readers in the design of a successful polymer-flooding project, such as data pertaining to the formation-water salinity, polymer MW, concentration, and polymer viscosity.
SMEs and product mix decisions: fact or fiction
Authors: C. Cant Michael , Mohamed Kallier Safura , A. Wiid Johannes
Published: November 2016

Research over the years has shown that in order for any business to survive, the correct product mix must be offered to the market. If the product does not satisfy the needs of the market, its reason for existence can be questioned. This principle applies to all businesses – big or small. The question arises if SMEs adhere to this fact and, if so, how they go about doing this. SMEs over the world make huge contributions to economic growth and job creation and are seen to be a driving force for economic growth and development in any economy. In the highly competitive environment that SMEs operate in, selecting the right merchandise for the right customer is important and, in most instances, its ability to survive or perish. This study aimed to determine if SMEs in South Africa make decisions regarding the product mix and, if so, if they conform to different profiles regarding the decisions that they make. A questionnaire was used to collect the data and was sent to SMEs around South Africa operating in different industries. The results indicated that SMEs in South Africa consider product characteristics, consumer behavior and strategic aspects when making product mix decisions.
Keywords: merchandising, product, SMEs, product mix, business, South Africa. JEL Classification: M00, M300, M310
Road accidents fatalities trends and safety management in South Africa
Authors: Z. Ncube Prince , Cheteni Priviledge , P. Sindiyandiya Kholeka
Published: November 2016

Road related fatalities remain high in South Africa compared to other African nations. The purpose of this study was to analyze the determinants of road accident fatalities in South Africa’s transport sector. The determinants were examined using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. The results suggest that drunken driving, paved roads and use of seatbelts are some of the determinants in the number of road related fatalities. The study recommends that the South African government put strict measures in dealing with drunk driving that has contributed to the unnecessary loss of life, especially during holiday periods.
Keywords: drunk driving, road safety management, Haddon matrix, enforcement, seatbelts. JEL Classification: O18, R41, Z00, Z18
Exploring the critical factors that hinder the growth of incubatees in South Africa
Authors: Lose Thobekani , K. Tengeh Robertson , Tafadzwa Maziriri Eugine , Welcome Madinga Nkosivile
Published: November 2016

In as much as entrepreneurial action fosters job creation and economic growth, entrepreneurs encounter the significant risk of failure, and community bears the brunt. Though business incubators were designed to provide support and hope to ailing businesses, evidence suggests that not all on these programs succeed. Going on the assumption that even businesses on incubation programs do not seem to be immune to failure, this study sought to determine the key factors that hinder the growth of incubatees in South Africa. Adopting a quantitative approach, the questionnaire was utilized as the primary data collection tool, and the snowball sampling method was employed resulting in a sample size of 93 respondents. The research participants for this study were limited to firms that were registered on the databases of two business incubators who promote small business development strategy and programs in Cape Town and Johannesburg, respectively. The findings indicated that lack of funding, lack of credit facility, competition, crime, lack of access to external market, lack of business skills and lack of product selection and design were the key factors that hinder the growth of incubatees. Given the substantial resources invested in business incubation programs, the fact that business incubators are entrepreneurial ventures in themselves, understanding and finding sustainable solutions to the factors that hinder the growth of their clients (incubatees) would be a win-win solution for the relevant stakeholders.
Keywords: business incubatees, business incubators, entrepreneurship, growth, South Africa. JEL Classification: M1, L84
Performance Analysis of Incremental Conductance MPPT with Simple Moving Voltage Average Method for Distributed PV System
Authors: Ali Amjad , Li Wuhua , He Xiangning
Published: November 2016

In order to harvest photovoltaic energy efficiently, several methods exist, yet most of them failed to address the issues related to extract the maximum power under rapidly changing solar irradiance conditions. In conventional incremental conductance, large step size reduces tracking time but oscillation remains around maximum power point (MPP). However, small step size reduces the oscillation but results in slower tracking speed. This paper proposes a simple moving voltage average (SMVA) technique in conjunction with fixed step direct control incremental conductance (INC) maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method in order to reduce the photovoltaic (PV) generated voltage (VPV) fluctuation and power losses under mismatching solar irradiance conditions in distributed PV system. Theoretical analysis and the simulation results revealed that the proposed SMVA technique provides fast and accurate tracking under mismatching irradiance conditions. Also, it significantly improves the voltage stability because of extremely small |dP/dV| around MPP as compared to the conventional fixed step direct control incremental conductance MPPT method. Finally, results show that the proposed method is suitable for distributed PV system under intermittent weather conditions not only in terms of voltage stability but also in overall system efficiency.
Characteristics and Evaluation of Life Quality in Patients Operated on for Peritonitis
Authors: Churpiy Ihor
Published: November 2016

When analyzing life quality in patients operated on for peritonitis 6 months after surgery we noticed a characteristic pattern, namely, the group of patients who received postoperative rehabilitation complex noted faster recovery of physical and emotional state in comparison with the group of patients who did not underwent any rehabilitation. It is important to restore not only the physical components of health but also mental ones, which have a slower rate of recovery in the comparison group.
Cytokine dysbalance in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with prior myocardial infarction
Authors: Altunina N. V.
Published: November 2016

he article presents the results of the study of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-10 levels in postmyocardial infarction patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It was identified significantly higher concentrations of C-reactive protein, proinflammatory interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α and anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 in comparison with the control group. The study found that the combination of postinfarction cardiosclerosis and type 2 diabetes mellitus shows higher degree of activity of markers of systemic inflammation than in isolated course of disease, when identical anti-inflammatory protection. The data shows that the blood glucose levels directly affect the concentration of C-reactive protein and interleukin-10, whereas insulin resistance directly depends on the activity of inflammation markers.
ASSESSMENT OF INSULIN PRODUCTED PANCREATIC FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS WITH DIFFERENT DEGREES OF INSULIN DEFICIENCY
Authors: Khyzhnyak O. O. , Tykhonova T. M. , Barabash N. E.
Published: November 2016

The study involved 162 people, including 61 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), 70 patients with slowly progressive autoimmune diabetes of adults and 31 patients with type 2 diabetes with the development of insulin dependence after more than 10 years since the disease onset. Based on a comparative analysis of fasting C-peptide levels in patients of observation groups the different degree of insulin secretion reduction was set. Thus in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus severity of absolute insulin deficiency is not a determining factor of the variant of the disease (relatively stable or labile). In general, the definition of C-peptide in patients with diabetes is a reliable criterion by which we can judge the functional activity of β-cells, even in the appointment of insulin. In doubtful cases it is advisable to carry out the research of C-peptide in the dynamics of observation.
THE EFFECT OF TESTOSTERONE ON THE ALDEHYDE DEHYDROGENASE ACTIVITY IN RATS INTERNAL TISSUE UNDER CONDITIONS OF IMMOBILIZATION STRESS
Authors: Volkova Yu. V. , Plekhova E. I. , Sukhova L. L. , Kozlova O. S.
Published: November 2016

It has been shown that under conditions of androgen deficiency increased activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase in liver and heart homogenates of 3-month-old rats. After the effects of stress on the background androgen deficiency observed various changes of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity. They have tissue-specific and age-related character. Only in the heart of 3-month-old castrated rats observed effect of testosterone on aldehyde dehydrogenase induction under stress. Here there is inhibition of enzyme activity under conditions of administration of testosterone.
THE DISTURBANCE OF RATS SPERMATOGENESIS UNDER EXPERIMENTAL HEPATITIS OF VARIOUS GENESIS AND ITS CORRECTION BY KATIAZIN
Authors: Kudria M. J. , Melnikivs’ka N. V. , Degtyaryova A. L. , Lalymenko O. S. , Pavlenko T. O. , Ustenko N. V.
Published: November 2016

Some changes of parameters of rat spermatogenesis which were induced by paracetamol drug, its combination with 40 % ethanol and carbon tetrachloride hepatitis have been investigated. It was established that irrespectively of the origin of chemical inducer hepatitis the animal total sperm concentration decreases and also the ratio of morphologically normal and abnormal forms of male gametes changes. The correction of hepatitis by katiazin both by substance in two doses (10 and 50 mg/kg body weight) and its capsules leads to normalization parameters studied.
POTENTIATING EFFECT OF EXCESSIVE FRUCTOSE CONSUMPTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY IN OFFSPRING OF GESTATIONAL STRESSED MOTHERS
Authors: Perets E. V. , Sergiyenko L. Yu. , Seliukova N. Yu. , Cherevko A. N. , Bondarenko T. V. , Sirotenko L. A.
Published: November 2016

It has been shown that gestational stress of mothers leads to the birth of offspring with decreased body weight and a low level of leptin in the plasma. In adulthood in these offspring with the same amount of consumed food weight and fat mass higher than the corresponding figures in the offspring of mothers intact. The sons of stressed mothers established the presence of leptin resistance hypothalamic structures regulate the body’s energy, which is manifested in the absence of anorectic’s effects at hyperleptinemia. Long-term intake of fructose in the body the children of stressed mothers leads to aggravation due to leptin resistance and gestational already at a young age can contribute to the development of obesity.
RELATIONSHIP WITH EXPRESSIVENESS OF ALEXITHYMIA WITH PARAMETERS OF CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE AND OBESITY (Literature review and own data)
Authors: Polozova L. G. , Zemlyanitsyna O. V. , Chernyavska I. V. , Dorosh O. G. , Romanova I. P. , Dunayeva I. P. , Chernyayeva A. O. , Gasanova O. O. , Kravchun N. O.
Published: November 2016

To study the expression of alexithymia and establish its relationship with carbohydrate metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes if NAFLD and obesity were examined 55 patients with type 2 diabetes in combination with NAFLD the stage presence of steatosis and obesity. The average age of patients was (57.74 ± 1.16) years, duration of diabetes — (9.07 ± 0.72) years. Severity of alexithymia was assessed by the Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-26). The study found that among patients with type 2 diabetes in combination with NAFLD the stage steatosis, alexithymia found in 25 % of cases. Women suffering from type 2 diabetes in combination with NAFLD the stage presence of steatosis and obesity can be attributed to risk alexithymia. In patients with type 2 diabetes in combination with NAFLD the stage presence of steatosis and obesity, found a direct relationship between severity of alexithymia and compensation of carbohydrate metabolism. In this group of patients alexithymia can be considered additional clinical manifestation of encephalopathy. In order to improve treatment and prevent the development and progression of complications of type 2 diabetes must take into account the peculiarities of the psychological profile and emotional state that can be detected in patients with simple and affordable questionnaires, such as Toronto alexithymia scale.
Sistem Informasi Manajemen Layanan SMS Center Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang
Authors: Wahyuni Evi Dwi , Maskur Maskur , Suropaty Rifky Pujiansyah
Published: November 2016

University of Muhammadiyah Malang has a legacy system i.e. SMS gateway service. This system is used for several new needs emerged, i.e. the need for functional and non functional, including the automatic reply that is integrated with the data request, automatic broadcast and responsive interface. The emergence of this new variety of needs indicate that institutions are hoping the performance and functionality of the legacy system is growing. When we need to update the software and hope the performance, reliability, and functionality may be increased, without affecting its main function, software re-engineering can resolve problems like this. Software re-engineering can be implemented on a legacy system (SMS gateway) to transformed into management information system SMS service center, so some new requirements such as the automatic reply that is integrated with the data request, automatic broadcast, and a responsive interface that can be realized. On the re-engineering software there is a model of the process that must be done in the process of implementation. so that the process of transformation of a legacy system to the management information system SMS service center as well as the process of adding some new requirements may run well, so that what is expected of institutions can be realized.Keywords: Software Re-engineering, Legacy System, SMS Gateway, Automatic Reply. Automatic Broadcast
PEMILIHAN DAN MIGRASI VM MENGGUNAKAN MCDM UNTUK PENINGKATAN KINERJA LAYANAN PADA CLOUD COMPUTING
Authors: Fadil Abdullah , Wibisono Waskitho
Published: November 2016

Komputasi awan atau cloud computing merupakan lingkungan yang heterogen dan terdistribusi, tersusun atas gugusan jaringan server dengan berbagai kapasitas sumber daya komputasi yang berbeda-beda guna menopang model layanan yang ada di atasnya. Virtual machine (VM) dijadikan sebagai representasi dari ketersediaan sumber daya komputasi dinamis yang dapat dialokasikan dan direalokasikan sesuai dengan permintaan. Mekanisme live migration VM di antara server fisik yang terdapat di dalam data center cloud digunakan untuk mencapai konsolidasi dan memaksimalkan utilisasi VM. Pada prosedur konsoidasi vm, pemilihan dan penempatan VM sering kali menggunakan kriteria tunggal dan statis. Dalam penelitian ini diusulkan pemilihan dan penempatan VM menggunakan multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) pada prosedur konsolidasi VM dinamis di lingkungan cloud data center guna meningkatkan layanan cloud computing. Pendekatan praktis digunakan dalam mengembangkan lingkungan cloud computing berbasis OpenStack Cloud dengan mengintegrasikan VM selection dan VM Placement pada prosedur konsolidasi VM menggunakan OpenStack-Neat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa metode pemilihan dan penempatan VM melalui live migration mampu menggantikan kerugian yang disebabkan oleh down-times sebesar 11,994 detik dari waktu responnya. Peningkatan response times terjadi sebesar 6 ms ketika terjadi proses live migration VM dari host asal ke host tujuan. Response times rata-rata setiap vm yang tersebar pada compute node setelah terjadi proses live migration sebesar 67 ms yang menunjukkan keseimbangan beban pada sistem cloud computing.
PROYECCIONES DE FUTURO Y VIDA FAMILIAR DE JÓVENES MUJERES DEL CAMPO
Authors: Pizzinato Adolfo , Uribe Calderón Magaly , Da Costa Souza Luiz Augusto , Ferreira Burton Lígia
Published: November 2016

Este artículo discute las percepciones de un grupo de jóvenes mujeres del campo sobre la familia, sus roles y proyecciones a futuro a partir del análisis de fotografías y de entrevistas realizadas en el interior de Brasil. Se encontró que esas percepciones están enmarcadas por discursos tradicionales y patriarcales, que generan indecisión frente a quedarse al lado de su familia, con un proyecto de vida más tradicional, o emigrar a la ciudad y ampliar sus posibilidades de vida laboral, intentado mejorar su calidad de vida, enfrentándose a cambios, y nuevas costumbres evaluadas como muy distintas e inciertas y poco trabajadas en las escuelas rurales del entorno.
The number of disjoint perfect matchings in semi-regular graphs
Authors: Lu Hongliang , Wang David
Published: November 2016

We obtain a sharp result that for any even n ? 34, every {Dn,Dn+1}-regular
graph of order n contains ?n/4? disjoint perfect matchings, where Dn =
2?n/4?-1. As a consequence, for any integer D ? Dn, every {D, D+1}-
regular graph of order n contains (D-?n/4?+1) disjoint perfect matchings.
The strong metric dimension of some generalized Petersen graphs
Authors: Kratica Jozef , Kovacevic-Vujcic Vera , Cangalovic Mirjana
Published: November 2016

In this paper the strong metric dimension of generalized Petersen graphs
GP(n, 2) is considered. The exact value is determined for the cases n = 4k
and n = 4k + 2, while for n = 4k + 1 an upper bound of the strong metric
dimension is presented.