bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tourism as a Neoliberal Economic Messiah
Authors: Henama Unathi Sonwabile
Published: September 2018

Tourism has grown since the democratic transition in 1994. The growth of tourism has been so spectacular that today, tourism is regarded as the new gold, as it is South Africa's number one export. For the past 24 years, tourism's growth rate has always exceeded the national growth rate of the country. The sustained growth of tourism caught the attention of policy makers and private investors. The growth of tourism has mitigated the decline of mining, especially gold mining, that was the primary driver of the economy for decades. The economy of South Africa is suffering from a decline in the commodity prices, and the shedding of jobs in mining. The rise of tourism occurred when the economic fortunes were dampened by the decline of mining and agriculture, leading to widespread poverty associated with unemployment. Tourism has become an economic messiah. The literature review adds to a paucity of academic gaze on the tourism industry in South Africa.
Understanding Neoliberalism Regimes and the Operations of Global Corporations
Authors: Bilan Sahidi Maman
Published: September 2018

The present-day political and economic ideology constitutes a veritable challenge—due to its complexity—for managers in charge of global corporations, especially when it comes to crafting global strategies. Therefore, an understanding of the neoliberalism system and the circumstances which led to the global dominance of corporations are crucial. The chapter evaluates the political and economic circumstances which led to the emergence of the new world order coined as neoliberalism. That means that the external environment of current global businesses will be discussed. Also highlighted is the new world order and how this is conducive to the free operations of global corporations. The chapter ends with a critical assessment of the entire neoliberal project and the corporate governance.
Neurodevelopmental Disorders From a Clinical Linguistics Perspective
Authors: Priyadarshi Brajesh , Mahesh B. V. M.
Published: September 2018

The chapter attempts at bringing out an overview of linguistic-based deficits in neurodevelopmental disordered (NDD) population. Clinical linguistics as a discipline has provided a different dimension to view each patient as a distinctive case and has brought out the utilization of comprehensive depiction of individual skill patterns and deficits. As the NDDs are heterogeneous in nature, understanding their language deficits using achievement tests might not provide a clear description of these disorders. Hence, controlled experimental investigations using varied methodological designs could help in tapping their common linguistic variations which may augment key professionals to better identify, assess, and rehabilitate these individuals. While appreciating all these factors, the chapter provides first-hand information on some of the neuro-developmental disorders and also the language-based diagnostic markers to identify them.
Recent Advances and Neural Connectivity in Autism
Authors: Srivastava Kiran , Singh Lalit Kumar
Published: September 2018

The current chapter has reviewed the functional and structural brain connectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Neuropathological studies of the cerebral cortex in autism indicate abnormalities of synaptic and columnar structure and of neuronal migration. The MRI morphometry in young children with autism reveals excessive volume of cerebrum or cerebral white matter or increased total brain volume. The absence of such a volume difference in adults suggests that early hyperplasia in autism is followed by a plateau during which brain growth in normal subjects catches up. The developmental course of brain connectivity and the categorization potential of different connectivity process are important topics that are investigated by different studies. Finally, several studies contribute to a better understanding of the links between cellular abnormalities in the autistic cortex (both cerebral and cerebellar) and disturbances in network connectivity.
LearnEasy-Android Application as a Technological Intervention for Children With Dyslexia
Authors: Padmakar Ganta Sandeep V. , Khosla Arun , Chand Kulbhushan
Published: September 2018

The recent studies show that the children with learning disabilities numbers have been gradually increased in India. Though the main reason for the cause of this disorder is unknown, the authors strongly believe that this neurological disorder is explained as a genetic disorder passed from elder hierarchy to the next generation. With the available resources, the awareness programs are limited to urban areas only on account of using current technology in diagnosing disorders. In developed countries, it is seen that new technologies taking birth every day for the treatment of these disorders. This includes LCD 3D display, Kinect games, computer games (psychotherapeutic) in therapy sessions, etc. These kinds of games make children more attentive towards the intervention bringing new changes in the day-to-day lives of the children. In this chapter, a new algorithm has been highlighted for the intervention of children with dyslexia by using the Android application as a source to increase the level of perception and sound-symbol association of the respective alphabets used and studied.
Certification and Medico-Legal Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in India
Authors: Venkatesan Srinivasan , Yashodharakumar G. Y.
Published: September 2018

With the emerging fields of medical jurisprudence and forensic medicine, cases of neurodevelopmental disorders in engagement or conflict with law are on the rise. Affected persons as alibi, victims, or perpetrators of crime are dotting as civil or criminal proceedings in contemporary courts. Rehabilitation specialists must be conversant with the medico-legal process, their duties, and responsibilities as subject experts to witness given their role in the certification of these cases. They must be aware of the problems and issues in certification during clinical practice. This chapter outlines the concerns related to estimation, measurement, and disability certification. Case vignettes are used to illustrate sample court proceedings during deposition before the attorney and at the time of cross-examination. Empirical research is reviewed before concluding this narrative with an agenda for future action to move away from traditional medical models toward understanding these disorders from human rights and person-in-environment perspectives.
Company Acquisition Relations Extraction From Web Pages
Authors: Zhao Jie , Wang Jianfei , Yang Jia , Jin Peiquan
Published: September 2018

In this chapter, we study the problem of extracting company acquisition relation from huge amounts of webpages, and propose a novel algorithm for a company acquisition relation extraction. Our algorithm considers the tense feature of Web content and classification technology of semantic strength when extracting company acquisition relation from webpages. It first determines the tense of each sentence in a webpage, where a CRF model is employed. Then, the tense of sentences is applied to sentences classification so as to evaluate the semantic strength of the candidate sentences in describing company acquisition relation. After that, we rank the candidate acquisition relations and return the top-k company acquisition relation. We run experiments on 6144 pages crawled through Google, and measure the performance of our algorithm under different metrics. The experimental results show that our algorithm is effective in determining the tense of sentences as well as the company acquisition relation.
A New Approach for Supervised Dimensionality Reduction
Authors: Song Yinglei , Li Yongzhong , Qu Junfeng
Published: September 2018

This article develops a new approach for supervised dimensionality reduction. This approach considers both global and local structures of a labelled data set and maximizes a new objective that includes the effects from both of them. The objective can be approximately optimized by solving an eigenvalue problem. The approach is evaluated based on a few benchmark data sets and image databases. Its performance is also compared with a few other existing approaches for dimensionality reduction. Testing results show that, on average, this new approach can achieve more accurate results for dimensionality reduction than existing approaches.
An Encryption Methodology for Enabling the Use of Data Warehouses on the Cloud
Authors: Lopes Claudivan Cruz , Cesário-Times Valéria , Matwin Stan , Ciferri Cristina Dutra de Aguiar , Ciferri Ricardo Rodrigues
Published: September 2018

A cloud data warehouse (cloud DW) is a subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant, voluminous, nonvolatile and multidimensional distributed database that is hosted in a cloud. A solution to ensure data confidentiality for a cloud DW is cryptography. In this article, the authors propose an encryption methodology for a cloud DW stored according to the star schema, considering both the data confidentiality maintenance of the DW and the capability of processing analytical queries directly over the encrypted DW. The proposed encryption methodology comprises an encryption strategy for DW called MV-HO (MultiValued and HOmomorphic) for the definition of how the different types of DW's attributes must be encrypted. The proposed MV-HO encryption strategy was compared with encryption strategies based on symmetric encryption, order preserving symmetric encryption and homomorphic encryption. Results indicated that MV-HO is the best solution found, as MV-HO is pareto-optimal with respect to other strategies investigated.
Eigenvalue of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Matrices Over Distributive Lattice
Authors: Ebrahimnejad Ali , Adak Amal Kumar , Jamkhaneh Ezzatallah Baloui
Published: September 2018

In this article, the concepts of intuitionistic fuzzy complete and complete distributive lattice are introduced and the relative pseudocomplement relation of intuitionistic fuzzy sets is defined. The concepts of intuitionistic fuzzy eigenvalue and eigenvector of an intuitionistic fuzzy matrixes are presented and proved that the set of intuitionistic fuzzy eigenvectors of a given intuitionistic fuzzy eigenvalue form an intuitionistic fuzzy subspace. Also, the authors obtain an intuitionistic fuzzy maximum matrix of a given intuitionistic fuzzy eigenvalue and eigenvector and give some properties of an intuitionistic fuzzy maximum matrix. Finally, the invariant of an intuitionistic fuzzy matrix over a distributive lattice is given with some properties.
A New Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Decision Method with an Extended Relative Preference Relation and Entropy to Project Critical Path Selection
Authors: Dorfeshan Y. , Mousavi S.M.
Published: September 2018

Considering uncertainty in multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) is an important issue in today's business and management problems. In this article, to use advantages of IT2FSs, a novel interval type-2 fuzzy multi-criteria decision method is presented with an extended entropy and relative preference relation. To tackle vagueness and uncertainty of real-world problems, the IT2FSs are used and applied to a modified MCDM method. Furthermore, an entropy method is developed under an IT2F environment and for obtaining the final weight of each criterion, a relative preference relation is hybridized with an entropy method. Also, the weight of each decision maker (DM) is calculated by a new IT2F-order preference method by means of the relative closeness. Finally, an existing example about the project critical path selection by considering effective criteria, such as time, cost, quality and safety, is adopted from the literature and solved to indicate the capability of introduced method.
Transformational Leadership and Attitude Toward Enterprise Resource Planning System
Authors: Chou Paul
Published: September 2018

In order to survive in competitive markets, modern organizations introduce enterprise resourcing planning systems to enhance their competitive positions and their survivability in competitive markets. Nevertheless, organizations often fail to utilize and explore this new system's functionalities to achieve business objectives and have not fulfilled their expected effectiveness after adopting it. Given that countless companies fail to implement ERP systems successfully in recent decades, the aim of this study is to explore the inner workings of employees' attitudes towards ERP systems from the perspective organizational change. The results from a sample of 334 respondents in Taiwan provide additional insight into the mechanism through which transformational leadership influences employees' attitudes towards ERP systems.
Digital Content Consumption Trends in the Website of Singapore's National Information Literacy Programme
Authors: Pek Sara , Wang Damien
Published: September 2018

The objective of this article is to utilise web statistics to analyse the consumption patterns of digital content - such as blog articles, videos, online learning courses, infographics and cheat sheets - found on the official website of Singapore's National Information Literacy Programme, with a view of informing forward planning. The secondary objective would be to gauge the effectiveness of the SURE Facebook page in marketing the content of the SURE portal.
Supporting Information Literacy Skills of Students for a Successful Transition to Higher Education
Authors: Chigwada Josiline Phiri
Published: September 2018

A survey was undertaken on how libraries are supporting information literacy to primary and secondary school students for a successful transition to higher education. Thirty-five librarians were purposively selected and questionnaires were sent and telephone interviews done to understand the opportunities and challenges that are encountered in imparting information literacy skills to students in preparing them for higher education. The results revealed that there are information literacy programmes in group A schools and universities. It was discovered that tertiary institutions do mentorship programmes and train teacher and school librarians on how to offer information literacy sessions. The greatest opportunity was the availability of information communication technologies (ICTs) in most of the schools and the support that is offered by the government towards the use of ICTs in learning. However, the major challenge is there are few online resources that are locally produced. The author recommends the need to produce more local content online for the primary school students.
Opportunities and Challenges of Academic Librarians in Teaching Information Literacy in Institutions of Higher Learning in Zimbabwe
Authors: Chigwada Josiline Phiri
Published: September 2018

A study was undertaken to analyse the opportunities and challenges that are faced in institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe when offering information literacy. Institutions of higher learning were purposively selected. Open ended questions were sent to 20 librarians and 13 responded. It was discovered that all the institutions of higher learning which participated in the study teach IL to the students and the librarians are responsible. Librarians teach IL to ensure that the students know how to search, evaluate and use information ethically and legally. This was necessitated by the information explosion leading to the availability of various information sources. The role of the librarian is to design the curriculum, teach IL and monitor and evaluate the course as a way of improving it. It was discovered that librarians face some challenges because of the negative attitudes by students and academic staff. The author recommends that librarians should continuously upgrade themselves and library administrators should provide resources needed to offer IL.
Double Power Law in the Japanese Financial Market
Authors: Jain Sudhir , Yamano Takuya
Published: September 2018

The authors study the persistence phenomenon in the Japanese stock market by using a novel mapping of the time evolution of the values of shares quoted on the Nikkei Index onto Ising spins. The method is applied to historical end of day data from the Japanese financial market. By studying the time dependence of the spins, they find clear evidence for a double-power law decay of the proportion of shares that remain either above or below ‘starting' values chosen at random. The results are consistent with a recent analysis of the data from the London FTSE100 market. The slopes of the power-laws are also in agreement. The authors estimate a long time persistence exponent for the underlying Japanese financial market to be 0.5. Furthermore, they argue that the presence of a double power law in the decay of the persistence probability could be the signature of the presence of both speculative (short-term) and long-term traders in the market.
Fuzzy Rough Set Based Technique for User Specific Information Retrieval
Authors: Yadav Nidhika , Chatterjee Niladri
Published: September 2018

Information retrieval is widely used due to extremely large volume of text and image data available on the web and consequently, efficient retrieval is required. Text information retrieval is a branch of information retrieval which deals with text documents. Another key factor is the concern for a retrieval engine, often referred to as user-specific information retrieval, which works according to a specific user. This article performs a preliminary investigation of the proposed fuzzy rough sets-based model for user-specific text information retrieval. The model improves on the computational time required to compute the approximations compared to classical fuzzy rough set model by using Wikipedia as the information source. The technique also improves on the accuracy of clustering obtained for user specified classes.
Cryptanalysis and Improvement of a Digital Watermarking Scheme Using Chaotic Map
Authors: Ahmad Musheer , AlSharari Hamed D.
Published: September 2018

In the recent past, a new statistically efficient digital image watermarking scheme based on chaotic map was proposed. The authors of this watermarking scheme claimed under study that their scheme is efficient, secure, and highly robust against various attacks. However, the security analysis of the scheme unveils that it has serious inherent flaws. In this article, the shortcomings of the proposed watermarking scheme and cryptanalysis are presented to demonstrate that the scheme is not secure against the proposed attacks. Specifically, with the chosen host image and chosen watermarks, we can successfully recover the watermark from received watermarked image without having any knowledge of the secret key. The simulation analysis of the proposed cryptanalysis is provided to exemplify the proposed attack and lack of security of the anticipated watermarking scheme. In addition, an improved version is proposed to enhance the security performance of the watermarking scheme against possible attacks. The improved scheme tends to hold against attacks and statistical efficiency.
Improved Fuzzy Rank Aggregation
Authors: Ansari Mohd Zeeshan , Beg M.M. Sufyan
Published: September 2018

Rank aggregation is applied on the web to build various applications like meta-search engines, consumer reviews classification, and recommender systems. Meta-searching is the generation of a single list from a collection of the results produced by multiple search engines, together using a rank aggregation technique. It is an efficient and cost-effective technique to retrieve quality results from the internet. The quality of results produced by a meta-searching relies upon the efficiency of rank aggregation technique applied. An effective rank aggregation technique assigns the rank to a document that is closest to all its previous rankings. The newly generated list of documents may be evaluated by the measurement of Spearman footrule distance. In this article, various fuzzy logic techniques for rank aggregation are analyzed and further improvements are proposed in Modified Shimura technique. Consequently, two novel OWA operators are suggested for the calculation of membership values of document ranks in a modified Shimura technique. The performance of proposed improvements is evaluated on the Spearman footrule distance along with execution time. The results show that the anticipated improvements exhibit better performance than other fuzzy techniques.
Tribological Response of Polyamide 66 and Polytetrafluroethylene (PA66/PTFE) Blends in Two Body Abrasion Through Multipass Condition
Authors: Rudresh B. M. , Ravikumar B. N. , Madhu D.
Published: September 2018

The different weight percentages of 95/5, 90/10, 85/15, 80/20, 75/25 and 70/30 of PA66/PTFE blend composition was investigated as per the ASTM G99 method. The abrasive wear studies were conducted in multipass condition against waterproof silicon carbide (SiC) abrasive paper of 180 and 320 grit at a constant load of 5 N and 10 N with a sliding velocity of 1 m/s for varying abrading distances using pin-on-disc machine. It was found that the wear volume loss of composites increases linearly with increase in applied load and abrading distance. A significant reduction in wear resistance has been observed in terms of wear volume and specific wear rate with increase in addition of PTFE dosage in PA66/PTFE blend. Further, it was observed that the wear volume loss of composites has been decreased with increase in the rank of grit size. Higher wear volumes was due to deep penetration of large sized particles of 180 grit abrasives and less for 320 grit abrasives due to the transition of abrasion wear to sliding. The specific wear rate decreases with an increase in abrading distance for all the tested specimens. Microcutting, microploughing and fatigue loading of abrasive particles are the major failure mechanisms observed during the worn surface analysis using SEM.
Investigation of Nickel Coated Tool for Electrochemical Deburring of Al6082
Authors: Prabhu Satisha , Kumar Abhishek
Published: September 2018

The electrochemical deburring (ECD) method is the process which can be successfully applied to deburr inaccessible, intersecting, and cross holes. This ECD process is extremely consistent and cost-effective under the same machining conditions. The variables such as voltage, current, time, pH, flow rate and electrolytic concentration are controllable to produce desirable results. ECD with copper and brass tool materials is less damaged by arcing due to short circuits owing to its high conductivity and heat dissipation, but pitting is observed while using copper alloys. Copper tungsten, the circuit breaker material, is ideal due to its resistance to damage from short circuits due to its high melting point. In order to overcome corrosion, erosion, and wear, nickel coatings of the order of 3 to 5µm are applied electrolytically on the tool before deburring. The performance of tool is evaluated by varying input parameters such as current applied, concentration, current density, and time. Machining characteristics are analyzed and reported.
A Comparison of the Vibrational Responses of Four Different Uniform and Tapered Composite Beams
Authors: Krishnan Padmanabhan , Kumar K.K. Manchit
Published: September 2018

A combined experimental and finite element approach was used to compare the vibrational response of the composite beams with different configurations of internal taper and uniform cross sections. Composite beams were made using the hand lay-up process. Glass fibre was used as reinforcement in the form of a bidirectional fabric and a general-purpose epoxy resin as the matrix for the composite material. Experimental dynamic tests were carried out on FFT analyzer using specimens with different taper configurations. From the results, the effect of different taper configurations on the flexural natural frequencies and mode shapes was investigated. Finite element analysis of the same problem was carried out on software package ANSYS and the results were validated using the experimental results. From the results, a thorough comparison was made between the natural frequencies, loss factors, displacements and mode shapes of the specimens with different taper configurations and uniform cross sections considered. The aerospace implications are provided.
JRDP
Authors: Shishehchi Saman , Banihashem Seyed Yashar
Published: September 2018

Despite the high number of people with disabilities, there are only a few job recommender systems that cater to their needs. This study analyses the implementation of an ontology based recommender system (JRDP) that offers suitable jobs to the disabled. The system considers whether or not an assistive technology exists to address certain disabilities in a specific application domain. If so, a list of available jobs from the application domain would be recommended to the disabled workforces. Two modules are considered as main components of the framework; knowledge-based and recommendation modules. 10 applicant with various disabilities participated in the testing session. The T-test evaluation demonstrates that JRDP requires less time for the recommendation process compared to ontology-less recommendation systems. The mean values for each construct of questionnaire can be calculated using the usability test, with the average mean reported to be 4.55. Cronbach's Alpha was used for testing the reliability of questionnaire, reporting a value of (0.759), which confirms its reliability.
Feasibility of Hospital-at-Home for Older Patients With an Acute Medical Illness
Authors: Tanderup Anette , Ryg Jesper , Lee Anne , Lassen Annmarie Touborg , Mejer Karina Birkmose , Soerensen Gitte Lyngholm , Dinesen Birthe , Larsen Torben , Masud Tahir , Rosholm Jens-Ulrik
Published: September 2018

Out-of-hospital-treatment in the form of a hospital at home has been suggested as a potential alternative to hospital admission. The objectives of the study were to address the feasibility of a hospital at home supported by telemedicine for older patients requiring admission. Of 601 patients screened, seven were eligible and willing to participate in the intervention. Poor health status and skepticism towards the technology was the main reasons for ineligibility and declining to take part. Patients admitted to the scheme at home felt safe and were positive regarding several aspects of the scheme. Health care professionals found that the intervention gave an opportunity to create a patient-centred treatment. However, the intervention was not successfully integrated because of the few cases. The economic evaluation found the cost of home admission depended on the turnover of patients. Hospital at home was not feasible in this setup and do not justify proceeding to a randomised controlled trial.
Early Intervention and Health Promotion in the Management of Chronic Liver Disease
Authors: Hussain Shaila
Published: September 2018

Liver disease is prevalent and a major public health concern. It has predominantly spread in the UK and worldwide, causing liver-related morbidity and mortality rates for the under 65s since 1970. This article aims to highlight the role of early intervention and health promotion in the management of chronic liver disease (CLD). The objective is to critically analyse an issue like CLD, and further employ principles, ethical theories to health promotion practice. Since 2015, there is no one single drug that treats NALFD, a dietary plan and lifestyle modifications can be added in management of the disease. Educating patients perhaps is a form of regimen, and a coping mechanism as set by the health belief model to understand the disease. Additional studies need to be formed to understand the exact contributions health care professionals are likely to make, and of those that are new clinicians.
Aligning 4C Strategy with Social Network Applications for CRM Performance
Authors: Hung Wei-Hsi , Chang I-Cheng , Chen Yan , Ho Ying-Li
Published: September 2018

This article describes how in recent years, enterprises have increasingly adopted social technologies to support customer relationship management (CRM) practices. To increase CRM performance, enterprises have had to develop appropriate social CRM strategies in emerging social network applications. This article investigates the alignment between social network applications and the “4C strategy” as a social CRM strategy in organizations. It intends to understand how alignment influences CRM performance. A total of 225 Taiwanese companies, which have adopted Facebook to interact with customers, were surveyed. According to the results, alignment between the 4C strategy and social network applications has a positive and significant impact on CRM performance. The results also suggest that organizations require a high-level integration of social network applications with the 4C strategy to achieve high CRM performance.
Behavior Analysis of Customer Churn for a Customer Relationship System
Authors: Cheng Li Chen , Wu Chia-Chi , Chen Chih-Yi
Published: September 2018

This article describes how the bank industry in Taiwan must function in today's tough and fiercely competitive domestic credit card market and subdued global market. Banks are increasingly emphasizing the importance of retaining customers in order to sustain market share and remain profitable. This study proposes a new model which local banks can use to detect potential customer churn and provide an early warning indicator of problems that could lead to loss of customers. The model incorporates a customer relationship management database with a built-in time factor and applied temporal abstraction to represent data for a specific time period as defined by experts. Association rule mining is applied to analyze and detect abnormal customer behavior. The results of this article indicate that the system is relatively effective in detecting customer churn early on and thus helpful at assisting banks to address issues before they escalate. Furthermore, the tested rules are further scrutinized by experts to establish the relationship between the defined rules and management. This study provides an expert system for banks to assess the quality of their marketing campaigns and reestablish faltering customer relationships.
An Empirical Study of the Role of Knowledge Characteristics and Tools on Knowledge Transfer in China-Based Multinationals
Authors: Jasimuddin Sajjad M. , Li Jun , Perdikis Nick
Published: September 2018

This article describes how technology—i.e. the infrastructure of tools, systems, platforms—enhances knowledge transfer. The effect of tools on the relationship between knowledge characteristics and knowledge transfer effectiveness is under-researched. This article attempts to address the interplay of knowledge characteristics and transfer tools within multinational corporations (MNCs). Based on the structural equation modelling, this research proposes and tests a basic model that captures knowledge characteristics and transfer tools at 125 Japanese subsidiaries operating in China. Drawing on the literature, this article argues that the role of knowledge characteristics and transfer tools need to be considered for effective knowledge transfer between MNCs and their subsidiaries. Knowledge characteristics and transfer tools play differing roles in knowledge transfer. This article also extends the existing studies by focusing on knowledge characteristics and transfer tool constructs simultaneously in a model to understand the notion of knowledge transfer effectiveness in the global business context.
A Study on Effective Measurement of Search Results from Search Engines
Authors: Zhang Jin , Cai Xin , Le Taowen , Fei Wei , Ma Feicheng
Published: September 2018

This article describes how as internet technology continues to change and improve lives and societies worldwide, effective global information management becomes increasingly critical, and effective Internet information retrieval systems become more and more significant in providing Internet users worldwide with accurate and complete information. Search engine evaluation is an important research field as search engines directly determine the quality of information users' Internet searches. Relevance-decrease pattern/model plays an important role in search engine result evaluation. This research studies effective measurement of search results through investigating relevance-decrease patterns of search results from two popular search engines: Google and Bing. The findings can be applied to relevance-evaluation of search results from other information retrieval systems such as OPAC, can help make search engine evaluations more accurate and sound, and can provide global information management personnel with valuable insights.
The traditional Chinese Baduanjin exercise for the enhancements in health of older adults: a narrative review
Authors: Cheng Fung Kei
Published: September 2018

Health debilitation negatively impacts the physical and psychiatric states of ageing persons, consequently increasing individual, familial, and social burdens. Physical exercise is an effective measure to cope with this problem, and Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese exercise, is one of the choices. This narrative review analyses 58 clinical studies, which indicate the efficacy of Baduanjin for the health of old adults, including in physiological refinement, bone diseases, cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary illnesses, metabolic disorders, digestive sicknesses, cognitive impairment, and mental disorders. The results not only reveal the rehabilitative and preventive functions of Baduanjin, but also suggest health promotion through this physical activity for the ageing population. It also proposes improvements in methodological design and practical implications for the well being of seniors and successful ageing.
Optimal duration of anticoagulant therapy in patients with venous thromboembolism
Authors: Palareti Gualtiero
Published: September 2018

Venous thromboembolism, a frequent and severe disease, has clinically important early and late complications and a strong tendency to recur. Anticoagulant therapy is the mainstay of treatment, performed by immediate administration of: i) parenteral anticoagulants followed by vitamin K antagonists, either dabigatran or edoxaban, two direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs); or ii) direct rivaroxaban or apixaban, two DOACs that can be used as single-drug approach. Treatment should last no less than 3 months in all patients though how long it should last thereafter is a more complex issue. The risk of recurrence results from several event- or patient-associated factors. Some patients have low risk and may be treated for 3 to 6 months only. Others (the majority) have a high risk of recurrence (approximately 50% in 10 years). Unfortunately, the protective effect of anticoagulation against recurrence is present only during treatment and is lost when therapy is stopped. For this reason, international guidelines recommend that there is no pre-definite period of anticoagulation (e.g. 1 or 2 years, and so on) in patients at high risk and suggest instead indefinite (extended) anticoagulation, provided there is no high risk of bleeding. When the decision is difficult, adjunctive criteria may be adopted, such as male sex and abnormal D-dimer assessed after anticoagulation is stopped, to identify patients at high risk who need indefinite therapy. The use of DOACs, especially at lower doses with a lower risk of bleeding, may make indefinite anticoagulation for patients easier.
Chironomidae from Eastern Amazon: Understanding the differences of land-use on functional feeding groups
Authors: Sonoda Kathia C. , Monteles Josinete S. , Ferreira Anderson , Gerhard Pedro
Published: September 2018

Deforestation for agricultural purposes is the most dangerous human action against the conservation of the Brazilian Amazon Forest; its rates reached almost 20% of the original forested area. Many studies have been conducted on Chironomidae systematics and ecology over the Amazon biome, but most concerned the Central Amazon, while little is known about Chironomidae diversity and the effects of land development and agriculture intensification on the aquatic biota from Eastern Brazilian Amazon. The present study analyzed the effects of different land-use and land-cover on Chironomidae assemblages. Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) at the riparian zone were assessed from satellite imagery and three categories were defined: Forest, Secondary (Capoeira) and Agriculture. Ten catchments were selected: two for Forest, five for Agriculture and three for Secondary. For each catchment we characterized habitat and sampled insects. We hypothesized that i) the assemblage taxonomic richness will change across different land uses on riparian zones and ii) feeding functionality is a better information than taxonomic resolution to show the importance of LULC upon stream. A total of 20,884 individuals were sampled from the streams, abundance was higher in Agriculture streams. Corynoneura (18.4%), Pentaneura (14.6%) and Rheotanytarus (14.0%) were the most abundant genera in Agriculture streams; Corynoneura (17.8%), Caladomyia (13.6%), Paratanytarsus (13.1%) and Beardius (10.9%) dominated Forest streams; Goeldichironomus (25.9%), Rheotanytarus (17.6%) and Polypedilum (13.2%) dominated Capoeira streams. Regarding FFG, gatherers were the most numeric abundant in Forest (50.3%), followed by filterers (38.7%), predators (6.6%) and shredders (4.2%). In Capoeira, filterers were the main FFG (61.1%), gatherers (27.9%), predators (7.7%) and shredders (3.3%). In Agriculture streams, predators, filterers and gatherers had close numeric participation, 34.9%, 32.4% and 32.2%, respectively. Shredders performed a smaller fraction (0.4%). In Forest and Agriculture, scrapers participation was under 0.2%, while it was absent at Capoeira. Permutation tests showed significant differences among assemblages, based on numerical abundance of genera and on functional feeding group data. Even though, shredders showed a discrete participation in all three LULC, it was statistically significant higher at Forest streams when compared to Agriculture ones. Our study was able to demonstrate taxonomic differences of all LULC analyzed and it also showed the importance in considering the feeding behavior to understand the effects of land-use and land-covers changes.
Technology readiness and mobile self-service technology adoption in the airline industry: An emerging market perspective
Authors: Smit Cameron , Roberts-Lombard Mornay , Mpinganjira Mercy
Published: September 2018

Orientation: While mobile applications are seen as the way forward for airlines and airports alike, not much is known about consumers’ readiness to adopt such self-service technologies. This is important because of lower than expected adoption rates of traditional self-service technologies (online websites and check-in kiosks) in the airline industry.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine passengers’ level of technology readiness and its influence on their adoption of mobile self-service technologies in the airline industry of South Africa.Motivation for the study: To ensure the adoption of mobile self-service technologies in the airline industry, it is necessary to uncover consumers’ readiness and adoption behaviours towards such technologies.Research design, approach and method: Primary data were collected from 315 respondents using a structured questionnaire. The sample comprised South African citizens who had travelled using an airline either domestically or internationally within the previous 12 months. Regression analysis was used to test hypotheses posited in the study.Main findings: The findings showed that airline self-service mobile application adoption is influenced by technology readiness, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness; both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are influenced by technology readiness; and perceived ease of use strongly influences perceived usefulness regarding airline mobile self-service application adoption.Practical/managerial implications: Effective communication aimed at enhancing the perception that airline self-service mobile applications are easy to use is essential to increase the adoption of mobile applications in the airline industry.Contribution/value-add: The article contributed by applying the TRAM construct to the use and adoption of self-service mobile applications in the airline industry. In addition, the study also integrated the recently refined TRI 2.0 into the TRAM construct (TRAM 2.0).
Proposing a Patellar Tendinopathy Screening tool following a systematic review
Authors: Morgan Sanell , Coetzee Frederik F.
Published: September 2018

Background: Patellar tendinopathy (PT) is an overuse injury of the knee. The mechanism of injury is associated with repetitive stress on the patellar tendon of the knee as a result of explosive movement. Patellar tendinopathy is prevalent in all populations and is associated with intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors.Objectives: Primarily, the objective was to report on the intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for PT, entailing a systematic review of the literature; the secondary objective was to use these risk factors to compile a proposed PT screening tool from the review and standard outcome measures.Method: A systematic review was undertaken according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Elimination criteria of the articles included duplicates, titles, abstracts and methodological quality. The evidence was collected, characterised with regard to the intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors and summarised descriptively.Results: The search yielded 157 feasible articles prior to commencement of article elimination. Six articles were included with a mean methodological quality score of 69%. Eight intrinsic and five extrinsic risk factors were identified. These identified risk factors are all relevant to the pathology and formed the basis for a proposed PT screening tool. The Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment for Patellar Tendinopathy Questionnaire, Visual Analog Scale and the Pain Provocation Test are also included in the proposed test.Conclusion: Intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for PT were identified, and consequently, the proposed PT screening tool was formulated for possible future testing in appropriate studies.Clinical implications: Prevention of PT through intrinsic and extrinsic risk factor identification, and implementation in the clinical setup as a possible outcome measurement tool with which to verify functional improvement in PT rehabilitation.
Вейвлеты и бидемократические пары
в весовых нормированных пространствах
Authors: Kazarian Kazaros Sogomonovich , San Antolin A
Published: September 2018

Дана полная характеризация весовых функций,
для которых вейвлеты Хаара высшего ранга
являются поглощающими базисами в весовых $L^{p}$-пространствах.
Для доказательства вводится концепция бидемократической пары
для банахова пространства, и в пространствах $L^{p}$, $p\ne 2$,
рассматриваются пары $(\Phi,\Phi)$, где $\Phi$ -
ортогональная система ограниченных функций.
Библиография: 12 названий.
Perfil pneumofuncional de aplicadores de agrotóxicos no nordeste do Pará – Brasil
Authors: França Samires Avelino de Souza , Ávila Paulo Eduardo Santos , Normando Valéria Marques Ferreira
Published: September 2018

Objetivo: Avaliar a função pulmonar de trabalhadores rurais expostos a agrotóxicos no nordeste do Pará. Método: Estudo observacional, transversal, analítico, realizado no município de Bujarú (Pará- Brasil). Os voluntários (n=26) foram submetidos à uma avaliação geral e pneumológica. Peso e altura foram obtidos com balança analógica Hidromel; prerssão arterial mensurada com esfigmomanômetro e estetoscópio Premium; função pulmonar avaliada com Espirômetro MicroQuark - COSMED, baseada nas recomendações do I Consenso Brasileiro de Espirometria: indivíduo relaxado, sentado, com a coluna ereta e apoio nas costas, uso de clipe nasal e bocais descartáveis, sendo executadas três expirações máximas sustentadas para escolha das curvas de volume-tempo e fluxo-volume mais homogêneas e com melhores valores de CVF visualizados no software PTF Suite. Para avaliar as variações sofridas pela espirometria utilizou-se o teste de Wilcoxon e a associação entre o perfil pneumofuncional e os fatores de risco foi analisada pelo teste t de Student e Mann-Whitnay. Adotou-se p<0,05 para significância estatística e a análise foi realizada pelo software BioEstat 5.0. Resultados: Houve reduções, abaixo do previsto, de todas as variáveis espirométricas entre os trabalhadores, destacando as reduções médias: de -1,79 L/seg (p<0,0001) para o PFE; -0,67L (p<0,0001) para CVL; -0,31L (p=0,0026) para CVF; -0,28L (p=0,0032) para VEF1; -0,21% (p<0,0001) para VEF1/CVF. Cerca de 11,5% dos indivíduos apresentaram distúrbio restritivo de leve a moderado e 46,2% mostraram padrões sugestivos ao desenvolvimento de distúrbios ventilatórios mistos. Conclusão: Sugere-se a predisposição ao desenvolvimento de distúrbios restritivos e mistos entre estes trabalhadores.
FATORES METAPROCESSUAIS E SUAS INFLUÊNCIAS PARA A FORMAÇÃO DA DECISÃO JUDICIAL
Authors: Abreu Rogério Roberto Gonçalves de , Gouveia Lúcio Grassi de , Colares Virgínia
Published: September 2018

Nosso objetivo, no presente trabalho, está em examinar brevemente a influência que influxos alheios aos fatos, às provas e ao direito – aqui chamados de fatores metaprocessuais da decisão – podem produzir no processo de tomada de decisão judicial. Para tanto, partimos do exame das ideias freudiana e junguiana sobre o inconsciente, especialmente acerca de sua existência no dispositivo psíquico humano e do papel que desempenha para a formação dos estímulos produtores de ações e decisões. Na sequência, examinamos a noção de neutralidade do juiz em cotejo com a abordagem sobre o inconsciente freudiano, concluindo por sua inexistência como fato no mundo e pelo reconhecimento de sua natureza mítica. No passo seguinte, analisamos, como fatores metaprocessuais de significativa relevância, as tendências implícitas, a idade e os valores religiosos do julgador a partir do trabalho de pesquisadores que investigaram empiricamente o papel de tais influxos para o processo de tomada de decisão judicial em determinadas espécies de demandas. Ao final do trabalho, sustentamos que os achados empíricos examinados nos permitem concluir pela verificação de uma forte associação entre os fatores metaprocessuais analisados e os resultados de decisões judiciais. Acreditamos que o trabalho possa colaborar para melhor compreensão do processo de formação da decisão judicial, dada a escassez de textos especificamente sobre o tema.
A EDUCAÇÃO FORMAL PARA O CONSUMO É GARANTIA PARA UMA PRESENÇA REFLETIDA DO CONSUMIDOR NO MERCADO? UMA ANÁLISE COM BASE NA BEHAVIORAL LAW AND ECONOMICS (ECONOMIA COMPORTAMENTAL)
Authors: Pereira Ribeiro Marcia Carla , Tiujo Edson Mitsuo
Published: September 2018

O Código do Consumidor, para além do direito a informação (art. 6º, III), previu o direito básico à educação (art. 6º, II), como forma de assegurar a liberdade de escolha e a igualdade nas contratações. O artigo analisa esse direito básico pela metodologia da Análise Econômica do Direito, notadamente, pela vertente da economia comportamental. Verifica se a educação formal tem o condão de influir na alteração de comportamento do consumidor, proporcionando-lhe um maior poder de reflexão. Partindo-se do pressuposto de que a melhor forma de aprendizagem do consumidor é pelos erros cometidos no passado (experiência) e que as distorções cognitivas (heurísticas e vieses) são invencíveis, mesmo diante de ostensiva informação e educação, os behavioristas parecem não crer na educação formal, como o meio primordial para amenizar a limitação da racionalidade.