bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Innovative Call Center Applications Focused on Financial Marketing in the Turkish Banking Sector
Authors: Dinçer Hasan , Mengir Ayşe
Published: October 2019

As a result of globalization, call centers of banks that develop rapidly by the virtue of the technology become an important unit which brings first contact with customers. Nowadays, call centers not only give support to customers and other callers but also use the communication tools. This chapter examines innovator call center applications in banking. The main aim of call centers is to provide services with minimum cost, maximum speed, and excellent customer satisfaction. To achieve this purpose, it is necessary to incorporate the advantages of technological improvements. According to the research results, beside the excessive usage of call centers by customers, the banks direct their customers to call centers or alternative distribution canals to decrease the workload of the branches. Moreover, it is mentioned in this research that some precautions are taken for both internal and external customer satisfaction. Under today's economic conditions, customers do not prefer banks which are not using innovator technologies.
The Importance of Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility in Financial Markets
Authors: Kalkavan Hakan
Published: October 2019

This chapter mainly focuses on the literature about the relationship between ethics, corporate social responsibility, and financial markets, which is broad and diverse as well as multi-disciplined. Some are concerned only with ethical banking, while others seek to establish a financial system based on social responsibility to society and people. The studies essentially bring attention to the question of how banks should act in the face of the moral-economic dilemma. In fact, ethical aspect is much more valuable than economic profitability and includes a social responsibility approach. In the concept of ethical concerns and corporate social responposibility, the literature has been reviewed and problematic areas discussed for ethical and Islamic banking. Islamic finance and specifically Islamic banking can be seen as a new practice to bring corporate ethical responsibility and social justice into the financial and economic spheres.
Analysis of the Effects of Macroeconomic Factors on Entrepreneurship
Authors: Ersin İrfan , Karakeçe Ercan
Published: October 2019

Entrepreneurship is an important field in the increase and diversification of investments in a country. Entrepreneurship is gaining importance in today's world where financial marketing has become an important sector. The aim of this study is to determine the macroeconomic factors that determine entrepreneurship in E7 countries. In the study using logit method, the period of 1992-2018 was discussed. In the analysis results, the variables of unemployment, financial loans and current account deficit were found to be macroeconomic factors determining entrepreneurship. Given that entrepreneurship is important in the financial field, E7 countries should take into account the financial credit markets, focus on economic policies to reduce unemployment and address the current account deficit problem.
The Impact of US Monetary Growth on Bitcoin Trading Volume in the Current Economic Uncertainty
Authors: Canöz İsmail
Published: October 2019

This study examines the effect of US monetary growth on Bitcoin trading volume. To achieve this purpose, firstly, the symmetric causality test is used. Following this test, another symmetric causality test is used to reveal a time-varying causal effect between variables. The data set covers the period from July 2010 to July 2019. The results of the first symmetric causality test, which considers the time interval of the study data as a whole, show that there is no causal relationship between variables. According to the results of the second causality test, these support the previous results substantially. However, an interesting detail is the causal relationship between variables for the period between April 2019 and July 2019. The reason for this relationship could be that investors who are indecisive during the current economic uncertainty add Bitcoin to their portfolios in response to the Federal Reserve's decisions.
The Relationship Between Commodity Prices and Selected Macroeconomic Variables in Turkey
Authors: Uysal Mustafa , Adalı Zafer
Published: October 2019

This chapter determines whether there is a long-run relationship among oil, copper, natural gas, export figures and import figures, and BIST 100. Within this context, the study employs monthly periods from January 2006 to June 2019. ADF, Fourier ADF, and Banerjee Cointegration Test were applied. Banerjee Cointegration Test revealed that copper, oil, and natural gas and import figures move together in the long run but the existence of the long-run relationship between the selected inputs and export figures and BIST 100 has not been found. This evidence can be interpreted as the change in oil, copper, and natural gas may influence the amount of Turkish import figures.
Design of Nano-scale Electrodes and Development of Avatar-Based Control System for Energy-Efficient Power Engineering
Authors: Mkrttchian Vardan , Gamidullaeva Leyla , Galiautdinov Rinat
Published: October 2019

In this article is described the avatar-based energy-efficient power engineering control system, which is based on authors results published previously related to development of an Internet of Things and people (IOTAP) and the digital twins systems. The authors are described the development of the innovation tools for digital twins system, based on Avatar-based Control Techniques.
Manifold Surveillance Issues in Wireless Network and the Secured Protocol
Authors: Rath Mamata , Pati Bibudhendu , Pattanayak Binod Kumar
Published: October 2019

With rapid growth of internet users and frequently emerging communication technology, the issues of using web as a worldwide platform and the requirement to design the smart applications to coordinate, discuss, register, and outline gradually emerges. Information transmission through a wireless network involves the radio signals, the arrangement of information packets, and the network topology. As each segment is correlated to each other, it is very essential to employ security mechanism in these components and real security control must be connected on them. Thus, security plays a critical factor in wireless network. This article highlights security issues in current wireless networks such as mobile ad-hoc network and IoT-supported networks and it also proposes a security-based S-RAID protocol design for security control in cluster based wireless networks. Simulation results show proficiency and better transmission rate of the proposal when it was compared with other similar approaches.
Secured Sharing of Data in Cloud via Dual Authentication, Dynamic Unidirectional PRE, and CPABE
Authors: Agarwal Neha , Rana Ajay , Pandey J.P. , Agarwal Amit
Published: October 2019

Cloud computing is an emergent computing paradigm; however, data security is a significant issue in recent time while outsourcing the data to the cloud preventing users to upload their data on cloud. The data forwarded to cloud can be protected using some cryptographic techniques based on identity, attributes, and prediction. But these algorithms lack their performance when a revoked user collude with cloud; therefore, it becomes essential to develop a secure data sharing framework with some enhanced cryptographic techniques. The proposed methodology presented a secure privacy preserving data sharing with encryption technique called dynamic unidirectional proxy re-encryption (PRE) with cipher text policy attribute-based encryption. The technique ensures the privacy, integrity, and security of the data while retrieving through the cloud. The framework is implemented in the cloud sim with java language. Experimental results proved that proposed frame work attains reasonable results compared to traditional methods.
An Improved Intrusion Detection System to Preserve Security in Cloud Environment
Authors: Ghosh Partha , Biswas Sumit , Shakti Shivam , Phadikar Santanu
Published: October 2019

Cloud computing, also known as on-demand computing, provides different kinds of services for the users. As the name suggests, its increasing demand makes it prone to various intruders affecting the privacy and integrity of the data stored in the cloud. To cope with this situation, intrusion detection systems (IDS) are implemented in the cloud. An effective IDS constitutes of less time-consuming algorithm with less space complexity and higher accuracy. To do so, the number of features are reduced while maintaining minimal loss of information. In this paper, the authors have proposed a model by which the features are selected on the basis of mutual information gain among correlated features. To achieve this, they first group the features according to the correlativity. Then from each group, the features with the highest mutual information gain in their respective groups are selected. This led them to a reduced feature set which provides quick learning and thus produces a better IDS that would secure the data in the cloud.
E-Government Adoption in Tunisia Extending Technology Acceptance Model
Authors: Nasri Wadie
Published: October 2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors which affect e-government services adoption of Tunisian's citizens by using a technology acceptance model (TAM). The proposed conceptual model was extended by adding social influence, awareness, and quality of internet connection. The proposed model was empirically tested using survey data provided by 150 respondents and was analyzed using a structural equation model (SEM). The findings indicate that the proposed model is a stable model and a good explanatory. Perceived usefulness is predicted mutually by social influence and awareness. Moreover, perceived ease of use is predicted by quality of internet connection. This study contributes to the literature by providing a new research model for understanding e-government services adoption in Tunisia and its findings provide useful guidelines to develop policies and strategies to increase the adoption of e-government services.
The Application of Systems Engineering to Project Management
Authors: Galli Brian J.
Published: October 2019

This study investigated the application of systems engineering to project management. There is an increasing complexity to modern projects, and lifecycle-focused project management displays the inability to manage the risks associated with increased project complexity. A more adequate approach to these issues is presented in the systems engineering processes. It was proposed that the application of systems engineering concepts will allow improve the management of complex projects and the mitigation of risks. Additionally, qualitative research conducted via the collection and analysis of credible information yielded data that supported this proposition. Since systems engineering processes are adaptable, they are suited to manage complex problems. It was concluded that applying systems engineering to project management was beneficial, and the integration of methodologies was valuable to the successful completion of large scale, complex projects.
Celebrity Endorsement and Impulsive Buying Intentions in Social Commerce - The Case of Instagram in Indonesia
Authors: Zhu Yu-Qian , Amelina Dinna , Yen David C.
Published: October 2019

Based on the source credibility model and social network aspects, the authors investigated how endorsement on social media affects consumers' perception of the brand, attractiveness of the product, and ultimately, their impulse to buy. It was postulated that the endorsers' attractiveness, expertise, and trustworthiness, along with their interactivity with followers to be positively related with consumers' attitude toward the brand and merchandise attractiveness, which in turn led to impulse to purchase. These hypotheses were tested by conducting online survey with 204 participants in Indonesia. Study findings indicate that attitude toward brand was influenced by attractiveness and trustworthiness of the endorser, product attractiveness was positively associated with expertise and trustworthiness of the endorser. Brand attitude and merchandise attractiveness, in turn, are positively related to impulse to purchase.
Effect of purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) extract on malondialdehyde levels of male white rat (Rattus norvegicus Wistar strain) model of atherosclerosis
Authors: Setiawan Meddy , Nadhil Fakih
Published: October 2019

Cardiovascular disease is a disease caused by impaired functions of heart and blood vessel, one of those is coronary heart disease. This study aimed to identify the effect of purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) extract on MDA (Malondialdehyde) levels of male white rat (Rattus norvegicus Wistar strain) model of atherosclerosis. This research was an experimental study using Post-Test Only Control Group Design method, used 5 groups (positive control group, negative control, treatment 1, treatment 2, and treatment 3), each group contained 5 rats plus 2 reserve rats. ANOVA one way test obtained a significance of 0.00 (p <0.05). The regression test results showed the coefficient of determination R² = 0.71, which means a decrease in serum MDA levels of experimental animals is influenced by the dose of purple sweet potato extract administration as much as 71% while the remaining 29% can be influenced by factors outside the study. It can be concluded that purple sweet potato extract can affect serum MDA levels of experimental animals.
Seven correlations between interpersonal violence and the progression of organised religion
Authors: Simion Marian G.
Published: October 2019

While the majority of organised religions determine the origins of religion itself in an act of divine revelation, social science literature takes an evolutionary perspective. Without engaging the question of origin of religion from either perspective, this article proposes seven correlations between interpersonal violence and the progression of organised religion by suggesting that interpersonal violence plays a significant role in the institutionalising process of organised religion. Although interpersonal violence does not necessarily cause the structuring of faith, it reinforces and provides solutions to the existing patterns of threat faced by the community, which together lead to the organisation of religion. The first part of this article (stages 1–4) surveys the psychology of violence by focusing on the theories of frustration–aggression, mimetic rivalry, triangulation and the genesis of scapegoating and guilt. The second part (stages 5–6) marks the transition from personal to social psychology and surveys violence in the primitive religion, as manifested in the ritualising process of the scapegoat, and the genesis of sacrifice. The third part (stage 7) highlights the complexity of ritual, ethics and doctrine, in the evolution of religion from a primitive state to an advanced organised institution.
Automonitorização, qualidade de vida e adesão ao tratamento em Diabetes Tipo 2
Authors: Ramos Luciane , Ferreira Eleonora Arnaud Pereira , Gomes Daniela Lopes
Published: October 2019

Objetivo: O presente estudo analisou o efeito de automonitorização com feedback sobre indicadores emocionais, qualidade de vida e adesão ao tratamento em um paciente com diabetes. Método: Participou deste estudo um adulto de 57 anos com diabetes Tipo 2. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: Prontuário; Roteiros de entrevista; Inventário de sintomas de estresse de Lipp; Escalas Beck de ansiedade e de depressão; Questionário SF-36. Resultados: Ao início do estudo o participante apresentou estresse na fase de resistência, 9,2% de hemoglobina glicada (HbA1c), com baixo índice de adesão à dieta, mas com percepção de boa qualidade de vida. Após intervenção, obteve 6,7% de HbA1c e melhora nos indicadores emocionais. Não ocorreu mudança na adesão à dieta e à atividade física. Conclusões: Os resultados sugerem que houve melhora nos indicadores emocionais e no valor de HbA1c mesmo não ocorrendo melhora na adesão à dieta e à prática de atividade física.
Cartel damages claims in England: end of the ‘post-fact’ era?
Authors: Kwan John
Published: October 2019

The importance of facts in English cartel damages litigation is evident from the rules governing claims for damages. The rules aim to balance the interests of claimants and defendants and incorporate safeguards against defendants being forced to defend unmeritorious claims. In cartel damages claims, however, claimants have deployed, in some cases successfully, tactics aimed at minimizing engagement with the underlying facts at all stages of the proceedings. This article examines these tactics and the extent to which recent judgments, such as the case of BritNed v ABB, have undermined the viability of such an approach.
Skanska: are jurisdiction challenges now an impossible undertaking?
Authors: Leitch Andrew
Published: October 2019

Claimants in private damages actions following on from European Commission cartel decisions are often faced with a choice of jurisdiction in which to pursue their claims. However, seising jurisdiction in the national court of a desired Member State can require the claim to be pursued against an anchor defendant that is not an addressee of a Commission decision. This may, in the English courts, give rise to various disputes as to the role of that non-addressee defendant in the cartel and, accordingly, whether a claim can in fact be sustained as against that defendant. The Court of Justice's recent judgment in Vantaan Kaupunki v Skanska Industrial Solutions potentially relieves claimants from the burden of having to establish that the non-addressee defendant participated in, or implemented, the cartel in order to sustain a claim against it, by holding that it is entire undertakings that are liable for compensation in private damages actions. The Skanska judgment harmonizes the scope of liability under the public and private spheres of EU competition law enforcement and has potentially significant ramifications for competition litigation in the English courts.
Fashioning Appetite
Authors: Finkelstein Joanne
Published: October 2019

It can no longer be said that we are just what we eat. In the contested sphere of gastronomy divided between the golden arches of McDonalds and the prized stars of Michelin where personal identity is expressed through a frenetic quest for socially-approved tastes and distinctions, where, when, how and with whom we eat has become just as fundamental in defining who we are. In this follow-on to her classic 1989 work Dining Out: A Sociology of Modern Manners, Joanne Finkelstein takes a fragment of social life, dining out in restaurants, and uses it to examine the nature and meaning of manners and social relations in the modern world. In Fashioning Appetite, the restaurant becomes a liminal space in which public and privte boundaries are constantly renegotiated, in which our personal celebrations and seductions are conducted within full view of the next table, and where eating alone has become a perilous social minefield. When food is fetishized ad identity becomes a capitalist commodity, the experience of the restaurant transforms appetite into both a pleasure and a torment where being satisfied with one's meal is also about being satisfied with oneself.

Applying new research in emotional capitalism to popular culture's pervasive images of conspicuous consumption, Finkelstein builds a cultural portrait in which every forfkful is weighted with meaning.
Fentanyl analogue overdose: Key lessons in management in the synthetic opioid age
Authors: Raheemullah, MD Amer , Andruska, MD, PhD Neal
Published: October 2019

Fentanyl overdoses are growing at an alarming rate. Fentanyl is often mixed into heroin and counterfeit prescription opioid pills without the customer’s knowledge and only detected upon laboratory analysis. This is problematic because fentanyl analogues like carfentanil are 10,000 times more potent than morphine and pose new challenges to opioid overdose management. A 62-year-old male with an overdose from a rare fentanyl analogue, acrylfentanyl, was given two doses of intranasal 2 mg naloxone with improvements in respiratory rate. In lieu of more naloxone, his trachea was intubated and he was admitted to the intensive care unit. He subsequently developed ventilator-associated pneumonia and then a pulmonary embolism. He did not receive any opioid use disorder treatment and returned back to the emergency department with an opioid overdose 21 days after discharge.We are encountering an unprecedented rise in synthetic opioid overdose deaths as we enter the third decade of the opioid epidemic. Thus, it is imperative to be aware of the features and management of overdoses from fentanyl and its analogues. This includes protecting against occupational exposure, administering adequate doses of naloxone, and working with public health departments to respond to fentanyl outbreaks. Additionally, fentanyl overdoses represent a critical opportunity to move beyond acute stabilization, start buprenorphine or methadone for opioid use disorder during hospitalization, link patients to ongoing addiction treatment, and distribute naloxone into the community to help curb the overdose epidemic.
Resistencias sumergidas. Cartografía de la tecnopolítica feminista en México
Authors: Pedraza Bucio Claudia Ivette , Rodríguez Cano César Augusto
Published: October 2019

En este artículo se analizan las redes heterogéneas de actores clave implicados en los procesos de aprendizaje sobre el uso y apropiación de tecnologías digitales entre las mujeres. Mediante una propuesta teórica llamada tecnopolítica feminista, aunada a un abordaje metodológico que entrelaza el Análisis de Redes Sociales con la Teoría del Actor Red, se muestran los alcances y desafíos de las comunidades feministas para activar escenarios, herramientas y redes derivados de las tecnologías digitales.
The threat of surveillance capitalism
Authors: Gray Chris H.
Published: October 2019

Using Shoshana Zuboff’s 2019 book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, the essay explores this latest form of capitalism and Zuboff’s claims about its organization. Her arguments are compared and contrasted with David Eggers novel, and the movie that came out of it, called The Circle, as well as other perspectives on capitalism (Marx, Barry Unsworth’s Sacred Hunger) and the current dominance of social media companies (especially Alphabet/Google, Facebook, and Amazon) from Evgeny Morozov, Natasa Dow Schüll, Zeynep Tufekci, Steve Mann and Tim Wu. Zuboff’s description and critique of Surveillance Capitalism is a convincing and important addition to our understanding of the political economy of the early 21st Century and the role of giant monopolistic social media companies in shaping it.
Norway spruce responses to drought forcing in areas affected by forest decline
Authors: Čermák Petr , Kolář Tomáš , Žid Tomáš , Trnka Miroslav , Rybníček Michal
Published: October 2019

Aim of study: To assess the crown condition and radial growth of Norway spruce in plots with an increasing frequency and strength of drought during the last decades.Area of the study: Northern Moravia, Czech Republic.Materials and methods: Crown condition assessment and dendrochronology analysis were used.Main results: Tree-ring width (TRW) was significantly influenced by previous autumn and current summer climate. The temporal variability of the growth-climate relationship shows that the impact of water sufficiency (precipitation, relative soil water content, drought index) markedly increased mainly during the 2000s and the 2010s. Most climate-growth relationships were significant only in the last two or three decades. The observed crown conditions and their relationships with TRW also indicate stress intensification during the same period. Our results suggest that water availability was the main factor affecting radial growth and the occurrence of negative pointer years and was probably also the factor triggering the decline.Research highlights: In these current site and climate conditions, the silviculture of Norway spruce is extremely risky in the study area. Our results have also shown that the observed climate change is too dynamic for long-term forest plans, especially with regard to recommended forest species composition.Keywords: defoliation; Picea abies; tree-ring width; precipitation; PDSI; available soil water.
The use of physiological, biochemical and morpho-anatomical traits in tree breeding for improved water-use efficiency of Quercus robur L.
Authors: Stojnić Srđan , Kovačević Branislav , Kebert Marko , Vaštag Erna , Bojović Mirjana , Stanković-Neđić Milena , Orlović Saša
Published: October 2019

Aim of study: In the present paper the nature and level of co-dependence between leaf functional traits and intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) were studied in one-year-old Quercus robur L. seedlings, grown in a common garden experiment under moderate drought conditions. The study was established to identify those traits that might potentially be utilized to improve leaf-level WUEi, and therefore be used in breeding programmes to enhance drought adaptation of Q. robur.Area of study: The study was carried out at the common garden site within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube.Material and methods: The study involved one-year-old seedlings of eight half-sib lines of Q. robur.  Eighteen leaf parameters were analyzed; i.e. physiological, biochemical, morphological and anatomical. The data were processed using multivariate statistical methods: a) principal component analysis, b) stepwise regression analysis, and c) path coefficient analysis.Main results: The results showed that leaf stomata traits, particularly stomatal density (SD), and leaf dry mass per unit leaf area (LMA) were the most important traits, closely associated with WUEi. Stomatal density achieved the highest score on PC1 (0.825), in which WUEi had the highest loading (0.920), as well. SD was also included first in stepwise regression model.Research highlights: These results demonstrate that under moderate water stress WUEi in Q. robur half-sib lines were mainly the result of the plants’ structural acclimation to surrounding environmental conditions. Keywords: Quercus robur L.; half-sib line; intrinsic water-use efficiency; leaf functional traits.
Measuring and Modelling the Adaptive Capacity of Universities: A Composite Indicators Methodology
Authors: Gedifew Matebe Tafere , Muluneh Girma Shimelis
Published: October 2019

Initiating, implementing, and sustaining reforms are the most daunting and challenging aspects of change in higher education institutions. This research argues that to survive and thrive in a changing environment, adaptive capacity is fundamental. Thus, this study aims to serve two purposes. While the leading purpose was measuring the adaptive capacity of universities using a conceptual model developed based on literature review, introducing the critical components that determine adaptive capacity was secondary. Therefore, guided by a pragmatic approach this study has tried to maintain both subjective reflections and objective data during data collection and analysis. Accordingly, to attain the purpose of the study mixed research design particularly, a sequential explanatory approach was used. To gather relevant data from the target population, the questionnaire was distributed and 594 completed and useful questionnaires were returned from 133 leaders at different position, 268 academic staffs and 193 support staffs, which was a 62.06% response rate. Besides, 15 interviews and documents were reviewed. Finally, among the composite indicators approach, structural equation modeling (SEM) mainly principal least square path modeling (PLS-PM) was used to measure and analyze adaptive capacity using XLSTAT software. As a result, the adaptive capacity of universities was found unsatisfactory i.e. lower than moderate. This indicates universities might not fully implement the change ideas they wish to introduce into their system. Consequently, the identified gaps and challenges in the studied universities strengthen the argument for the need to assess universities adaptive capacity using a model and make appropriate intervention before struggling to introduce any change initiative without a fertile ground.
10 taules periòdiques per a un any ple de química. Una revisió de l’Any Internacional de la Taula Periòdica als centres de secundària de Catalunya
Authors: Grimalt-Álvaro Carme , López Simó Víctor
Published: October 2019

En motiu de l’Any Internacional de la Taula Periòdica (AITP), molts centres educatius s’han sumat a la celebració i s’han dut a terme una gran varietat d’activitats i iniciatives, especialment a secundària. na de les activitats estrella ha consistit en involucrar l’alumnat en la elaboració de tota mena de taules periòdiques, i moltes aules, passadissos i façanes de centres educatius s’han vist plenes de noms d’elements químics, de nombres atòmics, de grups i de períodes. Però com són aquestes taules? En aquest article, i seguint el mateix afany que Mendeléiev de classificar i ordenar, hem volgut realitzar una síntesi dels diversos productes que s’han generat en el context escolar. L’objectiu d’aquest recull és reconèixer el treball de tots els docents implicats, i alhora aprofitar l’oportunitat per reflexionar sobre l’ensenyament i aprenentatge de la química a partir de les contribucions de les diverses propostes realitzades.
The effect of the fishing season on the use value and physicochemical properties of the meat of selected fish species reared in Polish aquaculture
Authors: Kaliniak Agnieszka
Published: October 2019

The objective of the research was to evaluate the impact of the fishing season on the value in
use and physicochemical properties of the meat of selected fish species reared in Polish aquaculture.
The study was conducted on five species: rainbow trout, common carp, grass carp, pike and tench.
Fish were obtained from farms located in the Lublin Voivodeship in two seasons (spring/summer and
autumn/winter). Morphometric measurements of the fish were performed, the percentage shares of
body parts were assessed, and the physicochemical properties of the muscle tissue were measured:
pH, electrical conductivity, water holding capacity, and CIE L*a*b* colour characteristics. The fishing
season significantly affected the body weight of carp, rainbow trout and pike, the greatest body height
of carp and rainbow trout, and the total length and head length of pike. Pike, grass carp and tench had
significantly lower Fulton’s condition factors in the autumn/winter season than in the spring/summer
season. The season significantly influenced the share of viscera in rainbow trout and grass carp, and
that of fins in carp and rainbow trout. A significant impact of the season was also noted in the case of
pH in rainbow trout and tench, electrical conductivity in trout, pike and tench, and the M/T ratio in
grass carp and tench. Chromatic parameters differed significantly between seasons in pike (a*) and in
carp and rainbow trout (b*).
Sustainability Information in Annual Reports of Companies Domiciled in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic
Authors: Petera Petr , Wagner Jaroslav , Pakšiová Renáta , Křehnáčová Aneta
Published: October 2019

The importance of corporate sustainability reporting continues to grow. This growth is rooted in numerous contingent factors and scientific questions regarding the key contingent variables arise. Knowledge related to these issues is important both for academic and practical purposes. Although sustainability reporting and sustainability management are not identical activities, they are strongly interconnected and communication, per se, is of great importance for the sustainability of companies. In the Czech Republic, and especially in the Slovak Republic, there is a lack of up-to-date empirical research into the extent of sustainability reporting and our article addresses this research gap.

The primary concern is the investigation of the association between the amount and structure of disclosure and its determinants. Scientific methods of content analysis, ratio analysis, and statistical data analysis including regression analysis are applied.

Few companies report on environmental and social issues in a comprehensive way. The structure and amount of reporting is similar in the countries analyzed. Company size positively impacts the relative share of both environmental and social disclosure in the total disclosure. Company affiliation to a high-profile industry positively impacts the relative share of environmental disclosure in the total disclosure, as well as the total amount of environmental disclosure. Total amount of disclosure positively impacts the absolute amount of economic, environmental and social disclosure. Reporting, in accordance with the IFRS, positively impacts the relative share of social disclosure in the total disclosure.
CSR and ownership interrelation: evidence from Estonia
Authors: Glushkova Irina , Gurvits-Suits Natalie Aleksandra
Published: October 2019

With time Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) attracts has become a matter of high attention and it is obvious that its influence on companies is increasing.  More and more organizations both in Estonia and worldwide are voluntarily implementing non-financial reporting as a part of their business strategy.  These initiatives seem to have high impact on the reputation and recognition of the company by stakeholders. The aim of the present research is to investigate whether the type of ownerships is related to the way the company presents CSR related information and the focus of these disclosures. Authors studied the available information of top100 Estonian most successful companies to find out the type of ownership and the type of CSR-related disclosures (web-site or non-financial report) as well as the focus of the reporting about the most popular and commonly used certificates related (health, safety, environment and quality). The findings of the present research clearly demonstrate that Estonian companies have implemented CSR reporting practices with website being the main channel of presentation of CSR related information. It is also important, that the leading issue of CSR disclosure for all types of companies are environmental performance as well as environmental and quality management certification. Results indicated that in case of individual ownership CSR disclosures are less frequent and less aspects are reported, while in case of corporate and institutional ownership, CSR reporting is widely adopted and the wide scope of aspects is reported. In general, it may be concluded that the type of ownership has impact of the type and focus of CSR reporting.
Variations in the quality of government within the European Union: A comparative approach of Northern and Southern public bureaucracies
Authors: Oikonomou Giorgio
Published: October 2019

The quality of government represents a critical parameter of modern states for delivering sound public policies for the benefit of citizens. Dimensions such as accountability, impartiality, mechanisms which cope effectively with corruption and government effectiveness stand as core components of the quality of government, whereas at the same time account for much of the variation in the quality of government across European Union (EU) countries. This paper seeks to examine the quality of government by comparing and contrasting countries of the EU with substantially different administrative characteristics and traditions. The research explores two Nordic countries, namely Denmark and Sweden, and, two Mediterranean countries, Italy and Greece.

Taking stock of theoretical insights from the political and economic literature the core aim of the paper is to identify plausible explanations with regard to the variations in the quality of government across the four selected EU member-states. The research draws on quantitative data based on the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) and the European Quality of Government index (EQGI). It is argued that certain traits (legacies) of the political-administrative systems of the countries under examination can explain much of the observed, often striking, variations in the quality of government between the North and the South European bureaucracies.
Basal Cell Carcinoma Originating in a Tattoo: Case Report and Review of an Uncommon Complication in Tattoo Recipients
Authors: Abudu Boya , Erickson Christof P. , Calame Antoanella , Cohen Philip R.
Published: October 2019

Background: The placement of a tattoo is a common event. Basal cell carcinoma arising from a tattoo is rare despite this neoplasm being the most common form of skin cancer.

Objective: We describe a 41-year-old man who developed a basal cell carcinoma in his tattoo and review the literature of basal cell carcinomas originating in a tattoo.

Methods: A literature search using PubMed was performed. The following terms were searched: “basal,” “carcinoma,” “cell,” and “tattoo.” The characteristics of individuals with a basal cell carcinoma originating in a tattoo were analyzed and summarized.

Results: A total of 13 patients (6 women and 7 men) with a basal cell carcinoma arising in a tattoo have been reported. The majority of the tumors were located on the head (6 cases, 46.2%) followed by either an upper extremity (4 cases, 30.7%) or the trunk (3 cases, 23.1%). Most of the carcinomas were asymptomatic; however, 2 patients reported pruritus associated with their tumor. Nodular basal cell carcinoma was the most common subtype diagnosed (5 tumors), followed by superficial basal cell carcinoma (2 tumors). One patient had either a pagetoid or a mixed (nodular and sclerosing) histology. The pathological variant was not described for 4 patients.

Conclusions: Basal cell carcinoma arising in a tattoo is a rare occurrence. Although this occurrence may be coincidental, emerging evidence of carcinogenesis associated with tattoo pigment may suggest a causal link. Elucidating this important relationship warrants further investigation.
Alopecia Areata Incognita and Diffuse Alopecia Areata: Clinical, Trichoscopic, Histopathological, and Therapeutic Features of a 5-Year Study
Authors: Alessandrini Aurora , Starace Michela , Bruni Francesca , Brandi Nicolò , Baraldi Carlotta , Misciali Cosimo , Fanti Pier Alessandro , Piraccini Bianca Maria
Published: October 2019

Background: Alopecia areata is a nonscarring hair loss that usually causes round patches of baldness, but alopecia areata incognita (AAI) and diffuse alopecia areata (DAA) can cause a diffuse and acute pattern of hair loss.

Objective: To analyze the clinical, trichoscopic, histological, and therapeutic features of AAI and DAA.

Methods: The study was designed to include data of patients with histological diagnosis of AAI and DAA enrolled in our Hair Disease Outpatient Consultations.

Results: DAA had a greater involvement of the parietal and anterior-temporal regions, while AAI manifested itself mainly in the occipital-parietal regions. The most frequent pattern was empty yellow dots, yellow dots with vellus hairs, and small hair in regrowth, but the presence of pigtail hair was found almost exclusively in those with AAI. In cases of DDA, the finding of dystrophic hair and black dots was more frequent. The most frequent trichoscopic sign in both diseases was the presence of empty yellow dots, which, however, were described in a higher percentage in cases of DAA. The diseases have a benign course and are responsive to topical steroid therapy.

Conclusions: Trichoscopy is very important for the differential diagnosis between the 2 diseases and to select the best site for biopsy. In the presence of diffuse hair thinning, these entities must be considered.
Lentigo Maligna of the Face: The Importance of Clinical, Dermoscopic, and Histological Correlation
Authors: Fensterseifer Giovana Serrão , Lodi Ana Paula , Dantas Manuela , Boff Ana Letícia , Lovatto Louise
Published: October 2019

Citation:  Serrão Fensterseifer G, Lodi AP, Lima Dantas M, Boff AL, Lovatto L. Lentigo maligna of the face: the importance of clinical, dermoscopic, and histological correlation. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2019;9(4): 292-294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5826/dpc.0904a08

Accepted: July 21, 2019; Published: October 31, 2019

Copyright: ©2019 Serrão Fensterseifer et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: None.

Competing interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Authorship: All authors have contributed significantly to this publication.

Corresponding author:  Dr. Giovana Serrão Fensterseifer, Rua Professor Annes Dias, 135-Hospital Santa Clara, Santa Casa Porto Alegre, Brazil. Email: gfensterseifer@gmail.com
Institutionalizing torture in Israel: The Firas Tbeish decision. A commentary by John W. Schiemann, PhD
Authors: Schiemann John Wilson
Published: October 2019

In her discussion of the court’s dismissal of the IP, she says there “is a legal system that discredits the IP’s potential while digging deeper into its own conception of torture.'' Shir has helped show that this is true more broadly of torture, beyond the IP. Indeed, I suspect the court may not view the IP as a “strange creature” causing “suspicion of the unfamiliar.” Instead, it may be by now a very familiar creature that threatens torture’s impunity in Israel, and what Shir shows is that the court has developed a systematic strategy to counter it. Torture is possible in Israel because the government and courts are complicit in deliberately creating a legal and institutional black hole where boundaries are ill-defined and obscure, and no light can shine.
Airport Surface Modelling and Simulation Based on Timed Coloured Petri Net
Authors: Su Zhigang , Qiu Mengqi
Published: October 2019

In order to satisfy the requirements of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for aircraft taxi route planning in Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS), an airport surface operation modelling and simulation approach based on timed and coloured Petri net is presented. According to the layout of the airport surface and the features of surface operation units, a static Petri net model of the airport surface is established. On this basis, in line with the requirements on the aircraft taxiing velocity in ICAO DOC 9830, the dynamic Petri net model of the airport surface operation is established by adding the time attribute to the static model. Additionally, the method of defining the capacity of airport operation unit place is proposed and the constraints of the airport surface operation are incorporated using Petri net elements. Unlike other papers in the field, the airport surface Petri net model established in this paper can simulate conflict-free taxiing using a Petri net simulator without relying on other model-independent algorithms. Based on the CPN Tools software, taking Toulouse Airport as an example, the validity of the model has been verified by comparing the model running data with real flight data.
An Automatic Calibration Procedure of Driving Behaviour Parameters in the Presence of High Bus Volume
Authors: Dadashzadeh Nima , Ergun Murat , Kesten Sercan , Žura Marijan
Published: October 2019

Most of the microscopic traffic simulation programs used today incorporate car-following and lane-change models to simulate driving behaviour across a given area. The main goal of this study has been to develop an automatic calibration process for the parameters of driving behaviour models using metaheuristic algorithms. Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and a combination of GA and PSO (i.e. hybrid GAPSO and hybrid PSOGA) were used during the optimization stage. In order to verify our proposed methodology, a suitable study area with high bus volume on-ramp from the O-1 Highway in Istanbul has been modelled in VISSIM. Traffic data have been gathered through detectors. The calibration procedure has been coded using MATLAB and implemented via the VISSIM-MATLAB COM interface. Using the proposed methodology, the results of the calibrated model showed that hybrid GAPSO and hybrid PSOGA techniques outperformed the GA-only and PSO-only techniques during the calibration process. Thus, both are recommended for use in the calibration of microsimulation traffic models, rather than GA-only and PSO-only techniques.
Overexpression of MdIAA9 confers high tolerance to osmotic stress in transgenic tobacco
Authors: Huang Dong , Wang Qian , Duan Dingyue , Dong Qinglong , Zhao Shuang , Zhang Maoxue , Jing Guangquan , Liu Changhai , Nocker Steve van , Ma Fengwang , Li Chao
Published: October 2019

Auxin is a plant hormone that takes part in a series of developmental and physiological processes. There are three major gene families that play a role in the early response of auxin and auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) is one of these. Although the genomic organization and function of Aux/IAA genes have been recognized in reference plants there have only been a few focused studies conducted with non-model crop plants, especially in the woody perennial species. We conducted a genomic census and expression analysis of Aux/IAA genes in the cultivated apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.). The Aux/IAA gene family of the apple genome was identified and analyzed in this study. Phylogenetic analysis showed that MdIAAs could be categorized into nine subfamilies and that these MdIAA proteins contained four whole or partially conserved domains of the MdIAA family. The spatio-specific expression profiles showed that most of the MdIAAs were preferentially expressed in specific tissues. Some of these genes were significantly induced by treatments with one or more abiotic stresses. The overexpression of MdIAA9 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants significantly increased their tolerance to osmotic stresses. Our cumulative data supports the interactions between abiotic stresses and plant hormones and provides a theoretical basis for the mechanism of Aux/IAA and drought resistance in apples.
Formação histórica e trajetórias migratórias: o caso de Imperatriz-MA
Authors: Santos Edgar Oliveira , Loiola Edney , Santos Sônia Oliveira , Araújo Rafael De Oliveira , Lucena Antônio Pereira
Published: October 2019

O presente artigo é resultado de um estudo sobre dinâmicas regionais de desenvolvimento, propiciando a formação de redes migratórias e, consequentemente, a própria configuração das trajetórias migratórias observadas num determinado espaço/tempo. O espaço central de análise é o município de Imperatriz, localizado no sudoeste do estado do Maranhão, que possui uma formação histórica que pode ser compreendida a partir de ciclos de desenvolvimento econômico, influenciando os fluxos migratórios responsáveis pelo povoamento do município a partir da década de 1960. A abordagem em torno dessa construção espacial fundamenta-se no método materialista histórico, com qual se enfatizaram a historicidade e as contradições presentes nas formas como a dinâmica de desenvolvimento do município de Imperatriz condicionou os fluxos migratórios que o povoaram a partir da década de 1960.