bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relação de custo-benefício na prevenção e no controle das infecções relacionadas à assistência à saúde em uma unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal
Authors: Da Silva Patrick Leonardo Nogueira , De Aguiar André Luís Cardoso , Gonçalves Renata Patrícia Fonseca
Published: April 2017

Introdução: a infecção relacionada à assistência à saúde propicia o aumento dos gastos econômicos para a instituição hospitalar, tanto em recursos materiais quanto em profissionais. Objetivo: identificar a relação de custo-benefício na prevenção e no controle das infecções hospitalares em uma unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal. Método: estudo descritivo, exploratório, retrospectivo, documental, com abordagem quantitativa. Sua amostra compreendeu 54 prontuários de neonatos internados em um hospital universitário, durante o período de janeiro a junho de 2009. Utilizou-se um formulário semiestruturado como instrumento de coleta de dados. Resultados: houve predomínio de neonatos do sexo masculino, idade gestacional de 32-33 semanas e baixo peso ao nascer. Quanto ao tempo de permanência, os pacientes com infecção permaneceram 37,9 dias e os pacientes sem infecção, 26,5 dias. A infecção foi mais prevalente na corrente sanguínea (79,4%), com sepse clínica como sítio específico de maior prevalência (70,3%) e antimicrobiano representado pela combinação de ampicilina + gentamicina (64,9%) com maior prescrição médica. Ao se tratar da média de custo por internação, pacientes com infecção tinham um gasto de R$9.028,24; no entanto, pacientes sem infecção, R$3.737,17. A instituição apresentou gastos adicionais de R$ 5.291,07 por internação. Conclusão: a infecção hospitalar acresce despesas no cuidado ao paciente durante o período de internação. Sugere-se a realização de estratégias educativas que visem à divulgação de medidas de prevenção de infecções e as repercussões que estas trazem para os pacientes e as instituições hospitalares, tendo impacto positivo na economia dos insumos, na qualidade do atendimento profissional, bem como na qualidade de vida neonatal.Palavras-chave:
Doenças da pele relacionadas à poluição do ar: uma revisão sistemática
Authors: Leite José Otávio Batista , Pereira Boscolli Barbosa
Published: April 2017

Introdução: A poluição atmosférica compreende uma mistura complexa de diversos contaminantes particulados (fumaça de cigarro, gases de combustão veicular e compostos orgânicos voláteis, entre outros). Recentemente, algumas investigações revelaram a existência de associação direta entre a poluição atmosférica e as doenças de pele. Objetivos: Investigar e discutir aspectos relevantes no cenário da pesquisa epidemiológica que trata da relação entre a poluição atmosférica e as doenças de pele em humanos. Métodos: Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura científica nacional e internacional, que avaliou os artigos publicados na última década, que trataram de doenças de pele em humanos relacionadas à poluição atmosférica. Resultados: A presente revisão identificou 288 estudos que abordaram a temática, dos quais 34 atenderam aos critérios de inclusão previamente estabelecidos. Os resultados revelam que a exposição à fumaça de cigarro e às emissões veiculares está altamente associada com o desenvolvimento de várias doenças de pele, sendo o estresse oxidativo, com a participação de citocinas, a principal via inflamatória. Conclusão: Conclui-se que o controle da exposição ambiental é a principal forma de prevenção; e o tratamento das doenças de pele associadas à poluição atmosférica pode ser realizado por meio da utilização de drogas anti-inflamatórias e antioxidantes.
Intoxicações por medicamentos no Brasil registradas pelo SINITOX entre 2007 e 2011
Authors: Mendes Lucas Alves , Pereira Boscolli Barbosa
Published: April 2017

Introdução: Diante de um cenário de transição epidemiológica no Brasil, com o aumento da prevalência de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis, o uso de medicamentos tem crescido anualmente. Considerando que, dependendo das condições de uso, os medicamentos podem agir como intoxicantes, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo analisar a participação dos medicamentos nas intoxicações humanas no Brasil, nos anos de 2007, 2008, 2009 e 2011. Métodos: Foram utilizadas as informações registradas pela Rede Nacional de Centros de Controle de Intoxicações no Sistema Nacional de Informações Tóxico-Farmacológicas – SINITOX. Foram calculados coeficientes de incidência, mortalidade e letalidade, segundo região do país e sexo. Também foram construídas séries históricas para os óbitos decorrentes das intoxicações medicamentosas, segundo faixa etária e circunstância. O trabalho apresenta e discute os resultados da análise epidemiológica, além de problematizar a efetividade do SINITOX. Resultados: Os resultados apontam a região Sudeste como a detentora da maior taxa de incidência entre as regiões do país, destacando a população feminina por apresentar o maior número de casos registrados de tentativa de suicídio como principal circunstância associada aos casos de intoxicação e as crianças como o grupo populacional mais suscetível. Conclusões: O estudo evidencia maior envolvimento de crianças e mulheres nos casos de intoxicações medicamentosas.
Sensitivity of the Discount Rate to the Expected Payoff in Project Valuation
Authors: Johnstone David
Published: April 2017

A routine method in business is to value risky capital investment projects by discounting their expected cash payoffs at “risk-adjusted” discount rates. Discount rates are purportedly allied to projects in “the same risk-class,” but there is little clarity about what makes a risk class. The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) gives two mathematically equivalent definitions. One is that assets in the same risk class have the same “beta,” and the other is that they have the same ratio of payoff mean to payoff covariance (with “the market”). The second depiction, albeit widely unknown, is more interesting in terms of cash flow fundamentals. Its implication is that the “denominator” (risk-adjusted discount rate) depends on its own “numerator” (expected payoff). In practical circumstances, the CAPM price-implied discount rate can be highly sensitive to changes in the expected payoff, contradicting the convention of discounting an expected cash flow at some fixed “risk-adjusted” rate regardless of its dollar amount.
Quantile Evaluation, Sensitivity to Bracketing, and Sharing Business Payoffs
Authors: Grushka-Cockayne Yael , Lichtendahl Kenneth C. , Jose Victor Richmond R. , Winkler Robert L.
Published: April 2017

From forecasting competitions to conditional value-at-risk requirements, the use of multiple quantile assessments is growing in practice. To evaluate them, we use a rule from the general class of proper scoring rules for a forecaster’s multiple quantiles of a single uncertain quantity of interest. The general rule is additive in the component scores. Each component contains a function that measures its quantile’s distance from the realization and weights its contribution to the overall score. To determine this function, we propose that the score of a group’s combined quantile should be better than that of a randomly selected forecaster’s quantile only when the forecasters bracket the realization (i.e., their quantiles do not fall on the same side of the realization). If a score satisfies this property, we say it is sensitive to bracketing. We characterize the class of proper scoring rules that is sensitive to bracketing when the decision maker uses a generalized average to combine forecasters’ quantiles. Finally, we show how weights can be set to match the payoffs in many important business contexts.
Assessing dementia
Authors: Kochhar Suneeta
Published: April 2017

This degenerative condition is increasingly prominent in the UK's ageing population, writes Suneeta Kochhar
The role of the nurse in eating disorder recovery
Authors: Davies Nicola
Published: April 2017

Primary care nurses must be able to treat patients with these conditions, writes Nicola Davies
Canine stress in a nutshell — why does it occur, how can it be recognised, and what can be done to alleviate it?
Authors: Hargrave Claire
Published: April 2017

Every item that an animal encounters, whether animate or inanimate, is a stimulus. If an animal has had the opportunity to learn to remain relaxed in the presence of that stimulus (to habituate) the stimulus will be one that, for that specific animal, maintains a state of emotional neutrality. Alternatively, if the stimulus initiates any form of emotional response (whether positive or negative in its nature), the stimulus becomes a stressor. As the majority of domestic dogs live in close proximity to human owners in a socially and physically rich and diverse environment, exposure to stressors is an inevitable part of the domestic dog's life. However, the impact of these stressors can be severely detrimental to both the emotional and physical welfare of the dog. These welfare infringements can place considerable constraints on the affected dog's behavioural repertoire and its capacity to behave in a manner that is consistent with an owner's and the general public's expectations. Such failures to meet behavioural expectations is a common factor in requests for the relinquishment and euthanasia of dogs. A previous article provided a general discussion on stress in companion animals; this article examines the prevalence, recognition, avoidance and resolution of stress in dogs.
Policy advocacy, inequity, and school fees and fundraising in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Winton Sue , Milani Michelle
Published: April 2017

Fundraising and collecting fees are ubiquitous in Ontario, Canada’s public schools. Critics assert that these practices perpetuate and exacerbate inequities between schools and communities. In this article we present findings from a critical policy analysis of an advocacy group’s efforts to change Ontario’s fees and fundraising policies over the past two decades. Rhetorical analyses of 110 texts finds that the group constructed the problem of each policy similarly, targeted the same audiences, and utilized many of the same strategies to appeal to logos, ethos, and pathos in their struggle over the policies’ meanings. However, only one out of four of the group’s policy meanings became dominant. The discursive and critical policy perspectives grounding the study directed us to examine how neoliberalism and the policies’ shared broader social, political, and economic contexts can help explain this outcome. Specifically, the group’s efforts to change Ontario’s school fees and fundraising policies confronted dominant discourses that construct parents as consumers of education and responsible for their children’s success in a competitive world, promote the meritocratic notion that successful people deserve their success and the benefits it brings, view the government as responsible only for providing the basic requirements of education, and support privatization and marketization of public schools.
The changing landscape of school choice in Canada: From pluralism to parental preference?
Authors: Bosetti Lynn , Van Pelt Deani , Allison Derek
Published: April 2017

This paper provides a descriptive account of the growing landscape of school choice in Canada through a comparative analysis of funding and student enrolment in the public, independent and home-based education sectors in each province. Given that the provinces have responsibility for K-12 education, the mixture of public, independent and home school education varies rather widely by province, as does the level of funding and regulation.  Delivery and funding of public education in Canada has long prioritized limited linguistic and religious pluralism, providing various options for English or French, and Catholic or Protestant alternatives to qualified parents. More recently growing numbers of parents have been seeking more options for their children’s education. This has fueled slow but steady growth in independent schools and home schooling.
Introduction to the special issue: Studying school choice in Canada
Authors: Lubienski Christopher , Yoon Ee-Seul
Published: April 2017

In this article, we introduce the special issue that illuminates issues in school choice and education marketization in contemporary Canada. We begin with a discussion of the proliferation of market models across the globe and the kind of questions that have arisen as public policymakers, philanthropists, and other private interests have embraced and advanced market-oriented reforms. Then we turn to Canada, and briefly discuss the scholarly literature on education privatization and school choice in the past two decades. After that, we present the five articles, highlighting how each piece contributes to a deeper understanding of the changing landscape of choice and competition, as well as how these changes impact schools and communities in a diverse, multicultural country. We conclude by discussing the importance of continuing empirical research in order to inform important debates about how to best meet the needs of the students in a democratic society.
Self-efficacy and quality of life after stroke
İnme sonrası öz etkililik ve yaşam kalitesi
Authors: Topçu Serpil , Oğuz Sıdıka
Published: April 2017

limitations in the world and Turkey. For this reason, Stroke symptoms can be very stressful for caregivers and it can be a burden of health care system. Positive patient outcomes can be achieved with proper management of the treatment process. Treatment plan according to stroke patients psychologic adaptations such as self-efficacy and patient ability to self-care activities. The aim of this study is to provide a context of relationship with self-efficacy, quality of life and stroke.  Özetİnme tüm dünyada ve ülkemizde sakatlıklara ve kısıtlılıklara neden olan ciddi bir sağlık sorunudur. Bu özelliği nedeni ile hasta, hasta ailesi, tıbbi personel ve sağlık sistemine ağır yükler getirmektedir. Tedavi sürecinin doğru yönetilmesi ile olumlu hasta çıktılarına ulaşmak mümkündür. Tedaviye yön vermek için, hastaların mevcut yapabilirlik düzeyinin analiz edilmesi, tedavi ve bakıma katılım için hazır oluş durumunun bilinmesi gereklidir.  Bu derlemede, inme hastalarının tedavi planını düzenlemede rehber olacağı düşünülen, yaşam kalitesi ve öz etkililik kavramları ve bu kavramların inme ile ilişkisinin tartışılması amaçlanmıştır.
Wprowadzenie. Deprywatyzacja szkolnictwa wyższego w Polsce. Co oznacza i jakie niesie konsekwencje?
Authors: Kwiek Marek
Published: April 2017

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To, co publiczne i prywatne w szkolnictwie wyższym. Synteza podejścia ekonomicznego i politycznego
Authors: Marginson Simon
Published: April 2017

Rozróżnienie na to, co publiczne i to, co prywatne, ma kluczowe znaczenie dla szkolnictwa wyższego. Jednak nie ma powszechnej zgody co do samej istoty „tego, co publiczne”. Na gruncie neoklasycznej teorii ekonomicznej Paul Samuelson odróżnia dobra nierynkowe (publiczne), które nie mogą być wytwarzane dla zysku, od działań rynkowych (prywatnych). To rozróżnienie stanowi podstawę ustalania minimalnego niezbędnego poziomu publicznych wydatków. Nie jest jednak w stanie objąć dóbr kolektywnych oraz składników normatywnych. W teorii politycznej „to, co publiczne” często rozumiane jest jako własność i/lub kontrola państwowa. John Dewey uznaje dane operacje społeczne za „publiczne”, gdy niosą konsekwencje pokrewne dla osób innych niż bezpośrednio zaangażowane w dane działania. W ten sposób stają się one przedmiotem troski państwowej. Jest to rozróżnienie znacznie bardziej pojemne niż to proponowane przez Samuelsona, jednakże nie pozwala na nakładanie ograniczenia na koszty. Żadna z tych definicji nie jest satysfakcjonująca, ale każda ma nam coś do zaoferowania oraz może zostać wykorzystana do krytycznego zbadania tej drugiej. W niniejszym artykule dokonano syntezy tych dwóch podejść, wykorzystując powstałą w jej wyniku ramę zawierającą cztery kwadranty (społeczeństwo obywatelskie, socjaldemokrację, państwowy quasi-rynek oraz rynek komercyjny) do analizy szkolnictwa wyższego i badań.
Ocena jakości kształcenia w Polsce – problemy i rekomendacje
Authors: Brdulak Jakub
Published: April 2017

Głównym celem tego opracowania jest zainicjowanie dyskusji nad kształtem systemu oceny jakości w Polsce. Obecne rozwiązania w obszarze szkolnictwa wyższego dotyczące oceny jakości kształcenia budowane są bowiem bez strategicznej, tzn. długookresowej wizji. Konieczne tym samym staje się udzielenie odpowiedzi na nastepujące pytania: 1) Jaki ma być profil działalności PKA? Czy ma to być urząd kontrolujący uczelnie, czy też ekspercka jednostka doskonaląca procesy kształcenia na uczelniach? 2) Czy w momencie przejścia PKA na poziom jednostki eksperckiej nie powstanie niebezpieczna luka w systemie kontroli uczelni, co spowoduje zwiększenie liczby uczelni „sprzedających dyplomy”? 3) Kto w naszym systemie szkolnictwa wyższego powinien zająć się kontrolą, a kto zarządzaniem jakością? Warto także rozważyć pomysł stworzenia jednostki, która profesjonalnie zajmowałaby się kontrolą w szkolnictwie wyższym – analogicznej do Komisji Nadzoru Finansowego czy Urzędu Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów. W artykule zostały wykorzystane etnograficzne badania własne. Uwzględniono w nim stan prawny z dnia 1 listopada 2016 r.
Doktoranci – grupa wybrana czy przegrana? Prezentacja wniosków studium teoretyczno-empirycznego na temat studiów doktoranckich w Polsce
Authors: Kola Anna Maria
Published: April 2017

Artykuł prezentuje wnioski z badań dotyczących studiów doktoranckich w Polsce, będących częścią szerzej zakrojonego projektu badawczego na temat kreowania elit społecznych. Celem poznawczym przytaczanych badań był próba opisania i wyjaśnienia faktu społecznego, jakim jest kształcenie elitarne na poziomie wyższym. Z tego powodu należy naszkicować obraz ważneg i dotąd nieopisanego zjawiska na gruncie polskiej edukacji, czyli studiów doktoranckich w ich nowym kształcie. Nieobowiązująca już ustawa o szkolnictwie wyższym z dnia 27 lipca 2005 r. w Dziale IV, w Rozdziale 4 precyzyjnie przedstawiała sposób funkcjonowania studiów doktoranckich, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem praw i obowiązków doktoranta. Dzięki tym regulacjom przypominały one formalnie studia pierwszego i drugiego stopnia. Różnicowało je zaś coś, co można byłoby nazwać ich „misją”. Doktorant bowiem był potencjalnym kandydatem na pracownika naukowego, mającego być w przyszłości członkiem elity intelektualnej. Posiadał on predyspozycje (intelektualne, interpersonalne, społeczne, emocjonalne, a nawet fizyczne) umożliwiające pracę naukową, będące częścią jego kapitałów – społecznego, kulturowego czy finansowego. Od nich, według badaczy problemu stratyfikacji społecznej, zależał sukces życiowy i uniwersytecki, silnie związany z determinacją, motywacjami, ale też wsparciem osób trzecich (głównie promotora). Od 2011 r., a zatem wraz ze zmianą ustawodawstwa, forma kształcenia na poziomie studiów doktoranckich uległa zmianie. By jak najlepiej scharakteryzować fenomen studiów trzeciego stopnia, biorąc pod uwagę ich wartość i zadania, ale też praktykę uniwersytecką, i – być może – wskazać sposoby udoskonalenia tego modelu studiów, należy zasięgnąć opinii tych, którym analizowana forma kształcenia jest oferowana. Z tego powodu przedmiotem badań zostały identyfikacje i orientacje życiowe grupy 31 doktorantów z różnych polskich uniwersytetów, przedstawiane w wywiadach narracyjnych. Całość wniosków z badań zawiera oddana do druku monografia pt. Kształcenie elit społecznych? Studia doktoranckie w Polsce jako forma i potrzeba konstruowania zapoznanego mitu.
Prediction of Gymnastics Physical Profile Through an International Program Evaluation in Women Artistic Gymnastics
Authors: Nassib Sarra Hammoudi , Mkaouer Bessem , Riahi Sabra Hammoudi , Wali Sameh Menzli , Nassib Sabri
Published: April 2017

Nassib, SH, Mkaouer, B, Riahi, SH, Wali, SM, and Nassib, S. Prediction of gymnastics physical profile through an international program evaluation in women artistic gymnastics. J Strength Cond Res 34(2): 577–586, 2020—The purpose of this study was to investigate the most appropriate aptitudes for top-level sporting results to identify physical profile of talent identified women's artistic gymnastics (WAG). Forty-eight women's artistic gymnasts in the provincial team (age 11.12 ± 1.22 years; height 1.35 ± 0.04 m; body mass 28.5 ± 4.04 kg) voluntarily participated in this study. Anthropometrics measures and the WAG battery physical tests were used to ensure a systematic approach for the WAG development worldwide. The present findings revealed that the strength (static strength, speed strength, and endurance strength), power and flexibility seem to be important and essential for good performance. Another characteristic that emerged from the results of the physical domain is coordination. This motor skill may seem relevant to gymnastics, they are applicable to the gymnasts' ability to perform all apparatus and more generally they relate to the ability to accurately perform whole-body skills supported by the leg on the floor, balance beam, and vault. Therefore, athletic performance can be boosted using combination of several characteristics that seems to be important for an elite gymnast. This reinforcing the view that systematic approach for the development and mufti-dimensional profile seems promising.
LIMNOLOGI DAN POTENSI PRODUKSI IKAN DANAU LAUT TAWAR" ACEH TENGAH
Authors: Kartamihardja Endi Setiadi , Satria Hendra , Sarnita Achmad S.
Published: April 2017

Danau laut Tawar terletak di Aceh Tengah pada ketinggian 1200 m di atas permukaan laut. Danau ini mempunyai luas 7000 hadengan kedalaman maksimum l15 m. Danau laut Tawar mempunyai peranan Penting sebagai sumber pengadaan protein terutama bagi masyarakat di Kabupaten Aceh Tengah
An Innovative Otolaryngology Resident Boot Camp
Authors: Kiffel Esther R. , Weinstock Michael S. , Yang Christina J. , Rong Esther , Hollingsworth Merona A. , Akbar Nadeem , Gibber Marc J.
Published: April 2017

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Simulation provides the opportunity for residency programs to introduce core skills and principles to residents in a low risk environment. We designed a four-week "boot camp" for junior otolaryngology residents aimed at providing the foundation necessary for effective management of commonly encountered clinical scenarios. Sessions emphasized learning through adult and pediatric simulation exercises, technical skills training and didactics. Feedback on resident performance was provided at the completion of simulation exercises.
System Selection and Performance Evaluation for Manufacturing Company’s ERP Adoption
Authors: Niu Baozhuang , Chen Kanglin , Huang Huizhong , Li Yuan , Chen Lei
Published: April 2017

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is an important investment for manufacturing companies that can affect their competitive advantages and operational performance. However, the implementation of ERP can be a complicated process, where many strategic decisions have to be made. We focus on two critical decisions in ERP implementation: (1) ERP system selection, and (2) ERP operational performance evaluation. For the former, we use Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to design the key performance indicator (KPI) system. For the later, we combine AHP and Fuzzy Integrated Evaluation (FIE) methods to effectively evaluate the implementation of ERP. We use a typical industrial example and data analysis to illustrate our framework.
Learning Speed Enhancement of Iterative Learning Control with Advanced Output Data based on Parameter Estimation
Authors: Jeong Gu-Min , Ji Sang-Hoon
Published: April 2017

Learning speed enhancement is one of the most important issues in learning control. If we can improve both learning speed and tracking performance, it will be helpful to the applicability of learning control. Considering these facts, in this paper, we propose a learning speed enhancement scheme for iterative learning control with advanced output data (ADILC) based on parameter estimation. We consider linear discrete-time non-minimum phase (NMP) systems, whose model is unknown, except for the relative degree and the number of NMP zeros. In each iteration, estimates of the impulse response are obtained from input-output relationship. Then, learning gain matrix is calculated from the estimates, and by using new learning gain matrix, learning speed can be enhanced. Simulation results show that the learning speed has been enhanced by applying the proposed method.
A Rating-Based Integrated Recommendation Framework with Improved Collaborative Filtering Approaches
Authors: Cheng Shulin , Zhang Bofeng , Zou Guobing
Published: April 2017

Collaborative filtering (CF) approach is successfully applied in the rating prediction of personal recommendation. But individual information source is leveraged in many of them, i.e., the information derived from single perspective is used in the user-item matrix for recommendation, such as user-based CF method mainly utilizing the information of user view, item-based CF method mainly exploiting the information of item view. In this paper, in order to take full advantage of multiple information sources embedded in user-item rating matrix, we proposed a rating-based integrated recommendation framework of CF approaches to improve the rating prediction accuracy. Firstly, as for the sparsity of the conventional item-based CF method, we improved it by fusing the inner similarity and outer similarity based on the local sparsity factor. Meanwhile, we also proposed the improved user-based CF method in line with the user-item-interest model (UIIM) by preliminary rating. Second, we put forward a background method called user-item-based improved CF (UIBCF-I), which utilizes the information source of both similar items and similar users, to smooth itembased and user-based CF methods. Lastly, we leveraged the three information sources and fused their corresponding ratings into an Integrated CF model (INTE-CF). Experiments demonstrate that the proposed rating-based INTE-CF indeed improves the prediction accuracy and has strong robustness and low sensitivity to sparsity of dataset by comparisons to other mainstream CF approaches.
A Conceptual Framework for Artificial Creativity in Visual Arts
Authors: Sirbu Daniela , Dumitrache Ioan
Published: April 2017

The present paper introduces the conceptual framework for an artificial system for visual creativity addressing the idea of niche creativity that is domain specific and non-anthropocentric in its conceptual approach. We think that the visual creative output of the system reflects the artificial medium and the specific artificial processes engaged in its production and, therefore, it is an expression of the idea of embodied creativity with the proposed system offering in this sense an example of digital embodiment of creativity. Although our approach to artificial creativity is non-anthropocentric, the system design is inspired by processes in the natural world that lead to the production of new and useful structures in both living and non-living systems with human creative cognition being included among these processes. The main problem raised by this abstract approach to artificial creativity in visual arts is the compatibility of its artistic production with human aesthetics, the ultimate goal of the proposed system being to produce visual output that would aesthetically engage human visual perception.
A New Adaptive Elastic Net Method for Cluster Analysis
Authors: Yi Junyan , Zhao Peixin , Zhang Lei , Yang Gang
Published: April 2017

Clustering is inherently a highly challenging research problem. The elastic net algorithm is designed to solve the traveling salesman problem initially, now is verified to be an efficient tool for data clustering in n-dimensional space. In this paper, by introducing a nearest neighbor learning method and a local search preferred strategy, we proposed a new Self-Organizing NN approach, called the Adaptive Clustering Elastic Net (ACEN) to solve the cluster analysis problems. ACEN consists of the adaptive clustering elastic net phase and a local search preferred phase. The first phase is used to find a cyclic permutation of the points as to minimize the total distances of the adjacent points, and adopts the Euclidean distance as the criteria to assign each point. The local search preferred phase aims to minimize the total dissimilarity within each clusters. Simulations were made on a large number of homogeneous and nonhomogeneous artificial clusters in n dimensions and a set of publicly standard problems available from UCI. Simulation results show that compared with classical partitional clustering methods, ACEN can provide better clustering solutions and do more efficiently.
Genetic Algorithm with Modified Crossover for Grillage Optimization
Authors: Ramanauskas Mikalojus , Šešok Dmitrij , Belevičius Rimantas , Kurilovas Eugenijus , Valentinavičius Saulius
Published: April 2017

Modified genetic algorithm with special phenotypes' selection and crossover operators with default specified rules is proposed in this paper thus refusing the random crossover. The suggested crossover operator enables wide distribution of genes of the best phenotypes over the whole population. During selection and crossover, the best phenotypes of the newest population and additionally the genes of the best individuals of two previous populations are involved. The effectiveness of the modified algorithm is shown numerically on the real-life global optimization problem from civil engineering - the optimal pile placement problem under grillage-type foundations. This problem is a fair indicator for global optimization algorithms since the ideal solutions are known in advance but with unknown magnitudes of design parameters. Comparison of the proposed algorithm with 6 other stochastic optimization algorithms clearly reveals its advantages: at similar accuracy level the algorithm requires less time for tuning of genetic parameters and provides narrower confidence intervals on the results than other algorithms.
On the service behaviour of masonry viaducts
Authors: Harvey Bill , Harvey Hamish
Published: April 2017

Railway viaducts are suffering damage short of collapse that is not predicted by current assessments, but which requires major interventions. This is a critical issue facing the UK rail network, where freight traffic is growing rapidly. This paper offers a new understanding of critical behaviour, which is not dominated by arching. Rather, the main section over each pier and extending well into the span either side behaves as a rigid block, rocking back and forth as loads pass. This behaviour explains spandrel cracks and horizontal cracks in spandrel walls and below parapets, which are both frequently seen in arch viaducts. With further research, including field measurement of behaviour under normal traffic loads, this understanding should lead to useful assessment guidelines and new methods of strengthening and repair.
Bridge reassessment in Germany: shear capacity computation based on arch action model
Authors: Gleich Philipp , Maurer Reinhard
Published: April 2017

Structural reassessments of existing older German road bridges based on current German standards often uncover substantial deficits, particularly in terms of the required shear reinforcement in the main girders in longitudinal direction. In the case of many thousands of bridges built in the 1950s/1960s, the ratio of the required to the existing shear reinforcement amount can vary by factor of 2–3 or even exceed these values. These shear deficits are only partly due to increases in traffic loads. Most of these are attributed to the evolution of structural shear capacity calculation models and are particularly due to disregarding a substantial concrete contribution to shear capacity. As a result of these imprecise calculation models, unnecessary cost-intensive strengthening measures might have been executed in many cases. To gain more information about the shear load-bearing capacity of prestressed continuous concrete beams, large-scale experiments have been executed at the Technical University of Dortmund. The overall aim was to verify an analytical arching model to offer a more precise shear reassessment approach for existing bridge structures. This model can help to conserve and preserve existing concrete bridges that form part of the built environment and which form part of the engineering heritage of societies.
Experimental study on column underpinning joints with inclined steel bars
Authors: Wu Erjun , Dong Ning , Yuan Kaijun
Published: April 2017

Column underpinning joints play an important role in monolithic moving, jacking up and renovation or reinforcing of buildings. However, existing methods of improving the bearing capacity of joints usually cause damage to columns and the constructions are complex. A new column underpinning method with inclined rectangular ribbed steel bars was thus developed. Six specimens were tested experimentally under vertical static load. The inclination angle and the number of inclined steel bars were considered as the main parameters. Tests were carried out to study the mechanical performance of the column underpinning joints, especially bearing capacity. The results indicate that, compared with a specimen without inclined bars, the addition of inclined bars in joints improves the bearing capacity by a maximum of 143·7%. Analysis revealed that the bearing capacity of joints with inclined bars is mainly composed of three parts – the vertical component of force in inclined bars, partial cohesion strength and the shear strength resulting from friction at the interface between new and old concrete. The failure of all specimens was sliding failure at the interface, except for one specimen that failed due to crushing of the columns.
A Study of the Relationship among Service Quality, Relationship Quality, and Loyalty by Applying the Third-Order Factor Model: Focusing on ‘S’ Dessert Cafe
Authors:   The Tourism Sciences Society Of Korea, Park Hye-Bin , Yang Dong-Hwi , Lee Sang-Mook
Published: April 2017

Applying the third-order factor model made by Brady and Cronin, this study assessed several factors related to service quality and examined the relationships among service quality, relationship quality, and loyalty to a dessert cafe focused on the ‘S’ dessert cafe. To validate this research, 300 survey questionnaires were collected and a final total of 250 respondents were employed for statistical analysis. Statistical analysis used SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 20.0 for Windows. According to the results of this study, several factors of service quality have positive effects on relationship quality and customer loyalty who had visited ‘S’ dessert cafe. In addition, several factors of relationship quality also had significant effects on customer loyalty. There have been many studies that showed relationships among service quality, and loyalty in various stages of the food-service industry such as in restaurants and coffee shops. However, little research explained the relationships among various factors of service quality, relationship quality, and loyalty of dessert cafe. Therefore, our study will provide significant results and some implications in both academia and the food-service industry especially for dessert cafes.
Professional Development, Motivation, and Community in a Moscow In-service Recertification Course
Authors: Hull Tony
Published: April 2017

Between September 2010 and May 2013, the author conducted six cycles of an 8-week recertification course for in-service English teachers in Moscow, Russia. The course syllabus was built on developing a community of practice, as a motivating factor in teacher development. The community was fostered both during in-person meeting time and online participant interaction. While the participants’ objectives were varied, the overarching goal of the course – beyond knowledge and skill building – was to engender a sense of ownership among the participants, both of the course itself and of their own continuing professional development. This was realized in both small incremental ways, such as launching a new discussion online, and in bolder, farther-reaching ways, such as organizing a mini-conference for a local school district.
Self-Regulation Skills: Several Ways of Helping Students Develop Self-Regulated Learning
Authors: Baranovskaya Tatiana
Published: April 2017

Empirical research supports the long held assumption that self-control, self-esteem, and motivational orientations of adult language learners are important factors in their language learning behavior. However, precisely these variables influence the language learning process has yet to be investigated. The goal of this paper is to examine the role of how self-control, self-esteem and motivational orientations influence the English language learning process. Recent methodological advances and various theoretical frameworks that have guided the present research are considered in this paper. A special “bidirectional course” turning on teacher-learner interaction was designed - a communicative course which promoted learner autonomy. The results indicate that active involvement in learning, monitoring motivation, self-control and self–esteem are positively related to learning outcomes, demonstrating that the acquisition of self-regulation skills have a positive impact on the learning of English.
The Influence of Self-editing on Micro Skills Development in Academic Writing in English as a Second Language
Authors: Pospelova Tatiana
Published: April 2017

Self-editing skills are extremely important in foreign language learning; without them university students tend not to write appropriately in academic contexts. These skills are, however, often less developed in school graduates and it is thus essential to understand the challenges faced by university students. The present study was conducted to answer the research question: whether self-editing as a final component of written production can boost the writing micro skills of learners. It analyzes English-language essays written by 50 second-year ESL students in the Faculty of Economics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, and reports on the most frequent errors committed in their formal writing. The aim of this study is to focus on the stage of self-editing and identify the role of self-editing in micro skills development. Findings reveal that students are most often weak at producing coherent and cohesive paragraphs; they also lack appropriate argumentation and are often inaccurate in using grammatical structures and lexis. Results also suggest, however, that L2 writing students can improve their own writing by transferring micro skills they learn when editing texts. The present study may contribute to teachers’ views on developing micro skills of student writers.
The Modern Educational Domain: Prerequisites and Prospects for Individual Learning Path Development
Authors: Stepanenko Katerina , Torosyan Liya
Published: April 2017

This article considers the prerequisites and perspectives of individual learning path (ILP) development in the framework of a student-centered educational paradigm; it defines the rationale of ILP and examines the introduction of project learning technology (PLT) into ILP modeling in higher educational institutions. We claim that identification of students’ individual features and compliance with their requirements becomes feasible via the integration of project learning technology into the educational process with relevant pedagogical and computer support. The special emphasis is put on the idea that ILP framing is aimed at enhancing students’ autonomy and responsibility for their education, fostering cooperation skills in a close dialogue with other participants in out-of-class projects and teachers. In this scenario an individualized approach is to be implemented in a harmonious solidarity with principles of cooperation and collaboration. To verify the above-mentioned ideas we conducted an experiment based on cognitive, diagnostic and empirical methods. Two groups of students participated in our research project at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics in September – November 2015. They are second-year undergraduate students majoring in Economics and studying English as a second language. We designed individual study routes (ISR) for each student and handed them out. The ISR contained progress steps of the project, a set of assignments and deadlines for project submission. The students were provided with opportunity to play an active role devising and altering an ISR. Research findings show that ILP modeling boosts student’s motivation to learn English as a second language, enables students’ reflexive skills, identifies their individual features while simultaneously developing cooperation and collaboration skills.
Shakespearean Charactonyms in Translations into Russian
Authors: Kalashnikov Alexander
Published: April 2017

Despite a long tradition of translating Shakespeare’s works into Russian, names as a stylistic device have been underestimated by scholars. The study deals with the space or environment of characteristic names (charactonyms) and its rendering into Russian in the works Henry IV, Part II and The Merry Wives of Windsor. The material for the research is a dozen translations into Russian done in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries including annotated editions which may show additional interpretations of the names. Comparing the puns based on names and their equivalents as a method shows how to identify overlapping approaches to translating stylistic devices involving charactonyms. The analysis of the translations reveals a variety of ways to render names, in particular within text, which is rare, and the application of commentaries in annotated editions. This research demonstrates that some equivalents of names have been repeated in several translations and hence the translators relied on the best practice instead of suggesting their own solutions. The research also shows the strategies and patterns employed by Russian translators and writers, which may be a good resource for literary translators.
The Problems of Russian-Speaking Students of non-Ninguistic Specializations in CAE Speaking. Test: Analysis of Teaching Experience
Authors: Levitskaya Galina , Levitskaya Elizaveta
Published: April 2017

Today Russian undergraduate students of non-linguistic specializations aspiring to careers in different spheres succeed in acquiring Certificates in Advanced English. Nevertheless, the candidates state that they experience the most serious difficulties while sitting the Speaking Test of the CAE exam as they lack oral language skills. The researched literature does not consider Russian students’ predicaments purposely and gives a broad overview of the main students’ concerns. This study is an attempt to explore the particular Russian students’ problems of forming oral language skills arising in the process of their training for the Speaking Test and to work out the ways of their remedies. Qualitative methods have allowed finding out the highly specific nature of individual experience. The methods used in the study also included an open-ended language learning questionnaire and a survey to support the assessment of the received data. The results indicate that there are quite a number of pedagogical and educational variables that should be permanently trained and developed as they can influence students’ success.
Linguistic Approaches in Teaching History of Science and Technology Courses through a Content Block on Cognitive Sciences
Authors: Krasnyak Olga , Fanguy Mik , Tikhonova Elena
Published: April 2017

History of Science and Technology (HST) courses are increasingly becoming part of core curriculums for undergraduate students due to an increased emphasis on scientific literacy. HST courses should aim to help students gain an understanding of the nature of science and should enable them to reflect epistemologically. The authors suggest teaching HST courses through several interchangeable content blocks, and herein, present the material and discussion topics that they believe should be implemented in a content block on cognitive sciences through a linguistic component. Language has a special meaning for humankind as it indicates its unique ability in the evolutionary development and in creating a new social environment. Therefore, paying special attention to the linguistic component when teaching HST courses helps students obtain a basic level of linguistic knowledge as its interdisciplinary approaches are increased through the study of cognitive sciences such as evolutionary psychology, behavioral genetics, and artificial intelligence.In order to represent a practical meaning of linguistics in the processes of constructing social environment, the authors conducted an empirical study based on the analysis of media texts. We asked 63 sophomores majoring in social sciences and humanities, who are affiliated with the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations to choose 60 media texts, both broadsheets and tabloids, on social and political content. Estimating and analyzing the surveys allowed the authors to determine students’ abilities to identify communicative strategies that were used in the media texts, to understand the role of the strategies in forming the social environment of a person or a group, and to recognize how using the tools of cognitive linguistics enhances sophisticated thinking and develops synergetic perceptions of every individual.
Resiliency in Education: The Case of Foreign Language Teachers
Authors: Valieva Fatima
Published: April 2017

The article covers the basics of resilience and the factors promoting sustainability within the field of education. With escalating demands on teachers in terms of increasing social pressures and expectations regarding quality of pedagogical provision, ’resilience’ is a topical area of research. The main objectives of the study include ascertaining how prone to professional stress are educators compared to other professionals, pointing out the areas where the major mismatches lie, and revealing the factors influencing professional adjustment in the sphere of foreign language teaching. The correlation and interdependence of resilience, emotional intelligence, social support and other individual factors have been studied using a valid sample of specialists in language teaching: resilience was considered one of the central, individual protective factors, as well as a serious prerequisite for a successful and fulfilling life. The sample of the study comprised three groups: first, senior students (future teachers); second, university academics (senior professors) and thirdly, university junior specialists. To analyze the results, statistical and correlation methods were used: different types of interdependence were indicated through regression analysis, the Kruskal–Wallis test, violin plot, and others.
The Pragmatics of Nigerian English in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Novels
Authors: Aboh Romanus , Uduk Happiness
Published: April 2017

There are relatively few studies that have examined the pragmatization of Nigerian English in Adichie’s novelistic oeuvre. This study seeks to fill that gap by undertaking a pragmatic analysis of Nigerian English in Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah in order to account for the pragmatic relation between utterances and meaning explication. The theory adopted for this study is pragmatic context. The analysis indicates that the use of English as reflected in the novels is pragmatically oriented which, by and large, helps elucidate the particular use of English in the non-literary situation in Nigeria. Also, the analysis demonstrates that the contexts, in which these Nigerian English expressions occur, significantly, draw from Nigeria’s sociocultural milieu, and the sociocultural milieu shapes the meaning or sense discourse participants squeeze out of utterances in interactive situations.