bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Nestle Applied Shared Value Creation in Agriculture Sector to achieve Sustainable Agriculture and Make more Profit «Nestle Model»
Authors: Kherchi Ishak , Fellague Mohamed , Haddou Samira Ahlem
Published: November 2020

This paper explains how Nestlé used the shared value concept to make agriculture more sustainable and achieve more profit by creating business value. Based on qualitative research, we use a case study approach to investigate the idea of shared value in achieving sustainable agriculture. We analyzed Nestlé programs in three areas: rural development, environmental sustainability and the Water field. We found that applying the shared value concept by nestle make agriculture more sustainable and leads to business value.
The Political Economy of Trade Policy Reform in Algeria: during the Period 1990-2018
Authors: Ferhat Djamila
Published: November 2020

This study aims to contribute to the determination of the nature of the obstacles to reform trade policy in Algeria using the institutional approach to deal with economic phenomena, especially those related to foreign trade. Sectoral interests of key actors and an intellectual context despite the adoption by Algeria of trade liberalization for more than two decades in this sense, the political system, its constraints and contradictions are the starting point for any reflection on the issues of trade reform, hence the crucial importance of the approach to economic policy reform trade policy in Algeria.
The Association between Board of Directors’ Characteristics and the Level of Voluntary Disclosure: Evidence from Listed Banks in Borsa Istanbul
Authors: Milad Isam Abdelhafid A. , Altug Bicer Ali
Published: November 2020

The main aim of this study is to investigate the association between some board of directors' characteristics (board independence, board size, board meetings and role duality) and the level of voluntary disclosure in annual reports of listed banks in Borsa Istanbul. The deductive approach was adopted by developing hypotheses based on previous studies' relevant theories and findings. Also, the panel data strategy was applied to analyze the collected data from annual reports across five years (2013-2017). The univariate statistical analysis and the multivariate Feasible Generalized Least Squares regression model are used in this study. The results showed that board independence, board size and board meetings were positively and significantly associated with the level of voluntary disclosure, whilst role duality was negatively but not significantly associated with voluntary disclosure. The results also indicated that all bank characteristics were positively and significantly associated with the level of voluntary disclosure. Most prior studies on voluntary disclosure practices have been undertaken in developed countries, and a few of them have focused on voluntary disclosure practices in the banking sector for a number of years (longitudinally). There is a requirement for more empirical studies in this area to confirm or disprove the previous results. This study will add value to the knowledge in the disclosure literature by clarifying the relationship between the board of directors' characteristics and voluntary disclosure in the banking sector of developing countries.
Economic and Administrative Transformations as Repercussions of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis
Authors: Serrai Salah , Ayad Saadi
Published: November 2020

The outbreak of Covid-19  - which was first discovered in China- affected people in 185 countries, where its spread left companies around the world calculating their costs day after day, this outbreak became a pandemic - where the WHO identified the outbreak of Covid-19 as a pandemic on March 11 - which resulted in more than 1.4 million confirmed cases and more than 83,000 deaths worldwide. It also raised fears of an economic crisis and an impending recession. Social divergence, self-isolation, and travel restrictions have forced the workforce to decline in all economic sectors and have caused many jobs to be lost. Schools closed, and the need for manufactured goods and products decreased. As a result of the pandemic, the global economy is projected to contract sharply by –3 percent in 2020, much worse than during the 2008–09 financial crisis. In contrast, the need for medical supplies increased significantly. The food sector also witnessed great demand due to the panic buying and storage of food products.

After months of closures restricting work and movement, many countries have begun to lift the strict measures they have taken to slow the spread of Coronavirus, as European countries embarked on a gradual process of reopening their economies, following in the footsteps of China where the virus originated. But the economic fallout from the epidemic appears to be one of the biggest shocks in generations. Ordinary economic activity was disrupted on an unprecedented scale in peacetime as daily lifestyles were radically transformed.

In this special issue, there are some authentic articles based on accurate and scientific analysis that explore the relationship between the emerging Covid-19 crisis and both economic and administrative transformations.
Performance of Mutual Funds: A Comparative Study of Prominent Multi Capital and Large Capital Funds
Authors: Derbali Abdelkader , K Elnagar Ahmed , Jamel Lamia , Ben Ltaifa Monia
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this paper is to compare the performance of prominent multi capital and large capital funds. We examine the performance of 10 prominent funds under both the selected categories has been analyzed during the period of study from 2013 to 2018. Their performance has also been compared against the two most diversified benchmark indices of India such as BSE 200 and Nifty 500. We have also attempted to find out whether there is any considerable difference in the performance of the two categories of funds or not. To do so, we employ a One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the comparison of mutual funds as an econometric methodology for a period of study from 2013 to 2018 for a sample of 20 Indian mutual funds. From the empirical findings, we find that the mutual fund schemes under both the categories such as Multi Capital Funds and Large Cap Funds have generated good returns over the period and that too with reasonable risk. Therefore, it is very safe to conclude that they are a good investment option for an investor. In terms of the performance of these mutual funds, the average monthly returns generated by the funds in each category are numerically different, but this difference has not been found statistically significant.  At the same time, there is no significant difference between these funds and NIFTY 500 as well as these funds and BSE 200 in terms of their returns.
Technical note: Estimating aqueous solubilities and activity coefficients of mono- and α,ω-dicarboxylic acids using COSMOtherm
Authors: Hyttinen Noora , Heshmatnezhad Reyhaneh , Elm Jonas , Kurtén Theo , Prisle Nønne L.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. We have used the COSMOtherm program to estimate activity coefficients and solubilities of mono- and α,ω-dicarboxylic acids and water in binary acid–water systems. The deviation from ideality was found to be larger in the systems containing larger acids than in the systems containing smaller acids. COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS) underestimates experimental monocarboxylic acid activity coefficients by less than a factor of 2, but experimental water activity coefficients are underestimated more especially at high acid mole fractions. We found a better agreement between COSMOtherm-estimated and experimental activity coefficients of monocarboxylic acids when the water clustering with a carboxylic acid and itself was taken into account using the dimerization, aggregation, and reaction extension (COSMO-RS-DARE) of COSMOtherm. COSMO-RS-DARE is not fully predictive, but fit parameters found here for water–water and acid–water clustering interactions can be used to estimate thermodynamic properties of monocarboxylic acids in other aqueous solvents, such as salt solutions. For the dicarboxylic acids, COSMO-RS is sufficient for predicting aqueous solubility and activity coefficients, and no fitting to experimental values is needed. This is highly beneficial for applications to atmospheric systems, as these data are typically not available for a wide range of mixing states realized in the atmosphere, due to a lack of either feasibility of the experiments or sample availability. Based on effective equilibrium constants of different clustering reactions in the binary solutions, acid dimer formation is more dominant in systems containing larger dicarboxylic acids (C5–C8), while for monocarboxylic acids (C1–C6) and smaller dicarboxylic acids (C2–C4), hydrate formation is more favorable, especially in dilute solutions.
Relação universidade-empresa: perfil dos contratos de tecnologia e sua distribuição regional segundo dados do FORMICT
Authors: Almeida Mayara Maria de Jesus , Luz Mauro Catharino Vieira da , Quintella Rogério Hermida
Published: November 2020

O artigo avalia e discute a transferência tecnológica a partir dos contratos declarados pelas Instituições Científicas e Tecnológicas (ICTs) brasileiras. Para tanto utilizou-se como fonte de dados o Formulário para Informações sobre a Política de Propriedade Intelectual das Instituições Científicas, Tecnológicas e de Inovação do Brasil (FORMICT) de 2017; indicadores do Diretório de Grupos de Pesquisa do CNPq, as bases patentárias do INPI; e da Pesquisa de Inovação Tecnológica (PINTEC)/IBGE. Os resultados apontam que pouco mais de 50% dos contratos declarados pelas ICTs no FORMICT se referem efetivamente à TT; entre eles, o número de contratos de licenciamento de direito de propriedade intelectual (DPI) foi o mais expressivo em quantidade, mas não em volume de recursos. Constatou-se também que aproximadamente 90% da negociação desses recursos está concentrada nas regiões Sul e Sudeste.  Finalmente, que a relação entre os gastos e resultados com DPI mostra-se mais eficiente nas ICTs privadas.
A influência da dimensão política no processo de Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP)
Authors: Gomes Glauco
Published: November 2020

O artigo teve por objetivo identificar e analisar a influência da dimensão política do processo decisório no contexto do planejamento de vendas e operações (SOP). Para tanto, tomando como base teórica a visão relacional e os efeitos do poder nas organizações, aspectos como a formação de coalizões e uso de mecanismos de controle foram ressaltados. Realizou-se um estudo de caso em duas empresas do setor de alimentos cuja coleta de dados se deu a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas, observação in loco e análise documental. Os dados foram analisados via análise de conteúdo com categorias advindas da literatura e dos relatos dos entrevistados. Apesar das evidências de coalizões com diferentes relações de poder e mecanismos de controle, os resultados mostraram em ambos os casos, a estratégia empresarial como elemento de suporte e legitimação à formação destes grupos e a forte influência das relações interpessoais no acesso aos decisores estratégicos.
Źródła danych o warunkach środowiska pracy w Polsce
Authors: Pawłowska Zofia
Published: November 2020

Informacji na temat warunków środowiska pracy w Polsce dostarczają przede wszystkim dwa badania realizowane przez Główny Urząd Statystyczny, a mianowicie krajowe badanie warunków pracy i badanie modułowe BAEL „Wypadki przy pracy i problemy zdrowotne związane z pracą” oraz dwa badania o zasięgu międzynarodowym: Europejskie Badanie Warunków Pracy (EWCS – European Working Conditions Survey), prowadzone przez Europejską Fundację na Rzecz Poprawy Warunków Życia i Pracy (Eurofound) oraz Europejskie badanie przedsiębiorstw na temat nowych i pojawiających się zagrożeń (ESENER – European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks), realizowane przez Europejską Agencję Bezpieczeństwa i Zdrowia w Pracy (EU-OSHA).
W artykule przedstawiono zasady gromadzenia informacji o warunkach środowiska pracy w tych badaniach oraz omówiono ich potencjał informacyjny w aspekcie zakresu gromadzonych informacji i możliwości ich wykorzystania do oceny warunków środowiska pracy osób pracujących.
Symulacja współpracy z robotem w wirtualnym środowisku pracy. Wyniki badań ankietowych – praktyka (2)
Authors: Grabowski Andrzej
Published: November 2020

W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań dotyczących zastosowania rzeczywistości wirtualnej do analizy wpływu przemysłowego robota współpracującego na pracownika. Omówiono wyniki analizy statystycznej pomiarów z przeprowadzonych badań. Omówiono wpływ obecności robota na wskaźniki obiektywne takie jak czas i precyzja realizowanych zadań montażu silników oraz wskaźniki subiektywne takie jak lęk, niepokój i obecność przestrzenna opisująca realizm symulacji w środowisku wirtualnej rzeczywistości.
Histopathological effects and biomarker response of earthworms, Eisenia fetida, after exposure to crude oil contaminated soils
Authors: Ijomah Oluchi Onyinyechi , Adesuyi Adeola Alex , Njoku Kelechi Longinus , Ojokuku Sikiru Abiola , Moses Ugochukwu Donatus , Adesuyi Oluwafunmilayo Omonike
Published: November 2020

Earthworms are the most abundant invertebrates in the soils and are permanently in close contact with soil particles. Therefore, they are significantly affected by the pollutants that reach the soil system. The study was aimed at evaluating the effect of exposure to crude oil contaminated soil on Eisenia fetida using cellular antioxidant enzymes and tissue organization as biomarkers. E. fetida were exposed to different concentrations of crude oil contamination of 1 mL, 2 mL. and 3 mL (0.25, 0.50 and 0.75%) for 14 days. The antioxidant/oxidant parameters were analysed in the muscle and liver tissues. The results showed that only the reduced glutathione (GSH) of earthworms exposed to 1 mL were not significant (p>0.05) from the control, while the other concentrations (2 mL – 0.50% and 3 mL – 0.75%) were significantly different (p<0.05) from the control. The activity of catalase (CAT) with respect to the total protein content was highest in the liver of earthworms exposed to 1 mL (0.25% conc.) on day 7 (51.84 µ mol/mg pro) while the least CAT activity with respect to the total protein content was reported in the liver of control earthworms after 14 days (19.51 µ mol/mL/min). A significant increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase at all the concentrations (0.25, 0.50 and 0.75%) after 14 days were also observed. Significant histopathological alterations were observed in E. fetida from the three concentrations. Severe disruptions in the arrangement of their body wall muscle layers, distorted internal viscera, as well as cellular degeneration, pigments, moderate to severe areas of lesion, and distortion of the shape of circular and longitudinal muscles, eroding of internal and external tissues leading to total destruction of body wall were observed. In conclusion, the study revealed that crude oil even at lower concentration induced biomarker responses in E. fetida such as higher levels of Malondialdehyde in E. fetida after exposure crude oil due its toxicity. Histopathological alterations such as cellular degeneration, moderate to severe areas of necrosis, areas of inflammation, inclusion bodies, pigments, and distortion of the shapes of circular and longitudinal muscles also showed the adverse impacts of crude oil pollution in the soils.
Effect of dietary supplementation of a phytogenic blend containing Schisandra chinensis, Pinus densiflora, and Allium tuberosum on productivity, egg quality, and health parameters in laying hens
Authors: Moon Seung-Gyu , Lee Sung-Kwang , Lee Woo-Do , Niu Kai-Min , Hwang Won-Uk , Oh Jong-Seok , Kothari Damini , Kim Soo-Ki
Published: November 2020

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the supplementary effect of a phytogenic blend (SPA: a mixture containing fermented Schisandra chinensis pomace, fermented Pinus densiflora needle extract, and Allium tuberosum powder in the ratio of 2:2:1) on egg production, egg quality, blood constituents, and visceral organs in laying hens.Methods: A total of 135 Hy-line brown laying hens (48-wk-old) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments with 5 replicates of 9 hens. The control group (CON) was fed a basal diet (no exogenous SPA addition) and the experimental groups were fed the basal diet containing SPA at the level of 0.1% and 0.3% for 6 weeks.Results: The feed intake was significantly improved in SPA supplemented groups as compared with the control (p<0.05). However, egg production, daily egg mass, and feed conversion ratio were not different among the dietary treatments (p>0.05). For egg quality traits, only Haugh unit (HU) was significantly improved in SPA (0.3%) (p<0.05) as compared with other groups. However, HU was not affected during 4-wk of storage at 18°C among the dietary treatments (p>0.05). Furthermore, SPA supplementation did not affect the blood biochemical constituents except for the phosphate content, which was significantly higher in SPA groups than the CON group (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in visceral organ characteristics and immune indicators (immunoglobulin A [IgA], IgG, and IgM) in SPA or CON groups.Conclusion: This study suggested that the supplementation of SPA may have beneficial effects on feed intake and egg quality in laying hens.
Extração de Meta-Características de Conjuntos de Dados de Imagens para Seleção de Redes Neurais Convolucionais
Authors: Dias Lucas , Miranda Péricles , Nascimento André , Cordeiro Filipe , Mello Rafael , Prudêncio Ricardo , Oliveira Ricardo
Published: November 2020

As Redes Neurais Convolucionais (RNCs) são a principal solução para a tarefa de classificação de imagens em diferentes aplicações. No entanto, a seleção da RNC mais adequada e de seus parâmetros para uma determinada base de imagens geralmente é realizada por tentativa e erro, o que pode levar muito tempo e custo computacional. Este artigo propõe o método Dataset2Vec e emprega o método de Meta-Aprendizado (MtA) para selecionar arquiteturas de RNCs para classificação de imagens. O Dataset2Vec adota uma rede neural profunda para extrair características de bases de imagens, incorporando-as em um único vetor. Para avaliar a solução proposta, adotou-se a seleção entre seis algoritmos da RNC para 45 bases de imagens de classificação binária. Os resultados mostraram que o MtA usando o Dataset2Vec superou os diferentes métodos baseline em todas as medidas de desempenho avaliadas, indicando que a proposta foi capaz de extrair recursos representativos dos conjuntos de dados de imagens para seleção de RNCs.
Agrupamento de Imagens Baseado em uma Abordagem Híbrida entre a Otimização por Busca em Grupo e K-Means para a Segmentação Automática de Doenças em Plantas
Authors: Pacífico Luciano
Published: November 2020

Neste trabalho, um algoritmo de agrupamento particional híbrido entre o K-Means e a Otimização por Busca em Grupo é usado para a tarefa de segmentação automática de doenças em imagens de folhas, como parte de um sistema automático de classificação de doenças em plantas: o GSO-KM. Uma abordagem não supervisionada de agrupamento de imagens é adotada no intuito de lidar com o problema. O GSO-KM é comparado a cinco algoritmos da literatura de agrupamento de dados através do uso de doze imagens, que apresentam diferentes graus de doença, e pelo uso de quatro métricas de avaliação. A análise experimental revelou que o GSO-KM é capaz de realizar, de forma satisfatória, a tarefa de segmentação das doenças nas imagens avaliadas.
Busca por Similaridade usando o Gráfico de Interação NK
Authors: Moraes José , Tinós Renato
Published: November 2020

Um método de busca por similaridade baseado no grafo de interação NK é proposto. O grafo de interação NK foi originalmente empregado para agrupamento e é construído com base na distância e densidade espacial dos objetos em um conjunto de dados. Duas variações do método são investigadas. Nas duas variações, k objetos são retornados visitando-se vértices do grafo de interação NK a partir do vértice inicial relacionado ao exemplo do conjunto de dados que está mais próximo do objeto a ser consultado. Em NK A, os k objetos relacionados a vértices com arestas incidentes ao vértice inicial são retornados. Em NK B, k vértices são visitados a partir do vértice inicial. O próximo vértice visitado é aquele com aresta incidente ao vértice atual e que está mais próximo do novo objeto a ser consultado. Os k objetos relacionados aos vértices visitados são retornados. Os algoritmos propostos são comparados entre si e com a busca por similaridade baseada apenas na distância. Os resultados experimentais indicam que os métodos propostos apresentam bom desempenho quando existem clusters com formas arbitrárias no conjunto de dados.
A Contact Network-Based Approach for Online Planning of Containment Measures for COVID-19
Authors: Thomaz Guilherme , Mauá Denis , Barros Leliane
Published: November 2020

We use data from the 2017 Origin-Destination survey to build a representative contact network for the city of São Paulo, where individuals are connected by different social relations (school, work, neighborhood, household). The network is used to devise a discrete time and state compartmental model for the spread of the COVID-19. We employed the model to compare different mitigation strategies. The results show that even simple Monte Carlo planners greatly improve the performance over reactive strategies in terms of balancing the economical and the health impacts of non-pharmaceutical interventions.
Investigando Features de Sentenças para Classificação de Subjetividade e Polaridade em Português do Brasil
Authors: Oliveira Miguel , Melo Tiago
Published: November 2020

Identificar sentenças subjetivas e calcular a polaridade destas sentenças são duas importantes tarefas de análise de sentimentos. Apesar de não serem problemas novos, a maioria das soluções são voltadas para o idioma inglês. Neste artigo, nós propusemos e avaliamos uma abordagem baseada em aprendizagem de máquina para lidar com as duas tarefas em português. Nós investigamos o uso de dois modelos de classificação e também propusemos um conjunto de características linguísticas do próprio texto. Nós experimentamos e avaliamos os métodos contra um representativo conjunto de baselines e em um conjunto diversificado de datasets. Nossa abordagem alcançou os melhores resultados nas duas tarefas e em todos os conjuntos de dados de teste.
A Multilevel Thresholding Approach Based on Improved Particle Swarm Optimization for Color Image Segmentation
Authors: Britto Larissa , Pacífico Luciano , Ludermir Teresa
Published: November 2020

In this paper, a hybrid Otsu and improved Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is presented to deal with multilevel color image thresholding problem, named APSOW. In APSOW, the historical information represented by the local best solutions found so far by PSO population are permuted among the current population, using a randomized greedy process. APSOW also implements a weedout operator to prune the worst individuals from the population. The proposed APSOW is compared to other hybrid EAs and Otsu approaches from literature (include standard PSO model) through twelve benchmark color image problems, showing its potential and robustness.
Políticas Sensíveis ao Risco para o Controle da Propagação de Doenças Infecciosas
Authors: Pastor Henrique , Freire Valdinei , Barros Leliane , Valdivia Delgado Karina
Published: November 2020

A definição de políticas de controle do espalhamento de doenças infecciosas, tais como a COVID19, é hoje um tema importante para a sociedade e para os agentes do governo, responsáveis pelas medidas de controle. A grande maioria das pesquisas recentes neste tópico usa dados do passado para estimar a evolução da doença considerando uma política arbitrária. No entanto, o uso de técnicas de planejamento automático baseadas em Processos de Decisão Markovianos (MDPs) tem se mostrado mais eficiente para a computação de políticas de controle otimizadas. Um dos modelos mais utilizados para o controle de doenças infecciosas é o "modelo SIR com vacinação" em que a dinâmica da quantidade de indivíduos suscetíveis, infectados e recuperados é controlada através de políticas de vacinação da população. Mas por se tratar de um problema que envolve vidas, também se faz necessário levar em consideração a atitude frente ao risco dos agentes tomadores de decisão. Assim, a proposta deste trabalho é usar MDPs sensíveis ao risco para encontrar políticas otimizadas de vacinação para o controle da propagação de doenças infecciosas considerando, além dos parâmetros do modelo SIR com vacinação, o parâmetro de risco. Os resultados mostram que as políticas de vacinação dependem da taxa de reprodução basal $R_0$, como esperado, bem como da atitude frente ao risco dos agentes de tomada de decisões.
Reconhecimento de Plantas Medicinais Usando Características de Cor, Textura e Forma
Authors: Britto Larissa , Pacífico Luciano , Silva Matheus , Ludermir Teresa
Published: November 2020

A correta identificação da espécie de plantas é uma tarefa importante em diversas áreas. A identificação é ainda mais importante quando o consumo e uso dessas plantas são adotados como forma de prevenção e tratamento de doenças, onde a classificação incorreta pode trazer graves consequências. Neste trabalho, um sistema automático de identificação de espécies de plantas é proposto, utilizando técnicas de aprendizagem de máquina e visão computacional. Para a avaliação experimental, uma base de dados reais de plantas medicinais, contendo características das cores, da forma e da textura das folhas, é proposta. Alguns dos principais classificadores da literatura de Aprendizagem de Máquina foram adotados e avaliados.
Filtragem de Dados de Treinamento para Aprendizagem Profunda Aplicada à Inspeção de Juntas Soldadas em Tubulações de Petróleo
Authors: Silva Rafael , Suyama Fernando , Silva Ricardo , Delgado Myriam
Published: November 2020

A inspeção de radiografias de soldas é uma tarefa essencial para a prevenção de vazamentos em tubulações da indústria petrolífera. A inspeção automática é importante para auxiliar os especialistas em uma tarefa que pode ser influenciada pela fadiga, acuidade visual e experiência. Uma dificuldade da inspeção automática é a disponibilidade de imagens laudadas que possam ser utilizadas para o treinamento de classificadores. O uso de aumento de dados auxilia nesta tarefa mas pode produzir imagens com pouco impacto ou mesmo impacto negativo no treinamento de um classificador. Neste artigo apresenta-se uma método para filtragem de imagens, de forma a favorecer o reaprendizado do classificador, processo este que se dá pela eliminação de imagens com baixo desempenho na base de treino e posterior retreinamento, com impacto positivo para a generalização do modelo de classificação. Os resultados experimentais do método mostram que a filtragem dos dados acelera o processo de aprendizado e produz uma melhora no desempenho da classificação.
A Construção de um Corpus para Detecção de Ironia e Sarcasmo em Português
Authors: Schubert Gabriel , De Freitas Larissa
Published: November 2020

O português é uma língua com poucos recursos, onde poucos trabalhos desenvolvem e disponibilizam corpora para tarefas específicas de Processamento de Língua Natural, como detecção de sarcasmo e ironia, análise de sentimento e outras. Neste trabalho, nós desenvolvemos um corpus de sarcasmo e ironia para o Português. No futuro, pretendemos desenvolver uma ferramenta que reconheça sarcasmo e ironia e utilizar o corpus apresentado neste artigo.
Accelerating Learning of Route Choices With C2I: A Preliminary Investigation
Authors: Santos Guilherme , Bazzan Ana
Published: November 2020

How to choose a route that takes you from A to B? This is an issue that is turning more and more important in modern societies. One way to address this agenda is through the use of communication between the infrastructure (network), and the demand (vehicles). In this paper, we use car-to-infrastructure (C2I) communication to investigate whether the road users (agents) can accelerate their learning process regarding route choice problem, via reinforcement learning (RL). We employ a microscopic simulator in order to compare our method with two others: RL without communication and an iterative method. Experimental results show that our method outperforms both methods in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.
Transfer learning for Twitter sentiment analysis: Choosing an effective source dataset
Authors: Guimarães Eliseu , Carvalho Jonnathan , Paes Aline , Plastino Alexandre
Published: November 2020

Sentiment analysis on social media data can be a challenging task, among other reasons, because labeled data for training is not always available. Transfer learning approaches address this problem by leveraging a labeled source domain to obtain a model for a target domain that is different but related to the source domain. However, the question that arises is how to choose proper source data for training the target classifier, which can be made considering the similarity between source and target data using distance metrics. This article investigates the relation between these distance metrics and the classifiers’ performance. For this purpose, we propose to evaluate four metrics combined with distinct dataset representations. Computational experiments, conducted in the Twitter sentiment analysis scenario, showed that the cosine similarity metric combined with bag-of-words normalized with term frequency-inverse document frequency presented the best results in terms of predictive power, outperforming even the classifiers trained with the target dataset in many cases.
Automated classification of cardiology diagnoses based on textual medical reports
Authors: Pedrosa João Antonio Oliveira , Oliveira Derick , Meira Jr. Wagner , Ribeiro Antônio
Published: November 2020

Automatic diagnoses of diseases has been a long term challenge for Computer Science and related disciplines. Textual clinical reports can be used as a great source of data for such diagnoses. However, building classification models from them is not a trivial task. The problem tackled in this work is the identification of the medical diagnoses that are indicated in these reports. In the past, several methods have been proposed for addressing this problem, but a method developed for reports in the cardiology area that are written in Portuguese is still needed. In this paper we describe a method that is able to handle the peculiarities of clinical reports, including the medical terminology, and that is implemented to estimate correctly the disease based on raw clinical reports and a list of the possible diagnoses. Experimental results show that our method has a high degree of accuracy, even for infrequent classes and complex databases.
Prediction of Environmental Conditions for Maritime Navigation using a Network of Sensors: A Practical Application of Graph Neural Networks
Authors: Netto Caio , Tannuri Eduardo , Mauá Denis , Cozman Fábio
Published: November 2020

This paper describes a real application of graphical neural networks (GNNs) in the dynamic estimation of spatially distributed buoys that are of central importance in maritime navigation. We describe the techniques we used to process both data and background knowledge about the domain, indicating why GNNs are particularly well suited for this sort of task. We report our empirical results, demonstrating that GNNs profitably use the avaible relational structure.
The Impact of Prior Advance Care Planning Documentation on End-of-Life Care Provision in Long-Term Care
Authors: Siu Henry Y.H. , Elston Dawn , Arora Neha , Vahrmeyer Amie , Kaasalainen Sharon , Chidwick Paula , Borhan Sayem , Howard Michelle , Heyland Daren K.
Published: November 2020

Background
The impact of prior advance care planning (ACP) documentation on substitute decision-makers’ (SDMs) knowledge of values for end-of-life (EOL) care, and its correlation with SDM satisfaction with EOL care provision, have not been assessed in long-term care (LTC).
Methods
A cross-sectional survey of 2,595 SDMs from 27 LTC homes assessed: 1) knowledge of pre-existing ACP documentation and values for EOL care, and 2) the importance and satisfaction of EOL care provision in LTC. Knowledge of values for EOL care was compared to administrative documentation. Importance and satisfaction were plotted on a performance-importance grid. Multiple linear regression assessed whether knowledge of pre-existing ACP documentation correlated with satisfaction.
Results
The response rate was 25% (658/2,595); 69% of LTC residents had pre-existing ACP documentation. Discordance was noted between SDMs’ knowledge of values for EOL care and administrative documentation. Pre-existing knowledge of ACP documentation was not correlated with EOL care provision satisfaction. Priority areas for increasing satisfaction include illness management, SDM communication, and relationships with LTC clinicians.
Conclusions
The discordance between SDMs’ knowledge of values for EOL care and formal documentation needs to be addressed. Although pre-existing ACP documentation does not impact satisfaction, EOL care provision could be improved by targeting illness management, SDM communication, and relationships with LTC clinicians.
Assessment of a Cognitive-Motor Training Program in Adults at Risk for Developing Dementia
Authors: Echlin Holly V. , Gorbet Diana J. , Sergio Lauren E.
Published: November 2020

Background
With the prevalence of dementia increasing each year, pre-clinically implemented therapeutic interventions are needed. It has been suggested that cascading neural network failures may bring on behavioural deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Methods
Previously we have shown that cognitive-motor integration (CMI) training in adults with cognitive impairments generalized to improved global cognitive and activities of daily living scores. Here we employ a novel movement control–based training approach involving CMI rather than traditional cognition-only brain training. We hypothesized that such training would stimulate widespread neural networks and enhance rule-based visuomotor ability in at-risk individuals.
Results
We observed a significant improvement in bimanual coordination in the at-risk training group. We also observed significant decreases in movement variability for the most complex CMI condition in the at-risk and healthy training groups.
Conclusions
These data suggest that integrating cognition into action in a training intervention may be effective at strengthening vulnerable brain networks in asymptomatic adults at risk for developing dementia.
Blood Pressure Targets for Older Patients—Do Advanced Age and Frailty Really Not Matter?
Authors: Giffin Amanda , Madden Kenneth M. , Hogan David B.
Published: November 2020

In 2017, Hypertension Canada removed advanced age and frailty as considerations for caution when deciding on intensive therapy in their guidelines for the diagnosis, risk assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension in adults. Dementia is not mentioned. In this commentary, we review why advanced age and frailty were removed, and examine what is currently known about the relationship between hypertension and both incident and prevalent dementia. We make the case that the presence of frailty (especially when severe) and dementia should be considered when deciding on intensive therapy in future iterations of Hypertension Canada guidelines.
Das Private im Ghetto
Authors: Haas Carlos Alberto
Published: November 2020

Nähe und Distanz im Ghetto: Das Private unter radikalen Bedingungen.

Unmittelbar mit Beginn des Zweiten Weltkriegs im September 1939 veränderte sich das Leben der jüdischen Bevölkerung Polens fundamental. Die deutschen Besatzer zogen Juden in Ghettos zusammen, in denen existentiell bedrohliche Bedingungen herrschten. Wie gingen die Bewohner mit der neuen Situation um, vor allem mit der räumlichen Enge und den neuen zeitlichen Abläufen? Wie gelang es ihnen, weiterhin Nähe oder Distanz zu ihren Mitmenschen aufrechtzuerhalten? Konnten sie aus den tiefgreifenden Veränderungen ihres Alltags auf Dynamiken der Vernichtung schließen?
Carlos Alberto Haas stellt erstmals die Frage nach dem Privaten im Ghetto. Am Beispiel der Ghettos in Warschau, Litzmannstadt, Tomaschow und Petrikau untersucht er die Transformationen privaten Lebens und die sozialen Auswirkungen, die diese auf das Leben der Bewohner hatten. Dabei verbindet Haas die Mikroperspektive der Alltagsgeschichte mit grundlegenden Fragen, die über das Individuelle hinausgehen, und analysiert die zeitgenössischen Deutungsmöglichkeiten der Opfer des Holocaust.

Die Arbeit wurde 2018 mit dem Promotionspreis der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft ausgezeichnet.
Dermatological Manifestations of COVID-19 in Children
Authors: Athwani Vivek , Gothwal Sunil
Published: November 2020

: Coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) primarily has a respiratory system and multi-systemic involvement. Respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms are predominantly seen in children. In adults, few COVID-19 cases are reported with cutaneous manifestations. Although children are less severely affected by COVID-19, there is increasing evidence for skin involvement, which is in the form of chilblain (e.g., lesions, vesicular, and maculopapular) and erythema multiforme (e.g., rash). Also, few COVID-19 cases are presented with a clinical picture of atypical Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome, later defined as pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PMIS). The present study aims to summarize various skin lesions with COVID-19.
Evaluation of structural response of composite steel-concrete eccentrically buckling-restrained braced frames
Authors: Bahrami Alireza , Heidari Mahmood
Published: November 2020

The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the structural response of composite steel-concrete eccentrically buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs). The finite element (FE) software ABAQUS is employed to nonlinearly analyse the BRBFs. Comparing the modelling and experimental test results validates the FE modelling method of the BRBF. Three different strong earthquake records of Tabas, Northridge, and Chi-Chi are selected for the nonlinear dynamic analyses. A BRBF is then designed having a shear link. Afterwards, the designed BRBF is analysed under the selected earthquake records using the validated modelling method. The lateral displacements, base shears, and energy dissipations of the frame and shear link rotations are achieved from the analyses of the BRBF. The results are compared and discussed. The obtained BRBF results are also compared with their corresponding steel eccentrically braced frame (EBF) results. It is concluded that the BRBF can generally accomplish the improved structural response compared with the EBF under the earthquake records. Meanwhile, the BRBF has larger base shear capacity than the EBF. Moreover, the BRBF dissipates more energy than the EBF.
PHYSICOMECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSIT MATERIALS ON BASIS OF COPPER AND POLYOLEFINS
Authors: Allakhverdieva Khayala V.
Published: November 2020

The paper presents the results of a study of the effect of copper concentration on the physicomechanical properties of composites based on high density polyethylene and low density polyethylene. The properties of metal-filled composites, such as ultimate tensile stress, elongation at break, elastic module, melt flow rate, and heat resistance, were studied. Loading of copper into the composition of low density polyethylene contributes to a monotonic increase in the ultimate tensile stress and the elastic module. When copper is loading into the composition of high density polyethylene, on the contrary, a natural decrease in the ultimate tensile stress and elongation at break of the composites is observed. It is shown that when using a compatibilizer, which is polyethylene modified with maleic anhydride, a significant increase in the ultimate tensile stress of high and low density polyethylene composites is observed. A schematic representation of the structure of composites with an interpretation of the probable mechanism of hardening of the material in the presence of a compatibilizer is given. It is shown that the crystallinity of the initial polyethylene has a significant effect on the hardening effect of composites. It is assumed that polyethylene of high density macrochains free of maleic anhydride are involved in the formation of crystalline formations, and small sections of macrosegments containing polar groups are concentrated mainly in amorphous regions and in defects in crystalline structures in the form of passage chains. The concentration of copolymer of polyethylene with maleic anhydride macrosegments in the narrow amorphous space of polyethylene of high density favorably affects the increase in the adhesive forces of interaction on the surface of copper particles, which affects the preservation of the ultimate tensile stress at a relatively high level over a wide range of copper concentrations.
KINETICS OF OZONE REACTIONS WITH ADENINE AND CYTOSINE IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
Authors: Maksyutova Aigul A. , Khaynasova Elvina R. , Zimin Yuriy S.
Published: November 2020

The ultraviolet spectroscopy method has been applied to study the kinetics of the ozone reactions with nitrogenous bases (NB), namely adenine and cytosine in aqueous solutions. At the first research stage, the range of NB working concentrations has been determined. It was found that linear dependences between optical densities and concentrations of nitrogenous bases aqueous solutions are quite reliable, with correlation coefficients r ≥ 0.998, are satisfied up to [NB] = 2.3 ∙ 10–4 mol/l. According to the Bouguer-Lambert-Beer law, adenine and cytosine extinction coefficients in aqueous solutions were determined and subsequently used to calculate their residual concentrations. At the next stage, the kinetics of nitrogenous bases ozonized oxidation was studied with equal initial concentrations of the starting substances ([NB]0 = [О3]0). The results revealed that the kinetic consumption curves of the starting reagents are fairly well linearized (r ≥ 0.996) in the second-order reaction equation coordinates. As found with the bubbling installation, 1 mol of the absorbed ozone falls on 1 mol of the used NB. Thus, the reactions of ozone with adenine and cytosine explicitly proceed according to the second-order kinetic laws (the first – according to О3 and the first – according to NB). The rate constants were calculated by the integral reaction equations, the values of which indicate a higher ozone reactivity in relation to nitrogen bases. The temperature dependences of the second-order rate constants was studied ranging 285-309 K, and the activation parameters (pre-exponential factors and activation energies) of the ozone reactions with adenine and cytosine in aqueous solutions were determined.
SIMULATION OF REINFORCEMENT DEGREE OF NANOCOMPOSITES ELASTOMER/2D-NANOFILLER
Authors: Kozlov Georgii V. , Dolbin Igor V.
Published: November 2020

Three schemes of modeling of reinforcement degree of nanocomposites polymer/2D-nanofiller with elastomeric matrix were proposed, differing principally from used ones earlier. These schemes do not used nominal characteristics of nanofiller (its modulus of elasticity, anisotropy degree), yet allow to obtain real (effective) values of these parameters. It has been shown, that modulus of elasticity of 2D-nanofiller aggregates in polymer matrix of nanocomposite is a function of stiffness of the indicated matrix. The other analogous model assumes the dependence of modulus of elasticity of 2D-nanofiller on its aggregation degree in polymer matrix, expressed by number of nanofiller separate platelets per one aggregate (“packet” or tactoid). The combination of these approaches allows to predict the real degree of nanofiller anisotropy and then reinforcement degree of nanocomposite. One more scheme uses the structure of nanofiller aggregates, characterized by its fractal dimension, for modeling of reinforcement degree of nanocomposites. The obtained real modulus of elasticity of 2D-nanofiller is in 5 orders of value smaller relatively to its nominal magnitude. The application of real (effective) characteristics of nanofiller allows to simulate reinforcement degree of nanocomposite within the framework of simple mixtures rule. Nanocomposites elastomer/2D-nanofiller are enough conservative systems, for which real anisotropy degree and structure of nanofiller aggregates do not depend on its content. This circumstance simplifies perceptibly prediction of mechanical properties of these nanocomposites.
Buckwheat selection for resistance to extreme environmental factors
Authors: Vilchynska L. A. , Horodyska O. P. , Diyanchuk M. V.
Published: November 2020

Aim. Based on the usage of samples from the buckwheat genus collection, create and evaluate new source material for drought tolerance, productivity, and quality indicators. Methods. Testing, material evaluation, analysis of plants, yield and grain quality were carried out in accordance with the generally accepted methods of the State variety testing. Results. A laboratory and field assessment of the initial parental forms selected from the collection of the buckwheat genus, involved in hybridization and hybrid combinations based on them based on drought tolerance in the conditions of Podilskyi State Agrarian and Engineering University during 2006–2019 was carried out. It was revealed that the donors for creating new source material on the basis of drought tolerance are the varieties Skorostyhla 86, Smuglianka, Kazanka, Alyonushka, and Veselka. Buckwheat numbers 7/07, 8/07, 2/07, 24/06 have a vegetation period shorter by 5–12 days, drought tolerance 35,4–47,3 % higher, 0,3–0,7 t higher / ha grain yield and high quality indicators compared with the standard Victoria variety. Conclusions. Selected samples with economically valuable traits (7/06, 4/07, 23/06, 5/07, 6/07, 16/07, 15/07, 25/06, 24/06, 22/06) use in breeding programs to create more drought-resistant buckwheat varieties with high yield and grain quality.

Keywords: buckwheat, selection, drought tolerance, express method, productivity and quality indicators.
Assessment of winter bread wheat samples for yield and ecological plasticity
Authors: Zaika Ye. V.
Published: November 2020

Aim. The aim of our work was to evaluate winter wheat samples on yielding and environmental plasticity for further use as a initial material to create a variety adapted to the Forest-steppe conditions. Methods. Working collection of 30 varieties of Ukrainian and foreign breeding on yield and economically valuable features was characterized in the field condition of Forest-Steppe. Regression analysis was used to determine the coefficient of ecological stability and plasticity. Results. The results of the study of breeding samples indicate the difference in yielding of the genotypes. Varieties that characterized by high environmental plasticity and yield and significantly outperformed the standard variety Podolyanka were Akteur (235 g/m2), Voloshkova (222 g/m2), Smuhlianka (241 g/m2), Lisova Pisnia (283 g/m2), Sarlota (215 g/m2), Perlyna Lisostepu (266 g/m2), Polisska-90 (237 g/m2), Stolychna (290 g/m2). Conclusions. The results obtained indicate that the tested varieties have high potential productivity and respond positively to the improvement of growing conditions, so they can be used as parent components in the creation of high-intensity varieties for Polissia and Forest-steppe.

Keywords: winter bread wheat, plasticity, stability, adaptability.