bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sobrecarga biopsicossocial e estresse do cuidador de idoso dependente
Authors: Santos Mariana Bastos dos , Leite Eliana De Paula , Alfredo Patrícia Pereira , Rodrigues Jacqueline Rossi Alvares
Published: August 2018

Objetivo: Avaliar a sobrecarga biopsicossocial e o estresse de cuidadores informais de idosos dependentes. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo transversal de abordagem quantitativa. Foram incluídos 14 cuidadores informais de idosos dependentes, acompanhados pela Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) na Unidade de Saúde da Família do Território São Bento, no município de Sorocaba, São Paulo. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevista no domicílio. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: um questionário semiestruturado, contendo variáveis sociodemográficas; o Índice de Katz, para avaliação do grau de dependência dos idosos; e a Escala Zarit Burden Interview, para avaliação da sobrecarga dos cuidadores. Em seguida, foi realizada única intervenção de exercícios físicos com duração média de 30 minutos e feita a entrega de uma cartilha ilustrativa, incluindo exercícios de alongamentos globais e orientações fisioterapêuticas. Resultados: Os estudos encontrados apontaram que os cuidadores informais apresentam sobrecarga moderada a severa; também se verificou que, para o estado civil, os sem companheiro (separados, solteiros ou viúvos) tendem a ter maior nível de sobrecarga que os casados/com companheiro. Conclusão: Os cuidadores informais de idosos dependentes apresentam sobrecarga biopsicossocial moderada a severa em sua rotina diária, fator que possibilita que os cuidadores sejam doentes em potencial e com capacidade funcional constantemente em risco. Os profissionais de saúde precisam buscar uma atenção centrada na família, ampliar seus conhecimentos no processo saúde-doença e da necessidade de intervenções que ultrapassa as práticas curativas.
Indicators to guide health equity work in local public health agencies: a locally driven collaborative project in Ontario
Authors: Cohen Benita , Salter Katherine , Kothari Anita , Janzen Le Ber Marlene , Lemieux Suzanne , Moran Kathy , Wai Caroline , Antonello Deborah , Robson Jordan , Salvaterra Rosana
Published: August 2018

Introduction

Funded by a Public Health Ontario ‘Locally Driven Collaborative Project’
grant, a team led by public health practitioners set out to develop and test a comprehensive
set of indicators to guide health equity work in local public health agencies (LPHAs).

Methods

The project began with a scoping review, consultation with content experts,
and development of a face-validated set of indicators aligned with the four public health
roles to address health inequities (NCCDH, 2014), plus a fifth set of indicators related to
an organizational and system development role. We report here on the field testing of
the indicators for feasibility, face validity (clarity, relevance), reliability, and comparability
in four Ontario LPHAs. Data were collected by two separate individuals or groups
at each site, during two consecutive periods. These individuals participated in separate
focus groups at the end of each test period, which further examined indicator clarity,
data source availability and relevance. A third focus group explored anticipated indicator
uses.

Results

Field testing showed that indicators addressed important issues in all public
health roles. Although the capacity for indicator use varied, all test sites found the indicators
useful. Suggestions for improved clarity were used to refine the final set of indicators,
and to develop a Health Equity Indicator User Guide with background information
and recommended resources.

Conclusion

The process of evaluating health equity-related activity within LPHAs is
still in its early stages. This project provides Ontario LPHAs with a tool to guide health
equity work that may be adaptable to other Canadian jurisdictions.
Imagem e Conhecimento: uma edição especial e uma nova seção
Authors: Bonfiglioli Cristina Pontes
Published: August 2018

Imagem e Conhecimento: uma edição especial e uma nova seção
O conhecimento das imagens populares: psicologia social e experiência estética nos construtores e arquiteturas fantásticas.
Authors: Andriolo Arley
Published: August 2018

O reconhecimento de objetos produzidos pelas classes populares como objetos de arte corresponde a um processo histórico situado entre os séculos XIX e XX. Aqueles objetos foram qualificados por termos como “revolucionário” e “anticapitalista”. Dentre as obras arquitetônicas, surgiram imagens inventivas e fantásticas, as quais concentram um problema acerca do conhecimento das imagens populares. O estudo dessa questão situa-se em dois campos entrecruzados: 1) o campo artístico, com seu habitus e suas regras; 2) o campo do folclore, com suas regras próprias. Em ambos, o conhecimento da imagem está limitado, pois não se discute o significado próprio da experiência e do seu imaginário originário. Este artigo procura examinar essa questão, cujo resultado é a proposição de três elementos fundamentais para o conhecimento da imagem, nos termos de arte, imaginação e experiência estética.
O gesto do selfie: seria o selfie um Nachleben?
Authors: Serva Leão , Baitello Jr. Norval
Published: August 2018

A epidemia do selfie no século 21 pode ser apenas a continuidade, potencializada por uma tecnologia nova, de movimentos humanos presentes desde a Antiguidade. Gestos arcaicos considerados tanto no âmbito do desejo de expressar a identidade do autor de imagens diversas (como são os casos das mãos impressas em paredes de cavernas por autores de pinturas rupestres), quanto no repertório propriamente da gestualidade humana expressiva de emoções. Este é o caso dos gestos de expressão do pathos vitorioso, por exemplo, como definiu o pensador alemão Aby Warburg (1866-1929) na transição do século 19 para o 20. Warburg dedicou-se a detectar a presença continuada de elementos da cultura antiga nos tempos posteriores, nos jogos infantis, nos mitos renovados, na composição pelos artistas do Renascimento de obras que usam imagens idênticas a outras, tantas gregas ou romanas, entre outras formas de manifestação que ele denominou Nachleben der Antike ou vitalidade das formas antigas. O conceito de Warburg parece encarnar-se no gestual da pessoa contemporânea que faz um selfie quando se vê a antiga estátua de Apolo, no Museu do Louvre, em que ele parece produzir um selfie depois de alcançar a vitória sobre a serpente Píton.. Warburg também inspira perguntas, como a que dá título a este texto: Será o selfie um Nachleben? Será que o movimento que fazemos para produzir uma autofotografia digital é uma manifestação da presença continuada de um gesto ancestral?
Glossário Iconofágico de Norval Baitello Jr. Entrevista com Norval Baitello Jr.
Authors: Oliveira Danielle Naves de , Viviani Ana Elisa Antunes
Published: August 2018

Glossário Iconofágico de Norval Baitello Jr.  Entrevista com Norval Baitello Jr.
Planning Economic Contributions and Resource Allocation for Military Capability Development – The Case of Romania –
Authors: Dumitrache Vlad Ionuţ , Grosaru Florin Eduard
Published: August 2018

The Wales Summit in 2014 has meant a shift in paradigm in terms of defense expenditures for NATO member states. This was the case not just because of the general consensus that at least 2 % of the national GDP would be spent on defense, but also because another stipulation was that from that 2 %, at least 20 % would go on equipment acquisition and procurement. With new requirements on expenditures new strategies for defense planning have been implementing. Connecting contributions to capabilities through resource management is a new challenge for MoDs of NATO Members States. It is the aim of this paper to analyze how the Romanian national MoND has developed its own capabilities since 2014 and how the options for the years to come look in terms of defense spending, defense planning and resource allocation
Experimental validation of theoretical calculation and numerical simulation for optimization of divers’s breathing apparatus
Authors: Stanciu Tamara , Scupi Andrei , Dinu Dumitru
Published: August 2018

In order to optimize the breathing apparatus in the open circuit for divers, theoretical calculus and numerical simulation of resistances specific to the potential flow of gas through the studied circuit were made. Respiratory gas flow simulation through three constructive versions of the second stage pressure reducer intake mechanism was done after modeling the respiratory air circuit through the two main restrictors: the first variable (between the seat and the piston) and the second fixed (the hole in the cylindrical piston). The results regarding the theoretical calculation and numerical simulation have been validated by experimental testing of two of the studied models. Experimental measurements were made on a tester at the Diving Center of Constanta's Hyperbaric Laboratory. The volume flow rate of supplied respiratory gas was recorded, together with the inspire depression that opens the mechanism, until the maximum flow rate for each constructive version. After validating the results of the theoretical calculation and numerical simulation on the two models, the conclusion is the same: the resistance decreases if the geometry of the cylindrical hole in the piston (the second fixed restrictor) changes in a conical hole
Editorial for the special issue: “Novel Solutions or Novel Approaches in Operational Research”
Authors: Drobne Samo , Dumičić Ksenija , Zadnik Lidija
Published: August 2018

Background Determining the location, boundaries and areas of land properties accurately in the land cadastre is essential. The named data are provided using coordinates, acquired from field measurements. Since 2008, the Slovenian land cadastre claims positioning in the national realization of the ETRS89, so the GNSS use is practically indispensable. Objectives: Contrary to real-time, we can change parameters in GNSS post-processing. The aim of this paper is to simulate different measurement conditions for GNSS in order to determine how to acquire the best possible coordinates for further use in land area calculation. Methods/Approach: Simulations of obstacles near points followed the increasing of the cut-off angle. Furthermore, shortening the observation interval resulted in different occupation duration. The final condition evaluation for coordinate quality acquisition followed from fuzzy logic. Results: The results show that for short baselines, occupation duration is the most important factor in acquiring high quality coordinates and avoiding the multipath. Differences in coordinates from specific strategies can sometimes exceed the tolerance and evidently affect the area calculation. Conclusions: The findings confirm that only good measurement conditions lead to high quality coordinates and well-defined areas of land properties, which are the fundamental factor in relation to the issues of property valuation and assessing land taxes or rents.
Neural Network Approach in Forecasting Realized Variance Using High-Frequency Data
Authors: Arnerić Josip , Poklepović Tea , Teai Juin Wen
Published: August 2018

Background: Since high-frequency data have become available, an unbiased volatility estimator, i.e. realized variance (RV) can be computed. Commonly used models for RV forecasting suffer from strong persistence with a high sensitivity to the returns distribution assumption and they use only daily returns. Objectives: The main objective is measurement and forecasting of RV. Two approaches are compared: Heterogeneous AutoRegressive model (HAR-RV) and Feedforward Neural Networks (FNNs). Even though HAR-RV-type models describe RV stylized facts very well, they ignore its nonlinear behaviour. Therefore, FNN-HAR-type models are developed. Methods/Approach: Firstly, an optimal sampling frequency with application to the DAX index is chosen. Secondly, in and out of sample predictions within HAR models and FNNs are compared using RMSE, AIC, the Wald test and the DM test. Weights of FNN-HAR-type models are estimated using the BP algorithm. Results: The optimal sampling frequency of RV is 10 minutes. Within HAR-type models, HAR-RV-J has better, but not significant, forecasting performances, while FNN-HAR-J and FNNLHAR- J have significantly better predictive accuracy in comparison to the FNN-HAR model. Conclusions: Compared to the traditional ones, FNN-HAR-type models are better in capturing nonlinear behaviour of RV. FNN-HAR-type models have better accuracy compared to traditional HAR-type models, but only on the sample data, whereas their out-of-sample predictive accuracy is approximately equal.
Autonomous Sensor Data Cleaning in Stream Mining Setting
Authors: Kenda Klemen , Mladenić Dunja
Published: August 2018

Background: Internet of Things (IoT), earth observation and big scientific experiments are sources of extensive amounts of sensor big data today. We are faced with large amounts of data with low measurement costs. A standard approach in such cases is a stream mining approach, implying that we look at a particular measurement only once during the real-time processing. This requires the methods to be completely autonomous. In the past, very little attention was given to the most time-consuming part of the data mining process, i.e. data pre-processing. Objectives: In this paper we propose an algorithm for data cleaning, which can be applied to real-world streaming big data. Methods/Approach: We use the short-term prediction method based on the Kalman filter to detect admissible intervals for future measurements. The model can be adapted to the concept drift and is useful for detecting random additive outliers in a sensor data stream. Results: For datasets with low noise, our method has proven to perform better than the method currently commonly used in batch processing scenarios. Our results on higher noise datasets are comparable. Conclusions: We have demonstrated a successful application of the proposed method in real-world scenarios including the groundwater level, server load and smart-grid data
Energy Consumption as an Indicator of Hidden Economy: Comparative Analysis
Authors: Novkovska Blagica , Dumičić Ksenija
Published: August 2018

Background: Hidden economy presents a major concern for all national economies, particularly for those of developing countries. Objectives: In this work, methods for determination of the size of hidden economy are discussed. Particular attention is devoted to the methods using electricity consumption as an indicator (the Lackó method and the Kaufmann and Kaliberda method). Methods/Approach: The modified Lackó method adapted for a single country and the sophisticated Kaufmann and Kaliberda method have been used. Results: It has been shown that such methods are effective in measurement of the hidden economy extent in small open economies exposed to severe external influences. The article presents results for Macedonia and their comparison with results for Croatia, as a good role-model for other states in Western Balkans. Conclusions: Model methods involving energy consumption are particularly efficient in determination of the size of the hidden economic sector in small open economies as those of the Western Balkan countries
Temperature Monitoring of Marsh Landscapes and Development of Exogenous Processes in the West Siberian Plain (Russia)
Authors: Korkin Sergey , Korkina Elena , Kail Elena
Published: August 2018

The research touches upon marsh landscapes in the context of temperature monitoring and in connection with exogenous processes during engineering intervention. The monitoring of temperature regimes was conducted in the mid-taiga subzone of marsh landscapes for revealing the dynamics of exogenous processes. The authors used the method of recording systems for the field measurement of the temperature of the peat and underlying soils. The measurements were conducted on a territory that belongs to the middle taiga landscapes of Western Siberia. The authors of the research analyze the data obtained from thermowells 5, 5a and 6. During the observation period of 2015-2016, the average annual temperature was 8.3 ºC for thermowell 5a (technogenic area), which is 3.8 ºC and 4.2 ºC higher than the average annual values of thermowell 5 and thermowell 6 respectively. The latter belongs to natural marsh landscapes. Observations conducted in 2016-2017 confirmed this fact with a difference of 4.8 ºC and 3.7 ºC for thermowells 5 and 6 respectively. As compared to natural marsh landscapes not affected by man-made impact, a higher temperature was observed on soils, which affects the manifestation of exogenous processes.
Sequential extraction of carbonaceous siltstone rock for multi-element analysis by ICP OES
Authors: Junussov Medet , Mádai Ferenc , Olivér Bánhidi
Published: August 2018

The carbonaceous siltstone rock material is a disseminated sulfide-rich sedimentary rock from a sediment-hosted gold deposit of Bakyrchik. The Bakyrchik deposit is located in Eastern Kazakhstan, which includes in Qalba gold province. The main purpose of this paper is a demonstration on chemical extraction of heavy metals from the carbonaceous siltstone rock and detection of its elemental concentrations. In the work was used a rock sample from the deposit which is a sericizited carbonaceous-siltstone rock. In sequential extraction method was selected four stages such as water soluble fraction (reaction with deionized water) for extraction of water soluble metals, reducible metal fraction (reaction with hydroxyl ammonium chloride) for extracting all reducible metals, organics and sulfides (reaction with hydrogen peroxide) for dissolution of organics and copper sulfide, and extraction of metal oxides and residual fraction (reaction with aqua regia) for extracting of all remaining metals.

The paper comprises analytical methods for research outlooks. They are X-Ray Diffraction (determination of mineralogical composition), X-Ray Fluorescence (determination of chemical composition) and Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (determination of heavy metal concentrations).
Data rate profiles of coded/uncoded power line channel with single-carrier/multicarrier modulation techniques
Authors: Adebisi Samuel , Oyetunji Samson A.
Published: August 2018

The power-line communication (PLC) technique involves sending information through an electrical conductor for a commercial or domestic purpose. Lately, electronic means of communication have gained popularity for the transfer of information. Conversely, there is an increased requirement for more transmission media, like the use of power line as a communication channel for remote data delivery. This paper focuses on determining the data rate profile achievable using the single-carrier/multicarrier modulation techniques with Reed- Solomon concatenated convolutional (RS-CC) codes for data transmission through a power line channel. In this investigation, MATLAB/SIMULINK was used to explore a low-voltage power line as a communication channel for high data transmission rate. Data transmission was accomplished by utilizing a parametric model of a power line channel with the different kinds of noise considered in the simulation. In the designed power-line communication (PLC) system, single-carrier modulation offered a maximum of 14.4 Mbps reduction in the data rate when the uncoded 64-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) was compared to coded 64-QAM with 1/2 forward error correction (FEC). In the OFDM power-line communication (PLC) system, the decrease in the data rate was maximal at 39 Mbps when the uncoded 16-QAM was contrasted with the 16-QAM having 1/2 FEC. It was evident that the increased code rate of the PLC system using single-carrier and OFDM modulation implied increased data rate profiles
An attempt of finding an appropriate number of convolutional layers in cnns based on benchmarks of heterogeneous datasets
Authors: Romanuke Vadim V.
Published: August 2018

An attempt of finding an appropriate number of convolutional layers in convolutional neural networks is made. The benchmark datasets are CIFAR-10, NORB and EEACL26, whose diversity and heterogeneousness must serve for a general applicability of a rule presumed to yield that number. The rule is drawn from the best performances of convolutional neural networks built with 2 to 12 convolutional layers. It is not an exact best number of convolutional layers but the result of a short process of trying a few versions of such numbers. For small images (like those in CIFAR-10), the initial number is 4. For datasets that have a few tens of image categories and more, initially setting five to eight convolutional layers is recommended depending on the complexity of the dataset. The fuzziness in the rule is not removable because of the required diversity and heterogeneousness
Digital Transformation of Business Models
Authors: Kotarba Marcin
Published: August 2018

The goal of the article is to present the scope of changes in the morphology of business models in contemporary organizations that took place in the recent decades, because of the massive technological development, framed under the concept of “digital transformation (DT).” An enhanced business model canvas concept is used as a base for presenting the changes, with a general time cutoff set in the year 2000. For the period before and after this measurement date, key elements of the business model and the drivers of their transformation are documented in a structured form and commented, together with practical conclusions and proposed further study areas
Klein-Beltrami Model. Part I
Authors: Coghetto Roland
Published: August 2018

Tim Makarios (with Isabelle/HOL1) and John Harrison (with HOL-Light2) shown that “the Klein-Beltrami model of the hyperbolic plane satisfy all of Tarski’s axioms except his Euclidean axiom” [3], [4], [14], [5].

With the Mizar system [2], [7] we use some ideas are taken from Tim Makarios’ MSc thesis [13] for the formalization of some definitions (like the absolute) and lemmas necessary for the verification of the independence of the parallel postulate. This work can be also treated as further development of Tarski’s geometry in the formal setting [6]. Note that the model presented here, may also be called “Beltrami-Klein Model”, “Klein disk model”, and the “Cayley-Klein model” [1].
Diophantine sets. Preliminaries
Authors: Pąk Karol
Published: August 2018

In this article, we define Diophantine sets using the Mizar formalism. We focus on selected properties of multivariate polynomials, i.e., functions of several variables to show finally that the class of Diophantine sets is closed with respect to the operations of union and intersection.

This article is the next in a series [1], [5] aiming to formalize the proof of Matiyasevich’s negative solution of Hilbert’s tenth problem.
β-Glucan and parasites
Authors: Vetvicka V. , Fernandez-Botran R.
Published: August 2018

Immunosuppression caused by parasitic infections represents the foremost way by which the parasites overcome or escape the host’s immune response. Glucan is a well-established natural immunomodulator with the ability to significantly improve immune system, from innate immunity to both branches of specific immunity. Our review is focused on the possible role of glucan’s action in antiparasite therapies and vaccine strategies. We concluded that the established action of glucan opens a new window in treatment and protection against parasitic infections.
Changes in salicylic acid content and pathogenesis - related (PR2) gene expression during barley - Pyrenophora teres interaction
Authors: Al-Daoude A. , Jawhar M. , Al-Shehadah E. , Shoaib A. , Orfi M. , Arabi M.I.E
Published: August 2018

Net blotch (NB), caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Pyrenophora teres f. teres, substantially reduces barley grain yield and quality worldwide. The role of salicylic acid (SA) signaling in NB resistance has been poorly documented. In this study, SA levels as well as the expression of the SA-responsive gene PR2 were monitored in infected leaves of two barley genotypes, Banteng (resistant) and WI2291 (susceptible), at different time points of infection. SA signaling was activated in bothgenotypes 24 hours post infection (hpi) as compared with non-inoculated plants. However, with or without pathogen pretreatment, SA signifi cantly increased (P=0.001) in Banteng comparing with WI2291. RT-PCR analysis revealed that PR2 expression increases in the resistant and susceptible genotypes over the inoculation time points, with maximum expression (6.4 and 1.99-fold, respectively) observed 6 dpi. PR2 expression was paralleled by an increase in leaf SA content as shown by the test coincidence (F3, 32 = 4.74, P = 0.001). Based on barley genotype resistance levels, our data strengthen the idea that SA signaling and PR2 play a role in barley NB reduction
Some New ‘Short Games’ Within a Set of Tennis
Authors: Pollard G. , Barnett T.
Published: August 2018

Recently there has been an interest in developing tennis scoring systems that involve playing a fewer number of points on average. In devising such ‘shorter’ tennis scoring systems, it would be ideal for them to also have the following four characteristics: A smaller standard deviation of duration, a similar value for the probability that the better player wins, an increased efficiency, and a greater average excitement per point played. Thus, in total there are five considerations when devising such new scoring systems. Quite often in this type of study a scoring system that is ‘better’ with regard to one of these characteristics is ‘worse’ with regard to another (or others). In this paper we outline some new tennis scoring systems that have improvements in all (or almost all) of these five characteristics. We identify 3 or 4 different game structures that could be useful for tournaments. A common thread in the approach taken is the elimination of unimportant and unexciting points within the game structure. The choice of which is the most appropriate new format for a particular tournament would depend amongst other things on the planned reduction in the expected set duration
Comparison of Different Time-Frequency Analyses Techniques Based on sEMG-Signals in Table Tennis: A Case Study
Authors: Lin B. , Wong S. F. , Baca A.
Published: August 2018

The surface EMG signal in the action of dynamic contraction has more movement interference compared to sustained static contractions. In addition, the recruitment and de-recruitment of motor units causes a faster change in the surface EMG signal’s proprieties. Therefore, more complex techniques are required to extract information from the surface EMG signal. The standardized protocol for surface myoelectric signal measurement in table tennis was a case study in this research area. The Autoregressive method based on the Akaike Information Criterion, the Wavelet method based on intensity analysis, and the Hilbert-Huang transform method were used to estimate the muscle fatigue and non-fatigue condition. The result was that the Hilbert-Huang transform method was shown to be more reliable and accurate for studying the biceps brachii muscle in both conditions. However, the Wavelet method based on intensity analysis is more reliable and accurate for the pectoralis major muscle, deltoideus anterior muscle and deltoideus medialis muscle. The results suggest that different time-frequency analysis techniques influence different muscle analyses based on surface EMG signals in fatigue and non-fatigue conditions
Learning and decision-making in artificial animals
Authors: Strannegård Claes , Svangård Nils , Lindström David , Bach Joscha , Steunebrink Bas
Published: August 2018

A computational model for artificial animals (animats) interacting with real or artificial ecosystems is presented. All animats use the same mechanisms for learning and decisionmaking. Each animat has its own set of needs and its own memory structure that undergoes continuous development and constitutes the basis for decision-making. The decision-making mechanism aims at keeping the needs of the animat as satisfied as possible for as long as possible. Reward and punishment are defined in terms of changes to the level of need satisfaction. The learning mechanisms are driven by prediction error relating to reward and punishment and are of two kinds: multi-objective local Q-learning and structural learning that alter the architecture of the memory structures by adding and removing nodes. The animat model has the following key properties: (1) autonomy: it operates in a fully automatic fashion, without any need for interaction with human engineers. In particular, it does not depend on human engineers to provide goals, tasks, or seed knowledge. Still, it can operate either with or without human interaction; (2) generality: it uses the same learning and decision-making mechanisms in all environments, e.g. desert environments and forest environments and for all animats, e.g. frog animats and bee animats; and (3) adequacy: it is able to learn basic forms of animal skills such as eating, drinking, locomotion, and navigation. Eight experiments are presented. The results obtained indicate that (i) dynamic memory structures are strictly more powerful than static; (ii) it is possible to use a fixed generic design to model basic cognitive processes of a wide range of animals and environments; and (iii) the animat framework enables a uniform and gradual approach to AGI, by successively taking on more challenging problems in the form of broader and more complex classes of environments
Detailed simulation of distance protection for its testing and setting
Authors: Ruban Nikolay Yu. , Andreev Mikhail V. , Ufa Ruslan A. , Suvorov Aleksey A. , Gusev Alexandr S.
Published: August 2018

A significant part of severe accidents (blackouts) in electric power systems (EPS) is associated with incorrect operation of relay protection and automation (RPA). One of the main reasons for the incorrect actions of the RPA devices is its rough settings, which often does not correspond to the real operating conditions for specific device. An analysis of currently used methods and tools for RPA setting up, shown that they are largely relied on the guidelines of previous decennaries. Respectively modern techniques have the same drawbacks associated with accounting the processes in specific RPA and primary transducers and its errors by approximate coefficients. It is possible to solve the indicated problem with a highly detailed analysis of the operation of key elements of RPA schemes in the specific operating conditions. The obtained results allow to estimate the processes in protected objects, processing errors in instrumental current (ICT) and voltage (IVT) transformers, as well as in RPA itself. Such possibility could be achieved by the detailed RPA mathematical modeling. The combination of an adequate EPS simulator and RPA models allows configuring parameters of the RPA settings ensuring its correct operation in real EPS. The article presents result of this research for distance protection
Emulator of harmonic distortion of bias port of the mach-zehnder intensity modulator
Authors: Svarny Jiri
Published: August 2018

The paper deals with the design of an analog circuit to substitute the role of a real intensity Mach-Zehnder modulator for the preliminary tuning of bias controllers. The proposed circuit has similar harmonic distortion as an electro-optic modulator biased around the quadrature operating point. The designed device utilizes a shaping circuit based on a differential pair of bipolar junction transistors. The harmonic distortion of both the Mach-Zehnder intensity modulator and the differential amplifier are analysed. A method to design the emulating circuit of desired features is described and explained and a the comparison of the measured results to the theory is presented.
Modelling of electrical properties of mn-zn ferrites taking into account the frequency of the occurrence of the dimensional resonance
Authors: Todorova Teodora Plamenova , Valchev Vencislav Cekov , den Bossche Alex Van
Published: August 2018

Besides their magnetic properties, Mn-Zn ferrites are also characterized by appreciable electrical properties. This electro- magnetic nature of Mn-Zn ferrites material properties causes a dimensional resonance to occur in samples. The latter hinders measurements of the frequency dependences of intrinsic permittivity and electrical conductivity. In the paper, we present a sign in measurement results that shows the frequency range in which dimensional resonance has already occurred. Above this range, properties extracted from measurements are not intrinsic any longer. We refer to the sign to determine the last point of the measurement data set that is used as an input for an equivalent circuit modelling of the electrical properties. This “last point” criterion helps to exclude the possibility of modelling apparent properties instead of intrinsic ones. The results obtained show that the frequency dependent electrical properties may be well modeled even if the upper limit of the input frequency range to the curve fitting is below the frequency range in which the dimensional resonance occurs.
Methodology to improve the model of series inductance in cmos integrated inductors
Authors: Gutierrez-Frias Eric F. , García-Lugo Luis A. , Becerra-Alvarez Edwin C. , Raygoza-Panduro Juan J. , de la Rosa José M. , Ortega-Rosales Edgardo B.
Published: August 2018

This paper presents a systematic optimization methodology to achieve an accurate estimation of series inductance of inductors implemented in standard CMOS technologies. Proposed method is based on an optimization procedure which aims to obtain adjustment factors associated to main physical inductor characteristics, allowing to estimate more accurate series inductance values that can be used in design stage. Experimental measurements of diverse square inductor geometries are shown and compared with previous approaches in order to demonstrate and validate presented approach
A Bridge to the Past: Public Memory and Nostalgia for the Communist Times in Modern Georgia
Authors: Kovtiak Elisabeth
Published: August 2018

This paper deals with the politics of memory in contemporary Georgia’s public space. It explores the relations between official and vernacular commemorations of the Soviet past in Tbilisi. In this paper, I have studied the forms of materialization of vernacular memories in the public space and provided a frame in which they exist, including the ideological background of decommunization in Georgia and peculiarities of the Soviet era museumizing in state museums. The official discourse demonizes the previous epoque and neglects all its benefits, whereas the ordinary people are quite nuanced in their memories of their past – this contradiction leads to manifestations of vernacular memories. Therefore, this paper focuses mostly on Tbilisi’s Dry Bridge, a famous flea market where the memory of the recent Soviet past is negotiated. The main argument is that this particular flea market and its artifacts might be regarded as a “vernacular memorial” and “lieu de memoire” where nostalgia for an officially demonized era can be expressed and materialized. This paper explores the items that are on sale, explaining their meaning for the post-Soviet people, and describes the intangible practices that can be observed there. In addition, this paper unpacks that these nostalgic practices should not be considered as “unhealthy” or “retrospective” as it helps people to adapt to modernity and develop by considering more than one hegemonic version of their past.
Utterances as tool-mediated specifications of affordances - ecological pragmatics
Authors: Borchmann Simon
Published: August 2018

The established descriptions of information structure assume that the basic cognitive unit is a categorization, and that the basic semantic structure is a predication. Descriptions based on these assumptions, however, cannot provide an adequate analysis of certain types of utterances that form a part of activities. The article presents a solution to this problem based on Wittgenstein’s private language argument and the concept of information in Gibson's theory of affordances. The basic cognitive assumption is that performers of activities attend to variations in the environment, for example visibility, and perceive the states of variations (e.g., 3000 feet). A state is defined as a local, temporary occurrence of a stimulus configuration that specifies an affordance. The basic pragmatic assumption, then, is that performers of activities share the states of variations by means of utterances. This ecological-pragmatic assumption allows for a rethinking of the usefulness of the reference-predicate distinction and bring forward different dimensions of informational analysis of utterances. It is claimed that an informative and accurate analysis of utterances that form a part of activities relies two distinctions: a distinction between a convention based regulation of attention and a convention based specification of an affordance, and a distinction between sharing information and nesting information
Dialogue and language as factors contributing to transformative learning in academic tutoring
Authors: Grzegorczyk Grzegorz
Published: August 2018

Among a number of teaching practices, personalized education is gaining in popularity owing to its enticing appeal of a novel, humanistic attitude with unparalleled pedagogical results unlike those observed in traditional standardized mass education models. As part of the fourth moment in the history of education (according to the timeline in Davis, Sumara and Kapler, 2015), personalized education under the guise of tutoring or educational coaching is boldly re-entering schools and the academic world. Observing the daily practices of tutors and educational coaches on various levels of schooling, we can note a number of features which contribute to the emergence of a model where learning becomes an autonomous, lived experience. In this model communication is understood as a collaborative dialogical practice, which leads us to see learning as a result of interactivity in the learner-tutor dyad afforded by geo-spatial conditions, physio-psychological elements and language. All these contribute to the occurrence of transformative results as evidenced in student post-tutoring narratives. In this paper we present learning in the dialogical tutor-tutee paradigm as a distributed, embodied, and enacted meaning-making process rather than mere ‘sending’ and ‘receiving’ of substantive information (e.g., De Jaegher and DiPaolo, 2007; Neuman and Cowley, 2013). Described as such, the method fits in the paradigm of self-regulated learning. We therefore postulate the claim that personalised education as exemplified by tutoring is co-agential and prompts learning on multiple timescales. Consequently, cognition and learning in tutoring is enactment of knowledge, while coordinating speech rather than knowledge transmission
Playing cards: spatial arrangements for observational learning
Authors: Maare Åsa Harvard
Published: August 2018

This paper looks at how players of a card game create spatial arrangements of playing cards, and the cognitive and communicative effects of such arrangements. The data is an episode of two 8-year old children and a teacher playing the combinatorial card game Set, in the setting of the leisure-time center. The paper explores and explains how the visual resources of the game are used for externalizing information in terms of distributed cognition and epistemic actions. The paper also examines how other participants attend to the visual arrangements and self-directed talk of the active player. The argument is that externalizing information may be a strategy for reducing cognitive load for the individual problem-solver, but it is also a communicative behaviour affecting other participants and causing them to engage with the problem and the problem-solver. Seeing and hearing players who have succeeded in finding a set provide observers with rich learning opportunities, and increases their motivation to play the game. From the point of view of learning design, the consequence of this is that bystanders merit to be considered as the potential learners of a pedagogical game as much as the players themselves
Higher Speed of Yeast Adherence in Comparison with Speed of Bacteria Adherence to Silica Microparticles
Authors: Ozoliņš Dzintars , Žileviča Aija
Published: August 2018

The current study explored the possibility to attach bacteria and yeasts to micro-silica particles. The aim of the study was to determine possible differences in the speed of rates of turbidity (or speed of adherence) between suspensions of bacteria and yeasts with and without silica micro-particles. Some important findings were demonstrated, which might be promising for developing of a new diagnostic approach to distinguish bacteria from yeasts. Addition of SiO2 beads to bacterial suspensions resulted in a significantly faster decrease of turbidity rates in comparison with corresponding suspensions without SiO2 beads. However, yeasts adhered to silica micro particles quicker in comparison with the speed of adherence of bacteria to silica.
National Cyber Security as the Cornerstone of National Security
Authors: Kovács László
Published: August 2018

The more advanced digital economy and society a country has the more exposed it is to cyber threats. Consequently, countries with advanced digital economy and digital infrastructure naturally need to pay more attention to protecting cyber space. Today it is a national security issue and it can no longer be argued that cyber security is its indispensable part. Accordingly, a national cyber security strategy has to be built on national security strategy. That is the main reason for using the word “cornerstone” in the title of this study. The relation between national security and national cyber security means a specific context, which is one of the subjects of our examination in this study. Today, most countries have a cyber security strategy. However, these strategies are mostly static documents that do not or only partially can handle the dynamism that characterizes cyberspace. This paper focuses on the key issues that are needed for developing a usable cyber security strategy.
Pancreas divisum: a reemerging risk factor for pancreatic diseases
Authors: Covantev Serghei
Published: August 2018

Pancreas divisum (PD) is the most common developmental anatomic variant of pancreatic duct. The attention towards the PD has grown significantly since there are reports that this condition may cause acute relapsing pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and chronic abdominal pain syndrome. Furthermore, over the years, there have been multiple reports of PD associated with different types of tumors. There is evidence that PD can be associated with pancreatic tumors (up to 12.5% of cases). The golden standard for diagnosing PD is endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, but since it is an invasive procedure magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography with secretin is a good alternative. In case the patient is symptomatic, endoscopic or surgical treatment should be performed. This review describes the key points of the pathophysiology, diagnostic modalities, risks of pancreatitis and tumors, as well as treatment options of PD.
Site Characterization for Construction Purposes at FUNAAB using Geophysical and Geotechnical Methods
Authors: Alabi A.A. , Adewale A.O. , Coker J.O. , Ogunkoya O.A.
Published: August 2018

Geophysical and geotechnical techniques were used to investigate the sub-surface information of a proposed site for a hostel construction at Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Ten vertical electrical sounding (VES) stations were adopted. Typical sounding curves obtained include the HA, KH, AKH and KQH types, of which the AKH-type consists of 40% of the survey points, and a maximum of five geo-electric sub-surface layers were delineated. Laboratory analyses were performed to investigate particle size distribution, Atterberg limit, compaction limit, California bearing ratio (CBR) and specific gravity. The CBR revealed that all soil samples, except L4, are mechanically stable and have high load-bearing capacity. The Atterberg limit test and the geo-electric section showed that the second layer of VES 4 is composed of sandy clay with high plastic index and low liquid limit, which may pose a threat to the foundation of any engineering structure. VES locations 5, 6 and 8 were identified as high groundwater potential zones suitable for optimum groundwater abstraction. The study area is suitable for both shallow and deep foundations, however VES 4 and VES 5 require reinforcement.
Postoperative interleukin-8 levels are related to the duration of coronary artery bypass grafting surgery and predict in-hospital postsurgical complications
Authors: Mathe Zsombor , Serban Razvan Constantin , Pintilie Irina , Somkereki Cristina , Hutanu Adina , Scridon Alina
Published: August 2018

Introduction: The magnitude of the very early coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)-related inflammatory response has been shown to influence post-CABG outcomes. However, the dynamics of the systemic inflammatory response to CABG beyond the very early postoperative phase and its relevance to clinical outcomes are not fully understood.

Methods: Circulating levels of several inflammatory markers were determined in 30 consecutive patients undergoing elective isolated on-pump CABG one day prior (D0-1), and 2 (D2) and 5 days post-CABG.

Results: CABG was associated with a significant increase in all studied inflammatory marker levels (all p<0.05 for D2 versus D0-1). D2 post-CABG IL-6 and IL-8 levels were both significantly positively correlated with extracorporeal circulation (ECC) and aortic clamping (AC) times (all p<0.05), whereas a weaker correlation was observed between D2 post-CABG IL-8 levels and total surgery time (r=0.42, p=0.02). In multiple regression analysis, D2 IL-8 levels independently predicted post-CABG kidney (p= 0.02) and liver (p = 0.04) dysfunction, as well as a sum of post-CABG major complications ≥2 (p = 0.04).

Conclusions: In this prospective study, longer duration of cardiopulmonary bypass caused a larger post-CABG inflammatory surge, whereas the duration of total CABG surgery had a less significant effect. IL-8 hyperresponders had greater risk of developing kidney and liver dysfunction and presented more major post-CABG complications. These data suggest that targeting the IL-8 pathway using antiinflammatory agents, or simply by shortening the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass could improve the in-hospital post-CABG outcomes in this population.
Association between MDR1 gene polymorphism and clinical course of pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Muntean Iolanda , Şuteu Carmen , Togănel Rodica , Bănescu Claudia
Published: August 2018

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease with a complex pathogenesis. The polymorphism of the gene of multidrug resistance-1 (MDR1) has been associated with many diseases including PAH.

Objective. In this study we aimed to investigate the relevance of the MDR1 polymorphism to pediatric PAH clinical course.

Methods. A total of 40 pediatric patients with PAH (secondary to congenital heart defects or idiopathic) and 40 control subjects were enrolled. Patients with PAH were divided into 2 groups, according to their evolution: 28 patients who remained clinically stable at 12-months (non-worsening group) and 12 patients who presented clinical worsening at 12-months (worsening group). Genomic DNA was genotyped for MDR1 gene polymorphisms as follows: C1236T, G2677T and C3435T.

Results. There were no significant differences between PAH children groups (clinical worsening and non-worsening) nor between PAH children and controls in terms of frequency distribution of the three studied genotypes or alleles.

Conclusions. The MDR1 polymorphism could not be correlated with the clinical evolution of pediatric PAH patients in our study.