bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Die Zuständigkeit der Hauptversammlung für Zusammenschlussvorhaben nach dem Linde/Praxair-Modell
Authors: Koch Jens
Published: August 2019

Um den Zusammenschluss Linde/Praxair durchzuführen, wurde auf Seiten der Praxair Inc. ein Beschluss der Hauptversammlung gefasst. Auf Seiten der Linde AG wurden die Aktionäre dagegen nicht in diesem formalisierten Kontext der Hauptversammlung um ihre Zustimmung gebeten, sondern ihnen wurde lediglich von der neu gegründeten Tochtergesellschaft Linde plc ein Umtauschangebot unterbreitet. Auf dieser Grundlage konnten sie eine individuelle Entscheidung darüber treffen, ob sie künftig Aktionäre der Linde plc sein wollten oder in der von dieser dann beherrschten Linde AG verbleiben wollten. Der folgende Beitrag geht der Frage nach, ob ein solches individuelles Entscheidungsrecht tatsächlich genügen kann, um die schutzwürdigen Aktionärsbelange zu gewährleisten, oder ob es nicht auch auf deutscher Seite einer Kollektiventscheidung der Hauptversammlung bedurft hätte, um eine derart weitgehende Neustrukturierung zu legitimieren.
Die neuen Aktionärsvoten zur Organvergütung
Authors: Florstedt Tim
Published: August 2019

Durch die reformierte Aktionärsrechterichtlinie werden sog. Say on Pay-Beschlüsse zu einem unionsweit verbindlichen Regelungsmuster. In den neuen Aktionärsvoten zur Organvergütung zeigt sich ein Selbstverständnis im europäischen Rechtssetzungsdenken, das einen größeren Wirkungsraum für die Prinzipien der nachhaltigen Unternehmensleitung und des verantwortungsvollen Aktionärshandelns einfordert. Die Materialisierung dieser Prinzipien soll nunmehr durch Mitsprache der Aktionäre bei der Vorstands- und Aufsichtsratsvergütung und einer engmaschig geregelten Berichtsdarstellung erfolgen. Der Beitrag stellt den Regierungsentwurf zur Umsetzung der entsprechenden Richtlinienvorgaben durch ein ARUG II dar.
Health Equity in National Cancer Control Plans: An Analysis of the Ontario Cancer Plan
Authors: Sayani Ambreen
Published: August 2019

Background: National cancer control plans (NCCPs) are important documents that guide strategic priorities in cancer care and plan for the appropriate allocation of resources based on the social, geographic and economic needs of a population. Despite the emphasis on health equity by the World Health Organization (WHO), few NCCPs have a focus on health equity. The Ontario Cancer Plan (OCP) IV, (2015 to 2019) is an example of an NCCP with clearly defined health equity goals and objectives. Methods: This paper presents a directed-content analysis of the OCP IV health equity goals and objectives, in light of the synergies of oppression analytical framework. Results: The OCP IV confines equity to an issue of access-to-care. As a result, it calls for training, funding, and social support services to increase accessibility for high-risk population groups. However, equity has a broader definition. And as such, it also implies that systematic differences in health outcomes between social groups should be minimal. This is particularly significant given that socially disadvantaged cancer patients in Ontario have distinctly poorer cancer-related health outcomes. Conclusion: Health systems are seeking ways to reduce the health equity gap. However, to reduce health inequities which are socially-based will require a recognition of the living and working conditions of patients which influence risk, mortality and survival. NCCPs represent a way to politically advocate for the determinants of health which profoundly influence cancer risk, outcomes and mortality.
Bridging the Gap Between Research and Policy and Practice Comment on "CIHR Health System Impact Fellows: Reflections on ‘Driving Change’ Within the Health System"
Authors: McKee Martin
Published: August 2019

Far too often, there is a gap between research and policy and practice. Too much research is undertaken with little relevance to real life problems or its reported in ways that are obscure and impenetrable. At the same time, many policies are developed and implemented but are untouched by, or even contrary to evidence. An accompanying paper describes an innovative programme in Canada to help bridge this gap. This commentary notes the growing acceptance of such initiatives but highlights the challenges of sustaining their benefits.
How Neoliberalism Is Shaping the Supply of Unhealthy Commodities and What This Means for NCD Prevention
Authors: Lencucha Raphael , Thow Anne Marie
Published: August 2019

Alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy foods contribute greatly to the global burden of non-communicable disease (NCD). Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have recognized the critical need to address these three key risk factors through global action plans and policy recommendations. The 2013-2020 WHO action plan identifies the need to engage economic, agricultural and other relevant sectors to establish comprehensive and coherent policy. To date one of the biggest barriers to action is not so much identifying affective policies, but rather how a comprehensive policy approach to NCD prevention can be established across sectors. Much of the research on policy incoherence across sectors has focused on exposing the strategies used by commercial interests to shape public policy in their favor. Although the influence of commercial interests on government decisions remains an important issue for policy coherence, we argue, that the dominant neoliberal policy paradigm continues to enable the ability of these interests to influence public policy. In this paper, we examine how this dominant paradigm and the way it has been enshrined in institutional mechanisms has given rise to existing systems of governance of product environments, and how these systems create structural barriers to the introduction of meaningful policy action to prevent NCDs by fostering healthy product environments. Work to establish policy coherence across sectors, particularly to ensure a healthy product environment, will require systematic engagement with the assumptions that continue to structure institutions that perpetuate unhealthy product environments.
From “Weak” to “Strong” Sustainability: Protesting for Environmental Justice in Vietnam
Authors: Gillespie John , Nguyen Thang , Le Canh , Nguyen Hung
Published: August 2019

Rapid industrialization has come at a high cost to the natural environment in Vietnam. Frustrated with regulatory inaction, Vietnamese citizens from many social backgrounds have taken direct action to protect their country’s natural environment. Most studies about environmental disputes in Vietnam have focused on large-scale conflicts, leaving smaller-scale rural disputes comparatively under researched. Drawing on in-depth interviews, this article explores how knowledge about environmental activism can transform the claims made in small-scale disputes. It examines why these disputes can sometimes succeed in mitigating environmental harm when complaints through administrative and judicial avenues fail.
The Lessons of Yên Bái, or the “Fascist” Temptation: How the Đại Việt Parties Rethought Anticolonial Nationalist Revolutionary Action, 1932–1945
Authors: Guillemot François
Published: August 2019

To fully understand the complexity of ideological commitments in Vietnam between 1945 and 1975, it is useful to return to the 1930s, when the attraction of the Vietnamese nationalists for the Fascist European regimes led a number of them to publicly celebrate the figure of Adolf Hitler. Within the context of the Popular Front in France and a certain political openness in Indochina, the intellectual and organizational turmoil of the nationalist parties gave substance to a doctrine nourished by Western models but that nevertheless remained uniquely Vietnamese. This article addresses the question of the “fascist temptation” of the prewar nationalist Đại Việt parties, which is rarely addressed by historiography.
Molecular pathways disrupted by gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Nguyen-Ngo Caitlyn , Jayabalan Nanthini , Salomon Carlos , Lappas Martha
Published: August 2019

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) imposes serious short- and long-term health problems for mother and baby. An effective therapeutic that can reduce the incidence of GDM and improve long-term maternal and fetal outcomes is a major research priority, crucially important for public health. A lack of knowledge about the underlying pathophysiology of GDM has hampered the development of such therapeutics. What we do know, however, is that maternal insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and endothelial cell dysfunction are three central features of pregnancies complicated by GDM. Indeed, data generated over the past decade have implicated a number of candidate regulators of insulin resistance, inflammation and endothelial cell dysfunction in placenta, maternal adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. These include nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), sirtuins (SIRTs), 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3), PI3K/mTOR, inflammasome and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In this review, the identification of these as key modulators of GDM will be discussed. The biochemical pathways involved in the formation of these may represent potential sites for intervention that may translate to therapeutic interventions to prevent the development of GDM.
Heme oxygenase-1 arrests Leydig cells functions and impairs their regulation by histamine
Authors: Raices Trinidad , Varela María Luisa , Monzón Casandra Margarita , Correa Torrado María Florencia , Pagotto Romina María , Besio Moreno Marcos , Mondillo Carolina , Pignataro Omar Pedro , Pereyra Elba Nora
Published: August 2019

Testicular Leydig cells (LC) are modulated by several pathways, one of them being the histaminergic system. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), whose upregulation comprises the primary response to oxidative noxae, has a central homeostatic role and might dysregulate LC functions when induced. In this report, we aimed to determine how hemin, an HO-1 inducer, affects LC proliferative capacity and whether HO-1 effects on LC functions are reversible. It was also evaluated if HO-1 interacts in any way with histamine, affecting its regulatory action over LC. MA-10 and R2C cell lines and immature rat LC were used as models. Firstly, we show that after a 24-h incubation with 25 µmol/L hemin, LC proliferation is reversibly impaired by cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase, with no evidence of apoptosis induction. Even though steroid production is abrogated after a 48-h exposure to 25 µmol/L hemin, steroidogenesis can be restored to control levels in a time-dependent manner if the inducer is removed from the medium. Regarding HO-1 and histamine interaction, it is shown that hemin abrogates histamine biphasic effect on steroidogenesis and proliferation. Working with histamine receptors agonists, we elucidated that HO-1 induction affects the regulation mediated by receptor types 1, 2 and 4. In summary, HO-1 induction arrests LC functions, inhibiting steroid production and cell cycle progression. Despite their reversibility, HO-1 actions might negatively influence critical phases of LC development and differentiation affecting their function as well as other androgen-dependent organs. What’s more, we have described a hitherto unknown interaction between HO-1 induction and histamine effects.
Prednisolone Versus Dexamethasone for Croup: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Parker Colin M. , Cooper Matthew N.
Published: August 2019

OBJECTIVES:

The use of either prednisolone or low-dose dexamethasone in the treatment of childhood croup lacks a rigorous evidence base despite widespread use. In this study, we compare dexamethasone at 0.6 mg/kg with both low-dose dexamethasone at 0.15 mg/kg and prednisolone at 1 mg/kg.

METHODS:

Prospective, double-blind, noninferiority randomized controlled trial based in 1 tertiary pediatric emergency department and 1 urban district emergency department in Perth, Western Australia. Inclusions were age >6 months, maximum weight 20 kg, contactable by telephone, and English-speaking caregivers. Exclusion criteria were known prednisolone or dexamethasone allergy, immunosuppressive disease or treatment, steroid therapy or enrollment in the study within the previous 14 days, and a high clinical suspicion of an alternative diagnosis. A total of 1252 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive dexamethasone (0.6 mg/kg; n = 410), low-dose dexamethasone (0.15 mg/kg; n = 410), or prednisolone (1 mg/kg; n = 411). Primary outcome measures included Westley Croup Score 1-hour after treatment and unscheduled medical re-attendance during the 7 days after treatment.

RESULTS:

Mean Westley Croup Score at baseline was 1.4 for dexamethasone, 1.5 for low-dose dexamethasone, and 1.5 for prednisolone. Adjusted difference in scores at 1 hour, compared with dexamethasone, was 0.03 (95% confidence interval −0.09 to 0.15) for low-dose dexamethasone and 0.05 (95% confidence interval −0.07 to 0.17) for prednisolone. Re-attendance rates were 17.8% for dexamethasone, 19.5% for low-dose dexamethasone, and 21.7% for prednisolone (not significant [P = .59 and .19]).

CONCLUSIONS:

Noninferiority was demonstrated for both low-dose dexamethasone and prednisolone. The type of oral steroid seems to have no clinically significant impact on efficacy, both acutely and during the week after treatment.
Non-pollen palynomorphs as indicators of palaeoenvironmental changes: a case study from Lake Chokrak (the Crimean Peninsula)
Authors: Rohozin Ye. P.
Published: August 2019

The paper presents the first study of the non-pollen palynomorphs assemblages of the upper Holocene sediments of hypersaline Lake Chokrak. As has been previously shown, the Crimean saline lakes tend to have low variety and frequencies of non-pollen palynomorphs (Mudie et al., 2011). The upper samples from Lake Chokrak have yielded high pollen frequencies, as well as a relatively diverse assemblage of NPPs, including acritarchs, dinoflagellate cysts, microforaminiferal linings, fungal spores, eggs of Artemia salina, ostracod jaws and arthropod parts. Acritarchs are represented mostly by Sigmopollis sp., which are abundant in all the studied samples, and by occasional Micrhystridium sp. and Pseudoschizaea circula. Among the fungal spores, Podospora, Delitschia and Sporormiella have been identified, indicating a former settlement. Three species of dinoflagellate cysts have been identified, Lingulodinium machaerophorum, Impagidinium caspiense and Spiniferites cf. crusiformis. These species are found in brackish/marine environments and do not tolerate high water salinity. They could have been transported to the lake by overflowing marine waters over the sand barrier between the lake and the Sea of Azov. Therefore, their appearance in the lake sediments may indicate possible sea-level changes and/or increased wave activity. So far, within the analysed top 2 m of the core, we can distinguish five intervals where dinocysts and microforaminiferal linings are present, possibly indicating increased marine influence,separated by four intervals where few or no brackish species have been found. Impagidinium caspiense is a dominant species among the dinocysts in all the samples, except the surface sample, where L. machaerophorum is much more abundant. This could indicate the increased salinity and/or higher nutrient loading to the Sea of Azov during the XX century. The allochthonous nature of dinocysts and some other NPPs in the Lake Chokrak sediments can play an important role in reconstructing level changes of the Sea of Azov and depositional environment of the lake, as well as contribute to the interpretation of pollen data.
Map of Quaternary formations of Ukraine in scale 1:2,500,000
Authors: Veklych Yu.
Published: August 2019

The article announces a new map of Quaternary formations on the territory of Ukraine on the scale 1:2,500,000. It considers the prerequisites for the preparation of this map and summarises more than a century of historical research and mapping of the Quaternary formations on the territory of Ukraine. Due to the continuity of scientific research, an extremely developed theoretical and methodological basis of both research and mapping of Quaternary formations has been formed in the country. This is also due to the extraordinary diversity of the geological structure of the Quaternary cover, due to the presence of two mountain systems, lowland areas (including within them several deflections and two crystalline foundations), as well as due to the presence of two seas (including the continental shelf, slope and deep-water zone). A very wide spectrum of facies and formations is also listed (including a thick loess-soil cover, facies of two glaciers of different ages, alluvia, estuary, marine shelf, deep-water and etc.). Attention is focused on two important problems of mapping Quaternary cover. The first is related to new views on the origin of the subaerial cover. The significance of the new (geo-eolian) factor is disclosed, which determined both the thickness and lithological properties of the strata of each paleogeographic stage (of climatoliths) of each separate section, and the stratigraphic structure of the loess-soil cover. Spatial patterns of the structure of the subaerial cover are briefly described, in particular, the mosaic division into areas with a homogeneous stratigraphic structure (type-sections), due to the corresponding geo-eolian mode (sequence). The second problem concerns the ways of visualization of the geological structure of Quaternary sediments on the map. Two principles of reflection of the Quaternary cover are considered, and the disadvantages and advantages of each of them are indicated. Promising ways to map the Quaternary subaerial cover on the basis of ideas about its mosaic structure are proposed. A solution to the problem of various principles of visualization of the Quaternary cover is recommended involving compilation of «multi-visual» maps based on their interactive reissuing (re-design) with modern geographic information systems in accordance with various principles of visualization of the structure of the Quaternary. It has been proposed to use the above scientific approaches in the mapping of the Quaternary deposits of Europe and the World, and also to take into account the geo-eolian factor in the studies of the subaerial cover.
Dinero y capital ficticio. Retrospectiva y reflexión actual
Authors: Lechuga Montenegro Jesús
Published: August 2019

El dinero mercancía, a diferencia del papel moneda, funciona como medida de valor ya que tiene un valor intrínseco al ser encarnación de trabajo abstracto. El papel moneda no tiene valor, solo refleja “idealmente” este trabajo que engendra valor —de aquí que pueda producirse capital ficticio—. Así, la primera parte de este artículo trata sobre aspectos como dinero endógeno, dinero crediticio y capital ficticio. La segunda parte consiste en el análisis de esa teorización en el capitalismo actual con una fuerte impronta de especulación, en lo cual el capital ficticio —en cualquiera de sus formas— es preponderante.
Effects of Argentine Students’ Support Program on Labor Transitions and Job Quality of Young People
Authors: Jimenez Martinez Mónica , Jimenez Martinez Maribel
Published: August 2019

The deficits in the quality of employment in Argentina are particularly high among young people. To address this problem, the program PROGRESAR was created in January 2014 to encourage the educational completion of this group in order to improve their employability. The purpose of this document is to analyze the impact of this program on the transition to decent work. The effect of the program is estimated using a panel model with fixed effects. The program increases the probability of transition to quality jobs among young people. Specifically, the eligible group have 4.1 percentage point more chances of accessing formal, salaried employment mainly when they come from inactivity. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to enter a formal employment without other quality deficits —6.2 percentage point—.
Discipleship In the Book of Revelation
Authors: Deans Graham D. S.
Published: August 2019

This paper examines the terms and conditions of discipleship, which is fundamentally and unmistakably costly.  Authentic disciples who faithfully follow the demands of Jesus as specified in the Gospel (Luke 14:27) and put loyalty to the one eternal God above the demands of the state will inevitably encounter opposition and conflict. They may even experience martyrdom; but for those whose uncompromising commitment to their Lord as not merely an “alternate reality” but the ultimate reality to whom all humanity is accountable, the promise is that faithfulness unto death will be rewarded with a crown of life (Rev 2:10).
A Successful LIfe
Authors: Schummer Constanze
Published: August 2019

This study contextualizes the case of the medieval disabled Benedictine monk and scholar Hermanus of the Reichenau with modern theological approaches to disability, resulting in the challenge of several assumptions. Neither Hermanus’ theology nor his identity are defined by his disability. This is both confirmed and contradicted by modern theologians. Liberation from expectations such as virtuous suffering and the importance of mutuality and community emerge as keys to a self-determined successful life fulfilling Shakespeare’s concept of a ‘narrative’. An explicit disability theology is not only not necessary, but may be counterproductive and limiting, both of God and of self.
The role of international organizations in the reconstruction of countries affected by war
Authors: Horváth-Csikós Gabriella , Zaien Samir
Published: August 2019

There is no doubt that post-conflict situations call for physical reconstruction. However, a well-developed
civil society along with independent media, reliable police and judiciary are equally essential to physical reconstruction for obtaining sustainable economic growth and stability. Reconstruction in post-conflict situations must go beyond the technical aspects of reconstructing infrastructure and services. It also, essentially, should include a human factor contributing to the reintegration of people into civil society. The role of international NGOs will be accomplished when the governmental structures supported by civil society are completely able to take over their tasks with credibility (e.g. political and economic willingness, impartiality and accountability) and feasibility (specific capabilities and professionalism).
The aim of the paper is to show the role of international organisations in the reconstruction process of the countries
affected by war. In the summary the authors conclude that the role of international organisations acting as a ‘puzzle’ and having a certain piece of the picture could rather lead to devastation and not to reconstruction.
Updating the Methodological Approaches to Calculating Rental for Land Plots of State and Municipal Property in Urban Districts
Authors: Kurchenkov Vladimir , Fetisova Olga , Makarenko Olga
Published: August 2019

The article proposes an economic rationale for the new approach to the formation of methods for calculating rental for land plots of state and municipal property in urban districts of Volgograd region. The authors propose to link the calculation of the value of the base rate of land rental within the city boundaries with indicators of the yield of federal loan bonds. The paper gives the substantiation of this approach from the point of view of the classical economic theory of absolute and differential rent, advanced regional practices in the Russian Federation, and advanced foreign practices.
The article determines the advantage of leasing land versus owning it in modern conditions. It shows the reasonability of transition to the market assessment of urban land compared with the cadastral assessment, which does not correspond to the current situation in modern conditions and is often significantly higher than the real value of the land plot. This complicates the rational use of the land plot, contributes to reducing entrepreneurial activity and deterioration of the investment climate in the municipality and the region as a whole. In this regard, the authors propose to use the market value of the land plot as the basis for calculating rental rates. In addition to the base rate, it is proposed to introduce adjusting factors, which reflect the nature of the site and the type of economic activity of the main tenant into the main formula. The paper gives recommendations to regional executive authorities, as well as municipal authorities to optimize rental relations within urban districts, and increase the efficiency of rational use of land plots. The proposed methodological approach and its economic justification are universal and can be used in municipal formations in other regions of the Russian Federation.
Tendencies and Prospects of China’s Investments into Russian Regions
Authors: Batmanova Victoria , Tikhonovich Ellada , Chigareva Tatyana , Lyudai Yuan
Published: August 2019

The article examines the growing role of China in global investments. During 15 years of economic development of the country, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) became the second country in the world acting as a recipient of investments and the second (third) investor sending its funds abroad. After the maximum volume of foreign direct investments (FDI) from the PRC in 2016, 2017 was marked by the drop of FDI. This is connected with China’s control over FDI withdrawal from the country, increasing protectionism from other countries and the aggravating situation for Chinese investors in foreign markets.
The drop of investments is connected with a number of reasons. On the one hand, the government of China has
strengthened the control over the capital drain from the country in the form of investments. Another reason is the growth of trade protectionism. The complicating external conditions for Chinese investors in connection with the policy of the USA are also worth paying attention to.
The 19th National Congress of China mentioned “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) strategy as the main plan for organizing the investment process in the nearest future. Today the effort concentration process (investments into infrastructure, interaction with the countries along the new economic silk belt) is observed. Russia and its regions are included into the Northern corridor of the Belt and Road Initiative and can leverage the advantages of the cooperation with China. China has already invested funds into perspective projects in Russian regions and in the nearest future they are expected to grow within the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Phenomenological Model of the Urban Agglomeration Dynamics: Theoretical Aspect
Authors: Kiseleva Natalya , Kiselev Victor , Bavina Kristina , Kalyanova Elena
Published: August 2019

The article provides the phenomenological analysis of the influence of centrifugal and centripetal forces on the agglomerative process. The paper shows the possibility of applying mathematical models for assessing the resulting effect of their impact on the urban agglomeration. The phenomenological description is carried out by means of the phase space, the dynamic space, the space of parameters and a certain mathematical model. The urban agglomeration population as an indicator of the economic activity concentration and the change of population number are taken as the main phase variables. At certain restrictions to the type of functional dependence of change rates of population concentration on its number the following phenomena can be observed: self-oscillations; damped oscillations; fluctuations with an increasing, but limited in the asymptotics amplitude; monotonous achievement of the stable balance fr om above or fr om below (logistic dependence); steady, semi-steady or unstable lim it cycles of various lengths. The characteristic feature of self-oscillations is the lack of external periodic effect.
The general qualitative behavior of the system in the whole dynamic space is manifested at t→∞ when its asymptotic characteristics do not depend on entry conditions. The most important solutions are stationary points and lim it cycles. The problem of stability and the nature of stationary points are directly connected with the qualitative image of the phase plane portrait in their environment and its topology. The type of phase plane portraits depends on the model parameters and is defined by the type of the special point. The article provides the theoretical phase plane portraits of the urban agglomeration dynamics for different types of static correlation between growth rates of the agglomeration population and economic activity concentration. The paper presents the current phase plane portrait of the Vladivostok urban agglomeration.
The Competitiveness Level Assessment of Business Structures in the Digital Economy
Authors: Piskun Elena , Belyaeva Mariya
Published: August 2019

The necessity to contribute to a high competitiveness level of business structures in the increasingly competitive environment, globalization, fusion of labor markets and assets and to develop the digital economy requires an adequate transformation of the competitiveness management system of business structures. The purpose of this article is to suggest a methodical approach to assessing the competitiveness level of business structures in the digital economy.
The approach is supposed to allow assessing the competitiveness level of IT business firms as suppliers of IT solutions to final customers using the methods of the hierarchy analysis, assessing the development level and the cluster analysis. The article analyzes the state and trends of developing business structures in the field of IT technologies from the point of view of their competitiveness. The paper proposes the economic and mathematical tools, which allow to justify the informational space of business structure competitiveness indices, calculate the importance of variables and weight coefficients, justify the choice of the method of convolution and developing aggregates, scaling the integral index of business structure competitiveness level in the digital economy. While implementing the proposed methodical approach to competitiveness data indicators of IT business structures the authors have identified companies with the highest competitiveness level and an IT company with the medium competitiveness level and a low market share, which shows the possibility of strengthening the market position of the company in a medium term. The developed methodical approach can be considered as an informational and methodical element of the competitiveness management system of IT business structures.
A Feasibility Test on Preventing PRMDs Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Park So-Hyun , Ihm Sun-Young , Nasridinov Aziz , Park Young-Ho
Published: August 2019

This study proposes a method to reduce the playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) that often occur among pianists. Specifically, we propose a feasibility test that evaluates several state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms to prevent injuries of pianist. For this, we propose (1) a C3P dataset including various piano playing postures and show (2) the application of four learning algorithms, which demonstrated their superiority in video classification, to the proposed C3P datasets. To our knowledge, this is the first study that attempted to apply the deep learning paradigm to reduce the PRMDs in pianist. The experimental results demonstrated that the classification accuracy is 80% on average, indicating that the proposed hypothesis about the effectiveness of the deep learning algorithms to prevent injuries of pianist is true.
Strategic Tasks for Explainable Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Pocius Rey , Neal Lawrence , Fern Alan
Published: August 2019

Commonly used sequential decision making tasks such as the games in the Arcade Learning Environment (ALE) provide rich observation spaces suitable for deep reinforcement learning. However, they consist mostly of low-level control tasks which are of limited use for the development of explainable artificial intelligence(XAI) due to the fine temporal resolution of the tasks. Many of these domains also lack built-in high level abstractions and symbols. Existing tasks that provide for both strategic decision-making and rich observation spaces are either difficult to simulate or are intractable. We provide a set of new strategic decision-making tasks specialized for the development and evaluation of explainable AI methods, built as constrained mini-games within the StarCraft II Learning Environment.
EWGAN: Entropy-Based Wasserstein GAN for Imbalanced Learning
Authors: Ren Jinfu , Liu Yang , Liu Jiming
Published: August 2019

In this paper, we propose a novel oversampling strategy dubbed Entropy-based Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network (EWGAN) to generate data samples for minority classes in imbalanced learning. First, we construct an entropyweighted label vector for each class to characterize the data imbalance in different classes. Then we concatenate this entropyweighted label vector with the original feature vector of each data sample, and feed it into the WGAN model to train the generator. After the generator is trained, we concatenate the entropy-weighted label vector with random noise feature vectors, and feed them into the generator to generate data samples for minority classes. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets show that the samples generated by the proposed oversampling strategy can help to improve the classification performance when the data are highly imbalanced. Furthermore, the proposed strategy outperforms other state-of-the-art oversampling algorithms in terms of the classification accuracy.
Reinforcement Learning under Threats
Authors: Gallego Victor , Naveiro Roi , Insua David Rios
Published: August 2019

In several reinforcement learning (RL) scenarios, mainly in security settings, there may be adversaries trying to interfere with the reward generating process. However, when non-stationary environments as such are considered, Q-learning leads to suboptimal results (Busoniu, Babuska, and De Schutter 2010). Previous game-theoretical approaches to this problem have focused on modeling the whole multi-agent system as a game. Instead, we shall face the problem of prescribing decisions to a single agent (the supported decision maker, DM) against a potential threat model (the adversary). We augment the MDP to account for this threat, introducing Threatened Markov Decision Processes (TMDPs). Furthermore, we propose a level-k thinking scheme resulting in a new learning framework to deal with TMDPs. We empirically test our framework, showing the benefits of opponent modeling.
What’s Most Broken? A Tool to Assist Data-Driven Iterative Improvement of an Intelligent Tutoring System
Authors: Goswami Mononito , Mian Shiven , Mostow Jack
Published: August 2019

Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) have great potential to change the educational landscape by bringing scientifically tested one-to-one tutoring to remote and under-served areas. However, effective ITSs are too complex to perfect. Instead, a practical guiding principle for ITS development and improvement is to fix what’s most broken. In this paper we present SPOT (Statistical Probe of Tutoring): a tool that mines data logged by an Intelligent Tutoring System to identify the ‘hot spots’ most detrimental to its efficiency and effectiveness in terms of its software reliability, usability, task difficulty, student engagement, and other criteria. SPOT uses heuristics and machine learning to discover, characterize, and prioritize such hot spots in order to focus ITS refinement on what matters most. We applied SPOT to data logged by RoboTutor, an ITS that teaches children basic reading, writing and arithmetic.
WSD-GAN: Word Sense Disambiguation Using Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Hu Zijian , Luo Fuli , Tan Yutong , Zeng Wenxin , Sui Zhifang
Published: August 2019

Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD), as a tough task in Natural Language Processing (NLP), aims to identify the correct sense of an ambiguous word in a given context. There are two mainstreams in WSD. Supervised methods mainly utilize labeled context to train a classifier which generates the right probability distribution of word senses. Meanwhile knowledge-based (unsupervised) methods which focus on glosses (word sense definitions) always calculate the similarity of context-gloss pair as score to find out the right word sense. In this paper, we propose a generative adversarial framework WSD-GAN which combines two mainstream methods in WSD. The generative model, based on supervised methods, tries to generate a probability distribution over the word senses. Meanwhile the discriminative model, based on knowledge-based methods, focuses on predicting the relevancy of the context-gloss pairs and identifies the correct pairs over the others. Furthermore, in order to optimize both two models, we leverage policy gradient to enhance the performances of the two models mutually. Our experimental results show that WSD-GAN achieves competitive results on several English all-words WSD datasets.
Higher-Order Multi-Layer Community Detection
Authors: Huang Ling , Wang Chang-Dong , Chao Hong-Yang
Published: August 2019

In this paper, we define a new problem of multi-layer network community detection, namely higher-order multi-layer community detection. A multi-layer motif (M-Motif) approach is proposed, which discovers communities with good intralayer higher-order community quality while preserving interlayer higher-order community consistency. Experimental results have confirmed the superiority of the proposed method.
AVS-Net: Automatic Visual Surveillance Using Relation Network
Authors: Jang Sein , Park Young-Ho , Nasridinov Aziz
Published: August 2019

Visual surveillance through closed circuit television (CCTV) can help to prevent crime. In this paper, we propose an automatic visual surveillance network (AVS-Net), which simultaneously performs image processing and object detection to determine the dangers of situations captured by CCTV. In addition, we add a relation module to infer the relationships of the objects in the images. Experimental results show that the relation module greatly improves classification accuracy, even if there is not enough information.
Dynamic Vehicle Traffic Control Using Deep Reinforcement Learning in Automated Material Handling System
Authors: Kang Younkook , Lyu Sungwon , Kim Jeeyung , Park Bongjoon , Cho Sungzoon
Published: August 2019

In automated material handling systems (AMHS), delivery time is an important issue directly associated with the production cost and the quality of the product. In this paper, we propose a dynamic routing strategy to shorten delivery time and delay. We set the target of control by analyzing traffic flows and selecting the region with the highest flow rate and congestion frequency. Then, we impose a routing cost in order to dynamically reflect the real-time changes of traffic states. Our deep reinforcement learning model consists of a Q-learning step and a recurrent neural network, through which traffic states and action values are predicted. Experiment results show that the proposed method decreases manufacturing costs while increasing productivity. Additionally, we find evidence the reinforcement learning structure proposed in this study can autonomously and dynamically adjust to the changes in traffic patterns.
Mind Your Language: Abuse and Offense Detection for Code-Switched Languages
Authors: Kapoor Raghav , Kumar Yaman , Rajput Kshitij , Shah Rajiv Ratn , Kumaraguru Ponnurangam , Zimmermann Roger
Published: August 2019

In multilingual societies like the Indian subcontinent, use of code-switched languages is much popular and convenient for the users. In this paper, we study offense and abuse detection in the code-switched pair of Hindi and English (i.e, Hinglish), the pair that is the most spoken. The task is made difficult due to non-fixed grammar, vocabulary, semantics and spellings of Hinglish language. We apply transfer learning and make a LSTM based model for hate speech classification. This model surpasses the performance shown by the current best models to establish itself as the state-of-the-art in the unexplored domain of Hinglish offensive text classification. We also release our model and the embeddings trained for research purposes.
Learning Options with Interest Functions
Authors: Khetarpal Khimya , Precup Doina
Published: August 2019

Learning temporal abstractions which are partial solutions to a task and could be reused for solving other tasks is an ingredient that can help agents to plan and learn efficiently. In this work, we tackle this problem in the options framework. We aim to autonomously learn options which are specialized in different state space regions by proposing a notion of interest functions, which generalizes initiation sets from the options framework for function approximation. We build on the option-critic framework to derive policy gradient theorems for interest functions, leading to a new interest-option-critic architecture.
Efficient Neutrino Oscillation Parameter Inference with Gaussian Process
Authors: Li Lingge , Nayak Nitish , Bian Jianming , Baldi Pierre
Published: August 2019

Many experiments have been set-up to measure the parameters governing the neutrino oscillation probabilities accurately, with implications for the fundamental structure of the universe. Very often, this involves inferences from tiny samples of data which have complicated dependencies on multiple oscillation parameters simultaneously. This is typically carried out using the unified approach of Feldman and Cousins which is very computationally expensive, on the order of tens of millions of CPU hours. In this work, we propose an iterative method using Gaussian Process to efficiently find a confidence contour for the oscillation parameters and show that it produces the same results at a fraction of the computation cost.
Deep Reinforcement Learning via Past-Success Directed Exploration
Authors: Liu Xiaoming , Xu Zhixiong , Cao Lei , Chen Xiliang , Kang Kai
Published: August 2019

The balance between exploration and exploitation has always been a core challenge in reinforcement learning. This paper proposes “past-success exploration strategy combined with Softmax action selection”(PSE-Softmax) as an adaptive control method for taking advantage of the characteristics of the online learning process of the agent to adapt exploration parameters dynamically. The proposed strategy is tested on OpenAI Gym with discrete and continuous control tasks, and the experimental results show that PSE-Softmax strategy delivers better performance than deep reinforcement learning algorithms with basic exploration strategies.
A Multi-Task Learning Framework for Abstractive Text Summarization
Authors: Lu Yao , Liu Linqing , Jiang Zhile , Yang Min , Goebel Randy
Published: August 2019

We propose a Multi-task learning approach for Abstractive Text Summarization (MATS), motivated by the fact that humans have no difficulty performing such task because they have the capabilities of multiple domains. Specifically, MATS consists of three components: (i) a text categorization model that learns rich category-specific text representations using a bi-LSTM encoder; (ii) a syntax labeling model that learns to improve the syntax-aware LSTM decoder; and (iii) an abstractive text summarization model that shares its encoder and decoder with the text categorization and the syntax labeling tasks, respectively. In particular, the abstractive text summarization model enjoys significant benefit from the additional text categorization and syntax knowledge. Our experimental results show that MATS outperforms the competitors.1
The Level Weighted Structural Similarity Loss: A Step Away from MSE
Authors: Lu Yingjing
Published: August 2019

The Mean Square Error (MSE) has shown its strength when applied in deep generative models such as Auto-Encoders to model reconstruction loss. However, in image domain especially, the limitation of MSE is obvious: it assumes pixel independence and ignores spatial relationships of samples. This contradicts most architectures of Auto-Encoders which use convolutional layers to extract spatial dependent features. We base on the structural similarity metric (SSIM) and propose a novel level weighted structural similarity (LWSSIM) loss for convolutional Auto-Encoders. Experiments on common datasets on various Auto-Encoder variants show that our loss is able to outperform the MSE loss and the Vanilla SSIM loss. We also provide reasons why our model is able to succeed in cases where the standard SSIM loss fails.
Comparative evaluation of dural venous sinuses and cerebral veins using contrast-enhanced spoiled gradient recalled echo and time-of-flight magnetic resonance venography
Authors: DENİZ Caglar , GOKCE Erkan , ACU Berat , KUYUCU Yunus Emre
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackground/Aims:In the present study, dural venous sinuses and
cerebral veins were examined using 3D SPGR MRV and 2D TOF MRV. These methods
were compared in terms of detectability of venous structures and their
diameters. Methods:A total of 110 patients(66 female and 44 male) who
had contrast-enhanced 3D SPGR MRV and 2D TOF MRV examinations using a 1.5 T MRI
machine in May 2008-June 2011 period were included in the present study.
Diameters of dural venous sinuses and veins were measured at three different
planes at a position 1cm distal to the site they drained into, and average
values were used. Both MRV methods were compared to reveal whether the
diameters calculated were different in age groups and between genders.Results:SSS, bilateral TS’s, right sigmoid sinus, Galen
vein and bilateral ICV’s all could be determined using 3D SPGR MRV. Not all
dural venous sinuses and veins other than right sigmoid sinus could be
visualized in all patients using 2D TOF MRV.There were significant differences
between the two examinations for SSS and ISS, bilateral TS and sigmoid sinuses,
SS, bilateral Labbe and ICV and Galen vein diameters(p<0.05) Diameters of
dural venous sinuses and cortical veins were generally measured larger by 3D
SPGR MRV compared to 2D TOF MRV.Conclusions:In conclusion,
differences could be observed between the two MRV examinations for
detectability and diameters of intracranial venous structures. Evaluation of
intracranial venous structures should not be carried out using only 2D TOF MRV.
Selective Removal of Organonitrogen Compounds in Fuel using Functional Polybenzimidazole Nanofibres: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study
Authors: Abdul-quadir M.S. , van der Westhuizen R. , Welthagen W. , Ferg E.E. , Tshentu Z.R. , Ogunlaja A.S.
Published: August 2019

Organonitrogen compounds present in fuel oils are deleterious to the environment as well as refining catalysts. Herein, functional polybenzimidazole (PBI) nanofibres fabricated in the presence of N-compounds (nitrogen-containing compounds) were employed for the selective adsorption of quinoline, pyrimidine and carbazole, largely found in diesel fuel. Adsorption capacities of 11.5 mg g-1,11.8 mg g-1 and 11.0 mg g-1 were observed for pyrimidine, carbazole and quinoline, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) studies indicated π-π interactions/stacking and hydrogen bond interactions between the nitrogen atom of N-compounds and PBI. The study clearly shows the potential of PBI material use for the selective removal of organonitrogen compounds in fuels. Keywords: Organonitrogen compounds, polybenzimidazole (PBI), Adsorptive denitrogenation, DFT calculations.