bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Objective criteria for assessment of the quality of dental restorations improve student’s critics towards the treatment assignment: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: MARMENTINI Brenda , CAROSSI Monique Vendruscolo , HENTZ Larissa Luane Soder , RODRIGUES-JUNIOR Sinval Adalberto
Published: July 2018

Abstract Introduction Objective parameters may help the decision of how to manage existing dental restorations in patients. Objective This study tested the following hypotheses: i) teaching objective criteria to dental students enhances their criticism toward the indication for replacement of dental restorations; and ii) a complementary practical approach enhances the proportion of correctly indicated treatments compared with a strictly theoretical approach. Method This block-randomized controlled trial involved dental students from a Brazilian university who were randomized to either a didactic/theoretical class group (A, control) or a didactic/theoretical class followed by practical training (group B); both conditions were applied in a moodle-based environment. The proportion of correctly indicated interventions before and after teaching the criteria was compared with using Mann–Whitney U-test (p<0.05), and a comparison between the approaches was established with Wilcoxon test (p<0.05). Result The baseline proportion of correct assignments significantly increased after interventions for both groups (p=0.02), with no significant difference between the interventions (p=0.871). Conclusion The proposed online training enhanced the proportion of correct assignments to restorations, confirming the first study hypothesis. The second hypothesis was rejected because differences between the strategies had no effect on the proportion of correct answers. Focusing on teaching objective criteria for assessment of the quality of restorations would enhance students’ ability to correctly treat them.
On the Informativeness of the DNA Promoter Sequences Domain Theory
Authors: Ortega J.
Published: July 2018

The DNA promoter sequences domain theory and database havebecome popular for testing systems that integrate empirical andanalytical learning. This note reports a simple change andreinterpretation of the domain theory in terms of M-of-N concepts,involving no learning, that results in an accuracy of 93.4% on the 106items of the database. Moreover, an exhaustive search of the space ofM-of-N domain theory interpretations indicates that the expectedaccuracy of a randomly chosen interpretation is 76.5%, and that amaximum accuracy of 97.2% is achieved in 12 cases. This demonstratesthe informativeness of the domain theory, without the complications ofunderstanding the interactions between various learning algorithms andthe theory. In addition, our results help characterize the difficultyof learning using the DNA promoters theory.
Using Pivot Consistency to Decompose and Solve Functional CSPs
Authors: David P.
Published: July 2018

Many studies have been carried out in order to increase thesearch efficiency of constraint satisfaction problems; among them,some make use of structural properties of the constraintnetwork; others take into account semantic properties of theconstraints, generally assuming that all the constraints possessthe given property. In this paper, we propose a new decompositionmethod benefiting from both semantic properties of functional constraints (not bijective constraints) and structuralproperties of the network; furthermore, not all the constraints needto be functional. We show that under some conditions, the existenceof solutions can be guaranteed. We first characterize a particularsubset of the variables, which we name a root set. We thenintroduce pivot consistency, a new local consistency which is aweak form of path consistency and can be achieved in O(n^2d^2)complexity (instead of O(n^3d^3) for path consistency), and wepresent associated properties; in particular, we show that anyconsistent instantiation of the root set can be linearly extended to a solution, which leads to the presentation of the aforementioned new method for solving by decomposing functional CSPs.
Statistical Feature Combination for the Evaluation of Game Positions
Authors: Buro M.
Published: July 2018

This article describes an application of three well-known statistical methods in the field of game-tree search: using a large number of classified Othello positions, feature weights for evaluation functions with a game-phase-independent meaning are estimated by means of logistic regression, Fisher's linear discriminant, and the quadratic discriminant function for normally distributed features. Thereafter, the playing strengths are compared by means of tournaments between the resulting versions of a world-class Othello program. In this application, logistic regression - which is used here for the first time in the context of game playing - leads to better results than the other approaches.
Vision-Based Road Detection in Automotive Systems: A Real-Time Expectation-Driven Approach
Authors: Broggi A. , Berte S.
Published: July 2018

The main aim of this work is the development of a vision-based road detection system fast enough to cope with the difficult real-time constraints imposed by moving vehicle applications. The hardware platform, a special-purpose massively parallel system, has been chosen to minimize system production and operational costs. This paper presents a novel approach to expectation-driven low-level image segmentation, which can be mapped naturally onto mesh-connected massively parallel SIMD architectures capable of handling hierarchical data structures. The input image is assumed to contain a distorted version of a given template; a multiresolution stretching process is used to reshape the original template in accordance with the acquired image content, minimizing a potential function. The distorted template is the process output.
OPUS: An Efficient Admissible Algorithm for Unordered Search
Authors: Webb G. I.
Published: July 2018

OPUS is a branch and bound search algorithm that enables efficient admissible search through spaces for which the order of search operator application is not significant. The algorithm's search efficiency is demonstrated with respect to very large machine learning search spaces. The use of admissible search is of potential value to the machine learning community as it means that the exact learning biases to be employed for complex learning tasks can be precisely specified and manipulated. OPUS also has potential for application in other areas of artificial intelligence, notably, truth maintenance.
Diffusion of Context and Credit Information in Markovian Models
Authors: Bengio Y. , Frasconi P.
Published: July 2018

This paper studies the problem of ergodicity of transition probability matrices in Markovian models, such as hidden Markov models (HMMs), and how it makes very difficult the task of learning to represent long-term context for sequential data. This phenomenon hurts the forward propagation of long-term context information, as well as learning a hidden state representation to represent long-term context, which depends on propagating credit information backwards in time. Using results from Markov chain theory, we show that this problem of diffusion of context and credit is reduced when the transition probabilities approach 0 or 1, i.e., the transition probability matrices are sparse and the model essentially deterministic. The results found in this paper apply to learning approaches based on continuous optimization, such as gradient descent and the Baum-Welch algorithm.
Active Learning with Statistical Models
Authors: Cohn D. A. , Ghahramani Z. , Jordan M. I.
Published: July 2018

For many types of machine learning algorithms, one can compute the statistically `optimal' way to select training data. In this paper, we review how optimal data selection techniques have been used with feedforward neural networks. We then show how the same principles may be used to select data for two alternative, statistically-based learning architectures: mixtures of Gaussians and locally weighted regression. While the techniques for neural networks are computationally expensive and approximate, the techniques for mixtures of Gaussians and locally weighted regression are both efficient and accurate. Empirically, we observe that the optimality criterion sharply decreases the number of training examples the learner needs in order to achieve good performance.
Learning the Past Tense of English Verbs: The Symbolic Pattern Associator vs. Connectionist Models
Authors: Ling C. X.
Published: July 2018

Learning the past tense of English verbs - a seemingly minor aspect of language acquisition - has generated heated debates since 1986, and has become a landmark task for testing the adequacy of cognitive modeling. Several artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been implemented, and a challenge for better symbolic models has been posed. In this paper, we present a general-purpose Symbolic Pattern Associator (SPA) based upon the decision-tree learning algorithm ID3. We conduct extensive head-to-head comparisons on the generalization ability between ANN models and the SPA under different representations. We conclude that the SPA generalizes the past tense of unseen verbs better than ANN models by a wide margin, and we offer insights as to why this should be the case. We also discuss a new default strategy for decision-tree learning algorithms.
Substructure Discovery Using Minimum Description Length and Background Knowledge
Authors: Cook D. J. , Holder L. B.
Published: July 2018

The ability to identify interesting and repetitive substructures is an essential component to discovering knowledge in structural data. We describe a new version of our SUBDUE substructure discovery system based on the minimum description length principle. The SUBDUE system discovers substructures that compress the original data and represent structural concepts in the data. By replacing previously-discovered substructures in the data, multiple passes of SUBDUE produce a hierarchical description of the structural regularities in the data. SUBDUE uses a computationally-bounded inexact graph match that identifies similar, but not identical, instances of a substructure and finds an approximate measure of closeness of two substructures when under computational constraints. In addition to the minimum description length principle, other background knowledge can be used by SUBDUE to guide the search towards more appropriate substructures. Experiments in a variety of domains demonstrate SUBDUE's ability to find substructures capable of compressing the original data and to discover structural concepts important to the domain. Description of Online Appendix: This is a compressed tar file containing the SUBDUE discovery system, written in C. The program accepts as input databases represented in graph form, and will output discovered substructures with their corresponding value.
Bidirectional Heuristic Search Reconsidered
Authors: Kaindl H. , Kainz G.
Published: July 2018

The assessment of bidirectional heuristic search has been incorrect since it was first published more than a quarter of a century ago. For quite a long time, this search strategy did not achieve the expected results, and there was a major misunderstanding about the reasons behind it. Although there is still wide-spread belief that bidirectional heuristic search is afflicted by the problem of search frontiers passing each other, we demonstrate that this conjecture is wrong. Based on this finding, we present both a new generic approach to bidirectional heuristic search and a new approach to dynamically improving heuristic values that is feasible in bidirectional search only. These approaches are put into perspective with both the traditional and more recently proposed approaches in order to facilitate a better overall understanding. Empirical results of experiments with our new approaches show that bidirectional heuristic search can be performed very efficiently and also with limited memory. These results suggest that bidirectional heuristic search appears to be better for solving certain difficult problems than corresponding unidirectional search. This provides some evidence for the usefulness of a search strategy that was long neglected. In summary, we show that bidirectional heuristic search is viable and consequently propose that it be reconsidered.
A System for Induction of Oblique Decision Trees
Authors: Murthy S. K. , Kasif S. , Salzberg S.
Published: July 2018

This article describes a new system for induction ofoblique decision trees. This system, OC1, combines deterministic hill-climbing with two forms of randomization to find a goodoblique split (in the form of a hyperplane) at each node of a decisiontree. Oblique decision tree methods are tuned especially for domains in which the attributes are numeric, although they can be adapted to symbolic or mixed symbolic/numeric attributes. We presentextensive empirical studies, using both real and artificial data, thatanalyze OC1's ability to construct oblique trees that are smaller and more accurate than their axis-parallel counterparts. We also examinethe benefits of randomization for the construction of oblique decisiontrees.
Wrap-Up: a Trainable Discourse Module for Information Extraction
Authors: Soderland S. , Lehnert W.
Published: July 2018

The vast amounts of on-line text now available have ledto renewed interest in information extraction (IE) systems thatanalyze unrestricted text, producing a structured representation ofselected information from the text. This paper presents a novel approachthat uses machine learning to acquire knowledge for some of the higher level IE processing. Wrap-Up is a trainable IE discourse component that makes intersentential inferences and identifies logicalrelations among information extracted from the text. Previous corpus-based approaches were limited to lower level processing such as part-of-speech tagging, lexical disambiguation, and dictionary construction. Wrap-Up is fully trainable, and not onlyautomatically decides what classifiers are needed, but even derives the featureset for each classifier automatically. Performance equals that of a partially trainable discourse module requiring manual customization for each domain.
Mechanisms for Automated Negotiation in State Oriented Domains
Authors: Zlotkin G. , Rosenschein J. S.
Published: July 2018

This paper lays part of the groundwork for a domain theory of negotiation, that is, a way of classifying interactions so that it is clear, given a domain, which negotiation mechanisms and strategies are appropriate. We define State Oriented Domains, a general category of interaction. Necessary and sufficient conditions for cooperation are outlined. We use the notion of worth in an altered definition of utility, thus enabling agreements in a wider class of joint-goal reachable situations. An approach is offered for conflict resolution, and it is shown that even in a conflict situation, partial cooperative steps can be taken by interacting agents (that is, agents in fundamental conflict might still agree to cooperate up to a certain point). A Unified Negotiation Protocol (UNP) is developed that can be used in all types of encounters. It is shown that in certain borderline cooperative situations, a partial cooperative agreement (i.e., one that does not achieve all agents' goals) might be preferred by all agents, even though there exists a rational agreement that would achieve all their goals. Finally, we analyze cases where agents have incomplete information on the goals and worth of other agents. First we consider the case where agents' goals are private information, and we analyze what goal declaration strategies the agents might adopt to increase their utility. Then, we consider the situation where the agents' goals (and therefore stand-alone costs) are common knowledge, but the worth they attach to their goals is private information. We introduce two mechanisms, one 'strict', the other 'tolerant', and analyze their affects on the stability and efficiency of negotiation outcomes.
An Integrated Framework for Learning and Reasoning
Authors: Giraud-Carrier C. G. , Martinez T. R.
Published: July 2018

Learning and reasoning are both aspects of what is considered to be intelligence. Their studies within AI have been separated historically, learning being the topic of machine learning and neural networks, and reasoning falling under classical (or symbolic) AI. However, learning and reasoning are in many ways interdependent. This paper discusses the nature of some of these interdependencies and proposes a general framework called FLARE, that combines inductive learning using prior knowledge together with reasoning in a propositional setting. Several examples that test the framework are presented, including classical induction, many important reasoning protocols and two simple expert systems.
Equidad de géneros como unidad de aprendizaje en la universidad
Authors: Salinas Boldo Claudia
Published: July 2018

This research describes an educational experience on the subject of gender equity, with a learning unit aimed at university students from various areas, in the online mode, in a semester period. This learning unit that is taught for the first time in the university, is a way to promote gender equity and combat the problem of violence by denaturing it and understanding the responsibility that every student has in the reproduction of inequality, and also as a change promoter. The objective of this work was to analyze the learning reflections carried out by the 18 students who participated in the course, through three inductive categories: patriarchy, violence and equity, built on the basis of the units of the course. To achieve this, a collection of the final sections of their tasks was carried out. The analysis of these sections, identified as “learning reflections”, indicates that students consider that patriarchy is a historical construction, that we have learned to see gender violence as something natural and that equality and equity are not same. Likewise, it was found that the students were able to link these concepts with situations from their immediate contexts, and were able to recognize themselves as factors of change.
Needs-based Course Evaluation of Teaching and Learning English in Primary Education: A Case form a 2nd Grade Classroom
Authors: SİMSEK Deniz , MEDE Enisa
Published: July 2018

The purpose of this study is to
investigate the attitudes and reflections of young learners as well as their
teachers toward learning and teaching English in the 2nd grade classrooms. The study also attempts to find out whether
the existing course meets the students’ language and learning needs. A sample
of 70 Turkish EFL students and 3 teachers enrolled participated in this
research. The data were gathered through a scale and reflection drawing tasks
administered to the students as well as collaborative diary written by the
teachers. The findings revealed that the 2nd grade students had
positive attitudes toward learning English through playing games, watching
videos and singing songs whereas they were less interested in writing, doing
homework and studying course book. Besides, the teachers expressed their
positive reflections focusing on student engagement and motivation as the key
points while teaching English in their classes. Based on the gathered data,
suggestions and implications are provided for the improvement of the existing 2nd
grade English course in the following academic year.
DUYGUSAL TÜKENME İLE ÖRGÜTSEL BAĞLILIK ARASINDAKİ İLİŞKİDE İŞ TATMİNİNİN ARACI ROLÜ
Authors: BABADAĞ Mustafa , ARLI Osman Emre
Published: July 2018

Duygusal tükenme, iş tatmini ve örgütsel bağlılık arasındaki ilişkiyi
belirlemeye çalıştığımız bu araştırmada öncelikle teorik bir çerçeve çizilmiş
ve çalışmanın teorik kısmında sırasıyla duygusal tükenme, iş tatmini ve
örgütsel bağlılık kavramları açıklanmıştır. Daha sonra değişkenleri araştıran
çalışmalar gözden geçirilerek araştırma modeli ve hipotezler oluşturulmuştur.
Araştırma kısmında ise anket tekniği ile kamu ve özel sektörde görev yapan 212
çalışandan veri toplanmıştır. Veriler istatistiki paket programları ile analiz
edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Analizlerde; faktör analizi, güvenilirlik analizi,
korelâsyon analizi ve yapısal eşitlik modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırma
sonucunda ulaşılan sonuçlara göre duygusal tükenmenin iş tatminini negatif
yönlü ve anlamlı olarak etkilediği; iş tatminin örgütsel bağlılığı pozitif
yönlü ve anlamlı olarak etkilediği ve duygusal tükenmenin örgütsel bağlılık
üzerindeki negatif yönlü etkisinde iş tatminin tam aracı etkiye sahip olduğu
belirlenmiştir.
Sosyal Medya ve Sosyal Kaygı: Sosyal Medya Kullanıcıları Üzerine Bir Araştırma
Authors: Aktan Ercan
Published: July 2018

Kaygı
kavramı, bireyin içinde bulunduğu endişe hali olarak tanımlanmaktadır.
Yaşanılan endişe hali bir baskılayıcı olarak bireyin üzerinde negatif etkiler
doğurmaktadır. Bu negatif etkiler dolayısıyla birey iletişim ve etkileşim
konusunda normalin dışında sorunlarla karşılaşabilir. Bu sürecin neticesi
olarak birey, iletişim kaygısı ve sosyal kaygı adı verilen yeni durumlarla
karşı karşıya kalabilir. Bu araştırmada, sosyal medya kullanıcısı olan
katılımcıların sosyal kaygı durumları ölçülmeye çalışılmıştır. Bu doğrultuda
araştırma Aksaray Üniversitesi’nde öğrenim gören farklı bölümlerdeki öğrenciler
üzerinde yüz yüze anket tekniği kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma
sonucunda katılımcıların sosyal medyada paylaşılan içerik, gizlilik endişesi ve
öz değerlendirme kaygılarının yüksek; buna karşın etkileşim kaygılarının ise
düşük olduğu ortaya konulmuştur. Aynı zamanda sosyal medya kullanıcıları için
sosyal kaygı ölçeğinin alt faktörleri arasında pozitif yönde, anlamlı ilişki bir
saptanmıştır. Araştırmada kadınların
erkeklere göre sosyal medyada daha fazla sosyal kaygı düzeyine sahip oldukları
sonucuna da ulaşılmıştır.
Cânone literário e o lugar das mulheres na literatura brasileira oitocentista * Literary canon and the place of women in the oitocentist brazilian literature
Authors: Ribeiro Cristiane De Paula
Published: July 2018

O presente trabalho objetiva abordar o apagamento feminino na edificação do cânone literário e os condicionamentos históricos que propiciaram isso, no qual muitas mulheres permaneceram no anonimato histórico, utilizando-nos dos aportes dos estudos de gênero. Para tal, partimos de uma obra sob autoria feminina de Anna Rosa Termacsics dos Santos, intitulada Tratado Sobre a Emancipação Política da Mulher e Direito de Votar, que permaneceu totalmente desconhecida nos estudos históricos. Tal autora utilizou-se da literatura como forma de reivindicar direitos negados historicamente ao seu sexo, desde os educacionais até os políticos, peculiaridades de relevância social e política para os novos estudos que pensam a representação da mulher.
Factors Affecting Opioid Treatment in Cancer Patients
Authors: Symeonidi Matina , Panagiotou Irene , Tsilika Eleni , Roumeliotou Anna , Galanos Antonis , Mystakidou Kyriaki
Published: July 2018

Purpose: Pain is prevalent in cancer patients, appearing to be moderate to severe in more than one third of them. Despite the fact that fentanyl is widely used with effective analgesic results, some patients do not correspond to treatment, resulting in opioid change. Methods: This is a cohort study, performed in Greek patients with cancer. Its scope was to identify potential reasons responsible for opioid change, due to transdermal-fentanyl intolerance, resulting from inadequate analgesia (pain relief<33% in 1week) and/or unacceptable adverse-events (grade≥3 at Common Terminology Criteria-v4.0). The final sample included 289 participants. To investigate responsible reasons for transdermal-fentanyl intolerance we studied its relation with patients’ history, haematology, biochemistry, body-mass-index, demographic and disease related characteristics. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status scale, the Mini Mental State Examination questionnaire, the M.D.Anderson Symptom Inventory and the Greek Brief Pain Inventory were also used to measure performance status and quality-of-life for the same reason. Results: Almost one third of the patients had to change to an alternative opioid oral-morphine in order to achieve adequate analgesia or/and avoid adverse-events. The most common adverse-events observed were nausea/vomiting and sleepiness. Statistical analysis demonstrated that younger age (OR=0.976) and obesity (OR=0.29 against underweight, OR=0.39 against normal, OR=0.48 against pre-obese) had a higher possibility to contribute to modification of the analgesic treatment. Furthermore, a higher impact of symptoms in patient’s life (OR=1.184) and chemotherapy (OR=2.109) could also contribute to the need of change of the opioid analgesic medication. Conclusion: This study found significant variables for transdermal-fentanyl intolerance. This knowledge may help person-center care in moderate to severe cancer pain. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see “For Readers”) may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue’s contents page.
Interaction effect of phosphosrus and sulphur application on nutrient uptake, yield and yield attributing parameters of black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper]
Authors: Phogat Mamta , Rai A. P. , Kumar Sunil
Published: July 2018

The experiment comprising of four levels of phosphorus, i.e., 0, 20, 40 and 60 kg ha-1 and three levels of sulphur, i.e., 0, 15 and 30 kg ha-1, was conducted during summer of 2015-16 to investigate the interaction effect of phosphorus and sulphur application on nutrients uptake and yield of black gram cv. Uttara. The treatments were laid in randomized block design (Factorial) with three replications. The results revealed utmost concentration and uptake of phosphorus in seed (0.376% and 3.59 kg ha-1) and stover (0.266% and 6.38 kg ha-1) and sulphur in seed (0.397% and 3.79 kg ha-1) and stover (0.134% and 3.21 kg ha-1) with combined application of phosphorus 60 kg and sulphur 30 kg ha-1, indicating synergistic effect of phosphorus and sulphur on nutrient uptake, respectively. The results also revealed that combined application of phosphorus and sulphur showed synergistic effect on seed and stover yield of black gram with increasing levels of phosphorus and sulphur up to highest level as both the nutrients mutually help absorption and utilization by black gram probably due to balanced nutrition. The seed and stover yield were 955.50 and 2398.30 kg ha-1 with combined application of phosphorus 60 kg and sulphur 30 kg ha-1. The yield attributes of black gram viz., plant height, number of pods plant-1 and 100 seeds weight also increased significantly with increasing levels of phosphorus and sulphur up to highest level and the optimum values were recorded with combined application of phosphorus 60 kg and sulphur 30 kg ha-1. However, non-significant response of phosphorus and sulphur application has been observed in case of plant population (m-2).
Étude Évaluative De L'application Des Textes Juridiques En Vigueur En Matière De Lutte Contre La Contrefaçon En Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Sylvère Kazon Diescieu Aubin , Stéphane Dagbé Ahodan , Edwige Blé
Published: July 2018

This study aim at assessing the application of laws within the fight against counterfeiting in Ivory Coast. The work took place in Abidjan (the economic capital city), precisely in the communes of Plateau and Koumassi and has focused on a sample of 32 respondents selected according to the criteria of intentional sampling method. The data have been collected by direct observation and with the help of a questionnaire; all from the documentary study. As far as the methods of analysis of the data are concerned, the emphasis has been placed on the qualitative analysis. Thus, the results obtained show many difficulties in the application of the legal texts in the field of the fight against counterfeiting. These difficulties result in large part from the legal problems and the enforcement of decisions, the lapsing of certain laws which are more in line with the requirements of international trade and of the inadequacy of some laws. From these results, we propose that the sentences are more dissuasive and the fines very high. The means must be put at the disposal of sworn officers to rigorously enforce the laws. They will need to have coercive powers, or even law enforcement agencies to track down counterfeiters and spurious goods. There must be an honest collaboration between economic operators and agents in charge of making the laws respected.
Criminalization of Voluntary Incest Among Adults in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Sajaia Tamta
Published: July 2018

In the present article – “Criminalization of Voluntary Incest Among Adults in Comparative Perspective" - the author fully shares the opinion that prohibition of incest is a major step taken by human beings from their original natural state towards civilization. Intimate relations between blood relatives can destroy the family structure and the whole society. It can ruin the moral principles of the democratic state and serve as a basis for producing genetically abnormal offspring. Consequently, the negative attitude to the "incestuous relations" is universal and well known to the civilization; although, the interpretation of such relations and the social and legal forms of making impact on it are different, thus, the complexity of legislative approaches, revealing the importance of the issue. The definition of incest has been worked out on the basis of: a) formulation of public attitudes toward incest and revealing the main tendencies of the development of the legislation in the historical context; b) comparison of the national legislation with the legislative base of other states worldwide and their legal systems; c) analysis of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights and the scientific research works on related topics. In order to initiate criminalization of voluntary incest among adults, the definitions tailored to the Georgian legislation have been elaborated.
Development of Instruction and Methodical Data Basis of the Institution as an Element of Biosafety Provision as Regards Works with Pathogenic Biological Agents
Authors: Kostyukova T. A. , Smolensky V. Yu. , Lyapin M. N.
Published: July 2018

A set of documents concerning biological safety at the institutional level is prepared and put in to practice. Three levels of specialists` admission for works with pathogenic biological agents of the I-IV groups have been developed, substantiated and introduced. Considered are the variants of execution of coupled (simultaneous) work with PBA of different groups. The statement on control of disinfectants received by the institution defines the order of control execution as regards newly received disinfectants and correspondence of disinfectants` working solutions in the laboratories to the requirements of sanitary regulations. Demonstrated is practicability of the assessment of protective efficacy of air-cleaning filters in the exhaust ventilation systems of “contaminated” area rooms in the laboratories carrying out the works with PBA using bacterial aerosol and physical method.
Key Stages in the Development of SAET Laboratory Facilities
Authors: Portenko S. A. , Shcherbakova S. A. , Kazakova E. S. , Sharova I. N. , Karnaukhov I. G. , Toporkov A. V. , Kutyrev V. V.
Published: July 2018

Considered are the stages of the SAET laboratory facilities development. Initially main area of activities was assumed to be specific indication of bacterial threats and laboratory control over the ambient environment objects for the presence of particularly dangerous infectious disease agents. Significant increment in the workload occurred during the period of localization and elimination of epidemic cholera manifestations in the 1970s, when primary tasks of bacteriological unit consisted in carrying out mass bacteriological investigations of samples from humans, environment objects, and food items. Assignment of new functions to the laboratory facilities, such as performance of sanitary-microbiological investigations, monitoring over ambient environment objects for the presence of vibrio-flora and natural-focal infectious disease agents, clinical material assays - is associated with SAETs participation in liquidation of medical-sanitary consequences of natural disasters and human cost relief as aftermaths of military conflicts, as well as participation in management of mass events with international representation. Most important issues in the development of SAET laboratory facilities are implementation of advanced diagnostic technologies, automatization of various stages in the process of analysis performing, standardization of diagnostic investigations, and ensuring compliance of the facilities with national and international requirements.
Приветствие президента РПО Александр Иванович Донцов
Authors: Донцов Александр Иванович
Published: July 2018

.
Beneficial effect of minimal interference on item memory but not on source memory in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Kapogiannis Dimitrios , El Haj Mohamad
Published: July 2018

Objectives: Research suggests beneficial effects of minimal interference on item memory in
mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We conducted a study to test whether these beneficial effects extend to
source memory, i.e., the ability to remember the episodic context in which an information was previously
acquired.

Method:

Twenty-six mild AD participants and 28 controls manipulated six objects or watched the experimenter
manipulating six other objects. After immediate item recall (“what were the items?”) and
source recall (“by whom the items were previously manipulated?”), an interference or a minimal interference
condition was administrated. In the interference condition, participants were assessed with neuropsychological
tests for 10 min. In the minimal interference condition, they rested alone in a dark and
quiet room for 10 minutes. Both interference and minimal interference conditions were followed by the
delayed recall, on which participants were asked to remember the previously-presented objects and their
source.

Results:

Higher item memory was observed following minimal interference than following interference
in AD participants (p < .01) and controls (p < .01). Also, AD participants demonstrated higher item
memory on immediate recall than following interference (p < .001) or minimal interference (p < .001);
controls also demonstrated higher item memory on immediate recall than following interference (p <
.001) or minimal interference (p < .001). Considering source memory, similar source memory was observed
following interference and minimal interference in AD participants (p > .1) and controls (p > .1).
Also, AD participants demonstrated higher source memory on immediate recall than following interference
(p < .001) or minimal interference (p < .001); controls also demonstrated higher source memory on
immediate recall than following interference (p < .001) or minimal interference (p < .001).

Conclusion:

Failures of hippocampus-dependent associative or consolidation processes in AD may preclude
benefits of minimal interference for source memory. Nevertheless, AD patients may show some
capacity to retain simple material, should the material presentation be followed by short delays that are
free of further stimuli.
Therapeutic Outcomes in AIDS-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy Treated with Chemotherapy at Two Tertiary Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia
Authors: Mtonga Watson , Mujajati Aaron , Munkombwe Derick , Kalungia Aubrey , Muungo Lungwani Tyson , West John , Wood Charles , Ngalamika Owen
Published: July 2018

The incidence of HIV-associated Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) remains high in Zambia in the antiretroviral therapy era. The most efficacious treatment regimen for KS has yet to be established. In both developed and developing countries, treatment regimens have had limited efficacy. Late presentation in Africa affects therapeutic outcomes.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to determine therapeutic outcomes of epidemic KS patients on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) after completion of six cycles of Adriamycin, Bleomycin, and Vincristine (ABV) chemotherapy.

Methods:

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Study participants were drawn from a study database of confirmed incident KS patients seen at the Skin Clinic of the University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) during the period between August, 2015 and September, 2016.

Results:

Of the 38 successfully recruited study participants, a complete response was documented in 18 (47%) after 6 cycles of ABV whereas 20 (53%) experienced a partial response. KS recurrence was observed in 8 (44%) of the individuals that experienced an initial complete response. At the time of the study, clinical assessment revealed that KS lesions had completely regressed in 21 (55%) of all the patients.

Conclusion:

ABV chemotherapy appears ineffective in long-term resolution of epidemic KS patients on ART. Recurrence rates are high after chemotherapy in patients that experience initially favorable responses to treatment. There is a need to diagnose KS earlier, and to develop more efficacious treatment options in order to reduce recurrence rates for epidemic KS.
Telangiectasia hemorrágica hereditaria. Reporte de caso
Authors: Alonso Gómez Martín , Ruiz Oscar Fernando , Otero William
Published: July 2018

La telangiectasia hemorrágica hereditaria o síndrome de Osler-Weber-Rendu es una entidad autosómica dominante rara, con una frecuencia que oscila entre 1 por cada 16 300 habitantes a 1 por cada 1331 depen- diendo de la población y la localización geográfica, sin predilección de género. Se caracteriza clínicamente por telangiectasias, epistaxis a repetición, lesiones viscerales vasculares (malformaciones arteriovenosas) y usualmente con un antecedente familiar. Este trabajo reporta un caso clínico compatible con esta entidad que presentó complicaciones muy raras como lo son el absceso pulmonar y cerebral a la vez.
Aspectos histopatológicos de la evaluación del donante en trasplante hepático, una aproximación a la consulta intraoperatoria
Authors: López Panqueva Rocio Del Pilar
Published: July 2018

El éxito de un trasplante hepático en gran parte radica en la selección del candidato óptimo y del mejor órga- no. En los últimos años se ha trabajado de forma importante hacia la elaboración de criterios de selección y de asignación basados en la evidencia. La evaluación histopatológica de las biopsias hepáticas desempeña un papel importante en el contexto del trasplante hepático, tanto en la evaluación pretrasplante de órganos considerados como marginales y en el diagnóstico y el tratamiento del paciente que ha recibido un trasplante. El uso de la biopsia intraoperatoria para evaluar órganos marginales en la evaluación pretrasplante es debatido por unos grupos y apoyado por otros. Por otra parte, los cambios morfológicos que ocurren en el postrasplante como el rechazo agudo celular y el rechazo crónico están muy bien reconocidos y la biopsia hepática sigue siendo considerada el patrón oro para el diagnóstico de estas condiciones, no así la biopsia del posible donante, sin embargo su precisión ha sido cuestionada debido en gran parte a la gran variabi- lidad y subjetividad, dadas principalmente por las dificultades diagnósticas que plantea esta patología y a la experiencia del patólogo (1). En esta revisión se discutirán los tópicos más importantes y frecuentes, así como algunos que pueden crear problemas de diagnóstico en patología del trasplante, se hará énfasis en las características patológicas y el diagnóstico diferencial. Los temas serán tratados en tres partes, esta primera entrega corresponde a los aspectos relevantes de la biopsia del donante.
Aleksandar Kubicela (1930-2017): An astrophysical research pioneer at the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade
Authors: Popovic L.C. , Vince I.
Published: July 2018

Here, we give a short biography and summary of scientific contributions of
Aleksandar Kubicela, a doyen of astronomy in Serbia, and an astrophysical
research pioneer at the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade. Additionally,
we evoke some of our memories concerning scientific collaboration with
Aleksandar Kubicela.
Corrigendum: In the paper Contribution study of the thermodynamics properties of the ammonia-water mixtures, doi reference: 10.2298/TSCI110206083K
Authors: Editorial E
Published: July 2018

Simeon Oka, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Thermal Science request that it is necessary to correct Equation No. 6 in the paper CONTRIBUTION STUDY OF THE THERMODYNAMICS PROPERTIES OF THE AMMONIA-WATER MIXTURES by Sahraoui KHERRIS a, b*, Mohammed MAKHLOUF b, Djallel ZEBBAR a, and Omar SEBBANE c aInstitute of Sciences and Technology, University of Tissemsilt, Tissemilt, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria bReactifs Systems and Materials Laboratory, Djillali LIABES University, Algeria cMaterials and Renewable Energy Laboratory, Abou Bekr Belkaid University, Tlemcen, Algeria Original scientific paper DOI: 10.2298/TSCI110206083K published in the journal THERMAL SCIENCE: Year 2013, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 891-902 since due to typing error Equation No. 6, of this paper has not been correctly written.

 Link to the corrected article 10.2298/TSCI110206083K
Micropollutants in wastewater and their degradation by ferrates (VI)
Authors: Kubiňáková Emília , Fašková Lucia , Králiková Eva , Híveša Ján , Mackuľak Tomáš
Published: July 2018

In recent years, the occurrence of micropollutants (MPs) in sewage-, surface-, ground- and drinking water, and their removal processes are widely discussed. The content of various chemical organic/inorganic pollutants (pharmaceuticals, drugs, pesticides, hormones, heavy metals etc.) has increased over the years. Most of these compounds are not eliminated or biotransformed in traditional wastewater treatment plants. Several advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for the removal of resistant micropollutants from water sources have been studied. Ferrate (VI) has aroused interest as an alternative oxidizing agent in drinking water preoxidation treatment. Electrochemically prepared potassium ferrate was used to remove the studied organic micropollutants. The effect of ferrate on two widely occurring organic micropollutants in water sources, carbamazepine and caffeine, was investigated. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for sample analysis.
Acid-Base Status of Patients with Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Ketonuria: Bosnia and Herzegovina Experience
Authors: Hasković Edhem , Bureković Azra , Husić Adnan , Fočak Muhamed , Islamagić Erna
Published: July 2018

The aim of this study was to analyze the values of biochemical parameters in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis and ketonuria. In this prospective comparative study conducted at the Clinical Center of the University of Sarajevo, hundred patients of both genders with diabetes mellitus were enrolled. Newly diagnosed diabetic patients with complications like acute ketoacidosis (n = 50) and ketonuria (n = 50) were included in this study and compared. The values of biochemical parameters in these patients were analyzed. We found that mean values of pH, base excess, hydrogencarbonate, sodium, glucose, urea and creatinine concentrations in patients with ketoacidosis were significantly different compared to patients with ketonuria. The values of potassium and calcium serum concentrations were not significantly different. Also, values of pH, base excess, as well as concentrations of hydrogencarbonate, sodium, potassium, calcium, glucose, urea and creatinine were not significantly different between male and female patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. In patients with diabetic ketonuria we found a correlation between admission glucose concentration and acid-base balance.
Redox imbalance caused by pesticides: a review of OPENTOX-related research
Authors: Čermak Ana Marija Marjanović , Pavičić Ivan , Želježić Davor
Published: July 2018

Pesticides are a highly diverse group of compounds and the most important chemical stressors in the environment. Mechanisms that could explain pesticide toxicity are constantly being studied and their interactions at the cellular level are often observed in well-controlled in vitro studies. Several pesticide groups have been found to impair the redox balance in the cell, but the mechanisms leading to oxidative stress for certain pesticides are only partly understood. As our scientific project “Organic pollutants in environment – markers and biomarkers of toxicity (OPENTOX)” is dedicated to studying toxic effects of selected insecticides and herbicides, this review is focused on reporting the knowledge regarding oxidative stress-related phenomena at the cellular level. We wanted to single out the most important facts relevant to the evaluation of our own findings from studies conducted on in vitro cell models.
Aquaporin 2 Expression in Human Fetal Kidney Development
Authors: Ráduly Gergő , Pap Zsuzsánna , Dénes Loránd , Szántó Annamária , Pávai Zoltán
Published: July 2018

Introduction: The metanephrogenic zone, renal cortex and renal pyramids develop into their final form by week 13. The metanephric kidney produces large quantities of diluted urine in order to maintain volumes of amniotic fluid. Aquaporins are transmembrane protein channels that enable water transport through biological membranes. Aquaporin 2 (AQP2) is a water channel found in the supranuclear region and apical area of the cell membrane of the kidneys collecting tubule cells. Its main function is reabsorption of water through vasopressin stimulation.

Materials and methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to study fetal renal tissue of 34 post-mortem fetuses of 9 weeks to 24 weeks gestational age.

Results: AQP2 expression is present in connecting tubules and collecting tubules during the targeted time period. From week 9 to 12, the expression is cytoplasmic. From week 13 to 20 the enhancement of expression in the apical cell membrane occurs with the advancement of fetal age. At the end of the studied period, from week 21 to 24, both cytoplasmic and apical expression were observed. In animal studies AQP2 expression has an increasing trend during development. In contradiction with these results, other authors described low AQP2 levels in the human fetal kidney.

Conclusions: This study helps to understand the amniotic fluid’s homeostasis during pregnancy. In the beginning of the fetal period AQP2 protein is present in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells of the collecting duct and distal connecting duct. During the fetal period, AQP2 expression in collecting ducts becomes more enhanced in the apical membrane of the cells.
Testing the validity of the Linder hypothesis for Croatia
Authors: Jošić Hrvoje , Metelko Matej
Published: July 2018

This paper presents empirical evidence on the validity of the Linder hypothesis in the case of Croatia. According to the Linder hypothesis, one of the new theories of international trade, countries with a similar level of income per capita should trade more. In order to investigate the trade pattern of Croatia's international trade, a panel regression model is formulated including 184 Croatia's import partner countries in the period from 2000 to 2016. The Linder effect was displayed and calculated using the Linder variable expressed as an absolute difference between GDP per capita of the importing and the exporting country. The cross-country panel regression model is estimated using Pooled OLS, Fixed and Random effects models. Results of the analysis have shown that the validity of the Linder hypothesis for Croatia cannot be accepted. Instead, the structure of Croatia's trade is in line with the gravity model of international trade.