bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN IN NORTHERN STATES, NIGERIA
Authors: Magaji Deborah K
Published: May 2019

The study assessed the environmental determinants of nutritional status of children under-five in Northern States, Nigeria. The study had one objective, one research question and one hypothesis. Ex post facto design method was used for the study. The researcher targeted 400 mother-child-pairs used as the subjects of the study. Data regarding Environmental Quality Indicators (EQI): (household type, structure, toilet and source of drinking water) was collected by using a questionnaire. Personal contact was used for data collection. Weighing scale and infantometer/heightometer were used to measure weight and length/height of children. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 was used for data analysis. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used for analysis and was considered significant at 0.05 alpha levels. The result showed that, 194 (49%) children had normal growth rate, 97 (25%) were stunted, 59 (15%) were underweight while 45 (11%) were wasting. The result further revealed that, significant influence existed between EQI and underweight (r=.711; P=<.027), stunting (r=.506; p=<.043) and wasting (r=.611; p=<.0081). The study concluded that, the nutritional status of children in Northern states, Nigeria was poor, and that environmental indicators of source of drinking water and household type significantly influenced the nutritional status of children under-five in Northern States, Nigeria. It was recommended that, government intervention should aim at provision of adequate water supply and promote traditional buildings combined with modern technology to ensure optimal child development in Northern States, Nigeria.
AGE AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE PRE-DEGREE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOKOTO
Authors: Kalgo Faruk Aliyu
Published: May 2019

Age is one of the criteria being used by the University of Sokoto for admission into its pre-degree programmes. This research was conducted to find out the influence of age on the academic performance of the pre-degree students. Students’ age and aggregate of their scores on pre-degree examinations were used. Students, 17-19 years were considered ‘younger’ while 20 years and above were considered ‘older’. A total of 360 pre-degree out of 509 students were used. Analysis of variance carried out revealed that younger students performed significantly better than older students in three of the four cases.
THE LIMITATIONS OF CREATIVE THINKING IN THE NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Authors: Sulaiman Musa
Published: May 2019

The educational system in Nigeria today puts too much emphasis on'blind obedience to the teacher in the classroom, conformity to the age old established norms and practices in the school and reproduction of ideas in the examination. This is the legacy of the inherited colonial education which aims were geared towards producing white collar jobs that would sustain the colonial administration. It has been argued that this system is not favourable to the generation of new ideas and full realisation of human creative potential. Various research studies on creativity and its measurement have been reviewed. It has been generally noted that creative thinking cannot be fostered in a system of education that puts too much premium on an ex­amination. Some recommendations for the development of creative thinking in our schools (such as putting emphasis on productive rather than reproductive thinking, having a more relaxed atmosphere that allows students to toy freely with objects) are made.
BILINGUALISM AND PERSONALITY GROUP DYNAMICS: A NIGERIAN (IGBANKE) CASE STUDY
Authors: Okoh Nduka
Published: May 2019

In socio-psycholinguistics, the phenomenon of bilingualism is well known as a significant variable posing cultural, political, economic and educational problems at both personal and group levels. This paper addresses itself specifically to some o f the socio-psychological pro­blems experienced by a particular border-bilingual community in Nigeria — Igbanke in Bendel State of Nigeria. The historical antecedents as well as the current existential situation of “cultural am bivalence” and “political instrumentalism” of the Igbanke people are briefly ex­amined and analysed. It was also noted that this state of affairs is fairly common among border communities in Bendel State in particular and in Nigeria generally, and that further extensive as well as in-depth studies in this field would be useful for both research and practical purposes.
Bondi–Hoyle–Lyttleton Accretion onto Star Clusters
Authors: Kaaz Nicholas , Antoni Andrea , Ramirez-Ruiz Enrico
Published: May 2019

An isolated star moving supersonically through a uniform gas accretes material from its gravitationally induced wake. The rate of accretion is set by the accretion radius of the star and is well described by classical Bondi–Hoyle–Lyttleton theory. Stars, however, are not born in isolation. They form in clusters where they accrete material that is influenced by all the stars in the cluster. We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of clusters of individual accretors embedded in a uniform-density wind in order to study how the accretion rates experienced by individual cluster members are altered by the properties of the ambient gas and the cluster itself. We study accretion as a function of number of cluster members, mean separation between them, and size of their individual accretion radii. We determine the effect of these key parameters on the aggregate and individual accretion rates, which we compare to analytic predictions. We show that when the accretion radii of the individual objects in the cluster substantially overlap, the surrounding gas is effectively accreted into the collective potential of the cluster prior to being accreted onto the individual stars. We find that individual cluster members can accrete drastically more than they would in isolation, in particular when the flow is able to cool efficiently. This effect could potentially modify the luminosity of accreting compact objects in star clusters and could lead to the rejuvenation of young star clusters as well as globular clusters with low inclination and low eccentricity.
ALMA Observations of Giant Molecular Clouds in the Starburst Dwarf Galaxy Henize 2-10
Authors: Imara Nia , Faesi Christopher M.
Published: May 2019

We present new 12CO (J = 1−0) observations of He 2-10, a blue compact dwarf galaxy about 8.7 Mpc away, taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. These are the highest spatial and spectral resolution observations, to date, of the molecular gas in this starburst galaxy. We measure a molecular mass of (1.2 ± 0.4) × 108
M
⊙ in He 2-10, and 75% of the molecular gas mass is contained within the northern region of the galaxy near the previously identified young super star clusters, which has a projected size of about 300 pc. We use the CPROPS algorithm to identify 119 resolved giant molecular clouds distributed throughout the galaxy, and the molecular gas contained within these clouds makes up between 45% and 70% of the total molecular mass. The molecular clouds in He 2-10 have similar median sizes (∼26 pc), luminous masses (∼4 × 105
M
⊙), and surface densities (∼180 M
⊙ pc−2) to Milky Way clouds. However, He 2-10 clouds have velocity dispersions (∼3 km s−1) about 50% higher than those in the Milky Way. We provide evidence that He 2-10 clouds tend to be in virial equilibrium, with the virial and luminous masses scaling according to

 ∝ 

, similar to clouds in the Milky Way. However, we measure a scaling relationship between luminous mass and size,

 ∝ R
3.0±0.3, that is steeper than what is observed in Milky Way clouds. Assuming that He 2-10 molecular clouds are virialized, we infer values of the CO-to-

 conversion factor ranging from 0.5 to 13 times the standard value in the solar neighborhood. Given star formation efficiencies as low as 5%, the most massive molecular clouds in He 2-10 currently have enough mass to form the next generation of super star clusters in the galaxy.
When Did the Remnant of GW170817 Collapse to a Black Hole?
Authors: Gill Ramandeep , Nathanail Antonios , Rezzolla Luciano
Published: May 2019

The main hard pulse of prompt gamma-ray emission in GRB 170817A had a duration of ∼0.5 s, and its onset was delayed with respect to the gravitational-wave chirp signal by

. Detailed follow-up of the subsequent broadband kilonova emission revealed a two-component ejecta—a lanthanide-poor ejecta with mass M
ej,blue ≈ 0.025 M
⊙ that powered the early but rapidly fading blue emission and a lanthanide-rich ejecta with mass

that powered the longer-lasting redder emission. Both the prompt gamma-ray onset delay and the existence of the blue ejecta with a modest electron fraction, 0.2 ≲ Y

e
 ≲ 0.3, can be explained if the collapse to a black hole (BH) was delayed by the formation of a hypermassive neutron star. Here we determine the survival time of the merger remnant by combining two different constraints, namely, the time needed to produce the requisite blue-ejecta mass and that necessary for the relativistic jet to bore its way out of the expanding ejecta. In this way, we determine that the remnant of GW170817 must have collapsed to a BH after

. We also discuss how future detections and the delays between the gravitational and electromagnetic emissions can be used to constrain the properties of the merged object.
Identification of sex chromosomes in Eremias velox (Lacertidae, Reptilia) using lampbrush chromosome analysis
Authors: Lisachov Artem P. , Galkina Svetlana A. , Saifitdinova Alsu F. , Romanenko Svetlana A. , Andreyushkova Daria A. , Trifonov Vladimir A. , Borodin Pavel M.
Published: May 2019

Reptiles are good objects for studying the evolution of sex determination, since they have different sex determination systems in different lineages. Lacertid lizards have been long-known for possessing ZZ/ZW type sex chromosomes. However, due to morphological uniformity of lacertid chromosomes, the Z chromosome has been only putatively cytologically identified. We used lampbrush chromosome (LBC) analysis and FISH with a W-specific probe in Eremiasvelox (Pallas, 1771) to unequivocally identify the ZW bivalent and investigate its meiotic behavior. The heterochromatic W chromosome is decondensed at the lampbrush stage, indicating active transcription, contrast with the highly condensed condition of the lampbrush W chromosomes in birds. We identified the Z chromosome by its chiasmatic association with the W chromosome as chromosome XIII of the 19 chromosomes in the LBC karyotype. Our findings agree with previous genetic and genomic studies, which suggested that the lacertid Z chromosome should be one of the smaller macrochromosomes.
Composition and structure of the frugivorous butterfly community (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) at the Serra Azul State Park (PESA), Mato Grosso, Brazil
Authors: O. de Sousa Wesley , Sousa Lincey E. , da Silva Fátima R.J. , da Graça Santos Wildio I. , Aranda Rodrigo
Published: May 2019

Due to the important ecological role of Nymphalidae as consumers of fermented fruits, excrement, exudates of decomposed plants and animals, as well as bioindicators of environmental quality that attract the interest of the general public, this study aimed to characterize the fauna of frugivorous butterflies at the Serra Azul State Park – PESA (Mato Grosso, Brazil) with regards to composition, taxonomic richness and spatial distribution. Collections were carried out in 2014 from six 250 m plots in a RAPELD module (5x5 km). We defined five sampling points in each plot and placed a Van Someren-Rydon trap (VSR), with a bait made from banana fermented in cane juice, positioned 1 m above the ground for 24 hours. We collected 204 specimens of Nymphalidae from five subfamilies, 22 genera, and 40 species. Satyrinae was the most abundant and species-rich subfamily. The community structure varied spatially, with the gallery forest presenting the greatest richness, diversity, and equitability, while ‘cerrado ralo’ presented higher abundance and less diversity and equitability. Therefore, according to the pattern of abundance in the PESA, species were best adapted to the log series model.Yphthimoidesrenata(Stoll, 1780) (Satyrinae),Hamadryasferonia(Linnaeus, 1758), andCallicoresorana(Godart, 1824) (Biblidinae) were the most abundant species, 19 species were singletons, and eight were doubletons. Richness estimators showed that 63% of all species were sampled. Our results indicate that the frugivorous butterfly community is structured according to phytophysiognomies, and the dominance of species that are tolerant to disturbances indicates landscape fragmentation within the PESA, which interferes with species substitution pattern and their abundances in different environments of the park.
Approximate number system training with vision or touch in children
Authors: Gimbert Fanny , Gentaz Édouard , Mazens Karine
Published: May 2019

Le système approximatif du nombre (SAN) représente et traite les quantités à partir de différentes modalités sensorielles. Deux questions sur le SAN ont été abordées dans cette étude : sa malléabilité et sa relation causale avec les performances numériques symboliques. Une procédure trans-modale (vision et toucher) a été utilisée pour s’assurer que la malléabilité concernait l’acuité du SAN et non d’autres facteurs. En pré et posttest, 54 enfants de 5 ans ont été évalués avec différentes tâches: SAN visuel, SAN haptique et nombres symboliques. Ils ont été répartis dans une des trois conditions d’entrainement: SAN visuel, SAN haptique, ou contrôle. Les résultats ont montré que les seuls progrès observés concernaient les performances dans la tâche d’entraînement SAN haptique, suggérant plus vraisemblablement une amélioration des processus d’exploration haptique qu’une amélioration de l’acuité du SAN. De plus, les résultats sont plutôt en faveur d’une absence de relation causale entre le SAN et les mathématiques symboliques.
Identification of Authors’ Profiles in Wiki Using Quiz Game Based on Clusters Analysis Techniques
Authors: Boulaajoul Mouna , Aknin Noura
Published: May 2019

The risk of inaccurate information found in a wiki-based site such as Wikipedia is high. In fact, it is a public site, so it is editable by anyone who can enter inaccurate information through malice or ignorance without any kind of control.

When entering or editing an article, it is recommended to have a clear style without mistakes. So, it is essential to get rid of the mediocre style and respect the rules of writing.

Even so, it is very remarkable that there are abuses at the style due to the malformed language coming even from people belonging to a more cultured so-cial rank. Therefore, the need to identify the wiki authors’ profiles has become paramount.

The idea of this article is to offer a quiz game in the intention to classify the language level of wiki authors by using data mining techniques to make groups where each group gets a significant result that we should analyze.
Implementation Basic Network Design with Netkit For Evaluation of Network Learning
Authors: Ariyanto Yuri , Harijanto Budi , Watequlis S. Yan
Published: May 2019

A virtual laboratory with a network emulator environment using NetKit is one of series of basic network laboratories on basic computer network competencies where students are given practical trial opportunities at low costs and little effort in their implementation. Teaching computer network subjects to be easily understood by students needs an instructional media as a tool in delivering material. This media uses computer virtualization technology, i.e. creating a virtual laboratory, as a means of students in conducting experiments from the material that has been obtained. In virtual laboratories it is possible to implement network topology designs based on actual network topologies. This implementation is used as a testing tool before the network topology is implemented on the actual network. Therefore, errors can be identified first without disturbing the system that is already running. For testing, the students are given training using a basic network design consisting of the implementation of routing tests, firewalls, ftp server implementation and web server. This paper is aimed at describing ways to develop a virtual laboratory with a network emulator environment using NetKit. Moreover, several exercises on network topology implementation that are applied directly to the real world with NetKit are introduced, such as describing laboratory settings, describing the main parts of the lab, illustrating lab instructions, and reporting lab feeds.
Efficient Recursive Least Square Technique for Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Sridhar Bommidi , Tadisetty Srinivasulu
Published: May 2019

Cognitive radio-based systems rely on spectrum sensing techniques to detect whitespaces to exploit. Cognitive radio (CR) is an attractive approach to face the shortage in the electromagnetic spectrum resources and improve the overall spectrum utilization. However, Energy detectors perform far from optimally by affecting the performance of the underlying system. In this article, two spectrum-sensing techniques are considered for CR networks; one based on energy detection and the other based on multi-taper spectral estimation (MSE). This article proposes a new method to optimize the overall performance in cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio (CR) networks. An efficient recursive least square (ERLS)-based approach is proposed in order to optimize the overall performance to monitor the primary user active or inactive stage with use of secondary user while receiving data. An energy detector (ED) and multi-taper (MTM) spectrum sensing techniques are examined as local spectrum sensing techniques. Finally, a genetic algorithm is compared with the proposed system to show the system effectiveness.
Prevention of Black Hole Attacks on Mobile Ad Hoc Networks Through Intrusion Detection Systems
Authors: Zougagh Hicham , Idboufker Noureddine , Zoubairi Rida , El Ayachi Rachid
Published: May 2019

In a mobile ad hoc network, a source node must rely on intermediate nodes to forward its packets along multi-hop routes to the destination node. The performance of a mobile ad hoc network is closely related to the capability of the implemented routing protocol to adapt itself to unpredictable changes of topology network and link status. One of these routing protocols is optimized link state routing protocol which assumes that all nodes are trusted. However, in a hostile environment, the OLSR is known to be vulnerable to various kinds of malicious attacks. Without having any control on packet forwarding, an intermediate node can behave selfishly or maliciously to drop packets going through it. Therefore, in this article, the authors propose a new technique for the selection of multipoint relays whose aims to provide each node the ability to select alternative paths in order to reach any destination two hops away.
Accounting Treatment of Intangible Assets - Analysis of Computer Programming Companies
Authors: Rep Ana
Published: May 2019

Information technology has a crucial role in all types of businesses and is a product of intellectual capital. Intellectual capital is not recognized as an asset of a company since there is no generally accepted model for measurement of human capital. Research was performed in order to investigate the awareness of financial statement preparers regarding the importance of using the professional judgement in the context of intangible assets. The content analysis method and the method of induction have been used. Nonetheless, an analysis of activity ratios has been done in order to gain an insight into the effectiveness of the company's assets. Empirical research conducted on a sample of computer programming companies has shown the lack of professional judgment in the context of accounting policies applied. Additionally, the value of intangible assets is underestimated. Computer programming companies should give greater emphasis to disclosures in the notes of financial statements since the non-financial disclosures are found to be at a low level.
Tutorial Gap Identification Towards Student Modeling Using Fuzzy Logic
Authors: Deb Kaustuv , Banerjee Sonali , Das Atanu , Bag Rajib
Published: May 2019

Tutorial requirements of student modeling are traditionally identified by human tutors through crisp mental calculations, and the accuracy of this identification enhances with the experience of the tutor. These identifications become challenging when the mode of delivery is through e-learning. Automatic identification of tutorial requirements must be included in e-learning through ITS where some intelligent computational paradigms can help in automatic identification of the said requirements. This article proposes some fuzzy logic-based techniques toward the said purpose of automatic tutorial gap identification where analysis of the learner's responses to purposefully designed modular MCQ tests and verbal explanations are taken in to consideration as inputs for the purpose. Variation of the fuzzy logics was taken in to account to justify the usefulness of methods under consideration and to provide a realistic and adaptable approach. The experimental results show that the proposed methods are successful and efficient towards the said purpose.
Supply Chain Buyback Contract Based on the Different Expectations of Market Demand Distribution
Authors: Gao Yang , Wang Meiou , Hou Qiang
Published: May 2019

Nowadays, the members in a supply chain are seen as an integrity. In order to maximize the supply chain profit, the authors consider a contract of buyback. In this article, they focus on a single manufacturer and a single retailer in the supply chain. In order to match the market demand, a new perspective is introduced into the buyback contract model. By comparing the predicted demand of the manufacturer and the retailer with the real demand, they will obtain four quadrants about the difference of the market demand forecasts. By combining the profit models with different market demand forecasts in the four quadrants, the closed-form optimal market model is created. The solutions of the optimal price and the optimal quantity under the centralized mode, non-contract decentralized mode and buyback contract mode are compared. The authors find that the non-contract decentralized mode model cannot successfully coordinate the supply chain, while the buyback contract mode allows for the coordination of the supply chain and the generation of more profit from the supply chain. From this new perspective of the supply chain contract, a reasonable result can be obtained. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the results, with analysis conducted on the model.
Coordination and Decision of Supply Chain Under
Authors: Liu Guangdong , Yang Tianjian , Wei Yao , Zhang Xuemei
Published: May 2019

In order to investigate supply chain coordination and decision under customer balking and stochastic demand, the article considers a two-echelon supply chain consisting of one manufacturer with risk-neutral and one retailer with risk-neutral and develops two models in a centralized and a decentralized system and the three contracts are designed to coordinate supply chain and the optimal price and customer balking strategies are obtained. The results show that the revenue and cost-sharing contract can coordinate supply chain under customer balking and price-dependent demand and achieve the Pareto-improvement; the expected sales quantity and expected reduced sales quantity are influenced conversely by the threshold of inventory and probability of a sale under customer balking. In addition, numerical analysis is given to verify the effectiveness of revenue and cost-sharing contract and the paper gives some managerial insights and puts forward to the future work at last.
Diffusion of 3D Printing Technology
Authors: Özdemir Başak , Yayla Kemal , Burmaoğlu Serhat
Published: May 2019

3D printing technology has been perceived as a disruptive technological innovation in many areas as it can revolutionize existing systems. It has many potential advantages in various areas such as medicine, aerospace and customized goods in terms of integrity, cost and speed. This study aims to visualize the evolution of 3D printing technology related patents by patent mapping, in the process, diffusion of 3D printing technologies to different business fields can be traced and evaluated. Patents represent the scientific knowledge that has been already commercialized or is ready to be marketed. The historical evolution and current framework have been demonstrated by using social network analysis on CPC codes of the related patents. Results of the study suggest that most technologies connected with 3D printing depend on B29C (shaping or joining of plastics; shaping of substances in a plastic state, in general; after-treatment of the shaped products, e.g., repairing.).
A Comparison of Guided Notes and Video Modules in an Online Course
Authors: Lee Gabrielle Tsai
Published: May 2019

The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of guided notes versus video modules as a supplement to textbook readings on student quiz scores and to evaluate the overall effectiveness of guided notes in a fully online course. A total of 15 graduate students, aged 22 to 30, participated in this study. The study combined an adapted alternating treatments design and a pretest-posttest design with all participants experienced in both teaching methods in the same sequence. The experimental conditions contained the textbook readings supplemented with guided notes versus video modules. Results indicated both guided notes and video modules were effective, but students' quiz scores were significantly higher under the video modules condition than the guided notes condition. No difference was found in students' perceived helpfulness of the materials, but the students enjoyed video modules significantly more than guided notes.
Significance of Molecular Surfaces and Different Visualization Tools in Drug Designing
Authors: Silakari Om , Verma Himanshu , Choudhary Shalki
Published: May 2019

Molecular surfaces have comprehensive utility in the field of drug discovery. A deeper insight into different aspects of molecular surfaces is essential for the researchers to successfully identify a lead molecule with excellent pharmacokinetic profile. Therefore, the concept of molecular surfaces cannot be overlooked when designing a novel molecule. This is a better approach to correlate molecular surfaces with binding interaction, binding affinity, and their orientation, which in turn might produce information about the probable pharmacological potential. A profound knowledge of surface properties may provide more selective drugs in return, especially for the treatment of diseases where selectivity is the major issue associated with pathological conditions. This review sheds light on the various types of molecular surfaces, different visualization tools and their application in rationale drug designing. Moreover, this report also discloses the forthcoming perspectives of molecular surfaces that may create new ideas to deal with drug selectivity issues.
QSAR Modeling of CCK2 Receptor Antagonists Utilizing Computed Structural Indices
Authors: Nandi Sisir , Saxena Mridula , Saxena Anil Kumar
Published: May 2019

In the present case study, a QSAR model has been developed to identify CCK2 receptor antagonists. The earlier reported 3D pharmacophore modeling of these molecules involved commercial software. Since the reduction in the cost involved in the drug discovery phase is very crucial, in the present study, QSAR models based on the structural indices including 1D, 2D and 3D indices computed from the structures of CCK2 receptor antagonists has been developed utilizing NanoBRIDGES software which is openly accessible (http://nanobridges.eu/software/). This QSAR model is not only comparable to the earlier reported model, but it also reasonably predicts the external set of nine compounds including the drug benzotript and the most active 6a described in earlier work on structure-based homology model CCK2 receptor antagonists as antiulcer agents and thus may be useful in virtual screening for the identification of new CCK2 receptor antagonists.
The Veneto Region Experience on Evaluating Integrated Care Using MAST
Authors: Forestiero Antonella , Mancin Silvia , Saccavini Claudio , Gris Stefano , Sampognaro Erika , Marchet Francesco , Moretti Francesco
Published: May 2019

This article presents the application of a model for the Assessment of Telemedicine (MAST) for the evaluation of the effectiveness of integrated care services in the management of frail multimorbidity patients in the local health and social authority (LHSA) of Feltre, Italy. The assessment was carried out within the European project CareWell, whose aim was to improve and develop a better coordination among the social and healthcare professionals supporting patient centred delivery of care at home using ICT. The multidisciplinary assessment described in this article takes into account the description of the enrolled patients and the services implementation other than safety aspects, clinical effectiveness, patient perspectives, economic aspects, as well as organizational aspects and socio-cultural, legal and ethical aspects. In particular, the assessment results show that people belonging to the intervention group feel better looked after, professionals feel part of a team and the data sharing could lead to a better coordination and resources saving.
A Cloud Based Decision Support System Aimed to Contribute in Policy Making for Natural Disaster Related Incidents
Authors: Tarousi Marilena , Sarafidis Michail , Katrakazas Panagiotis , Kouris Ioannis , Pitoglou Stavros , Petropoulou Ourania , Anastasiou Athanasios , Koutsouris Dimitrios
Published: May 2019

The main objective of the article is to employ cloud computing technology in order to develop the decision support system of an integrated platform aimed to aid decision makers in natural disaster incidents. This specific platform refers to the most commonly occurred natural disasters in Europe. The decision support system included in the cloud-based platform, is an advanced collection of data processing tools that provides the possibility to export useful conclusions for decision making about the urgent needs of families and children.
ENDORSE Concept
Authors: Vartholomaios Panagiotis , Ramdani Nacim , Christophorou Christophoros , Georgiadis Dimosthenis , Guilcher Thomas , Blouin Myriam , Rebiai Mohamed , Panayides Andreas S , Pattichis Constantinos S. , Sarafidis Michail , Costarides Vassilia , Vellidou Eleftheria , Koutsouris Dimitrios
Published: May 2019

Hospitals are considered a field of logistic robotics of high commercial potential and therefore a handful of mobile robot solutions exist. However, they have failed to trigger widespread acceptance by the market. The ENDORSE system will pursue 4 innovation pillars: an infrastructure-less multi-robot navigation, i.e. minimum installation of sensors and communications buses inside the building for the localization of robots, targets and docking stations; advanced HRI for resolving deadlocks and achieving efficient sharing of space resources in crowded environments; the deployment of ENDORSE software as a cloud-based service facilitating its integration with corporate software solutions such as ERP and CRM, complying with GDPR data security requirements; and allowing for reconfigurable and modular hardware architectures so that diverse modules can be easily swapped. ENDORSE functionality will be demonstrated via the integration of an e-diagnostic support module for vital signs monitoring, facilitating connectivity to cloud-based EHR, and validated in an operational hospital environment for realistic assessment.
The Role of Mechanics in Gamification
Authors: Helmefalk Miralem , Lundqvist Siw , Marcusson Leif
Published: May 2019

With regard to the contemporary discussion of gamifying processes in various domains, it is obvious that there exists a naive notion that simply adding leaderboards/pins/points/badges would lead to success. Even though other instances of gamification mechanics could actually perform better. The literature has not yet managed to prove whether different domains require different mechanics in order to impact on engagement and motivation. To address these critical issues, a literature review was conducted across six domains that examined game mechanics, including their uniqueness for gamification research. Findings show a myriad of mechanics with different sharing properties, which are more or less domain-congruent. These mechanics can be separated into four levels: general, mostly similar, partly similar and unique. The findings enable a better understanding of how to employ situation-congruent mechanics to a given context, which is important for both research and practice.
Identification and assessment of the driving forces for the use of urban green parks and their accessibility in Colombo, Sri Lanka, through analytical hierarchical processing
Authors: Pussella P.R.G.N. Indika , Li Lin
Published: May 2019

Urban green parks perform a remarkable role for the physical, social and psychological wellbeing of the urban public by providing space for relaxation and recreation, directly influencing public health through mitigation of the urban heat impact, noise reduction and moderation of air and water pollution. An indicator-based approach on analytical hierarchical processing was used to identify and assess the driving forces for the utilization of urban green parks and their accessibility. Eight indicators: location, topography and geography, facility and services, safety and security, social and culture, ecology, demography, and weather and climate (further divided into 50 factors) were used in the study. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey in which 887 regular park users participated. A standardized study design was implemented to study and assess four urban green parks in the Colombo metropolitan district, Sri Lanka. The study identified park facilities and services as well as safety and security measures maintained by the park as the key factors of appeal, while location, ecology, topography and geography, including weather and climate, had a lower relative influence when selecting a park for recreation. Social, cultural and demographic factors appeared to be of the least interest. The study recommends park managers to assess their parks using this model to enhance the characteristics found to be the most important. It further suggests developing models also for other park types by considering which factors would have the highest relative influence in providing a better service for the regular park user.
Population-level alcohol consumption and suicide mortality rate in South Korea: An application of multivariable spatial regression model
Authors: Yeom Yunho
Published: May 2019

This research estimates the contextual effects of populationlevel alcohol consumption on the average suicide mortality rate (SMR) in South Korea from 2013 to 2015. The effect was estimated not only in relation to the risk factors of suicide, such as divorce and being elderly, but also protective factors, such as church attendance and educational attainment. Using a multivariable spatial regression model, results show that only excessive population-level alcohol consumption pattern had a positive effect on SMR by increasing 0.24 standardized units in the SMR; the moderate pattern, however, had no significant impact. These results imply that the excessive population-level alcohol consumption pattern is a risk factor with respect to SMR. This research suggests the implementation of policies to control population- level alcohol consumption, based on a concern for public health, to reduce the suicide risk in South Korea.
Evaluating Performance of National Hockey League Players After a Concussion Versus Lower Body Injury
Authors: Van Pelt Kathryn L. , Lapointe Andrew P. , Galdys Michelle C. , Dougherty Lauren A. , Buckley Thomas A. , Broglio Steven P.
Published: May 2019

Context

Concussions elicit changes in brain function that may extend well beyond clinical symptom recovery. Whether these changes produce meaningful deficits outside the laboratory environment is unclear. The results of player performance postconcussion within professional sports have been mixed.

Objective

To determine whether National Hockey League (NHL) players with concussions performed worse after returning to sport than players with lower body injuries or uninjured players.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

Publicly available Web sites that compiled injury and player statistics of NHL players.

Patients or Other Participants

Male NHL players who missed games due to a concussion (n = 22), lower body injury (n = 21), or noninjury (ie, personal reason or season break; n = 13) during the 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 regular seasons. Data on concussed athletes were used to identify similar players with lower body injury and noninjury based on (1) position, (2) time loss, (3) time on the ice, and (4) team.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

The primary performance metric was a modified plus-minus statistic calculated by weighting the players' plus-minus metric by their team's simple rating system to account for varying team performances. Linear mixed models assessed the relationship between injury type (concussion, lower body, or noninjury) and performance (plus-minus score).

Results

We observed a quadratic effect for a time2 × group interaction (\upchi _2^2 = 8.85, P = .01). This interaction revealed that the concussion and lower body injury groups had similar patterns of an initial decrease (ie, 2 weeks after return to play), followed by an increase in performance compared with the uninjured group in weeks 5 and 6. Meanwhile, the uninjured group had an initial increase in performance. We observed no group × linear time interaction (P = .47) or overall group effect (P = .57).

Conclusions

The NHL players in the concussion and lower body injury groups displayed similar performance impairments. Both injured cohorts experienced an initial decrease in performance at weeks 1 to 2 after return to play, followed by improved performance at weeks 5 to 6 after return to play, suggesting that the performance implications of concussion may be short lived.
Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma: Diagnosis of exclusion
Authors: Upasham Pragati S. , Dighavkar Sharayu P. , Roplekar Prakash M.
Published: May 2019

Malignant soft-tissue tumors which were designated as malignant fibrous histiocytoma are regrouped by the WHO (in 2002) under the new entity termed as “undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma.”1 It accounts for less than 5% of all adult soft-tissue sarcomas. Here, we report the lesion in a 70-year-old man who presented with high-grade undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma in the lower extremity.
Tumor-associated macrophages: Oblivious confederates in invasive mammary carcinoma
Authors: Ahmed Imtiaz , Madakshira Manoj Gopal , Dudeja Puja , Bharadwaj Reena
Published: May 2019

Background: The infiltrating margins of carcinomas are associated with presence of inflammatory cell infiltrate which are an integral part of the tumor microenvironment. Amongst the inflammatory cells, Tumor Associated Macrophages (TAMs) play a key role in the tumorigenesis. This study elucidates the density of TAMs in invasive mammary carcinomas and attempts to establish aa association with the following pathological variables: tumor size, histological grade, nodal status, hormonal expression status and Her2Neu overexpression.

Materials and Methods: 90 diagnosed archival cases of invasive mammary carcinomas at a tertiary care centre were included. Density of TAMs was assessed by using CD68 which is a pan-macrophage marker by immunohistochemistry on the archival tissue blocks. The density TAMs (CD68 positive cells) was dichotomised into high (>50 CD68 positive cells/HPF) and low (<5050 CD68 positive cells/HPF) and compared with the above mentioned pathological variables using appropriate statistical tests.

Results: The density of TAMs was significantly higher around the infiltrating edge of the carcinoma in comparison to the adjoining normal terminal duct lobular units. The density of TAMs was more in the infiltrating edge of the tumor than within the tumor nodule/nests. A higher TAM density showed a significant association in tumors having large tumor size, higher histological grade, nodal metastasis, absence of ER and PR expression and Her2Neu overexpression (p value <0.05).

Conclusion: TAMs play an important role in tumor progression in invasive mammary carcinomas. This is as a result of the multiple roles enacted by TAMs in the various stages of tumor development starting from tumor growth, invasion, angiogenesis and metastases. Targeted therapy against TAMs has great potential in the being important components of future treatment strategies against breast carcinomas.
Hypofractionation in postmastectomy breast irradiation. How safe are we in using standard tangentials?
Authors: Joseph Bindhu , Farooq Nisma , Shafeeque Muhammed N. , Sathiyan S. , Lokesh V. , Ramesh C. , Vijay C. R.
Published: May 2019

Aim: Hypofractionation in breast radiotherapy is gaining increasing relevance in routine clinical practice; however, gray areas remain on its safety. Majority of data regarding the same pertains to the treatment of the conserved breast. This study aimed to compare the use of standard wedge-based tangentials (two-dimensional [2D] TW) versus 3D conformal radiotherapy field in the field (3DCRT FIF) with the intent of evaluating if the latter would provide a dosimetric advantage.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-six postmastectomy patients were enrolled in this study. Comparative plans using 2D TW and 3DCRT FIF were generated to deliver 50 Gy in 25 fractions. Dosimetric parameters pertaining target dose, Homogeneity Index (HI), Conformity Index, and dose to normal structures were compared and analyzed. The parameters that achieved significance were evaluated using the hypofractionated plan.

Results: The 3DCRT FIF plan showed better planning target volume coverage, V95% (P < 0.001) and less cardiac dose (V30 and MD) as well as lung V20, V30, MD, and V5 for both lungs (P < 0.001). The dose to the left descending coronary artery (LAD) was also less with a trend toward significance (P = 0.07). The 3DCRT FIF plan also improved HI (P = 0.02). However, the high-dose volume V107% and radiation exposure were not higher. The significant parameters were evaluated in the hypofractionated schedule of 40 Gy/15 Fr. The MD to the heart was 8.96 Gy in FIF plan versus 20.16 Gy in TW plan. The average V20 to the ipsilateral lung was 37.8% versus 65.2%. The average dose to the contralateral breast was 50% less, i.e., 3.92 Gy versus 8.96 Gy.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that there would be a significant benefit of using 3DCRT FIF plans for patients being considered for hypofractionated radiotherapy in the postmastectomy setup.
Emerging Trends in Clinical Tropical Medicine Research
Authors: Huntington Mark K. , Bryan Joe P. , Moon Troy D. , Imperato Pascal J. , McLellan Susan L. F. , Taylor Walter R. , Schieffelin John S.
Published: May 2019

The American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene recently inaugurated an award for the best clinical research article published in the society’s journal in the previous year. This article summarizes both the process of selecting the winner and several themes that stood out in those articles which rose to the top for consideration. Themes of note included the importance of doing clinical research outside of referral centers, the complexity that must be considered when implementing interventions, incorporation of both ends of the age spectrum into studies, and considering cost-effectiveness and opportunity cost of interventions.
A Motivação para a Interrupção ou uso de Crack em Gestantes e Puérperas
Authors: Silva Rovena Esmidre , Queiroz Sávio Silveira de
Published: May 2019

Este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar os aspectos afetivos presentes na motivação para a interrupção e/ou continuidade do consumo de crack durante o período gestacional. Entendemos a afetividade a partir da perspectiva teórica de Jean Piaget, compreendida como a energética da ação. Sendo assim, levantamos a hipótese de que os afetos atuam como motivadores da ação de interrupção ou de continuidade do consumo de drogas durante o período gestacional e puerperal, e nos questionamos quais são os aspectos afetivos envolvidos nessa conduta. Diante disso, realizamos um estudo de caso com uma gestante e três puérperas, com a faixa etária de 19 a 38 anos, que interromperam e/ou continuaram o uso de crack durante a gestação e o puerpério. Como instrumento de coleta de dados, utilizamos uma entrevista semiestruturada. O tratamento e a análise dos dados foram realizados a partir da análise de conteúdo de Bardin. Os resultados indicam que os aspectos afetivos atuam diretamente na decisão de interromper ou continuar o uso do crack. Na interrupção foram citados os sentimentos de culpa, vontade, amor e medo. Em contrapartida, no que diz respeito à continuidade do consumo da droga, surgiram os sentimentos de tristeza, prazer, raiva, vontade, solidão e ausência de vergonha. Todas as participantes atribuíram representações negativas ao crack e ao seu uso, especialmente durante a gestação. Dessa maneira, faz-se relevante a investigação dos aspectos afetivos envolvidos no consumo do crack a fim de aperfeiçoar as estratégias de cuidado voltadas a esse público.
Representações Sociais do Trabalho Informal para Trabalhadores por Conta Própria
Authors: Torres Tatiana De Lucena , Bendassolli Pedro F. , Lima Fellipe Coelho , Paulino Daniele De Souza , Fernandes Ana Paula Freitas
Published: May 2019

Estima-se que um terço da população brasileira desempenha atividades informais. Essa modalidade de trabalho envolve questões psicossociais e ideológicas específicas, como também representações sociais. O presente estudo objetiva caracterizar as representações sociais do trabalho informal para trabalhadores que estão inseridos nesse tipo de atividade, além de suas práticas sociais e identitárias, considerando a perspectiva da Teoria das Representações Sociais (TRS). O estudo foi exploratório e descritivo, circunscrito na abordagem qualitativa, com a participação de dez trabalhadores, os quais foram entrevistados de forma não diretiva. As narrativas foram analisadas com auxílio do IRAMUTEQ, um software de análise textual. Foi possível identificar três diferentes eixos representacionais: (a) história de vida e laboral, (b) intergeracionalidade da informalidade e (c) liberdade e precariedade do trabalho. As representações sociais do trabalho informal apresentam perspectiva hegemônica, mas também traduzem a atividade de trabalho como algo do humano, que identifica os trabalhadores, e que é insubstituível.
Cultuursociologie: Een veld zonder doxa?
Authors: De Keere Kobe
Published: May 2019

Cultural sociology is somewhat a vague sub-discipline of sociology. It is partly defined by its topic, but certainly not completely. Hence, cultural sociologists spend some of their precious time bickering about what grants them the right to call themselves a specific branch of sociology. This essay argues that cultural sociology is in fact a subfield, but one not defined by topic or a specific reading of that topic but more by its praxis, i.e. a way of doing sociology.