bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT’TA ALTERNATİF BİR DÜNYA KURGUSU: BABALIK KRİZİ VE ANAERKİL ÜTOPYA
Authors: ÇAYLI RAHTE Emek
Published: October 2018

Dinsel filmler, bir yanıyla dinin sinemayı kolonileştirmesini, diğer yanıyla ise kutsal olanın eleştirel bakışa konu edilmesini örnekler. Dinsel olanı ve ilahi alanı mizah konusu yapan filmlerde, inancı merkeze alan bir yaşam tasavvuru ile gündelik hayatı şekillendiren ilahi yasaların ve dini figürlerin hicvedildiği bir anlatısallık bir aradadır. Dinsel komedinin, türüne az rastlanan bir örneği olan, Jaco Van Dormael’in yönettiği The Brand New Testament (Le Tout Nouveau Testament / Yeni Ahit, 2015), Tanrı’nın insan imgesinde mizah unsuru haline geldiği, ütopik bir anlatımla ataerkil dünya eleştirisi getiren bir politik komedi filmidir. Anaerkil bir toplum düşü kuran film, bu çalışmada, eril yasalara itirazın dinsel komedi ile nasıl mümkün olduğu temel sorusu bağlamında ve feminist perspektifle incelenmektedir. Çalışmada, sinemada din olgusuna yaklaşımlara yer verilmekte, din ve mizah ilişkisi ele alınmakta ve dilsel ve görsel mizahta Tanrı figürüne dair tarihsel arka plan bilgisi sunulmaktadır. Film üzerine çözümlemeler, babalık krizi ve babasız topluma ilişkin filmin öngörüleri ve alternatif bir dünya kurgusu olarak sunulan anaerkil yeni dünya tahayyülü etrafında örülmektedir.
ŞİMDİKİ ZAMAN: KADIN KARAKTERLERİN FİLM MEKÂNLARINDAKİ TEMSİLİNİN FEMİNİST FİLM ELEŞTİRİSİ ÇERÇEVESİNDE İNCELENMESİ
Authors: ÖZDEMİR Berceste Gülçin
Published: October 2018

This study analyzes spaces within the scope of feminist film theories and examines how Belmin Söylemez, the director of Şimdiki Zaman, represents the main female characters to her audience. Şimdiki Zaman is considered to be provocative in the discourse of classical narrative cinema. Here, its status is analyzed by questioning the representation of female characters’ contradictory presence in public and private space in view of male-dominant modes of thinking. The qualities of narrative space that Mieke Bal described in Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative (1985) form the basis for this analysis. Feminist film examines the construction of male-dominant understanding by the use of codes of cinema. Space fact, a fact of narratology, allows one to argue the possibilities of making feminist counter cinema by showing how women represent a contradiction in public space/private space. Claire Johnston’s article “Feminist Cinema as Counter Cinema” (1973) provides the foundation for a feminist counter cinema.
Constraint acquisition methods for data clustering
Authors: Duarte João M.M. , Fred and Ana L.N. , Duarte F. Jorge F.
Published: October 2018

Constrained data clustering algorithms allow the incorporation of a priori knowledge for specific problems into the clustering task in the form of constraints. The quality of the constraints have great impact in the performance of the constrained clustering algorithms. Therefore, special care must be taken while building the sets of constraints. In order to take the maximum advantage of the constrained clustering algorithms, these constraints must be highly informative and non-redundant. We propose two constraint acquisition methods based on user-feedback. The first method searches for non-redundant intra-cluster and inter-cluster query-candidates supported by information contained in an initial partition of the data set, ranks the candidates by decreasing order of interest and, finally, prompts the user the most relevant query-candidates. The constraints may optionally be used for learning a new data representation, which may enhance the performance of clustering. The second method iterates between using the previous method for expanding the set of constraints, and producing an updated partition of the data. The motivation is to iteratively increment the set of constraints by including new informative and non-redundant constraints at each iteration. Experimental results advocate that the proposed constraint acquisition methods increase the performance of data clustering.
Image indexing using regularized online non-negative semantic embedding
Authors: Vanegas Jorge A. , González Fabio A.
Published: October 2018

This paper proposes a novel method for image indexing based on an online learning approach which can deal with large repositories of images. The proposed method is based on a semantic embedding strategy which models a mapping between visual and text representations. This method enhances the image representation by taking advantage of the text annotations associated to the images, which have a rich and clean semantic interpretation. Once the mapping is learned, a new (annotated or unannotated) image can be projected to the space defined by semantic annotations. In this manner, this method can be used to search into the collection using an image as query (query-by-example strategy) and to annotate new unannotated images. The main drawback of semantic embedding strategies is that the associated algorithms are computationally expensive, making them infeasible for large data collections. In order to address this issue, the proposed method is formulated as an online learning algorithm using the stochastic gradient descent approach, which can scale to deal with large image collections. According with the experimental evaluation, the proposed method, in comparison with several baseline methods, is faster and consumes less memory, without degradation in the performance in content-based image search.
Molecular Characterisation of ESBL producer E. coli
Authors: Alsamarai Abdulghani , Khorshed Shler , Weli Imad
Published: October 2018

Background: Antibiotic resistance emerged as clinical problem challenge the effective treatment of infections. Virulence factor may play an important role in the influence of antimicrobial resistance.
Objective: To determine the frequency of resistance gene in E. coli clinical isolates from women with urinary tract infection.
Materials and Methods: Fifteen E.coli clinical isolates were tested by PCR to determine their molecular characterization.
Results: The bla CTX –M gene was not detected in 6.7% out of the tested 15 E. coli clinical isolates from women with urinary tract infection. However, bla OXA gene was detected in all E. coli tested clinical isolates from pregnant women, female student and diabetic women with urinary tract infection. While bla TEM gene and bla SHV gene were not detected in 33.3% and 40% out of the tested E. coli clinical isolates respectively.
Conclusions: Four types of ESBL genes were detected, and shows new trend of distribution, which indicated the predominance of OXA and CTX-M genes.
Instruction for authors
Authors: Alsamarai Abdulghani
Published: October 2018

Introduction

 

The International Journal of Medical Sciences [IJMS], ISSN 2522-7386, is a peer-reviewed, 3 issues published annually. Authors are invited to submit for publication articles with a wide spectrum of coverage reporting original work, in the fields of medicine, nursery, dentistry, and pharmacy sciences. Review articles are usually by invitation only. However, Review articles of current interest and high standard will be considered. Prospective work should not be back dated. There are also sections for Case Reports, Brief Communication, correspondence and medical news items. Authors should read the editorial policy and publication ethics before submitting their manuscripts. Authors should also use the appropriate reporting guidelines in preparing their manuscripts
Percepción de docentes y orientadores de preparatorias públicas sobre sus prácticas tutoriales
Authors: Alcázar Carreño Edith , Castellanos Simons Doris , Vega Villanueva Enrique , Pérez Andrade Rossana
Published: October 2018

Las tutorías forman parte de esfuerzos para apoyar el desarrollo integral de estudiantes en los centros educativos. El objetivo del estudio fue analizar las percepciones de tutores sobre sus prácticas tutoriales en tres escuelas preparatorias públicas de Cuernavaca. Participaron docentes y orientadores (N=30), que fungieron como tutores en 1er año del ciclo escolar 2014- 2015. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante cuestionarios y grupos focales, comparándose las opiniones de los participantes sobre la implementación y práctica del modelo vigente. Los resultados destacan la insuficiente delimitación de funciones de docentes y orientadores, la falta de trabajo en equipo, la necesidad de capacitación en estrategias tutoriales y la percepción de baja eficacia por parte de los tutores respecto su labor tutorial.
Aplikasi Persediaan Barang PT. CAD Solusindo Menggunakan Metode Waterfall
Authors: Junaidi Agus , Sumirat Candra
Published: October 2018

The development of media technology in the delivery of information faster and faster and accurate. For that manage information technology is needed either because the information is of great value to a company. The system inventory information is a very important for a company, by implementing a web based information system for running the collection of goods to the company, makes it all work, for data processing of goods, the data became more organized and information about the inventory becomes easier until seen everywhere through the internet. PT. CAD Solusindo is a company engaged in the repair service in communication tools. In the process of recording and calculations performed by PT CAD Solusindo until today still use the program Microsoft Excel, starting from the receipt of goods, goods out and preparing reports addressed to the leader. Designing the system described by UML modeling. The programming language used is PHP and MYSQL database. It is expected that these applications can help the PT. CAD Solusindo to help users to further improve supervision of the stocks held in the company so that the quality of reports resulted more accurately, quickly, and precisely when required as annual audits.
Rancang Bangun E-Library pada SMAN 1 Pagerbarang Tegal
Authors: Yunita Yunita , Maruloh Maruloh , Saputri Alquraini Nur Ayatilah
Published: October 2018

Teknologi informasi merupakan salah satu hal penting pada era globalisasi saat ini. Perkembangan imu teknologi dan pengetahuan selalu memicu manusia untuk berkembang dan bersaing dalam pengusaan teknologi khususnya teknologi informasi dan komputer. Salah satunya internet, internet dapat memberikan kemudahan mencari informasi di segala aspek. Perkembangan ilmu teknologi berpengaruh pada dunia pendidikan. Banyak lembaga pendidikan yang memanfaatkan teknologi internet untuk memberikan informasi kepada masyarakat. Sistem infomasi perpustakaan merupakan suatu sistem yang memudahkan user untuk mencari informasi dengan menggunakan jaringan internet. Mempermudah dalam menyimpan data dan mengolah data dengan cepat dan tepat tanpa membutuhkan waktu lama dalam proses pengerjaannya. Melihat kenyataan diatas, penulis membuat program sistem informasi e-library yang ditunjukan pada “SMA N 1 Pagerbarang, Tegal”. Bertujuan untuk mempermudah pelayanan perpustakaan dan mempermudah siswa mendapatkan buku referensi dan mata pelajaran. Siswa juga dipermudah untuk mencari informasi tentang artikel yang ada pada website e-library. Perancangan program e-library ini dibuat menggunakan Adobe Dreamweaver CS6, php dan mysql. Program ini dibuat untuk mempermudah siswa mendapatkan e-book tanpa harus datang ke perpustakaan. Dan mempermudah pegawai perpustakaan untuk mengolah data yang sudah ada. Program ini dibuat untuk memecahkan masalah yang ada seperti kendala waktu dan tempat. Dengan adanya program ini maka kegiatan akan lebih efektif dan efisien.
Perancangan Program Pengelolaan Transaksi Pembelian dan Penjualan Perlengkapan Olahraga Pada Abadi Sport
Authors: Nurahman Dede , Prasetyo Feri , Pratama Eka
Published: October 2018

Abstract  –  Purchasing and Sale of Goods System is a system that provides information services in the form of transaction data purchase and sale of goods and stock of goods. The existence of this information system is important. In this case, ABADI SPORT serve as a place of research, because the system of purchase and sale of goods in the place has not been well managed so that there is often a mistake in making the existing report, ineffective and efficient data storage because only archived. So as to complicate the search of data, the form of invoice is similar to causing an error in Recording, slow presentation of information required by the leadership. The method used is structured programming language and development method using waterfall model. Data collection method used is using observation method, interview, literature study. Analytical tools used are Use Case Diagram, Activity Diagram, Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD), Logical Record Structure (LRS). The software used is: NetBeans IDE 8.1, java 1.7.7, and Xampp 1.7.7. The design of this program is built in order to provide convenience in processing data purchase and sale both from purchases to suppliers and sales to customers as well as processing reports purchase and sales to be more precise and accurate. Key Word: Program Design, Purchasing and Sales Program
PENGENALAN POLA PADA FISIK MOBIL MENGGUNAKAN PERSAMAAN DIFERENSIAL DETEKSI TEPI (EDGE DETECTION)
Authors: Rada Yus Tina
Published: October 2018

Penentuan tepi suatu objek dalam pengolahan citra merupakan salah satu wilayah pengolahan citra digital yang paling awal dan paling banyak diteliti. Proses ini sering kali ditempatkan sebagai langkah pertama dalam aplikasi segmentasi citra, yang bertujuan untuk mengenali objek-objek yang terdapat dalam citra ataupun konteks citra secara keseluruhan. Adapun teknik peningkatan mutu citra dapat dibagi menjadi dua, yaitu peningkatan mutu citra pada domain spasial dan domain frekuensi. Pada domain spasial terdapat dua macam jenis filter, yaitu Smoothing filters dan Sharpening filters. Pada Smoothing filters terdapat Lowpass filter yang terdiri dari Linear filter (mengambil nilai rata-rata), dan Median filters yang terdiri dari Non-linear filter (mengambil median dari setiap jendela ketetanggaan). Adapun pada Sharpening filters terdapat beberapa jenis dan metode, yaitu Roberts, Prewitt, dan Sobel (Edge Detection) yang bersifat Highpass filter. Deteksi tepi (Edge Detection) pada suatu citra ialah suatu proses yang akan menghasilkan tepi-tepi dari objek-objek citra, yang dimanfaatkan untuk bermacam keperluan diantaranya penggunaan deteksi tepi dalam penggunaannya untuk aplikasi pengenalan fisik mobil. Tujuan dari teknik peningkatan mutu citra ini ialah untuk melakukan pemrosesan terhadap citra agar hasilnya mempunyai kualitas relatif lebih baik dari citra awal untuk aplikasi tertentu. Kata Kunci: Domain Spasial, Mask Processing, dan Edge Detection.
Pengaruh Edukasi Kesehatan Bahaya Rokok Terhadap Pengetahuan dan Sikap Siswa Sekolah Dasar
Authors: Kosasih Cecep Eli , Solehati Tetti , Lukman Mamat
Published: October 2018

Bahaya rokok merupakan ancaman bagi kehidupan manusia termasuk anak sekolah dasar. Mereka dapat terpapar dari lingkungan, terutama keluarganya yang merokok. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui pengaruh edukasi kesehatan bahaya rokok pada siswa Sekolah Dasar. Desain penelitian quasi eksperimen dengan rancangan pre test dan post test. Penelitian dilakukan tahun 2017 di SDN Kecamatan Dayeuhkolot Kabupaten Bandung. Populasi pada penelitian ini adalah seluruh siswa kelas 4- 6 berjumlah 323 orang. Sample yang digunakan adalah total sampling. Semua siswa diberikan quisioner sebelum intervensi untuk mengukur tingkat pengetahuan dan sikap siswa, kemudian diberikan penyuluhan tentang bahaya rokok, lalu diberikan quisioner kembali untuk mengukur tingkat pengetahuan dan sikap. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa rata-rata tingkat pengetahuan tentang bahaya rokok sebelum intervensi 256 (79.3%) siswa berkatagori baik meningkat menjadi 293 (90.7%) siswa berkatagori baik (p=0,000). Penelitian ini juga menemukan bahwa rata-rata sikap sebelum intervensi 253 (78.3%) siswa memiliki sikap mendukung tentang bahaya rokok meningkat menjadi 293 (90.7%) setelah intervensi (p=0,000). Penelitian ini menemukan perbedaan bermakna peningkatan rata-rata pengetahuan dan sikap siswa sebelum dan setelah periode intervensi (p= 0.000). Berdasarkan hasil penelitian perlu adanya dukungan dari pihak sekolah dan puskesmas bagi keberlanjutan program edukasi kesehatan bahaya rokok di sekolah beserta evaluasinya.
Different Doses of Intraumbilical Oxytocin on the Third Stage of Labor
Authors: Islamy Nurul , Bernolian Nuswil , BasiR Firmansyah , Theodorus Theodorus
Published: October 2018

Objective: To compare the dose of oxytocin injected intraumbilicalltowards the duration of the third stage, blood loss volume, hemoglobinand hematocrit.

 

Methods: This study is a prospective randomised study with acontrol. The control group was given an intramuscular injection of10 IU oxytocin. The intervention of the three groups intraumbilicaloxytocin treatment dose of 10 IU, 20 IU and 30 IU diluted in 50 ml ofnormal saline solution and administered intraumbilically. Thesample selection by purposive sampling and the distribution groupbased on systematic random sampling (10 samples each). Data weretaken from the period April 2016-January 2017 with the inclusionand exclusion criteria. Data were analysed using Chi-square, T-test,ANOVA and Post hoc tests.

 

Results: Characteristics study for variables of age, occupation,parity, education, episiotomy and neonates weight showed homogeneouscharacteristics. The mean duration of the third stage forall groups was between 366.7  159.0 seconds and 440.1  244.99seconds. While the average number of postpartum haemorrhage forall group 61.894  226.3ml and 309.5  110.26 ml. There were nodifferences in the dose of oxytocin on the duration of the thirdstage (p> 0.05) and the amount of bleeding (p> 0.005). There was adifference of haemoglobin between intervention group of oxytocindose of 10 IU and 30 IU intraumbilical (p = 0.031). There was nodifference between the mean hematocrit levels between the groups(p> 0.005).

 

Conclusion: There were no differences in the dose of oxytocinintraumbilical towards the duration of the third stage, the amountof bleeding and hematocrit levels. The decrease of haemoglobingreater in 30 IU intraumbilical significantly.

Keywords: duration of the third stage, haemoglobin and hematocrit,oxytocin intraumbilical, the amount of bleeding
Compatibility between Menstrual Pictogram Assessment and Haemoglobin Assessment in Abnormal Uterine Bleeding
Authors: Yulianti Fitri , Manan Heriyadi , Nurtjahyo Awan , Husin Syarif
Published: October 2018

Objective: To determine the amount of wasted blood and diagnosedAUB and determine amount of decrease in haemoglobinlevels by adjusting the examination of menstrual pictogramwith haemoglobin.Methods: Diagnostic test was conducted in the DepartmentObstetrics and Gynecology Dr. Mohammad Hoesin/Faculty ofMedicine Universitas Sriwijaya Palembang, start from January 2015through January 2017. Sample was obtained from 39 patients withabnormal uterine bleeding who meet the inclusion and exclusioncriteria. Frequency and distribution of data are described in tablesand cross analyze (cut-off point) to find cut points differencemenstrual pictogram and a decrease in haemoglobin levels usingROC curve. Accuracy is measured by the value of Kappa. Dataanalysis using SPSS version 21.Results: From 39 samples that obtained, majority characteristicsage > 35 years (59%), ideal BMI (59%) and multiparous(48.7%). From statistical analysis, there was significanceassociation between haemoglobin measurement toolsand menstrual pictogram (p = 0.063). Both measuring deviceshave compatibility in predicting the type of AUB (p = 0.047),with the degree of conformity is weak (Kappa = 0.232).Conclusion: Accuracy of menstrual pictogram examination andhaemoglobin has a weak degree of conformity, so menstrualpictogram examination can’t be used to determine a decrease inhaemoglobin levels. Menstrual pictogram menstruation only usedas an evaluation of therapeutic response.[Indones J Obstet Gynecol 2018; 6-3: 172-178]Keywords: abnormal uterine bleeding, haemoglobin, menstrual pictogram
Human Papilloma Virus16 and 18 Infection and the Cervical Cytology Changes in Combined Hormonal Contraceptive Users
Authors: Darkuthni Merdyana , Tahir Mardiah , Tumedia Josephine L
Published: October 2018

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between HPV-16 and 18infection and the cervical cytology changes among combinationhormonal contraceptives users.

 

Methods: A cross-sectional study involved 40 women usingcombined hormonal contraceptive (oral or injection/DMPA contraceptive)and 40 women of non-hormonal contraceptive users wasconducted in Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo hospital, some affiliatedhospitals of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty ofMedicine, Universitas Hasanuddin and a private clinic in Makassarfrom November 2015 and April 2016. HPV 16 and 18 genotypingin cervix using PCR method and cervical cytology changes usingliquid-based cytology (LBC) method were performed. HPV infectionand cervical cytology changes were analysis based on Fisher’s testand chi-square test.

 

Results: A significant difference found only in parity (p<0.05)between users and control of baseline characteristics. Neither usersnor control were significantly associated with HPV-16 and 18infection and changes in cervical cytology.

 

Conclusion: Combined hormonal contraceptives are not correlatedwith HPV-16 and 18 infection and changes in cervical cytology.

Keywords: cervix, combined hormonal contraceptive, human papillomavirus
Love at the Limits: Between the Corporeal and the Incorporeal
Authors: Gray Chantelle
Published: October 2018

New materialist frameworks have increasingly repudiated dualistic thinking and challenged representationalist views, which hold that discursive practices mediate our access to the material world (a core tenet of social constructivism). As it has become clear that the material cannot be considered inert, important questions concerning agency, politics and subjectivity have been raised. But while the significance of corporeality has been emphasised, Elizabeth Grosz, in an interview on her most recent book, The Incorporeal (2017), notes that: ‘If materialism(s) cannot account for the immaterial events we experience and articulate, then it has a clear limit that it needs to address.’ An important question this raises in terms of the mutual conditionings of love and one I will address is: How can we account for the immaterial space and time tracings of love without negating the material in the process? To answer this, I turn to Deleuze's The Logic of Sense.
Kiki and the ‘girl’: A Moment of Reading between Deleuze and Feminism
Authors: Sen Chaudhuri Ritu
Published: October 2018

The essay reads as a moment of alliance – a moment of reading of two disparate things together. The event of alliance remains inspired by Gilles Deleuze's theorisations of becoming. This marks the coming together of unrelated things – one into the fold of another – without being subordinated in the process. It reads an anime, Kiki's Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki, 1989), with Deleuze and Guattari's writings on ‘the girl’ (A Thousand Plateaus, 1987) – where the girl represented as ‘real’ in a fantasy meets the girl written as a metaphor in a theoretical intervention. This inflicts a sense of violence, of abstraction, to both the figures of ‘girl’. On the one hand, Miyazaki's work, removed from the discourse of anime, is placed under a feminist scrutiny, while on the other hand, Deleuze and Guattari's notion of the ‘girl’, extracted from the logic of the original texts, is reinserted into feminist renditions. The two readings are coordinated by a specific intention. This is to imagine the feminist potential of the ‘girl’. Occasionally the two works appear to talk to each other, yet sometimes they stand incommensurable. The texts animate each other without being subsumed by each other – inhabiting and following the movements to trace the other as fields of singularities which cannot be reduced to fixed identities or parallels. This transversal act of reading does not aim at coercing the Deleuzian notion of the girl upon Kiki, but rather looks forward to the conversations generated between the two narratives.
Incremental Learning for Classification of Unstructured Data Using Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Madhusudhanan Sathya , Jaganathan Suresh , L S Jayashree
Published: October 2018

Unstructured data are irregular information with no predefined data model. Streaming data which constantly arrives over time is unstructured, and classifying these data is a tedious task as they lack class labels and get accumulated over time. As the data keeps growing, it becomes difficult to train and create a model from scratch each time. Incremental learning, a self-adaptive algorithm uses the previously learned model information, then learns and accommodates new information from the newly arrived data providing a new model, which avoids the retraining. The incrementally learned knowledge helps to classify the unstructured data. In this paper, we propose a framework CUIL (Classification of Unstructured data using Incremental Learning) which clusters the metadata, assigns a label for each cluster and then creates a model using Extreme Learning Machine (ELM), a feed-forward neural network, incrementally for each batch of data arrived. The proposed framework trains the batches separately, reducing the memory resources, training time significantly and is tested with metadata created for the standard image datasets like MNIST, STL-10, CIFAR-10, Caltech101, and Caltech256. Based on the tabulated results, our proposed work proves to show greater accuracy and efficiency.
Enhancement of Biodegradable Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Ionic–Polymer Metallic Composite Actuators with Nanocrystalline Cellulose Fillers
Authors: Bass Patrick S. , Zhang Lin , Tu Maobing , Cheng ZhongYang
Published: October 2018

Biodegradable ionic polymer metallic composite (IPMC) electroactive polymers (EAPs) were fabricated using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with various concentrations of lithium perchlorate. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) rods created from a sulfuric acid hydrolysis process were added at various concentrations to increase the EAPs’ elastic modulus and improve their electromechanical properties. The electromechanical actuation was studied. PEONCC composites were created from combining a 35-mg/mL aqueous NCC suspension with an aqueous, PEO solution at varying vol.%. Due to an imparted space charge from the hydrolysis process, composites with an added 1.5 vol.% of NCC suspension exhibited an electromechanical tip displacement, strain, and elastic modulus that was 40.7%, 33.4% and 20.1% higher, respectively, than those for PEO IPMCs without NCC. This performance represented an increase of 300% in the energy density of these samples. However, the electromechanical response decreased when the NCC content was high. NCC without the space charge were also tested to verify the analysis. Additionally, the development of new relationships for modeling and evaluating the time-dependent instantaneous tip angular velocity and acceleration was discussed and applied to these IPMCs.
The Strategic Behaviour of SMEs
Authors: Yanes-Estévez Vanessa , García-Pérez Ana María , Oreja-Rodríguez Juan Ramón
Published: October 2018

This paper analyses the strategic behaviour of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and identifies the entrepreneurial, technological, and administrative problems of the Miles and Snow typology (1978). This typology is applied to a sample of SMEs in the Canary Islands (Spain) by using a multi-item questionnaire. Then, the Rasch Measurement Theory is applied to obtain the results, with the linear continuum as a key tool. By applying the Rasch Measurement, there is a coherency between the data treatment and the new interpretation of the Miles and Snow typology (1978), which lists 4 types that are close to trends than to pure types (for example, Sollosy 2013). There are differences between the administrative and the technological problems, with their technological approach being more prospector and their administrative one, which is more defender. This shows an almost absence of enterprises with purely defender or prospector behaviours. These results show that SMEs do not follow any comprehensive framework in order to develop their strategies. Managers should analyse their strategic situation and consider the alignment of the three problems.
Threshold Tolerance of New Genotypes of Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. to Salinity and Drought
Authors: Toderich Kristina , Shuyskaya Elena , Rakhmankulova Zulfira , Bukarev Roman , Khujanazarov Temur , Zhapaev Rauan , Ismail Shoaib , Gupta Shashi K. , Yamanaka Norikazu , Boboev Fazyl
Published: October 2018

With continued population growth, increasing staple crop production is necessary. However, in dryland areas, this is negatively affected by various abiotic stresses, such as drought and salinity. The field screening of 10 improved genetic lines of pear millet originating from African dryland areas was conducted based on a set of agrobiological traits (i.e., germination rate, plant density, plant maturity rate, forage, and grain yields) in order to understand plant growth and its yield potential responses under saline environments. Our findings demonstrated that genotype had a significant impact on the accumulation of green biomass (64.4% based on two-way ANOVA), while salinity caused reduction in grain yield value. HHVBC Tall and IP 19586 were selected as the best-performing and high-yielding genotypes. HHVBC Tall is a dual purpose (i.e., forage and grain) line which produced high grain yields on marginal lands, with soil salinization up to electrical conductivity (EC) 6–8 dS m−1 (approximately 60–80 mM NaCl). Meanwhile, IP 19586, grown under similar conditions, showed a rapid accumulation of green biomass with a significant decrease in grain yield. Both lines were tolerant to drought and sensitive to high salinity (above 200 mM NaCl). The threshold salinity of HHVBC Tall calculated at the seedling stage was lower than that of IP 19586. Seedling viability of these lines was affected by oxidative stress and membrane peroxidation, and they had decreased chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis. This study demonstrated that ionic stress is more detrimental for the accumulation of green and dry biomass, in combination with increasing the proline and malonic dialdehyde (MDA) contents of both best-performing pearl millet lines, as compared with osmotic stress.
Seedling Growth and Transcriptional Responses to Salt Shock and Stress in Medicago sativa L., Medicago arborea L., and Their Hybrid (Alborea)
Authors: Tani Eleni , Sarri Efi , Goufa Maria , Asimakopoulou Georgia , Psychogiou Maria , Bingham Edwin , Skaracis George N. , Abraham Eleni M.
Published: October 2018

Salinity is a major limiting factor in crop productivity worldwide. Medicago sativa L. is an important fodder crop, broadly cultivated in different environments, and it is moderately tolerant of salinity. Medicago arborea L. is considered a stress-tolerant species and could be an important genetic resource for the improvement of M. sativa’s salt tolerance. The aim of the study was to evaluate the seedling response of M. sativa, M. arborea, and their hybrid (Alborea) to salt shock and salt stress treatments. Salt treatments were applied as follows: salt stress treatment at low dose (50 mM NaCl), gradual acclimatization at 50–100 and 50–100–150 mM NaCl, and two salt shock treatments at 100 and 150 mM NaCl. Growth rates were evaluated in addition to transcriptional profiles of representative genes that control salt uptake and transport (NHX1 and RCI2A), have an osmotic function (P5CS1), and participate in signaling pathways and control cell growth and leaf function (SIMKK, ZFN, and AP2/EREB). Results showed that the studied population of M. sativa and M. arborea performed equally well under salt stress, whereas that of M. sativa performed better under salt shock. The productivity of the studied population of Alborea exceeded that of its parents under normal conditions. Nevertheless, Alborea was extremely sensitive to all initial salt treatments except the low dose (50 mM NaCl). In addition, significantly higher expression levels of all the studied genes were observed in the population of M. arborea under both salt shock and salt stress. On the other hand, in the population of M. sativa, NHX1, P5CS1, and AP2/EREB were highly upregulated under salt shock but to a lesser extent under salt stress. Thus, the populations of M. sativa and M. arborea appear to regulate different components of salt tolerance mechanisms. Knowledge of the different parental mechanisms of salt tolerance could be important when incorporating both mechanisms in Alborea populations.
Emotions and Ethical Decision-Making in Animal Ethics Committees
Authors: Tjärnström Elisabeth , Weber Elin M. , Hultgren Jan , Röcklinsberg Helena
Published: October 2018

Ethical evaluation of projects involving animal testing is mandatory within the EU and other countries. However, the evaluation process has been subject to criticism, e.g., that the committees are not balanced or democratic enough and that the utilitarian weighting of harm and benefit that is normally prescribed is difficult to carry out in practice. In this study, members of Swedish Animal Ethics Committees (AECs) completed a survey aiming to further investigate the decision-making process. We found that researchers and animal laypersons make significantly different ethical judgments, and hold disparate views on which ethical aspects are the most relevant. Researchers were significantly more content than laypersons with the functioning of the committees, indicating that the ethical model used suited their preferences better. We argue that in order to secure a democratic and proper ethical evaluation, the expectations of a scientific discourse must be acknowledged, while giving room for different viewpoints. Further, to fulfil the purpose of the project evaluations and meet public concern, the functions of the different AEC member categories need to be clarified. We suggest that one way of achieving a more thorough, balanced and inclusive ethical evaluation is to allow for more than one model of ethical reasoning.
Performance Analysis of Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution with Multi-Core Fiber
Authors: Li Fei , Zhong Hai , Wang Yijun , Kang Ye , Huang Duan , Guo Ying
Published: October 2018

Performance analysis of continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) has been one of the focuses of quantum communications. In this paper, we propose an approach to enhancing the secret rate of CVQKD with the multi-core fiber (MCF) system that transmits multiple spatial modes simultaneously. The excess noise contributed by the inter-core crosstalk between cores can be effectively suppressed by quantum channel wavelength management, leading to the performance improvement of the MCF-based CVQKD system. In the security analysis, we perform numerical simulations for the Gaussian-modulated coherent state CVQKD protocol, considering simultaneously the extra insert loss of fan-in/fan-out (FIFO), which is the extra optical device that should be used at the input and the output of the fiber. Simulation results show that the performance of the one-way and two-way protocols for each core are slightly degraded because of the insert loss of the FIFO, but the total secret key rate can be increased, whereas the performance of the measurement-device-independent CVQKD protocol will be degraded due to the effect of the insert loss of the FIFO. These results may provide theoretical foundation for the space-division multiplexing CVQKD system.
Comparison of Water Curtain Effectiveness in the Elimination of Airborne Vapours of Ammonia, Acetone, and Low-Molecular Aliphatic Alcohols
Authors: Węsierski Tomasz , Majder-Łopatka Małgorzata
Published: October 2018

The paper presents results of comparative tests related to the effectiveness of water curtains in the elimination of airborne vapours of ammonia, acetone, and low-molecular aliphatic alcohols. The determined effectiveness of water curtains for acetone and methanol is by about half an order of magnitude smaller than for ammonia. An evident reduction in curtain effectiveness was recorded with an increase of the length of aliphatic chain of alcohols. Tests conducted for the four lightest representatives of primary alkanols point to an evident decrease in t1/2 for further representatives according to the equation t1/2 = 203.3N − 41.5. It was found that methanol is removed by the curtain in the shortest time from among the tested alcohols (t1/2 = 137 s) and 1-buthanol the most slowly (t1/2 = 782 s). The obtained results indicate the effectiveness of water curtains in incidents that comprise uncontrolled release of vapours of compounds being tested.
Mapping Relevant Parameters for Efficient Operation of Low-Temperature Heating Systems in Nordic Single-Family Dwellings
Authors: Ploskić Adnan , Wang Qian , Sadrizadeh Sasan
Published: October 2018

The aim of this study was to map the parameters that have the greatest impact on the environmental impact of heating systems usually used in Nordic single-family dwellings. The study focused on mapping the technical requirements for efficient operation of heating systems in a broader context. The results suggest that the ability of a heating system to be operated with a low-temperature water supply depends to a large extent on the heating demand of a building. It was shown that an increase in the water flow rate in hydronic circuits would significantly increase the thermal efficiency from analyzed heating systems. This increase would not increase the pumping power need, nor would it create noise problems in distribution network if the distribution pipes and thermostatic valves were properly selected. However, this increase in water flow rate improved the efficiency of considered closed-loop heat pump. It was further shown that the efficiency of the heat pump could be additionally improved by halving the energy needs for the domestic hot-water and circulators. The main conclusion from this study is that exergy usage, CO2 emission and thereby environmental impact are significantly lower for heating systems that are operated with small temperature drops.
Rank-Based Comparative Research Flow Benchmarking the Effectiveness of AHP–GTMA on Aiding Decisions of Shredder Selection by Reference to AHP–TOPSIS
Authors: Zhuang Zheng-Yun , Lin Chang-Ching , Chen Chih-Yung , Su Chia-Rong
Published: October 2018

The AHP–GTMA (analytic hierarchy process and graph theory and matrix approach) has been applied to select the best paper shredder before a company was making a bulk purchase order. However, there is a question as to whether one such relatively recent approach is effective to aid the selection decision problems in industrial/commercial practice. In this paper, a novel multi-measure, rank-based comparative research flow is proposed. The real decision problem case mentioned above is solved using the AHP–GTMA and the AHP–TOPSIS methods, respectively, with relevant datasets sourced. Several measures in the proposed flow, i.e., the arithmetical, geometrical, or even statistical ones, are multiplexed and used to validate the similarity between the rank order vectors (ROVs) (and thus between the final preferential orders determined over the alternatives) that are obtained using these two different methods. While AHP–TOPSIS is a confident multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) approach which has been successfully applied to many other fields, the similarity validated between these individual results using the proposed method is used to confirm the efficacy of the AHP–GTMA approach and to determine its applicability in practice. In addition, along with this study, some contributable points are also rendered for implementing the decision models, e.g., the optimized recursive implementation in R to compute the permanent value of a square ASAM (alternative selection attribute matrix, which is the computational basis required by AHP–GTMA) of any dimension. The proposed methodological flow to confirm the similarity based on the ordinal rank information is not only convenient in operational practice with ubiquitous tool supports (e.g., the vector-based R statistical platform), but also generalizable (to verify between another pair of results obtained using any other MADM methods). This gives options for future research.
Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx
Authors: Kröcher Oliver
Published: October 2018

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Development of Silane-Based Coatings with Zirconia Nanoparticles Combining Wetting, Tribological, and Aesthetical Properties
Authors: Lopez de Armentia Sara , Pantoja Mariola , Abenojar Juana , Martinez Miguel Angel
Published: October 2018

Silane-based coatings with nanoparticles have been widely used in applications related to surface protection. Between them, the improvement of corrosion resistance by increasing the hydrophobicity is one of the main research goals. However, most coatings present problems of low wear resistance and poor aesthetic appearance. Therefore, the overall goal of this research is to manufacture hydrophobic sol-gel coatings based on silanes which comply with good tribological and aesthetical properties. In the present study, stainless steel plates were coated with a silane-based solution containing zirconia nanoparticles by dip coating. Water–ethanol solutions with silanes (methyltrimethoxysilane (MTS) and tetrathoxysilane (TEOS)) and different percentages of ZrO2 nanoparticles were prepared. Gloss, color, contact angle, surface energy, wear resistance, and thickness of coating were analyzed to elucidate the effect of zirconium oxide on the performance of the coatings. Results demonstrate that the ZrO2–silane coatings on stainless steel offer a balanced combination of properties: low wettability, high wear resistance, and similar color and brightness compared to pristine stainless steel.
Rheological Properties of Alginate–Essential Oil Nanodispersions
Authors: Cofelice Martina , Cuomo Francesca , Lopez Francesco
Published: October 2018

Due to its favorable structural properties and biocompatibility, alginate is recognized as a suitable versatile biopolymer for use in a broad range of applications ranging from drug delivery, wound healing, tissue engineering, and food formulations such as nanodispersions. Rheological analysis plays a crucial role in the design of suitable nanoemulsion based coatings. Different essential oil and alginate nanodispersion compositions stabilized by Tween 80 were analyzed for rheological and conductometric properties. The results confirmed that the nanoformulations shared a pseudoplastic non-Newtonian behavior that was more evident with higher alginate concentrations (2%). Nanodispersions made of alginate and essential oil exhibited a slight thixotropic behavior, demonstrating the aptitude to instantaneously recover from the applied stress or strain. Oscillatory frequency sweep tests showed a similar fluid-like behavior for 1% and 2% alginate nanodispersions. Finally, it was demonstrated that advantages coming with the use of the essential oil are added to the positive aspects of alginate with no dramatic modification on the flow behavior.
Encryption Algorithm of Multiple-Image Using Mixed Image Elements and Two Dimensional Chaotic Economic Map
Authors: Karawia A. A.
Published: October 2018

To enhance the encryption proficiency and encourage the protected transmission of multiple images, the current work introduces an encryption algorithm for multiple images using the combination of mixed image elements (MIES) and a two-dimensional economic map. Firstly, the original images are grouped into one big image that is split into many pure image elements (PIES); secondly, the logistic map is used to shuffle the PIES; thirdly, it is confused with the sequence produced by the two-dimensional economic map to get MIES; finally, the MIES are gathered into a big encrypted image that is split into many images of the same size as the original images. The proposed algorithm includes a huge number key size space, and this makes the algorithm secure against hackers. Even more, the encryption results obtained by the proposed algorithm outperform existing algorithms in the literature. A comparison between the proposed algorithm and similar algorithms is made. The analysis of the experimental results and the proposed algorithm shows that the proposed algorithm is efficient and secure.
Fueling Global Energy Finance: The Emergence of China in Global Energy Investment
Authors: Gopal Sucharita , Pitts Joshua , Li Zhongshu , Gallagher Kevin P. , Baldwin James G. , Kring William N.
Published: October 2018

Global financial investments in energy production and consumption are significant since all aspects of a country’s economic activity and development require energy resources. In this paper, we assess the investment trends in the global energy sector during, before, and after the financial crisis of 2008 using two data sources: (1) The Dealogic database providing cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As); and (2) The “fDi Intelligence fDi Markets” database providing Greenfield (GF) foreign direct investments (FDIs). We highlight the changing role of China and compare its M&A and GF FDI activities to those of the United States, Germany, UK, Japan, and others during this period. We analyze the investments along each segment of the energy supply chain of these countries to highlight the geographical origin and destination, sectoral distribution, and cross-border M&As and GF FDI activities. Our paper shows that while energy accounts for nearly 25% of all GF FDI, it only accounts for 4.82% of total M&A FDI activity in the period 1996–2016. China’s outbound FDI in the energy sector started its ascent around the time of the global recession and accelerated in the post-recession phase. In the energy sector, China’s outbound cross-border M&As are similar to the USA or UK, located mostly in the developed countries of the West, while their outbound GF investments are spread across many countries around the world. Also, China’s outbound energy M&As are concentrated in certain segments of the energy supply chain (extraction, and electricity generation) while their GF FDI covers other segments (electricity generation and power/pipeline transmission) of the energy supply chain.
Adoption of Photovoltaic Systems Along a Sure Path: A Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) Study Applied to the Analysis of GHG Emission Impacts
Authors: Constantino Gabriel , Freitas Marcos , Fidelis Neilton , Pereira Marcio
Published: October 2018

The expansion of photovoltaic solar energy in the world is significant. However, its contribution to decreases in greenhouse gases (GHG) is not an absolute guarantee. In this context, it is necessary to evaluate its benefits in advance, considering the structure of the electric energy supply matrix of the country producing the photovoltaic solar system, as well as the country where the technology will be implemented. This study evaluates the adoption of renewable sources for electric power generation in a country with a high share of renewable energy. A life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a set of multi-Si photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in the Brazilian northeast (NE), was carried out. The actual generation data of 10 plants totaling 1.1 MWp installed capacity were evaluated during two years of operation. Energy payback time (EPBT), greenhouse gas emission rate (GHGe-rate), and emission payback time were calculated. The great influence of the electric matrix characteristics of the country manufacturing PV systems was evidenced in the results. The interconnected Brazilian electrical system had a 2020 projected GHGe-rate of 63.9 g CO2/kWh, while the results of 70% of the photovoltaic solar power plants (PSPS) assessed herein exhibit higher GHGe-rates. Thus, in countries where the electric matrix comprises a high share of renewable sources, such as Brazil, the incentive to use PV systems manufactured in nations whose electric matrix registers high emission factors should be well evaluated in terms of the impacts of GHG concentrations and the promotion of sustainable development, in order to avoid indirect import of significant amounts of carbon embedded in the systems.