bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Missing Link between Terrain-Induced Potential Vorticity Banners and Banded Convection
Authors: Siedersleben Simon K. , Gohm Alexander
Published: July 2016

On 1 February 2014, the southern side of the Alps was affected by a severe snowstorm that forced authorities to issue the highest level of avalanche danger in southern parts of Austria. The northern side of the Alps was mostly dry. Nevertheless, radar imagery captured the evolution of quasi-steady convective cloud bands over the northern Alpine foreland with a remarkable length of up to 300 km. This study illuminates the processes that generated these cloud bands based on numerical simulations. The storm was associated with a deep large-scale trough that caused strong southwesterly cross-Alpine flow, orographic precipitation on the southern side, and foehnlike subsidence on the northern side of the Alps. Orographic potential vorticity (PV) banners developed at small-scale topographic features embedded in the Alps and extended downstream over the northern Alpine foreland. Convective cloud bands were aligned parallel to these PV banners. They formed in an environment of inertial instability (negative absolute vorticity) and conditional instability. Sensitivity experiments reveal that the structure and size of these cloud bands are strongly sensitive to the small-scale terrain roughness. Removing small-scale topographic features suppresses the formation of orographic vorticity banners, which in turn suppresses the development of cloud bands. These results suggest that the release of inertial instability at negative orographic vorticity banners was crucial for establishing circulations and associated uplift that triggered conditional instability. To summarize, inertial instability was most likely responsible for the banded structure and conditional instability for the convective nature of these cloud bands.
Design and baseline characteristics of the ParkFit study, a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a multifaceted behavioral program to increase physical activity in Parkinson patients
Authors: van Nimwegen Marlies , Speelman Arlène D , Smulders Katrijn , Overeem Sebastiaan , Borm George F , Backx Frank JG , Bloem Bastiaan R , Munneke Marten ,   ParkFit study group
Published: July 2016

Background

Many patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) lead a sedentary lifestyle. Promotion of physical activities may beneficially affect the clinical presentation of PD, and perhaps even modify the course of PD. However, because of physical and cognitive impairments, patients with PD require specific support to increase their level of physical activity.

Methods

We developed the ParkFit Program: a PD-specific and multifaceted behavioral program to promote physical activity. The emphasis is on creating a behavioral change, using a combination of accepted behavioral motivation techniques. In addition, we designed a multicentre randomized clinical trial to investigate whether this ParkFit Program increases physical activity levels over two years in sedentary PD patients. We intended to include 700 sedentary patients. Primary endpoint is the time spent on physical activities per week, which will be measured every six months using an interview-based 7-day recall.

Results

In total 3453 PD patients were invited to participate. Ultimately, 586 patients - with a mean (SD) age of 64.1 (7.6) years and disease duration of 5.3 (4.5) years - entered the study. Study participants were younger, had a shorter disease duration and were less sedentary compared with eligible PD patients not willing to participate.

Discussion

The ParkFit trial is expected to yield important new evidence about behavioral interventions to promote physical activity in sedentary patients with PD. The results of the trial are expected in 2012.

Trial registration

http://clinicaltrials.gov (nr NCT00748488).
Microwave Specific Effect on Catalyticatropo-Enantioselective Ring-Opening Reaction of Biaryl Lactones
Authors: Tashima Shigeki , Nushiro Kazuya , Saito Kodai , Yamada Tohru
Published: July 2016

The microwave specific effect on the catalytic atropo-enantioselective ring-opening reaction of biaryl lactones was investigated. Under strictly controlled temperature conditions, the reaction was accelerated by microwave irradiation without any loss of the enantioselectivity. Also, the racemization rate of the atropo-optically active biaryl lactone was enhanced by the microwave irradiation.
Cooperative Effect of Spacer and Lewis Base on Highly Reversible Spectral Changes of the Octaethylporphyrin Chromatic System in Sensitivity, Stability, and Visibility to Trifluoroacetic Acid
Authors: Kempe Hideto , Yamamoto Junya , Ishida Miki , Takahashi Nobutomo , Yoshino Junro , Hayashi Naoto , Higuchi Hiroyuki
Published: July 2016

The diacetylene-group connected chromatic system of [octaethylporphyrin]-[spacer]-[Lewis base] triads (OEP-SPC-LB) was conclusively studied, in which a trigger-like interaction of the terminal LB with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) dramatically affects the inherent electronic properties of OEP. The 1H NMR, IR, and electronic absorption spectral properties of these OEP derivatives were examined, and were contemplated in view of a cooperative effect of SPC and LB on their OEP nucleus. Based on the results from this study, the structural elements for molecular design will be proposed in order to improve their reversible spectral changes between neutral and acidic media in terms of sensitivity, stability, and visibility to TFA.
Imitation in fashion: Further reflections on the work of Thorstein Veblen and Georg Simmel
Authors: Wild Benjamin
Published: July 2016

Imitation continues to play a significant role within the fashion industry, but not in the way that Thorstein Veblen and Georg Simmel, who wrote over 100 years ago, suggest. Increased inequality in incomes, the adoption of an ethics of labour over leisure, and the creation of celebrities within the music and movie industries, who appear proximate to a broad demographic of consumers, means the social elite are no longer the predominant trendsetters and exemplars of sartorial tastes. More fundamentally, globalization has reduced interpersonal connections and increased feelings of isolation within many individuals. Correlatively, periods of the past, which appear to offer security, stability and status, have become an increasingly important source of sartorial – and cultural – imitation, as evidenced by the growing popularity of retro and vintage clothing styles. An awareness of the role played by heritage and history in the consumption of fashion is therefore important for researchers in academia and industry.
Principles of Lust: A feminist porn perspective on contemporary macho, future of porn and its ever present influence on fashion and style
Authors: Khan Ali
Published: July 2016

Erika Lust is a film-maker, writer and blogger based in Barcelona. Born in 1977 in Sweden, she studied political sciences, feminism and sexuality. Tired of chauvinistic and tacky mainstream porn, she burst into the adult film industry in 2004, with the indie short film The Good Girl – a Humorous Statement of Principles. The immediate success of this first attempt encouraged her to pursue a film career. Besides the XConfessions series, Erika has directed four multi-award winning features: Five Hot Stories For Her, Barcelona Sex Project, Life Love Lust and Cabaret Desire. Last year she gave her ‘It’s Time for Porn to Change’ talk at TEDxVienna, which gained her notoriety for her campaign to change porn. She defends the need of having women behind the camera in all key positions. Her female characters are sex-positive, powerful and active, and captured within films that embody sexually intelligent narratives with relatable characters and realistic hot sex.
Obesity: the modern approach to the problem
Authors: Razina Anastasiya O. , Achkasov Evgeniy E. , Runenko Svetlana D.
Published: July 2016

The review presents epidemiological observations of recent years about the prevalence of overweight and obesity in different countries among people of different gender, age and social groups, and ethnicity. It also presents and analyses health risks and comorbidities leading to disability and death according to national and foreign researchers. It was found that the pathogenesis of obesity was multifactorial and also it was noted the importance of energy balance, consumed and expended calories. It was emphasized the need of a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment and prevention of the disease. The significant influence of the environment and increasing urbanization on the development of the pathology as well as the role of government support in relation to increasing physical activity of the population, including integrated interdisciplinary programs with environmental changes to increase physical activity and control over the quality of food was investigated. The priority areas for correction of overweight including optimization motion activity and correction of the diet were identified.
Endogenous hypercortisolism in the patient with obesity: the cause or a competing disorder
Authors: Belaya Zhanna E. , Vorontsov Aleksandr V. , Il'in Aleksandr V. , Grigor'ev Andrey Y. , Rozhinskaya Lyudmila Y.
Published: July 2016

Endogenous hypercortisolism (EH) is a rare endocrine disorder, one of the most frequent manifestations of which is obesity. Due to the high prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and the similarity of the clinical manifestations, EH may remain undiagnosed. However, prompt diagnosis and treatment can effectively promote complete cure of the patient. We describe the clinical case of a patient К., 58 years old, who suffered from morbid obesity, diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension and dyslipidemia. The CT examination revealed bilateral adrenal incidentalomas. The further follow-up let us to establish Cushing's disease. The adrenal tumors in this case may be the results of a long-term stimulation of the adrenal glands by ACTH. There is a possibility that the first manifestation of the disease began at the age of 30 years after the second pregnancy, when she observed weight gain and poorly controlled hypertension. When remission was achieved after neurosurgical treatment, we could observe significant improvements (reduction in body weight of 10 kg, improved glucose levels), but without the full normalization of all complications and symptoms.Conclusion: EH may cause the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome or significantly exacerbate its course. In cases of doubt, weight gain and poorly controlled manifestations of metabolic syndrome screening is justified to exclude EH.
Viel zu tun, wenig Zeit
Authors: Finsterwalder Sebastian , Latza Sina
Published: July 2016

Die Aufgabe, vor der die NS-Raubgutforschung steht – die Erfassung, Verzeichnung und Restitution geraubter Bestände sowie die Publikation der Forschungsergebnisse – stellt enorme Anforderungen an die in den einzelnen Einrichtungen Forschenden. Die meist für einen knapp befristeten Zeitraum finanzierten Forschungsprojekte entwickeln im Ergebnis häufig pragmatische Insellösungen.

Am Beispiel der aus einer dieser Insellösungen weiter entwickelten Datenbank Looted Cultural Assets will der Aufsatz aufzeigen, wie Provenienzforschung in Einrichtungen, die vom Kulturgutraub im Nationalsozialismus profitiert haben, auf kooperativer Basis betrieben werden kann.
Bericht zur Tagung aus der Reihe Digitale Bibliothek: Vernetzte Welten
Authors: Bürgermeister Martina , Klug Helmut W.
Published: July 2016

Die Tagung „Vernetzte Welten“ aus der Tagungsreihe „Digitale Bibliothek“ stellte die organisatorische und inhaltliche Kollaboration von Institutionen aus dem GLAM-Sektor in den thematischen Mittelpunkt: Referiert wurde u. a. über Metadaten und Pflege semantischer Datenstrukturen, Linked Open Data, Open Access und Nachnutzung von semantisch beschriebenen digitalen Objekten. Die Konferenz machte deutlich, dass hier eine bewusste Umorientierung stattgefunden hat, die das Öffnen der Institutionen und die Verbreitung und Vernetzung der kuratierten Objekte forciert.
Fatty acids and amino acids of entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus grown on minimal and rich media
Authors: Gołębiowski Marek , Ostachowska Aleksandra , Paszkiewicz Monika , Boguś Mieczysława I. , Włóka Emilia , Ligęza-Żuber Marta , Stepnowski Piotr
Published: July 2016

Entomopathogenic fungi are referred to as potential candidates as insect pest control agents. The objective of the study was to identify fatty acids and amino acids from
Promotional effect of cobalt addition on catalytic performance of Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 mixed oxide for diesel soot combustion
Authors: Zhang Yan-Hua , Zhang Hai-Long , Cao Yi , Yang Yi , Xu Bao-Qiang , Zhao Ming , Gong Mao-Chu , Xu Hai-Di , Chen Yao-Qiang
Published: July 2016

A series of Co-modified Ce
UV-induced reduction of Ag+ by diazene sulphonates: new method of metallisation of surfaces
Authors: Baranovicova Eva , Stasko Andrej , Nuyken Oskar
Published: July 2016

The metallisation of surfaces would be technologically very simple if it were possible to use the properties of the substances that decompose upon UV irradiation and produce species with a strong redox potential. In this work, diazene sulphonates are presented as possible reducing agents for Ag
Diuretic activity and toxicity study of the aqueous extract of Cola nitida seed on markers of renal function and electrolytes in rats
Authors: Nnemdi Ashibuogwu Mirian , Isaac Adeosun Olukayode , Ojo Akomolafe Rufus , Olaniyi Sanni Douglas , Sesan Olukiran Olaoluwa
Published: July 2016

Background

Cola nitida is a plant, conventionally used in Africa in the treatment of various ailments such as migraine, morning sickness and indigestion. The aim of the present study was to explore the diuretic activity of the aqueous extract of C. nitida seed (AECONS) and alteration caused by its subchronic administration on the structure and function of the kidney of male Wistar rats.

Methods

The study was divided into diuretic and subchronic studies. Twenty-five male Wistar rats weighing between 140 and 180 g were divided into five groups of five rats each. The first 24 h of this study investigated the possible diuretic activity of C. nitida seed. Group I (the control) received 25 mL/kg of normal saline. Group II (the standard) received 20 mg/kg/day of furosemide. Groups III, IV, V received 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg/day of AECONS, respectively, and orally. Urine volume, pH, specific gravity and electrolytes were estimated in the samples of urine collected after 6 h of the study. From the second day onward and up to a period of 4 weeks, the rats in each group were given normal saline, furosemide and AECONS once daily as was done on the first day. At the end of the 4-week treatment period, blood and urine samples were collected for the determination of creatinine, urea, Na+, K+ and Cl− concentrations.

Results

The results of the diuretic study showed that the AECONS at all doses used and furosemide produced a significant increase in urine output with respect to the control group. AECONS also induced a significant increase in the urine concentrations of Na+, K+, Cl− in the experimental and standard groups when compared with the control group, except for group III which showed no significant variation in K+ concentration. In the subchronic study, AECONS caused a significant increase in the urine levels of Na+, K+, Cl− in the experimental and standard groups when compared with the control rats. The plasma Na+ concentration of groups IV and V was significantly lower than that of the control group. Photomicrographs of the kidneys of the experimental and standard groups revealed no significant alterations in the histology of their kidney tissues.

Conclusions

It is concluded that AECONS induced diuresis which is associated with increased Na+, K+ and Cl− loss in rats without any significant alteration in the structure of their kidneys.
Magnetic studies of 0.7(Fe2O3)/0.3(ZnO) nanocomposites in nanopowder form and dispersed in polymer matrix
Authors: Typek Janusz , Wardal Kamil , Zolnierkiewicz Grzegorz , Szymczyk Anna , Guskos Nikos , Narkiewicz Urszula , Piesowicz Elzbieta
Published: July 2016

Magnetic properties of 0.7(Fe2O3)/0.3(ZnO) nanocomposite synthesized by traditional wet chemistry method and containing only two phases: ZnO (nonmagnetic) and ZnFe2O4 (magnetic, with nanocrystallites of average size 12 nm, but forming large agglomerates, up to 100 nm in size) were studied by DC magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). The investigated nanocomposite was either in a form of nanopowder or dispersed at concentration of 0.1 wt.% in poly(ethylene naphthalate-block-tetramethylene oxide) PTMO-b-PEN polymer matrix. Similarities and differences in magnetic behavior of these two samples revealed by the study of static magnetization and FMR spectra have been discussed relative to different morphologies and the associated variation of interparticle interactions. Moreover, thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of the nanocomposite and the neat polymer have been studied by thermogravimetric method.
Investigation Into the Effects of the Thickness of a Hollow-Cylinder Soil Specimen on the Stress Distributions in Triaxial Torsional Shear Testing
Authors: Guo W.-L. , Zhu J.-G. , Yin J.-H. , Wen Y. F.
Published: July 2016

To investigate the effect of the thickness of a hollow cylinder on the stress distributions in a torsional triaxial shear test of clay, an equation for calculating the circumferential shear stress on a cross section of the cyclider is derived based on a linear elastic constitutive model and elastic mechanics. The “stress error” parameter and “average stress error” parameters are defined to assess the non-uniformity of stresses. The parameter ranges are discussed for specimens with various thicknesses. Torsional triaxial shear testing of specimens with different thicknesses is simulated in using a three-dimensional finite-element method (3D FEM) with Duncan–Chang's non-linear elastic model. The results show that the circumferential shear stress non-uniformity increases with increasing thickness. The maximum, minimum and average “stress error” values are analyzed for commonly used specimen dimensions. When the soil's stress–strain is linear elastic, the “average stress error” is 12.8 % for an outer radius = 50 mm and a thickness = 20 mm and 9.0 % using Duncan–Chang's model. If the “average stress error” is limited to ≤ 10 %, the ratio of the inner radius over the outer radius is 0.68.
The Experimental Characteristics and Evaluation of Nylon-12 in Erosion Process
Authors: Debnath U. K. , Chowdhury M. A. , Nuruzzaman D. M.
Published: July 2016

Polymer materials are used in a wide range of applications. The erosion properties of nylon-12 were analyzed in this study. Randomly-shaped sand (SiO2) particles of various sizes (300–355 μm, 355–500 μm, and 500–600 μm) were selected as erosive elements. Impingement angles between 15 and 90°, impingement velocities between 30 and 50 m/s, and stand-off distances15–25 mm at ambient temperature were tested. During testing, the maximum erosion of the tested polymer composite occurred at 30° angle of impingement, indicating a ductile nature of the test material. Erosion increased with impact velocity and decreased with stand-off distance. The erosion rate varies from approximately 5 to 1600 mg/kg at different combinations of impact velocity, impact angle, and other related parameters. The mean S/N ratio was found to be −41.35 dB, which reflects the average erosion rate under different test conditions. Test results were evaluated using Taguchi's concept to minimize the observations needed, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify interactions between tested parameters and identify the most significant parameters. Surface damage was examined using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) to examine the nature of the wear behavior. The morphology of tested material showed micro cutting, micro cracking, ploughing, and deformation as dominating damage characteristics of impacting surfaces.
Does metabolic health in overweight and obesity persist? – Individual variation and cardiovascular mortality over two decades
Authors: Kaur Akaal , Johnston Desmond G , Godsland Ian F
Published: July 2016

Objective

Overweight and obese individuals may be metabolically healthy, but attention needs to be given to long-term persistence of this trait and any associated variation in cardiovascular risk.

Design

Cross-sectional and longitudinal variation in metabolic health and associated cardiovascular mortality were analysed in 1099 white European-origin normal-weight and overweight or obese males followed for 20years.

Methods

Definitions of metabolic health were based on LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose and cardiovascular risk. Insulin resistance (e.g. HOMA-IR) and sub-clinical inflammation (ESR and white blood cell count) were explored. Cardiovascular mortality risks and persistence of metabolic health status were evaluated.

Results

There were 87 cardiovascular deaths. Insulin resistance was increased in metabolically healthy overweight or obese participants (median HOMA-IR 2.63, 95% CI: 1.79–3.65, P<0.001) relative to normal-weight participants (median HOMA-IR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.08–2.67, P<0.001) as was sub-clinical inflammation but metabolically healthy overweight or obese individuals were not at increased risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with the metabolically healthy normal-weight individuals (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% CI: 0.34–3.72, P=0.8). The proportions of initially metabolically healthy overweight or obese who remained metabolically healthy for visits 2, 3 and 4 were 54, 48 and 39% respectively, and for initially normal-weight individuals, 68, 51 and 41%. A lower proportion of metabolically healthy overweight or obese individuals remained metabolically healthy at visit 2 compared with normal-weight individuals (P=0.007), but proportions converged thereafter.

Conclusions

Despite being insulin resistant and having greater sub-clinical inflammation, and despite instability in metabolic health status, metabolically healthy overweight or obese individuals were at no greater risk of cardiovascular mortality than their normal-weight equivalents.
Effector-Triggered Immune Response in Arabidopsis thaliana Is a Quantitative Trait
Authors: Iakovidis Michail , Teixeira Paulo J P L , Exposito-Alonso Moises , Cowper Matthew G , Law Theresa F , Liu Qingli , Vu Minh Chau , Dang Troy Minh , Corwin Jason A , Weigel Detlef , Dangl Jeffery L , Grant Sarah R
Published: July 2016

We identified loci responsible for natural variation in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) responses to a bacterial pathogen virulence factor, HopAM1. HopAM1 is a type III effector protein secreted by the virulent Pseudomonas syringae strain Pto DC3000. Delivery of HopAM1 from disarmed Pseudomonas strains leads to local cell death, meristem chlorosis, or both, with varying intensities in different Arabidopsis accessions. These phenotypes are not associated with differences in bacterial growth restriction. We treated the two phenotypes as quantitative traits to identify host loci controlling responses to HopAM1. Genome-wide association (GWA) of 64 Arabidopsis accessions identified independent variants highly correlated with response to each phenotype. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in a recombinant inbred population between Bur-0 and Col-0 accessions revealed genetic linkage to regions distinct from the top GWA hits. Two major QTL associated with HopAM1-induced cell death were also associated with HopAM1-induced chlorosis. HopAM1-induced changes in Arabidopsis gene expression showed that rapid HopAM1-dependent cell death in Bur-0 is correlated with effector-triggered immune responses. Studies of the effect of mutations in known plant immune system genes showed, surprisingly, that both cell death and chlorosis phenotypes are enhanced by loss of EDS1, a regulatory hub in the plant immune-signaling network. Our results reveal complex genetic architecture for response to this particular type III virulence effector, in contrast to the typical monogenic control of cell death and disease resistance triggered by most type III effectors.
Mediación pedagógica en salud sexual y reproductiva, derechos sexuales y reproductivos dirigida a adolescentes
Authors: Meza Arguedas Verónica
Published: July 2016

Introducción. Al abordar el tema de la sexualidad desde el ámbito educativo, se han utilizado diversos métodos y procesos que, a lo largo de la historia, contribuyeron y facilitaron el desarrollo y la transmisión de conocimientos desde un sujeto o mediador, hacia una población determinada.  Por ello es importante analizar la forma en cómo los temas de sexualidad se han transmitido a la población de adolescentes.. El objetivo fue desarrollar estrategias de mediación pedagógica en salud sexual, salud reproductiva, derechos sexuales y reproductivos dirigidas a adolescentes que viven en el Hogar Madre Redentor de Pérez Zeledón, 2013.Método. Participó un grupo de adolescentes (15) entre 10 y 19 años, residentes del Hogar Madre Redentor de Pérez Zeledón. El estudio es diseño no experimental transeccional con un enfoque cuantitativo de tipo descriptivo.Resultado. Los resultados indican que utilizar métodos y técnicas pedagógicas interactivas, aunados al conocimiento, la experiencia y la práctica de un profesional en enfermería obstétrica, resultan muy beneficiosos, puesto que las participantes lograron comprender tanto los componentes de la adolescencia y la sexualidad, así como la importancia de mantener una vida sexual sana.Conclusión. Es importante que el profesional en enfermería en obstetricia conozca y desarrolle técnicas educativas con el fin de facilitar un aprendizaje colaborativo sobre salud sexual, salud reproductiva, derechos sexuales y derechos reproductivos, principalmente porque el efecto que causan es seguro para el aprendizaje y la alfabetización sexual de diferentes poblaciones, especialmente aquellas representadas por adolescentes.
Improving urban resilience to flooding: a vital role for civil engineers
Authors: Escarameia Manuela
Published: July 2016

Being resilient against flooding is a key challenge for urban communities – and one for which civil engineers can play a vital role. Manuela Escarameia of HR Wallingford highlights findings of two themed issues of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ journal Water Management on the topic.
Urban resilience: the regeneration of the Dublin Docklands
Authors: Doyle Aoife
Published: July 2016

Resilience, and more specifically ‘urban resilience’, is a ‘fuzzy’ concept, which has gained increasing public, political and academic interest over the past two decades; particularly in the context of the global financial crisis of the late 2000s. This paper adopts an understanding of resilience as the ability of cities to change, adapt and, crucially, transform in response to stresses and strains. Yet how have cities – and urban planning – responded to the recent economic crisis; and how can one examine this in practice? This paper investigates the case of Dublin, Ireland. In particular, it utilises the resilience concept to explore the regeneration of the Dublin Docklands between, and following, two ‘crises’ periods – the economic crises of the 1980s and the late 2000s, respectively. At the same time, the paper is concerned with the related and parallel evolution of Irish urban planning during the same period; and the ‘adaptive capacity’ of the planning system in responding to or mediating the recent, and greatest, economic crisis in the country's history.
The Concept of Corporate Social Responsibility in Strategies of SMEs
Authors: Bylok Felicjan
Published: July 2016

In the modern-day economy, the success of an enterprise is increasingly decided by ethical issues. Enterprises are undertaking action in the sphere of building socially responsible firms whose bases are those of values and ethical norms. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) signifies long-term action that is directed towards the internal and external environment. With regard to the importance of the problematic issues of ethics in the business activities of enterprises, the main aim of this paper has been set out theoretical and empirical ways of utilising the concepts of corporate social responsibility in the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Editorial
Authors: Pasqual Schneider Marilda
Published: July 2016

Editorial
Carbon Assimilation, Herbage Plant‐Part Accumulation, and Organic Reserves of Grazed ‘Mulato II’ Brachiariagrass Pastures
Authors: Silva Valdson J. , Pedreira Carlos G. S. , Sollenberger Lynn E. , Silva Liliane S. , Yasuoka Junior I. , Almeida Ianê C. L.
Published: July 2016

Pasture management, including the control of grazing intensity and fertilization, can trigger plant physiological and morphological responses that affect plant growth and impact stand persistence. The objective of this research was to quantify the effects of three canopy heights (10, 25, and 40 cm), maintained by mimicking continuous stocking, and two N rates (50 and 250 kg ha−1 yr−1) on canopy carbon exchange rate (CER), plant‐part accumulation, and organic reserves of ‘Mulato II’ brachiariagrass hybrid (Brachiaria brizantha × B. decumbens × B. ruziziensis), also known as Convert HD 364 (Dow AgroSciences, São Paulo, Brazil) during two summer rainy seasons in Piracicaba, Brazil. Leaf CER was greater for the 10‐cm height, but canopy CER, plant‐part accumulation, root mass, and root reserves were less in 10‐ than 40‐cm canopies, although this was not associated with stand deterioration after 2 yr. Leaf was the predominant plant part, and leaf accumulation rate increased linearly from 70 to 100 kg dry matter (DM) ha−1 d−1 as canopy height increased from 10 to 40 cm. Increasing N rate from 50 to 250 kg N ha−1 yr−1 affected plant growth, increasing CER, leaf area index, and the rates of leaf, stem, and dead herbage accumulation. The senescence‐to‐growth ratio (S:G) was not affected by N rate, indicating that the increase in rate of dead material accumulation with greater N rate was a result of an increase in the accumulation rates of all plant parts. Taller canopy heights (25 or 40 cm) are recommended for Mulato II under continuous stocking.
Comparing Different Methods to Determine Soil Physical Quality in a Mediterranean Forest and Pasture Land
Authors: Cullotta S. , Bagarello V. , Baiamonte G. , Gugliuzza G. , Iovino M. , La Mela Veca D.S. , Maetzke F. , Palmeri V. , Sferlazza S.
Published: July 2016

Core Ideas

Optimal values of soil physical quality indicators are still approximate.

Sampling soils with minimal anthropic pressures will improve soil physical quality assessment.

Capacity‐based indicators yielded plausible results in a near natural area in Sicily.

Field methods appears a possible alternative to laboratory techniques to assess soil physical quality.

Simultaneous characterization of forest and soil parameters is recommended.

Soil physical quality (SPQ) can be assessed by different experimental methodologies and criteria and the optimal/critical values or ranges for SPQ indicators are still approximate. Sampling soils with minimal anthropic pressures should allow improvements in SPQ assessment. Different experimental methodologies and criteria were applied to sample a Mediterranean oak forest (Quercus ilex L.) and pasture land, in Sicily, with a varying degree of anthropic disturbance. Soil water retention was determined in the laboratory and the field, using the BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) procedure of soil hydraulic characterization. Capacity‐based indicators, the S index, and location and shape parameters of the pore volume distribution function were calculated for assessing SPQ. With the laboratory data, only the criterion using the capacity‐based indicators suggested that SPQ increased as external pressures decreased. Therefore, this criterion appeared to be more reliable than the other tested criteria in the sampled environment. The field method was more prone to suggest good conditions and less able to signal differences between plots as compared with the laboratory method. A forest soil with a good SPQ has an ability to store and provide water to plant roots similar to, but it is more aerated than, a good agricultural soil. Developing BEST for SPQ assessment is advisable since parameters descriptive of the soil water transport properties can be collected with a single experiment. Simultaneous characterization of dendrometric and soil parameters at other sites is recommended to explore the relationships between SPQ indicators and characteristics of the forest cover.
Authors: Mursanto Petrus , Rahman Muntasir
Published: July 2016

Basis Data Berorientasi Objek (BDBO) menggunakan model berorientasi objek untuk penyimpanan data. Selama ini penggunaan BDBO tidak populer disebabkan oleh beberapa standar yang berbeda dalam pemodelan dan perancangan skema data, serta kinerja yang dianggap kurang baik. Padahal dengan pengembangan aplikasi berorientasi objek seyogyanya penggunaan BDBO dapat menurunkan kerumitan dan meningkatkan kualitas kode aplikasi. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengkaji standar penerapan model objek data dan metode perancangan skema data pada BDBO melalui pengukuran kinerja dan kualitas kode dari aplikasi. Penelitian ini mengkaji penerapan model data ODMG 3.0 dan notasi UML pada aplikasi JPetStore dengan menggunakan transformasi Muller untuk perancangan skema data. Aplikasi JPetStore versi MySQL (BDR) dibandingkan kinerjanya dengan versi DB4O (BDBO). Hasil kajian adalah beberapa tambahan pada model ODMG 3.0 dan tambahan notasi UML untuk pemodelan data pada BDBO serta penyesuaian proses transformasi Muller. Kinerja aplikasi versi DB4O secara umum lebih cepat dibandingkan versi MySQL, kecuali dalam membaca data sederhana secara berurut. Kualitas kode aplikasi versi DB4O lebih baik dibandingkan versi MySQL.
Authors: Gunawan Irwan Prasetya , Kalalembang Erik , Usman Korendianto
Published: July 2016

Salah satu masalah yang sering muncul dalam dunia fotograï¬ adalah efek blur yang dapat diakibatkan baik oleh objek yang bergerak maupun gerakan kamera yang berhubungan dengan kecepatan rana (shutter speed) ketika gambar akan diambil. Paper ini menyajikan sebuah metode baru yang sederhana untuk mendeteksi kemunculan distorsi blur yang tidak diinginkan pada gambar digital. Metode yang diusulkan menggunakan transformasi discrete cosine transform (DCT) pada gambar yang telah mengalami distorsi dengan ukuran blok DCT yang bervariasi. Hasil dari pendeteksian ini kemudian digunakan untuk meningkatkan kualitas gambar melalui metode debluring berdasarkan korelasi pixel yang diterapkan pada area tertentu pada gambar yang mengandung distorsi blur ini. Hasil eksperimen menunjukkan bahwa kualitas gambar yang disempurnakan dihasilkan oleh metode debluring secara selektif menggunakan deteksi distorsi blur lokal akan lebih baik daripada yang tidak melalui proses seleksi. Dari berbagai ukuran blok yang digunakan dalam percobaan, blok berukuran 32Ã—32 piksel menghasilkan kualitas gambar yang secara umum lebih baik.

One of the problems that often arise in photography is a blurring effect that can be caused either by a moving object or camera movements that associated with the shutter speed when the picture is taken. This paper presents a simple new method for detecting the appearance of unwanted blur distortion in digital images. The proposed method uses the transformation of Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) on the image that has been distorted with varying DCT block size. The results of the detection used to improve image quality through debluring method based on pixel correlation that applied to certain areas of the image that contains this blur distortion. The experimental results show that the enhanced picture quality produced by the method of selectively debluring using a local blur distortion detection is better than not through the selection process. From various block sizes used in the experiments, the block size of 32Ã—32 pixel generates better picture quality.
Authors: Arymurthy Aniati Murni , Citrahadi Edward , Antaresti Tieta
Published: July 2016

Detak jantung manusia dapat memberikan informasi yang berguna tentang aktivitas yang terjadi di dalam tubuh. Salah satu informasi yang dapat diperoleh dari rekaman detak jantung atau elektrokardiogram adalah tingkat keterlelapan tidur seseorang (sleep stages). Dari sinyal elektrokardiogram seseorang, tingkat keterlelapan tidurnya dapat dikenali dengan terlebih dahulu mengekstrak fitur yang merepresentasikan sinyal elektrokardiogram tersebut secara keseluruhan. Ekstraksi dilakukan agar dimensi data dapat tereduksi sehingga proses klasifikasi dapat lebih mudah dilakukan. Penelitian ini melakukan ekstraksi fitur fraktal dan morfologi dari sinyal elektrokardiogram yang diperoleh dari PhysioNet. Sebelum melakukan ekstraksi fitur morfologi dari sinyal elektrokardiogram, terlebih dahulu dilakukan â€œWavelet Denoisingâ€ untuk menghilangkan noise yang terdapat pada sinyal.

Human heart rate can provide useful information about the activities that occur in the body. One of information which may be obtained from recording the heart rate or electrocardiogram is commonly called a person's level of deep sleep (sleep stages). From a person's electrocardiogram signal, the level of deep sleep recognizable by extracting features that represent the electrocardiogram signal as a whole. Extraction is done so that the dimension of the data can be reduced so that the classification process can be more easily done. This study aims to extract fractal features and morphology of the electrocardiogram signal obtained from PhysioNet. Prior to the extraction of morphological features of the electrocardiogram signal, first performed â€œWavelet Denoisingâ€ to remove the noise contained in the signal.
Authors: K. Herdianta Agustian , Nasution Aulia M.T.
Published: July 2016

Defects on a bearing is usually determined by observing its vibration characteristics. This method unfortunately can not detect the visual defects on the inner and outer ring bearing surface. A pattern recognition is implemented in this paper to solve the problem. A backpropagation neural network architecture is used to recognize the visual defect pattern. This architecture is integrated in a digital image processing chain. Recognition rate of good bearing is obtained at 92.93 %, meanwhile for defected bearing is obtained at 75 % respectively. This rate shows integrated artificial neural network with digital image processing can be implemented to detect the presence of visual bearing defect.

Cacat pada bearing biasanya ditentukan dengan mengamati karakteristik getaran. Metode ini sayangnya tidak dapat mendeteksi kecacatan visual pada permukaan dalam dan luar cincin bearing. Sebuah pengenalan pola diimplementasikan dalam paper ini untuk memecahkan masalah tersebut. Sebuah arsitektur jaringan saraf backpropagation digunakan untuk mengenali pola kecacatan visual. Arsitektur yang diusulkan ini terintegrasi dalam sebuah alir pengolahan citra digital. Tingkat pengenalan bearing yang baik adalah 92.93%, sedangkan untuk bantalan yang cacat adalah 75%. Angka ini menunjukkan integrasi jaringan syaraf tiruan dengan pengolahan citra digital dapat diterapkan untuk mendeteksi kecacatan visual pada bearing.
Authors: Saadah Munjiah Nur , Atmagi Rigga Widar
Published: July 2016

Abstract

In service-oriented computing, web services are the basic foundation that aims to facilitate building of business application in a more flexible and interoperable manner for enterprise collaboration. One of the most promising advantages of web service technology is the possibility of creating added-value services by combining existing ones. A key step for composing and executing services lies in the selection of the individual service to use. Much attention has been devoted to appropriate selection of service functionalities, but also the non-functional properties of the services play a key role. A web service selection technique must take as much as possible the important influencing aspects into account to the selection process in order to minimize the selection efforts. This paper evaluates several web service selection techniques published in literature with the focus on their contributions to web service selection. The evaluation results can be used as a basis for improving web service selection techniques and then simplifying the selection tasks.
Authors: Rahmatullah Robeth , Habibie Ikhsanul , Mursanto Petrus , Isa Sani Muhammad
Published: July 2016

Abstract

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is one of many fetal abnormalities, which has high contribution on maternal mortality rate and perinatal mortality rate in Indonesia. Apparently, IUGR impact can be reduced if only the symptoms are detected earlier and the correct treatment is applied. However, fetal growth detection and monitoring process in Indonesia is obstructed because the number of physicians is very limited and ultrasonography (USG) devices are expensive. Moreover, both the physicians and USG devices are only available in big cities. To answer those problems, this research proposed an intelligent system that can provide fetal growth telemonitoring in rural areas. This system consists of three components: portable USG device, mobile application which is developed using Android operating system, and server application which is developed using Django. The main feature of this system is automatic fetal head parameter detection and its ability to operate in the limited internet access environment. In this system, automatic fetal head parameter detection uses RHT method to approximate fetal headâ€™s ellipse shape. Experiment result shows that RHT detection ability with âˆ†ellipse average of 79.564 and running time average of 0.373 second.
Authors: Perdana Rizal Setya , Muliawati Tri Hadiah , Alexandro Reddy
Published: July 2016

The popularity of Twitter has attracted spammers to disseminate large amount of spam messages. Preliminary studies had shown that most spam messages were produced automatically by bot. Therefore bot spammer detection can reduce the number of spam messages in Twitter significantly. However, to the best of our knowledge, few researches have focused in detecting Twitter bot spammer. Thus, this paper proposes a novel approach to differentiate between bot spammer and legitimate user accounts using time interval entropy and tweet similarity. Timestamp collections are utilized to calculate the time interval entropy of each user. Uni-gram matching-based similarity will be used to calculate tweet similarity. Datasets are crawled from Twitter containing both normal and spammer accounts. Experimental results showed that legitimate user may exhibit regular behavior in posting tweet as bot spammer. Several legitimate users are also detected to post similar tweets. Therefore it is less optimal to detect bot spammer using one of those features only. However, combination of both features gives better classification result. Precision, recall, and f-measure of the proposed method reached 85,71%, 94,74% and 90% respectively. It outperforms precision, recall, and f-measure of method which only uses either time interval entropy or tweet similarity.
Authors: Purwandari Endina Putri
Published: July 2016

Image splicing is a form of digital image manipulation by combining two or more image into a new image. The application was developed through a passive approach using demosaicking and wavelet transformation method. This research purposed a method to implement the demosaicking and wavelet transform for digital image forgery detection with a passive approach. This research shows that (1) demosaicking can be used as a comparison image in forgery detection; (2) the application of demosaicking and wavelet transformation can improve the quality of the input image (3) demosaicking and wavelet algorithm are able to estimate whether the input image is real or fake image with a passive approach and estimate the manipulation area from the input image.
Authors: Purbarani Sumarsih Condroayu , Aâ€™yunina Qurrotin , Maâ€™sum Muhammad Anwar , Rachmadi Muhammad Febrian
Published: July 2016

Autonomous mobile robot has been implemented to assist humans in their daily activity. Autonomous robots have also contributed significantly in human safety. Autonomous mobile robot have been implemented to assist humans in their daily activity. Autonomous robots Have also contributed significantly in human safety. An example of the autonomous robot in the human safety sector is the fire fighting robot, which is the main topic of this paper. As an autonomous robot, the fire fighting robot needs a robust navigation ability to execute a given task in the shortest time interval. Wall-following algorithm is one of several navigating algorithm that simplifies this autonomous navigation problem. As a contribution, we propose two methods that could be combined to make the existing wall-following algorithm more robust. The combined wall-flowing algorithm will be compared to the original wall-following algorithm. By doing so, we could determine which method has more impact on the robotâ€™s navigation robustness. Our goal is to see which method is more effective when combined with the wall-following algorithm.
DYNAMIC AND INCREMENTAL EXPLORATION STRATEGY IN FUSION ADAPTIVE RESONANCE THEORY FOR ONLINE REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
Authors: Subagdja Budhitama
Published: July 2016

One of the fundamental challenges in reinforcement learning is to setup a proper balance between exploration and exploitation to obtain the maximum cummulative reward in the long run. Most protocols for exploration bound the overall values to a convergent level of performance. If new knowledge is inserted or the environment is suddenly changed, the issue becomes more intricate as the exploration must compromise the pre-existing knowledge. This paper presents a type of multi-channel adaptive resonance theory (ART) neural network model called fusion ART which serves as a fuzzy approximator for reinforcement learning with inherent features that can regulate the exploration strategy. This intrinsic regulation is driven by the condition of the knowledge learnt so far by the agent. The model offers a stable but incremental reinforcement learning that can involve prior rules as bootstrap knowledge for guiding the agent to select the right action. Experiments in obstacle avoidance and navigation tasks demonstrate that in the configuration of learning wherein the agent learns from scratch, the inherent exploration model in fusion ART model is comparable to the basic E-greedy policy. On the other hand, the model is demonstrated to deal with prior knowledge and strike a balance between exploration and exploitation.
FEATURE SELECTION METHODS BASED ON MUTUAL INFORMATION FOR CLASSIFYING HETEROGENEOUS FEATURES
Authors: Pawening Ratri Enggar , Darmawan Tio , Bintana Rizqa Raaiqa , Arifin Agus Zainal , Herumurti Darlis
Published: July 2016

Datasets with heterogeneous features can affect feature selection results that are not appropriate because it is difficult to evaluate heterogeneous features concurrently. Feature transformation (FT) is another way to handle heterogeneous features subset selection. The results of transformation from non-numerical into numerical features may produce redundancy to the original numerical features. In this paper, we propose a method to select feature subset based on mutual information (MI) for classifying heterogeneous features. We use unsupervised feature transformation (UFT) methods and joint mutual information maximation (JMIM) methods. UFT methods is used to transform non-numerical features into numerical features. JMIM methods is used to select feature subset with a consideration of the class label. The transformed and the original features are combined entirely, then determine features subset by using JMIM methods, and classify them using support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. The classification accuracy are measured for any number of selected feature subset and compared between UFT-JMIM methods and Dummy-JMIM methods. The average classification accuracy for all experiments in this study that can be achieved by UFT-JMIM methods is about 84.47% and Dummy-JMIM methods is about 84.24%. This result shows that UFT-JMIM methods can minimize information loss between transformed and original features, and select feature subset to avoid redundant and irrelevant features.