bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF ANTIOXIDANTS APPLICATION IN AGRICULTURE AND OTHER SPHERA OF BIOLOGY
Authors: Пахомова Валентина , Pahomova Valentina , Даминова Насия , Daminova Nasiya
Published: February 2018

The article is considered a review of experimental data on the universal functional role of antioxidants in biosystems cells under stressful conditions of existence, as well as the practical application of synthetic and natural antioxidants in crop production, livestock, processing and food industries, pharmacology and medicine, etc. Particular attention is paid to own research on screening and scientific substantiation of the use of compounds with antioxidant effect, including their liposomal forms, in plant growing, livestock and and poultry farming. The diversified use of the natural universal antioxidant dihydroquercetin in various fields of modern bioeconomics is described.
PHOTOMETRIC PARAMETERS OF PLANTS AND WHEAT YIELD, CULTIVATED OF SEEDS ON DIFFERENT NUTRITION BACKGROUND IN THE CONDITIONS OF GRAY FOREST SOILS OF KAMA
Authors: Сержанов Игорь , Serzhanov Igor , Шайхутдинов Фарит , Shaykhutdinov Farit , Ганиев Азат , Ganiev Azat
Published: February 2018

The results of a study on the effect of seeds, grown on different backgrounds of mineral nutrition on the photosynthetic activity of plants and the yield of of spring wheat grain of “Yoldyz” variety are considered. The collection of the dry biological substance of spring wheat plants, grown from seeds on fertilized variants of the experiment, was above the control to 0.71-1.07 g. The collection of organic dry matter is directly related to the increase in the assimilating leaf surface of the offspring from the fertilized backgrounds.
PRODUCTIVITY OF WHEAT (POLBA) OF RUNO VARIETY AT VARIOUS LEVELS OF MINERAL NUTRITION, SOWING NORMS AND DEPTH OF SEEDS FINISHING IN THE KAMA PRECKALM ZONE OF THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN
Authors: Шайхутдинов Фарит , Shaykhutdinov Farit , Сержанов Игорь , Serzhanov Igor , Ибятов Равиль , Ibyatov Ravil , Зиннатуллин Дамир , Zinnatullin Damir , Валиев Абдулсамад , Valiev Abdulsamad
Published: February 2018

The article presents the results of 2-year studies on the main agrotechnical methods for cultivating spring wheat polba in specific conditions. It is shown that the main agrotechnological method, that determines the productivity of a variety, is the introduction of calculated doses of mineral fertilizers, the depth of seeding. To a large extent, the productivity is associated with a combination of nutritional levels, optimal stalk density and depth of seeding. The most effective variants of cultivation technology are established. Changes in the formation of the density of stemstock are revealed with a change in the seeding rates, the depth of seeding at both feeding levels.
REACTION OF THE SPRING RAPE OF ACCORD VARIETY TO SOWING RECEPTIONS
Authors: Фатыхов Ильдус , Fatykhov Ildus , Хакимов Евгений , Hakimov Evgeniy , Вафина Эльмира , Vafina El'mira , Тимеева Елена , Timeeva Elena
Published: February 2018

The article presents the results of the study on the reaction of spring rape by the formation of aboveground biomass yield on the sowing methods are given. It was revealed that, with ordinary and wide-row seeding methods, the maximum productivity of 3.09 tons per hectare and 3.05 tons per hectare, respectively, ensured the seeding rate of 3 million pieces of virgin seeds per 1 hectare. The increase in the productivity of the above-ground biomass is due to the density of standing of plants for harvesting, the mass of one plant, the lining and collection of dry matter.
CALCULATING DOSES OF MINERAL FERTILIZERS ON CLOVER AND RYEGRASS FOREST-MEADOWS OF THE MIDDLE VOLGA REGION
Authors: Хисматуллин Марсель , Khismatullin Marsel , Миннуллин Геннадий , Minnullin Gennadiy , Сафиоллин Фаик , Safiollin Faik
Published: February 2018

In accordance with the accepted norms for feeding cattle, absolutely dry substance of herbal food should contain 10-12% of digestible protein, 20-22% of fiber, 4-6% of fat, 6-8% of ash and 40-42% of nitrogen-free extractives with exchange energy of 14-16 MJ. Such high quality indicators are leguminous perennial grasses, cultivated on optimal backgrounds of mineral nutrition, which is also characteristic of clover meadow of Ranniy 2 variety. However, only due to the legumes of perennial grasses can not completely solve the problem of balancing the diet of feeding animals, since they differ extremely low content of sugars. Meanwhile, in the dry matter of ryegrass, the content of the sum of sugars reaches 20 percent or more. In this connection, this article deals with the cultivation of clover-ryegrass grass stands on the calculated background of mineral nutrition in order to increase the volume of production of energy-saturated feeds balanced by the sugar-protein ratio.
Using Mathematical Programming to Select and Seed Teams for the NCAA Tournament
Authors: Reinig Bruce A. , Horowitz Ira
Published: February 2018

We develop a mathematical programming model to select, rank, and seed 68 teams for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men’s Basketball Tournament. The selections and seeding are the responsibility of a 10-person selection committee, which chooses from 351 Division I college basketball teams and considers many team-performance attributes. Our approach yields a logically consistent initial starting point based on finding dominant relationships among the teams, and the minimax objective function. We first apply the procedure to data for each of the five tournaments from 2012 to 2016 and show that our rankings align well with those of the respective committees. We then implement the procedure and obtain a set of recommendations for the 2017 NCAA tournament’s committee, prior to the announcement of its selections. Our model’s recommendations closely align with those of the committee, thus supporting our contention that the approach provides a viable, readily implemented, and easily understood basis for both informing the committee’s decisions and encouraging its members to articulate their reasons for choosing otherwise. The approach requires no training data from prior seasons or previous recommendations, and can be expanded to other applications where decision makers are tasked with selecting and ranking a set of entities that has quantifiable performance attributes.
A visually-impaired english learner in the context of virtual environments: analyzing learning strategies
Authors: Villalba Ramos Karen
Published: February 2018

El objetivo principal de este reporte de investigación es exponer cómo aprende inglés un estudiante con limitación visual en el contexto de los cursos virtuales en una universidad pública colombiana. Esto se llevó a cabo a través del análisis de las estrategias de aprendizaje utilizadas por el estudiante en las tutorías.El análisis desde una perspectiva cualitativa mediante observaciones y entrevistas ayudó a determinar que los tutores que trabajan con estudiantes con necesidades especiales deben enfocarse en las fortalezas y estrategias de aprendizaje que estos han desarrollado y analizar las posibles nuevas estrategias implementadas por ellos. Adicionalmente, este análisis ayudó a tener una mirada más de cerca a la forma en que estas estrategias de aprendizaje (cognitivas, metacognitivas y socioafectivas) no fueron usadas de manera aislada sino simultánea y sincrónica y cómo han sido impulsadas por el contexto laboral del estudiante...
Ethanolic Extract of Papaya (Carica papaya) Leaves Improves Blood Cholesterol Profiles and Bone Density in Ovariectomized Rats
Authors: Sugiyanto Raisatun Nisa , Khamsita Rahmi , Susidarti Ratna Asmah
Published: February 2018

Bone loss and disturbance in the blood cholesterol profiles modulation are two effects caused by menopauses syndromes. As the estrogen concentration in the body decreased drastically, menopause women need the replacement of estrogen to keep the regulation of several physiological functions in the body, such as bone generation and cholesterol regulation in a good condition. Phytoestrogen in Carica papaya leaves, such as quercetin, could be one of the potential agents for the estrogenic effect. The aim of this study is to know the effects of papaya leaf extract (PLE) on the blood cholesterol profiles and bone density in ovariectomized rats. Thirty six female Sprague Dawley rats divided into six groups.  The groups were sham-treated ovx (S-OVX), ovariectomized rats (OVX), CMC-Na control (OVX+CMC-Na), positive control (OVX+Estradiol), and the PLE treatment groups dose 750 mg/kgBW (OVX+750mg/kgBW) and dose 1000 mg/kgBW (OVX+1000 mg/kgBW). Administrations of PLE were done in three weeks orally and estradiol administrated intraperitonially. In the end of the treatment, the blood sample of tested animals was collected for the blood cholesterol determination (LDL, HDL, triglyceride, and total cholesterol) and the femur bones were examined for the bone density. Based on the results, PLE dose of 750 mg/kgBW a day in ovariectomized rats showed estrogenic effects in modulating blood cholesterol profile by lowering total cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, PLE dose of 1000 mg/kgBW significantly increased the bone density (p<0.05). Thus, PLE is potential to overcome the negative effects of post-menstrual women especially in the cholesterol blood profiles and bone density.Keywords : Carica papaya, phytoestrogen, bone density, blood cholesterol, ovariectomized rats
Impact of hedonic and utilitarian motivations on behavior of purchasing over internet: A study on women
Hedonik ve faydacı tüketim eğilimlerinin internet üzerinden satın alma niyetine etkisi: Kadınlar üzerine bir araştırma
Authors: Tavukçu Ayşegül , Topuz Yusuf Volkan
Published: February 2018

On the basis of creating a successful customer relations on the internet media lies the ability to understanding the consumer intensions and behaviors.   The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the extent to which the hedonic and utilitatian consumption tendencies of women consumers who purchase through internet affect their purchasing behaviors.  In this study which relies on descriptive and causative study, the data is collected with survey method.  400 participants were reached through the survey prepared in the internet media.  The population comprises women over 18 who purchased through internet in the last three months.  The data obtained is tested using regression analysis.  As a result of the findings obtained, it was determined that the utilitation and hedonic consumption tendencies affected the behavior of purchasing over internet in positive direction and women consumers having utilitatian values have the intention to purchase more over the internet compared to women consumers having hedonic values. Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file. Özetİnternet ortamında başarılı bir müşteri ilişkileri yapısı oluşturabilmenin temelinde, tüketici niyet ve davranışlarını anlayabilmek yatmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı internetten alışveriş yapan kadın tüketicilerin sahip oldukları hedonik ve faydacı tüketim eğiliminin satın alma niyetini ne ölçüde etkilendiğini ortaya koymaktır. Betimleyici ve nedensel araştırmaya dayalı bu çalışmada veriler anket yöntemi ile toplanmıştır. İnternet ortamında hazırlanan anket ile 400 katılımcıya ulaşılmıştır. Ana kütle, son üç ay içerisinde internetten alışveriş yapmış 18 yaş üstündeki kadınlardan oluşmaktadır. Elde edilen veriler regresyon analizi kullanılarak test edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular sonucunda, faydacı ve hedonik tüketim eğilimlerin internet üzerinden satın alma niyetini pozitif yönlü olarak etkilediği ve faydacı tüketim eğilimine sahip kadın tüketicilerin hedonik tüketim eğilimine sahip olanlara oranla internet üzerinden daha fazla satın alma niyetine sahip oldukları belirlenmiştir.
Computer-Assisted versus Oral-and-Written History Taking for the Prevention and Management of Cardiovascular Disease: a Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Pappas Yannis , Všetečková Jitka , Poduval Shoba , Tseng Pei Ching , Car Josip
Published: February 2018

Background and objectives: CVD is an important global healthcare issue; it is the leading cause of global mortality, with an increasing incidence identified in both developed and developing countries. It is also an extremely costly disease for healthcare systems unless managed effectively. In this review we aimed to: – Assess the effect of computer-assisted versus oral-and-written history taking on the quality of collected information for the prevention and management of CVD. – Assess the effect of computer-assisted versus oral-and-written history taking on the prevention and management of CVD. Methods: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials that included participants of 16 years or older at the beginning of the study, who were at risk of CVD (prevention) or were either previously diagnosed with CVD (management). We searched all major databases. We assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Results: Two studies met the inclusion criteria. One comparing the two methods of history-taking for the prevention of cardiovascular disease n = 75. The study shows that generally the patients in the experimental group underwent more laboratory procedures, had more biomarker readings recorded and/or were given (or had reviewed), more dietary changes than the control group. The other study compares the two methods of history-taking for the management of cardiovascular disease (n = 479). The study showed that the computerized decision aid appears to increase the proportion of patients who responded to invitations to discuss CVD prevention with their doctor. The Computer- Assisted History Taking Systems (CAHTS) increased the proportion of patients who discussed CHD risk reduction with their doctor from 24% to 40% and increased the proportion who had a specific plan to reduce their risk from 24% to 37%. Discussion: With only one study meeting the inclusion criteria, for prevention of CVD and one study for management of CVD we did not gather sufficient evidence to address all of the objectives of the review. We were unable to report on most of the secondary patient outcomes in our protocol. Conclusions: We tentatively conclude that CAHTS can provide individually-tailored information about CVD prevention. However, further primary studies are needed to confirm these findings. We cannot draw any conclusions in relation to any other clinical outcomes at this stage. There is a need to develop an evidence base to support the effective development and use of CAHTS in this area of practice. In the absence of evidence on effectiveness, the implementation of computer-assisted history taking may only rely on the clinicians’ tacit knowledge, published monographs and viewpoint articles.
A Rare History: an Intracranial Nail Present for Over a Half-Century
Authors: Durmaz Ozkan , Karadag Ali , Ozer Fusun Demircivi , Camlar Mahmut , Middlebrooks Erik H. , Bozkurt Baran , Senoglu Mehmet
Published: February 2018

We present a rare case of a patient with a persistent headache for many years found to have an intracranial nail present for nearly 65 years. The nail was found entering approximately 1 cm from the midline on the left side, passing below the superior sagittal sinus, with the tip 1.5 mm right of the frontal horn of the lateral ventricle. Treatment strategies designed to optimize outcome for intracranial foreign bodies and possible complications are discussed in this report. We also discuss the decision for surgical intervention for foreign bodies and the relevance of position of the foreign body.
KARŞILIKLARIN TÜRKİYE FİNANSAL RAPORLAMA STANDARTLARI KAPSAMINDA ŞİRKETLERDE KULLANIMI
Authors: Cavlak Hakan , Cebeci Yasin
Published: February 2018

İşletme
içindeki ve dışındaki paydaşların işletme hakkında doğru karar verebilmeleri
için çeşitli bilgilere ihtiyaçları vardır. Bu bilgilerden en önemlisi ise
finansal raporlardır. Finansal raporlar hazırlanırken işletmeler muhasebenin
temel kavramları ile finansal raporlama standartlarını dikkate almaktadır. Bu
araçlar ile raporların gerçeğe uygun, güvenilir ve şeffaf hale gelmesi
amaçlanmaktadır. Finansal raporlardaki bilgiler çoğunlukla gerçekleşen, bazı
durumlarda ise tahmine dayalı veriler dikkate alınarak oluşturulmaktadır.
Tahmine dayalı veriler, genel olarak işletme yönetimi tarafından karşılıkların
hesaplanmasında kullanılmaktadır. İşletme yönetiminin aldıkları kararlar
sonucunda ortaya çıkan karşılıklar, finansal raporların hazırlanmasında önemli
bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu çalışmada öncelikle karşılıklar, Türkiye Muhasebe
Standartları çerçevesinde ele alınmıştır. Daha sonra ise TMS 37 Karşılıklar,
Koşullu Borçlar ve Koşullu Varlıklar ve TMS 19 Çalışanlara Sağlanan Faydalar standartları
kapsamında ele alınan karşılıklar konusunun BİST 30 endeksinde yer alan
şirketlerin finansal tablolarında ne şekilde ve hangi tutarda yer aldığı,
yıllar itibariyle karşılık oranları ve sektörlere göre dağılımı araştırılarak
karşılıkların kullanım düzeyinin tespit edilmesi hedeflenmiştir.
TÜRKİYE SERMAYE PİYASASINDA PROMOSYON KAMPANYALARI VE ANALİZİ
Authors: ÇETİN Ayten , USLU Sevda
Published: February 2018

İngilizce
“promotion” kelimesinin karşılığı olarak kullanılan tutundurma, satış çabaları,
satış artırıcı çabalar, satış tahriki, satış teşviki, promosyon gibi
kavramlarla da anılmaktadır. Mal ya da hizmetleri satmayı ikna etmek, bilgi
kanalları oluşturarak rakiplerinden farklılaşmak ve bilinirliği artırmak
amacıyla işletmeler tarafından günümüzde adeta uygulaması zorunlu hale
gelmiştir. Dolayısıyla, sermaye piyasasında da bu amaçlarla başvurulan bir
yöntem olmuştur. Sermaye piyasasında uygulanan promosyon kampanyalarının
analizinin incelendiği bu çalışmada, 2012-2016 yılları arasında uygulanan 594
adet promosyon kampanyasına ait veriler incelenmiştir. Promosyon
kampanyalarının türleri, uygulama süreleri, faydalanan yatırımcı sayıları,
giderleri ve yönelik olduğu piyasaları farklı açılardan karşılaştırmalı olarak
incelenerek, yatırım kuruluşlarının işlem hacimleri ile gelirleri üzerindeki
etkisi araştırılmıştır. Araştırmada, veri setinde aykırı değerlerin fazla
olması nedeniyle normal dağılıma uygunluk sağlanamadığından non-parametrik
testler uygulanmıştır. Mann-Whitney U Testi ile iki grubun medyan değerleri,
Kruskal Wallis Testi ile de ikiden fazla grubun medyan değerleri
karşılaştırılmak suretiyle farklılıklarının anlamlılığı ölçülmeye
çalışılmıştır. Ayrıca, belirlenen faktörler arasında var olduğu düşünülen
ilişkinin gücünü ve yönünü göstermek için de Spearman Korelasyon analizi
yöntemi uygulanmıştır. Sermaye piyasası işlemlerine yönelik olarak uygulanan
promosyon kampanyalarının, yatırımcıları işlem yapmaya sevk ederek piyasayı
yakından takip etmeleri hususunda etkili olduğundan işlem hareketliliği
sağladığı sonucuna varılmıştır.
EVALUATION OF THE EFFICIENCY AND THE QUALITY OF ACCOUNTING EDUCATION IN THE UNIVERSITIES: A RESEARCH ON BANKING SECTOR IN TURKEY
Authors: KIYMETLİ ŞEN İlker , ÜÇOĞLU Derya
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that affect the
efficiency and the quality of accounting education by carrying out a research
on university graduates employed in the banking sector. Therefore, this study
was conducted using the structural equation modeling to describe the relations
between the latent and observed variables. In this study, simple random
sampling method was used to determine the sample size. Cronbach’s alpha
coefficient was used for measuring the reliability of the questions. Besides,
fit indices related to the developed scale and model are determined as good or
deemed to have a good value. The results of this study indicate that the
current practices in universities and the level of employment, supportive
information to accounting education, sufficient number of accounting courses
and their credit requirements in the curriculum, sufficiency of the physical
infrastructure and the qualifications of teaching staff have a statistically
significant effect on the efficiency and quality of accounting education.
The effect of CuO modification for a TiO2 nanotube confined CeO2 catalyst on the catalytic combustion of butane
Authors: Yao Guansheng , Wu Liangpeng , Lv Tai , Li Juan , Huang Yanqin , Dong Kaijun , Li Xinjun
Published: February 2018

A modified confined catalyst with CeO2on the interior and CuO on the exterior surface of TiO2nanotubes (Ce-in-TNT-Cu-out) was prepared and investigated for the combustion of butane catalytically. Compared with the Ce-in-TNT and TNT-Cu-out, the Ce-in-TNT-Cu-out presents a higher activity for butane oxidation, with a conversion of 10% at 200°C and a conversion of 90%) at 300°C. XPS analysis indicates that more Ce(IV) and Cu(I) components exist in the Ce-in-TNT-Cu-out catalyst. It is proposed that electron transfer ability between encapsulated CeO2and loaded CuO is significantly enhanced by the confinement effect of the TiO2nanotubes, facilitating the formation and migration of active oxygen species in the catalyst. This result shows that modulating the electronic property of the active component can further improve the catalytic combustion performance of the confined catalysts.
Large portfolio risk management and optimal portfolio allocation with dynamic elliptical copulas
Authors: Jin Xisong , Lehnert Thorsten
Published: February 2018

Previous research has focused on the importance of modeling the multivariate distribution for optimal portfolio allocation and active risk management. However, existing dynamic models are not easily applied to high-dimensional problems due to the curse of dimensionality. In this paper, we extend the framework of the Dynamic Conditional Correlation/Equicorrelation and an extreme value approach into a series of Dynamic Conditional Elliptical Copulas. We investigate risk measures such as Value at Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES) for passive portfolios and dynamic optimal portfolios using Mean-Variance and ES criteria for a sample of US stocks over a period of 10 years. Our results suggest that (1) Modeling the marginal distribution is important for dynamic high-dimensional multivariate models. (2) Neglecting the dynamic dependence in the copula causes over-aggressive risk management. (3) The DCC/DECO Gaussian copula and t-copula work very well for both VaR and ES. (4) Grouped t-copulas and t-copulas with dynamic degrees of freedom further match the fat tail. (5) Correctly modeling the dependence structure makes an improvement in portfolio optimization with respect to tail risk. (6) Models driven by multivariate t innovations with exogenously given degrees of freedom provide a flexible and applicable alternative for optimal portfolio risk management.
Industry Specifics and Consumers’ Reactions to Business Crises
Authors: Kazlauskienė Asta
Published: February 2018

Different scientific studies provide many valuable recommendations how to manage crises in order to lessen their negative effect on relations with consumers. But the question whether the same business crises management rules can be applied for different industries, or they must be adapted depending on industries specifics, has not received sufficient scientific attention. Knowledge gaps about industry specific effect on consumer reactions to business crises remain. This study focuses on understanding the differences in consumers’ reactions in business crises situations with regard to controversial evaluation in the society of “the sin industries” (alcohol, tobacco, gambling, etc.) and ordinary industries (not having controversial associations). Experimental research design, including online experiment with tobacco, beer and functional soft drinks consumers (in total 306 respondents), was chosen for competing research hypotheses testing. Empirical evidence was in line with theoretical argumentation about less negative consumers’ reactions during business crises in case of “sin industries” versus ordinary industry. This study shows that consumers attitudes, such as perception of company’s product quality, trust, social responsibility and behavioural intentions, such as intention to buy and recommend company’s products, are less negative during business crises in lower reputation “sin industries” than in ordinary industries.
[6]-Gingerol modulates spermatotoxicity associated with ulcerative colitis and benzo[a]pyrene exposure in BALB/c mice
Authors: Ajayi Babajide O. , Adedara Isaac A. , Ajani Olumide S. , Oyeyemi Matthew O. , Farombi Ebenezer O.
Published: February 2018

Background:

The deterioration of male reproductive health may represent an outcome of an active disease and environmental factors. The present study investigated the modulatory role of [6]-gingerol in spermatotoxicity resulting from colitis and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), an environmental and food-borne pollutant.

Methods:

Group I (control) mice received corn oil alone, while group II ([6]-gingerol alone) mice orally received [6]-gingerol alone at 100 mg/kg body weight. Group III [benzo[a]pyrene+dextran sulfate sodium (BDS) alone] mice were orally exposed to B[a]P at 125 mg/kg for 7 days followed by three cycles of 4% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water. A cycle consisted of seven consecutive days of exposure to DSS-treated water followed by 14 consecutive days of normal drinking water. Group IV (BDS+[6]-gingerol) mice were orally treated daily with 100 mg/kg of [6]-gingerol during exposure to B[a]P and DSS in the same manner as those of group III.

Results:

[6]-Gingerol significantly abrogated BDS-mediated increase in disease activity index and restored the colon wet weight, colon length and colon mass index to near normal when compared to BDS alone group. Moreover, [6]-gingerol significantly prevented BDS-induced decreases in the daily sperm production (DSP), testicular sperm number (TSN), epididymal sperm number, sperm progressive motility and sperm membrane integrity when compared with the control. [6]-Gingerol markedly increased the sperm antioxidant enzymes activities and decreased the sperm head, mid-piece and tail abnormalities as well as suppressed oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers in BDS-exposed mice.

Conclusions:

[6]-Gingerol protected against spermatotoxicity in experimental model of interaction of colitis with environmental pollutant B[a]P.
Randomization in Online Experiments
Authors: Golyaev Konstantin
Published: February 2018

Most scientists consider randomized experiments to be the best method available to establish causality. On the Internet, during the past twenty-five years, randomized experiments have become common, often referred to as A/B testing. For practical reasons, much A/B testing does not use pseudo-random number generators to implement randomization. Instead, hash functions are used to transform the distribution of identifiers of experimental units into a uniform distribution. Using two large, industry data sets, I demonstrate that the success of hash-based quasi-randomization strategies depends greatly on the hash function used: MD5 yielded good results, while SHA512 yielded less impressive ones.
Prevalence and clinical presentation at the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus among children and adolescents in AL-Baha region, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Ghamdi Ahmed Hassan , Fureeh Abdelhameed Ahmed
Published: February 2018

Background:

The objectives were to describe the frequency of clinical presentation at the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and to estimate the prevalence of T1DM among children and adolescents in the AL-Baha region, Saudi Arabia, aiming for early diagnosis of T1DM.

Methods:

The clinical and laboratory data of 471 children and adolescents who presented with T1DM and received medical care at an AL-Baha diabetic center during the period from 2007 to 2016 were retrospectively analyzed based on the records.

Results:

The prevalence of T1DM in the AL-Baha region was 355 per 100,000 population in participants aged from 0 to 19 years. T1DM was more common among girls than boys (57.5% vs. 42.5%, respectively; p=0.3), and the female/male ratio was 1.36 in favor of girls. Hyperglycemic symptoms were the most frequent symptoms at presentation [59.2% vs. 40.8% with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)], and 37% of them presented with loss of weight. Most of the ketoacidosis was mild to moderate (80.2%), while only 19.8% of children had the severe type and DKA was more common (55.2%) among females. The mean age at diagnosis of T1DM was 8.2±3.5 years for all patients, and 8.3±3.9 and 8.9±3.6 years for boys and girls, respectively (p=0.06). Hyperglycemic symptoms were more common in spring (15.9%).

Conclusions:

The prevalence of type 1 diabetes in the AL-Baha region was 355 per 100,000 population, which is one of the highest reported prevalences in this age group. Hyperglycemic symptoms were the most encountered symptoms at the onset of the presentation of T1DM and this may help in early detection of diabetic symptoms by patients and physicians to avoid the more severe types of presentation.
The Subject of Conceptual Mapping: Theological Anthropology across Brain, Body, and World
Authors: Kidd Erin
Published: February 2018

Research in conceptual metaphor and conceptual blending-referred to collectively as “conceptual mapping”-identifies human thought as a process of making connections across fields of meaning. Underlying the theory of conceptual mapping is a particular understanding of the mind as embodied. Over the past few decades, researchers in the cognitive sciences have been “putting brain, body, and world back together again.” The result is a picture of the human being as one who develops in transaction with her environment, and whose highest forms of intelligence and meaning-making are rooted in the body’s movement in the world. Conceptual mapping therefore not only gives us insight into how we think, but also into who we are. This calls for a revolution in theological anthropology. Our spirituality must be understood in light of the fact that we are embodied beings, embedded in our environment, whose identities are both material and discursive. Finally, using the example of white supremacy, I show how this revolution in understanding the human person can be useful for ethical reflection, and in thinking about sin and redemption.
The MMP9 rs17576 A>G polymorphism is associated with increased lumbopelvic pain-intensity in pregnant women
Authors: Mahmood Aqsa Khalid , Moen Aurora , Stafne Signe Nilssen , Robinson Hilde Stendal , Vøllestad Nina Køpke , Salvesen Kjell Åsmund , Mørkved Siv , Gjerstad Johannes
Published: February 2018

Background and aims:

Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) is an enzyme that may affect degradation of several extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the pelvic ligaments during pregnancy. Previous studies indicate that genetic variations in the gene encoding MMP9 may affect the enzymatic activity. One such genetic variant is a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs17576 A>G. In this study we investigated whether the MMP9 SNP rs17576 A>G may be associated with increased lumbopelvic pain in 838 pregnant woman. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT 00476567) on May 21, 2007.

Methods:

Lumbopelvic pain-intensity was measured by visual analog scale (VAS) at two time points during pregnancy, T1 (18–22 weeks), T2 (32–36 weeks) and 3 months after delivery. Blood samples were collected at each point and SNP genotyping was carried out using predesigned TaqMan SNP genotyping assays.

Results:

The results showed a significant association between the number of G alleles and pain-intensity in the evening at T2. The pain among G/G carriers was higher than among A/G carriers, which in turn was higher than among the A/A carriers. The most pronounced association between the G allele and pain-intensity was observed in primiparae.

Conclusions:

We conclude that the MMP9 rs17576 A>G polymorphism is associated with increased lumbopelvic pain-intensity during pregnancy. The present data support the hypothesis that lumbopelvic pain during pregnancy may be related to a relaxin – MMP9 – tissue remodeling mechanism.

Implications:

The present findings may be important for future mechanistic studies on how MMP9 rs17576 A>G may affect changes in the ECM components in pelvic ligaments and lumbopelvic pain-intensity during pregnancy.
Inverse eigenvalue problems for acyclic matrices whose graph is a dense centipede
Authors: Sharma Debashish , Sen Mausumi
Published: February 2018

The reconstruction of a matrix having a pre-defined structure from given spectral data is known as an inverse eigenvalue problem (IEP). In this paper, we consider two IEPs involving the reconstruction of matrices whose graph is a special type of tree called a centipede. We introduce a special type of centipede called dense centipede.We study two IEPs concerning the reconstruction of matrices whose graph is a dense centipede from given partial eigen data. In order to solve these IEPs, a new system of nomenclature of dense centipedes is developed and a new scheme is adopted for labelling the vertices of a dense centipede as per this nomenclature . Using this scheme of labelling, any matrix of a dense centipede can be represented in a special form which we define as a connected arrow matrix. For such a matrix, we derive the recurrence relations among the characteristic polynomials of the leading principal submatrices and use them to solve the above problems. Some numerical results are also provided to illustrate the applicability of the solutions obtained in the paper.
Tiered Certification
Authors: Lavie Shay
Published: February 2018

This Article proposes a thought-experiment with regard to the administration of class actions. It is almost axiomatic that class actions are determined through a single “certification.” However, class actions can be certified through a tiered certification, e.g., a preliminary certification on a more lenient standard, followed by a full certification. Flattening the certification process allows a richer set of solutions to familiar dilemmas. Currently, a noncertified class does not bar subsequent certification attempts. Focusing on this problem, this Article demonstrates that tiered certification is a superior solution — members of a class that passed the first certification but not the second receive at least minimal procedural protection and thus could be precluded from serial certification attempts. More generally, tiered certification can better handle several species of collective litigation, which can be referred to as semi-class actions. Collective proceedings, whose certification costs are greater than their social benefit, do not justify a comprehensive class treatment. But to the extent that these cases entail some modest social value, they deserve to pass a less onerous, preliminary certification. The Article discusses cases that fit this pattern, for instance prospective, class-wide relief for technical regulatory violations.
Can and Should the New Third-Party Litigation Financing Come to Class Actions?
Authors: Fitzpatrick Brian T.
Published: February 2018

In the United States, there has been tremendous growth in a form of third-party litigation financing where investors buy pieces of lawsuits from plaintiffs. Many scholars believe that this new financing helps to balance the risk tolerance of plaintiffs and defendants and thereby facilitates the resolution of litigation in a way that more closely tracks the goals of the substantive law. In this Article, I ask whether these risk-balancing virtues of claim investing carry over into class action cases. This is a question that has not yet been addressed by scholars because many think it is not possible for financiers to buy pieces of class action lawsuits in the United States. But I show that such investments are neither impractical nor unethical; indeed, it appears that they are already here. It is therefore worth considering whether the investments confer the same social benefits they do in other cases. I argue that although class members do not need a risk transfer device in class action cases because they are almost always risk-neutral in light of their small losses, their lawyers do need such a device. Although this does not necessarily mean that claim investing is socially desirable overall in class actions, the social costs that have thus far been identified with claim investing seem modest compared to the benefits.
Synthesis and structural characterization of a series of uranyl-betaine coordination complexes
Authors: Smith Philip A. , Spano Tyler L. , Burns Peter C.
Published: February 2018

Trimethylglycine and betainium class ionic liquids were employed in synthesizing six uranyl-betaine coordination complexes: [(μ2-(CH3)N2C3H3(CH2COO))2(UO2(Cl)((CH3)N2C3H3(CH2COO)))2] 2[N(SO2CF3)2] (1), [K][UO2(Cl)3((CH3)3NCH2COO)] (2), [(CH3)3NCH2COOH][UO2(Cl)3((CH3)3NCH2COO)]⋅H2O (3), [LiUO2(μ2-(CH3)3NCH2COO)4] 3[N(SO2CF3)2] (4) {(μ2-(CH3)3NCH2COO)UO2(NO3)2((CH3)3NCH2COO)}2UO2(NO3)2, UO2(NO3)2(H2O)2⋅H2O (5), and UO2(Cl)2(H2O)(μ2-(CH3)3NCH2COO) (6). These complexes expound upon the variability ofmonocarboxyl-functionalized uranyl coordination complexes, providing an enhanced framework for investigations into the structural chemistry of analogous actinyl systems.
Hard and Soft Border Paradigm for Border Governance in Indonesia: A General Review
Authors: Ulfa Nadlirotul , Fimmastuti Desiana Rizka , Nia Rahmah Anisa Nur
Published: February 2018

This study focuses on border governance paradigm for various relevant policies in Indonesia. By applying literature review method, it reveals that Indonesian border governance paradigm has shifted from hard to soft border paradigm. The change has significant impact on how managing border areas in the country. In fact, both paradigms have their own advantages and limitations. This study also shows that the preference between hard or soft boarder paradigm influences the decisions on how the government understand the complexity of the border.
Proposta de reformulação da caracterização dialetal do noroeste português
Authors: Brissos Fernando
Published: February 2018

Brissos / Rodrigues (2016) apresentam dados acústicos que sugerem a reformulação, em vários aspetos fundamentais, da imagem que nos tem sido legada sobre uma das variedades dialetais mais idiossincráticas do português: a variedade do Baixo Minho e Douro Litoral da proposta de classificação dos dialetos portugueses de Cintra (1983). Para se poder rever aquela imagem, os dados de Brissos / Rodrigues necessitam, porém, de ser testados à luz do confronto com uma rede densa de inquéritos. Levamos a cabo esse confronto neste artigo, chegando a uma proposta de reformulação da variedade dialetal do noroeste português assente em três pilares: a área da variedade é muito mais estendida do que é referido tradicionalmente; o traço identificador da variedade, a ditongação de vogais tónicas, deixa apenas de fora as vogais cardinais; existe ditongação não apenas com semivogais altas mas também com semivogais não-altas centrais. Daí resulta a primeira revisão concreta da proposta de Cintra, procedimento que defendemos ser importante introduzir nos estudos dialetais do português. Desse novo quadro resulta, por sua vez, um novo posicionamento de algumas questões essenciais de história e fonética/fonologia da língua portuguesa.
Word Order in Portuguese Gerund Clauses: comparing Old Portuguese and Dialectal Portuguese
Authors: Fiéis Alexandra , Lobo Maria
Published: February 2018

Differently from the standard contemporary variety of European Portuguese, in which subject-verb inversion is considered categorical in gerund clauses, in Old Portuguese and Dialectal European Portuguese we can find both subject-verb and verb-subject orders in gerund clauses. These variable word orders challenge classical assumptions that correlate word order in gerund clauses with the null subject parameter. Therefore, other factors have to be taken into account. This work investigates the factors that condition subject-verb word order in gerund clauses of Old Portuguese and Dialectal European Portuguese. Corpus data show us that there is a difference in the frequency of subject-verb inversion in both varieties: verb-subject is the predominant word order in Old Portuguese, while subject-verb is the predominant word order in the dialects, regardless of the presence of inflected gerunds. In what concerns the conditioning factors that may trigger one order or the other, we considered the type of verb, the type of subject, and the presence of a connective. In the dialects, regardless of overt inflection, the most important factor for the post-verbal occurrence of the subject is the type of verb. In contrast, in Old Portuguese subject-verb inversion is the dominant pattern and post-verbal subjects can be found with all verb classes. We hypothesize that differences between the two varieties may correlate with the productivity of gerund clauses introduced by a connective, the specification of the C-domain and information-driven movement.
Construcións causativas e anticausativas en galego: o caso de aprender
Authors: Domínguez Oroña María Beatriz
Published: February 2018

Neste artigo achegámonos ás construcións de aprender en galego, desde o período medieval ata a actualidade. Aprender pertence ao grupo de verbos que presentan alternancia causativa supletiva, é dicir, a que se dá en pares verbais nos que un membro presenta a construción causativa (neste caso ensinar) e o outro distinto (aprender) a construción anticausativa correspondente. En ocasións esta alternancia supletiva muda ao adquirir o predicado anticausativo as propiedades construtivas do causativo. Tal ocorreu en galego con aprender, que comezou a ser usado como causativo, en esquemas análogos aos de ensinar, cando menos desde comezos do século XIX. Nesta contribución estúdase o funcionamento da alternancia causativa con aprender rastrexando os seus usos ao longo da historia da lingua. Para iso analizamos un corpus de traballo extraído de dous grandes corpus informatizados: o Tesouro Medieval Informatizado da Lingua Galega (TMILG), para o período medieval, e o Tesouro Informatizado da Lingua Galega (TILG), para o galego moderno e contemporáneo. Nun segundo plano, tamén procuramos determinar se a innovadora construción causativa de aprender ten unha distribución dialectal concreta, a través da información que nos achega tanto o propio corpus como outras fontes máis acaídas para o caso, nomeadamente o Atlas Lingüístico Galego (ALGa).
Sobre as origens da distinção entre negação de proposição e negação de evento no Português Brasileiro
Authors: Teixeira de Sousa Lílian
Published: February 2018

O Português Brasileiro (PB) apresenta três estruturas distintas para expressar negação sentencial: Neg1 – [Neg VP Neg], para negação de evento; Neg2 - [Neg VP Neg], para negação de proposição e, finalmente, Neg3 - [VP Neg], para negação metalinguística. A distinção estrutural entre os diferentes tipos de negação semântica é bastante rara nas línguas naturais e não está presente em outras variedades do português, o que nos faz questionar sobre as origens desta distinção no PB. Enquanto alguns trabalhos sustentam a hipótese de contato, outros afirmam que a estrutura inovadora Neg2 já aparecia em textos do século XVI, portanto, anterior ao processo de contato linguístico durante o período colonial. Dentre as hipóteses que apontam uma possível mudança de interpretação de uma estrutura já presente na língua está o de Teixeira de Sousa (2012b) que supõe ter havido competição de gramáticas envolvendo Neg1 e Neg2, resultando na especialização funcional das estruturas. Como evidenciamos neste trabalho, no entanto, os primeiros dados registrados de Neg2, retirados de peças de teatro do século XIX, mostram que essa estrutura nunca foi usada nos mesmos contextos e com a mesma função de Neg1, o que indica que a origem da estrutura não pode ser atribuída a competição entre Neg1 e Neg2.
Multiple Applications of a Transient CRISPR-Cas9 Coupled with Electroporation (TRACE) System in the Cryptococcus neoformans Species Complex
Authors: Fan Yumeng , Lin Xiaorong
Published: February 2018

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually. Targeted genetic manipulation through biolistic transformation in C. neoformans drove the investigation of this clinically important pathogen at the molecular level. Although costly and inefficient, biolistic transformation remains the major method for editing the Cryptococcus genome as foreign DNAs introduced by other methods such as electroporation are predominantly not integrated into the genome. Although the majority of DNAs introduced by biolistic transformation are stably inherited, the transformation efficiency and the homologous integration rate (∼1–10%) are low. Here, we developed a Transient CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)-Cas9 coupled with Electroporation (TRACE) system for targeted genetic manipulations in the C. neoformans species complex. This method took advantages of efficient genome integration due to double-strand breaks created at specific sites by the transient CRISPR-Cas9 system and the high transformation efficiency of electroporation. We demonstrated that TRACE can efficiently generate precise single-gene deletion mutants using the ADE2 locus as an example. This system can also effectively delete multiple genes in a single transformation, as evident by the successful generation of quadruple mfα1Δ2Δ3Δ4Δ mutants. In addition to generating gene deletion mutants, we complemented the ade2Δ mutant by integrating a wild-type ADE2 allele at the “safe haven” region (SH2) via homologous recombination using TRACE. Interestingly, introduced DNAs can be inserted at a designated genetic site without any homologous sequences, opening up numerous other applications. We expect that TRACE, an efficient, versatile, and cost-effective gene editing approach, will greatly accelerate research in this field.
Letramento acadêmico em inglês e em português: um estudo de atividades avaliativas provenientes de disciplinas de um curso de graduação de uma instituição americana e uma brasileira
Authors: Ornellas Luciana Lorandi Honorato de
Published: February 2018

The paper analyses how academic literacy is promoted in academic writing assignments using genres. The context of the study is that of undergraduate disciplines in the field of Biological Sciences. The disciplines take place in an American institution and in a Brazilian federal one. The data were drawn from pedagogical and evaluative documents that were analysed by content analysis. The data collected from the American institution showed that genres are used as a vehicle to integrate knowledge, and also todemonstrate information. Relating to national context, genres are used to demonstrate information. It can be concluded that, in the American institution, academic literacy occurs in an ideological way in the disciplines, since writing is developed making use of genres that are explored as a social practice. Nevertheless, in the Brazilian institution, academic literacy is developed in an autonomous way, due to the absence of the teaching of writing in the disciplines, probably because it is considered thatstudents already know how to write. In brief, this investigation intends to clarify academic literacy practices in different academic contexts in order to bring insight to other researchers and practitioners on how this issue has been dealt with, and what are the strengths and the weaknesses of such practices.