bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ventajas del liderazgo distribuido en instituciones de educación superior / Advantages of distributed leadership in institutions of higher education
Authors: Amador Ortíz Carlos Miguel
Published: January 2018

Se reflexiona sobre el tema de liderazgo en instituciones de educación superior con el fin de analizar propuestas teóricas congruentes con las características de estos centros educativos, el trabajo se llevó a cabo haciendo una investigación documental y analítica estableciendo un comparativo entre los aspectos conceptuales del liderazgo distribuido y de las características de las Instituciones de Educación Superior para poder identificar las ventajas de este tipo de liderazgo. En cuanto a los resultados se encuentra que las características de las instituciones educativas conllevan una estructura organizacional diferente a las instituciones tradicionales; además, las instituciones de educación superior se caracterizan por poseer diferentes funcionalidades (docencia, vinculación, gestión, investigación), por tener personal altamente capacitado y por estar inmersas en un entorno extremadamente dinámico, con base en esto se concluye que la propuesta de liderazgo distribuido al democratizar la toma de decisiones conlleva una serie de ventajas para estas instituciones.
Analisis Energi pada Proses Prapanen Tebu (Studi Kasus di PT. PG. Rajawali II Unit PG. Jatitujuh, Kabupaten Majalengka, Jawa Barat)
Authors: Abdalla Adams Rizan , Herwanto Totok , Saukat Muhammad , Handarto Handarto
Published: January 2018

Industri merupakan salah sektor yang paling banyak menggunakan energi. Sektor industri membutuhkan 44 % dari total ketersediaan energi nasional. Industri gula tebu merupakan salah satu dari 10 jenis industri yang paling banyak menggunakan energi sehingga diperlukan analisis penggunaan energi pada industri gula untuk dapat meningkatkan efisiensi penggunaan energi serta menekan biaya penggunaan energi. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menganalisis penggunaan energi dan mengidentifikasi kemungkinan penghematan energi pada kegiatan prapanen tebu dengan metode analisis deskriptif. Analisis energi dihitung berdasarkan penggunaan energi pada setiap kegiatan prapanen tebu mulai dari proses pengolahan tanah hingga proses pengangkutan ke pabrik. Hasil penelitian ini dibedakan menjadi dua jenis berdasarkan jenis tanaman tebu plant cane (PC) dan ratoon cane (RC). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa prapanen tebu PC menggunakan energi sebesar 55.192,73 MJ/ha dengan energi spesifik tanaman tebu PC sebesar 731,19 MJ/ton. Pada prapanen tebu RC menggunakan energi sebesar 43.054,14 MJ/ha dengan energi spesifik tanaman tebu RC sebesar 620,38 MJ/ton.Kata Kunci : Industri gula, prapanen tebu, tanaman tebu PC, tanaman tebu RC, penghematan energi
PENGEMBANGAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN CO-OP CO-OP BERBANTU TEKNOLOGI INFORAMSI DAN KOMUNIKASI (TIK) PADA MATA PELAJARAN EKONOMI
Authors: Togatorop Manoto
Published: January 2018

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan model pembelajaran co-op co-op berbantu Teknologi Inforamsi dan Komunikasi (TIK) pada mata pelajaran Ekonomi. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah penelitian pengembangan (Research and Development). Model pengembangan yang digunakan adalah 10 langkah dari Borg and Gall yang dibatasi pada lima langkah, yaitu identifikasi potensi dan masalah; pengumpulan data atau informasi; desain produk; validasi; dan revisi. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa model pembelajaran co-op co-op berbantuan TIK terdiri dari lima langkah utama, yaitu persiapan, pengembangan, implementasi, evaluasi, dan revisi. Khusus pada langkah implementasi, terdapat sembilan langkah dalam sintak pembelajaran co-op co-op yang berbantuan TIK. Model ini telah dinyatakan layak oleh validator materi dan validator media. Oleh karena itu, disarankan kepada penelitian selanjutnya untuk menguji coba model ini secara empirik dengan penelitian tindakan (action research) atau penelitian eksperimen.
Penilaian Hasil Belajar untuk Siswa Sekolah Dasar
Authors: Hadiana Deni
Published: January 2018

This paper discusses the educational assessment of learning outcomes forÂ elementary school students including the authority institution that can strengthen theÂ knowledge, attitudes, and skills through the strengthening of educational assessment byÂ educators, educational assessment by school, and educational assessment by theÂ Government. Based on the results of the study it can be concluded that internal assessmentÂ by teachers and school done with various techniques and procedures strengthens authenticÂ assessment in the domain of knowledge, attitudes, and skills. External assessment isÂ conducted by the government through the end of class survey and school final assessmentÂ by using the national standard. Graduation of student is the schoolâ€™s authority by consideringÂ the results of assessment by educators, school, and government. Assessment by theÂ government serves as a mapping and selection to higher level of education, that is juniorÂ secondary school.ABSTRAKÂ Tulisan ini membahas penilaian hasil belajar untuk siswa sekolah dasar termasukÂ aspek kelembagaannya yang dapat memperkuat domain pengetahuan, sikap, danÂ keterampilan melalui penguatan penilaian hasil belajar oleh pendidik, penilaian hasil belajarÂ oleh satuan pendidikan, dan penilaian hasil belajar oleh Pemerintah. Dari hasil kajian, dapatÂ disimpulkan bahwa penilaian internal oleh pendidik dan satuan pendidikan yang dilakukanÂ dengan berbagai teknik dan prosedur dapat memperkuat penilaian otentik dalam ranahÂ pengetahuan, sikap, dan keterampilan. Penilaian eksternal oleh pemerintah dilakukan melaluiÂ survei akhir kelas dan penilaian akhir sekolah berstandar nasional. Kelulusan peserta didikÂ dari satuan pendidikan ditentukan oleh satuan pendidikan dengan mempertimbangkanÂ hasil penilaian oleh pendidik, satuan pendidikan, dan pemerintah. Penilaian oleh pemerintahÂ berfungsi sebagai bahan pemetaan dan seleksi ke jenjang pendidikan sekolah menengahÂ pertama.
Deutsch-deutscher Wissenschaftsdialog im Umbruch: Soziale Positionierung in mündlicher Wissenschaftskommunikation zwischen Ost und West
Authors: Ylönen Sabine
Published: January 2018

This paper analyses the German-German dialogue in science after the reunification in 1990. The analyses are based on video recordings of the first joint conference of East- and West-German researchers of plant breeding that took place in Bernburg in spring 1991. Special emphasis is placed on questions of identity and social positioning: 1. How did East- and West-German scientists discuss the reunification? 2. To what extend did old and new German citizens use different strategies for communicative interaction in their conference presentations? Three opening addresses, three conference presentations and the closing speeches were examined using conversation analysis. The results show that all speakers touched upon the topic of reunification. The asymmetric starting position of East- and West-German plant breeders became clear in examples of juridical, institutional, communicative and methodological reorganisation in the field of plant breeding in the new states of Germany. Furthermore, the speakers’ communicative strategies differed depending on their origin. Despite a clear asymmetry in the German-German scientific dialogue, mutual efforts for understanding were observed. East-German scientists were emotional in their explanations, assertions and appeals; those from the old states praised the achievements of their Eastern colleagues, and made attempts to try and build up community spirit. Theresults also show that the value of research depends, for example, on the time and place where it was conducted, and its originality, on ideational (politically predefined settings) and financial opportunities of scientific communities. In the context of the analysed conference presentations, such transepistemic framing becomes clear, for example, in reporting on classic plant breeding in East Germany and plant breeding based on gene technology in West Germany. The analysis is embedded in the social context of 1991 with its implications for East- and West-German scientists and provides an outlook on the developments after 1991.
Wissenskommunikation multimodal: Wie Museumsbesucher sich über eine Museumsvitrine verständigen
Authors: Kesselheim Wolfgang
Published: January 2018

In the present paper I will study conversations in front of museum showcases as a specific form of knowledge communication. After presenting my understanding of the concepts“knowledge communication” and “knowledge”, which are informed by conversation analysis, I will explore two characteristic aspects of the ‘showcase conversations’ by means of a number of detailed analyses of short extracts of these conversations. First, I will show how knowledge is interactively produced and made publicly visible, and second, how people use the complex multimodal environment of the showcase as a basis for their knowledge construction, and how they manage to ‘tie together’ different semiotic “modes” which are visible and readable in display cases. The analyses of this paper are based on a corpus collected in a paleontological museum. The conversations have been recorded in a kind of ‘field experiment’: Probands have been asked to watch a showcase together and to summarize its content. While doing so they were filmed.
Zur Pragmatik und Grammatik der Wissenschaftskommunikation. Ein Modellierungsvorschlag
Authors: Hennig Mathilde , Czicza Dániel
Published: January 2018

The article aims to examine grammatical features and pragmatic concerns of communicating in the sciences. In the research of certain languages, it became common to explaingrammatical features such as the usage of passive voice and nominal structures by communication requirements such as objectivity and precision. With the assumption that communication in science is designed to help gain and spread new insight, the authors tried to integrate several approaches to pragmatic and grammatical features of communication. By discussing the relationship between the grammar of certain languages and of the corresponding common language, the article also places the subject of communication in the sciences in the discipline of language variation.
Modellierung in der Fachkommunikation
Authors: Heine Carmen , Schubert Klaus
Published: January 2018

Modelling in the field of specialized discourse communication takes place both at the interface between theory building and special discourse didactics, and theory and practical application. In this paper, we describe modelling practices of communication and specialized discourse (LSP) models, and we examine the scope, relevance and information value of a number of selected models of this field in a developmental perspective. We shed light on contemporary modelling practices, and zoom in on the models’ nature, objects, purposes and perspectives. Our analysis identifies a number of prevailing modelling foci, some of which may point towards a paradigmatic shift. In the light of this and the reciprocal influences perceived between theoretical modelling approaches and practical application, we suggest potential future modelling scenarios.
„Das ist das Problem, das hinzukriegen, dass es so klingt, als hätt’ es ein Native Speaker geschrieben.“ Wissenschaftliches Schreiben und Publizieren in der Fremdsprache Englisch
Authors: Gnutzmann Claus , Rabe Frank
Published: January 2018

The predominant use of English in scientific publications is a well-documented fact. As a consequence, anglophony is the communicative norm in almost all scientific disciplines. Sincejournal publications in English have become the essential indicator for research performance and assessment internationally, it seems obvious that non-native researchers have to cope with an additional problem, namely the linguistic-communicative challenge, a fact which very often puts them at a communicative and a concomitant research disadvantage. The main research questions dealt with in this article focus on the problems, problem-solving strategies and attitudes of German-speaking scientists publishing in English. The empirical part of the research is presently based on 24 interviews conducted with researchers from four disciplines (biology, mechanical engineering, German linguistics, history) at different universities in Germany, and eight interviews with journal editors of the same subjects (two of each discipline). The paper starts out by marizing the current state of research, the aims, design and methodology used in the study and further elaborates on the main research questions. This is followed by an exemplary case study analyzing a natural scientist’s attitudes and reactions to the use of English as an international language of science. The analysis is enriched by observations on non-native speakers’ use of resources when writing in English and by the different perceptions of the functions of language in the natural sciences as opposed to the humanities. The article concludes with a summary and some perspectives for future research.
Zur Gliederung von Fachsprache und Fachkommunikation
Authors: Roelcke Thorsten
Published: January 2018

Coming from the tradition of classifying languages for specific purposes (LSP), the field of LSP research turned towards a more applied approach during the last years. While classification of LSP is still a highly discussed topic due to the heterogeneity of specialised communication, tackling concrete communication issues came to the fore in the frame of dealing with applied linguistics approaches. Unfortunately, the actual approaches fail with respect to completeness and principles due to a lack of system thinking. For filling the gap identified in the current literature, this article presents three new sketches: 1) a horizontal structuring, focusing on economic sectors (extraction of raw materials, production of raw materials, services rendered to humans, and processing of information); 2) a vertical one considering different levels of experts and laymen; 3) a typology of LSP texts including a symbolic, an appellative, and a conceptual dimension. Conclusively, these three typologies are merged for an exhaustive classification of LSP.
Die Repräsentation von Fachsprache im mentalen Lexikon. Empirische Ergebnisse zur Wortassoziation
Authors: Kovács László
Published: January 2018

The main purpose of the paper is to show how the psycholinguistic method of word association analysis can provide new insights into the mental representation of languages forspecific purposes. Languages for specific purposes and their use have been thoroughly analysed in the past decades. Despite the extensive research carried out in the field, just a few papers analyse the cognitive representation of these languages. The present paper shows that some characteristics of the cognitive representation of these languages can be obtained on the basis of word association tests. Tests have been carried out in Hungarian for two languages for specific purposes: Economy and Sports. In the investigation of the language of Economy we collected associations with a research webpage specially created for collecting word association data from internet users. The associations of 593 subjects are analysed for 19 stimuli. For the language of Sports 100 people gave associations to 100 stimuli, of which 20 are examined in the paper. The analyses of the associations show that the cognitive organization depends not only on education level in a specialised field: it seems that (at least up to a certain level) age also plays an important role in the cognitive organization structure of specialised languages. The final part of the paper shows how a better understanding of the cognitive representation of languages for specific purposes can help to improve selected aspects of specialised communication.
RESSIGNIFICANDO A DEFICIÊNCIA: A NECESSIDADE DE REVISÃO CONCEITUAL PARA DEFINIÇÃO DE POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS
Authors: Pimentel Susana Couto , Pimentel Mariana Couto
Published: January 2018

As políticas públicas não podem ser consideradas como benesses do Estado, pois numa sociedade democrática as políticas públicas precisam ser elaboradas ou ajustadas considerando-se também as demandas sociais, visando assegurar direitos de cidadania. Desse modo, quanto mais organizada for a sociedade civil em torno de seus direitos, mais o Estado democrático precisa responder através da elaboração de políticas públicas que lhe assegurem, em alguma medida, tais direitos. Diante do exposto, e entendendo o grau de exclusão e de invisibilização vivenciado ao longo dos tempos pelas pessoas com deficiência, este trabalho buscou discutir as concepções da deficiência no decorrer da história e como as mesmas resultaram num tratamento diferenciado às pessoas com deficiência com relação à definição de políticas públicas. A metodologia utilizada neste trabalho foi a pesquisa bibliográfica, de natureza qualitativa e cunho exploratório, tomando como referência trabalhos já produzidos sobre a temática, objetivando sistematizar a referida discussão e ratificar a proposição de ressignificação da deficiência a partir do chamado modelo social. Os resultados desta discussão demonstram que a mudança na perspectiva conceitual acerca da deficiência, muito mais do que uma mera modificação terminológica, traz consigo possibilidades de transformações na elaboração, execução e controle social das políticas públicas que incluem esse segmento social.
A CONFIGURAÇÃO DO CARTEL NO MERCADO DE SAÚDE SUPLEMENTAR: SITUAÇÃO DA AUTOGESTÃO
Authors: SOARES NATANAEL DANTAS
Published: January 2018

Este trabalho aborda a legitimidade da associação de operadoras de autogestão na negociação com prestadores de serviços de saúde para definição de preços dos serviços e a configuração do cartel no mercado de saúde suplementar à luz da legislação que regulamenta as relações de mercado e de consumo, cuja interpretação teleológica e sistemática indica configuração do cartel na união de prestadores de serviços para definir, de forma coordenada, os preços dos serviços ou materiais e no acordo orquestrado de operadoras para determinar o valor das mensalidades dos planos de saúde, com foco na proteção do interesse dos consumidores.
Moderating Effect of Internal Control System on the Relationship between Environmental Turbulence and Firm Performance in Jordanian listed Companies
Authors: Ershaid Diala Jehad , Bt Abdullah Akilah , Mohamed Mudzamir Bin
Published: January 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of environmental turbulence on firm performance of listed companies in Jordan.  A conceptual model is proposed in this paper where firm performance is expected to be influenced by a two-dimensional environmental turbulence factor (technological turbulence and market turbulence) with a moderating factor of internal control system.

Proposed Method: A questionnaire survey would be administered to 253 listed companies in Amman stock Exchange and analysis could be done with Partial Least Square (PLS) for testing the hypotheses of the study that firm performance is being influenced by environmental turbulence with a moderating effect of internal control system.

Expected Results: It expected that when this proposed conceptual model is used with empirical data, the result of the research will provide a good understanding of the influence of the two environmental turbulence factors (technology and market) on firm performance of Jordanian listed companies. The result will also highlight the extent of the moderating effect of internal control system on the relationship between environmental turbulence and firm performance.

Implication: Even though this research paper only presents a conceptual framework, but it proposes an aspect that needs to be tested with empirical data among Jordanian listed companies because of their significance in the business environment and the Jordan’s economy as a whole. The study is also of particular importance to the management of listed firms in knowing the moderating role of their internal control system on the relationship between the environmental turbulence and firm performance.
Impact of the Corporate Governance and the Ownership Structure on the Firm’s Financial Performance and its Risk Taking Behavior
Authors: Shah Abid Ali , Aamir Muhammad , Saba Irum , Mahmood Zeeshan
Published: January 2018

Purpose: In the developing country like Pakistan the agency problem may have different dimensions as it may not only be among the ownership and the management but also regarding the expropriation of the corporate profits by the largest shareholder at the cost of the many small shareholders. This paper examines the relationship between the Ownership Structure with its two dimensions i.e. Ownership Type and Concentration with the Corporate Governance adaptation level by the firms and its Financial Performance and Risk Taking Behavior judged by the Stock Market Returns.

Methodology: The analysis was conducted in three sections using Panel Data Estimation using the data from 2006 to 2010 for 40 listed KSE firms.

Findings: The results indicates that the improvement in the Corporate Practices increase the firm’s financial performance and reduction in the level of risk during undertaking of the riskier ventures. The Corporate Governance also has negative relationship with the Ownership Concentration proving the fact that the increase in the level of the ownership concentration results in the reduction of the level of good practices by the firms.

Practical Implications: These results also provided a view of the Corporate Structure of the Pakistani firms and prove the fact that the Ownership Concentrated in single largest owner results in the reduction of Corporate Governance level and the Financial Performance of the firms and also results in the increase in the level of the risk undertaken by the firms.
Effect of Comparative Study of Payment System between Malaysia and Republic of Tajikistan
Authors: Kholiqov Firdavsi , Ramzani Sara , Raju Valliappan
Published: January 2018

Purpose: The worldwide payment system has another alternative called e-payment system now. There are a numbers of different aspects on payment system in two mentioned countries. To utilize the arrangement of e-payment, we can spare our time, assets and powers throughout our day by day to exercise the daily e-payment method. The larger part of developing nation is utilizing this e-payment system these days, on the grounds that the e-payment will push the economy to drive speedily. Author has used quantitative method data collection, whereby questionnaire will be provided to respondents. The populations for this research study are financial organizations in both of countries. The target markets are 59 organizations and for data analyzing author will use SPSS technique. Today, the structure of payment system is electronic-payment systems.  It is believed that the result of this study significantly support e-payment system. Using cash, cheque and other kind of payment methods are very less observed in Malaysia. Author has tried to find what are the comparative aspects of payment system between two countries and what are the benefit of e-payment system which used in Malaysia and unused in Tajikistan. This study will help the payment system of Tajikistan to develop and transform to new payment system accordingly. Therefore, this research will deliver as educational subject and training courses to the Republic of Tajikistan.
Printable Table of Contents. IJDS, Volume 13, 2018
Authors: Jones Michael
Published: January 2018

Table of Contents for Volume 13, 2018, of the International Journal of Doctoral Studies
Daftar isi jurnal biologi tropis januari 2014
Authors: Fuadi Husnul
Published: January 2018

Daftar isi jurnal biologi tropis januari 2014
Retraction Notice: Transition in Dental Treatment Utilization in Jammu And Kashmir, India - A 10 Year Retrospective Study
Authors: Shah Aasim Farooq , Batra Manu , Ishrat A.
Published: January 2018

RETRACTED ARTICLE: It was brought to the editorial notice, that this article has fabricated data. This was confirmed and Authors were communicated; they acknowledged and agreed that this has been done by mistake. To avoid misleading the scientific community the article was retracted on 30th September 2017 (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v6i4.17257).Nepal J Epidemiol. 2017;7(3); 699
Le droit de vote des actionnaires sur la rémunération de leurs dirigeants
Authors: Serret Vanessa
Published: January 2018

Depuis 2002, le Say-on-Pay (SoP) s’impose comme un nouvel outil de gouvernance dans le monde. Il permet un droit de vote aux actionnaires concernant la rémunération de leurs dirigeants. L’article défend l’idée selon laquelle le contrôle par le SoP conduit paradoxalement à renforcer les systèmes de rémunérations, alors qu’il est supposé les remettre en cause. Nous analysons les enjeux et les pratiques de SoP. Nous illustrons ensuite les effets de la pratique du SoP. Nous étudions finalement les raisons de certains effets contradictoires pour proposer des améliorations.
Inapproximability of Maximum Biclique Problems, Minimum k-Cut and Densest At-Least-k-Subgraph from the Small Set Expansion Hypothesis
Authors: Manurangsi Pasin
Published: January 2018

The Small Set Expansion Hypothesis is a conjecture which roughly states that it is NP-hard to distinguish between a graph with a small subset of vertices whose (edge) expansion is almost zero and one in which all small subsets of vertices have expansion almost one. In this work, we prove conditional inapproximability results with essentially optimal ratios for the following graph problems based on this hypothesis: Maximum Edge Biclique, Maximum Balanced Biclique, Minimum k-Cut and Densest At-Least-k-Subgraph. Our hardness results for the two biclique problems are proved by combining a technique developed by Raghavendra, Steurer and Tulsiani to avoid locality of gadget reductions with a generalization of Bansal and Khot’s long code test whereas our results for Minimum k-Cut and Densest At-Least-k-Subgraph are shown via elementary reductions.
Advances and Remaining Challenges in the Study of Influenza and Anthrax Infection in Lung Cell Culture
Authors: Powell Joshua , Straub Timothy
Published: January 2018

For over 30 years, immortalized lung cells have enabled researchers to elucidate lung-pathogen molecular interactions. However, over the last five years, numerous commercial companies are now providing affordable, ready-to-use primary lung cells for use in research laboratories. Despite advances in primary cell culture, studies using immortalized lung cells still dominate the recent scientific literature. In this review, we highlight recent influenza and anthrax studies using in vitro primary lung tissue models and how these models are providing better predictive outcomes for when extrapolated to in vivo observations. By focusing on one virus (influenza) and one bacterium (Bacillus anthracis), it is the intent that these primary lung cell culture observations may translate into more useful studies for other related viral and bacterial lung pathogens of interest.
Modeling and Analysis of Novel Horizontal Ribbon Growth of Silicon Crystal
Authors: Xu Jiawei , Shen Dapeng , Sun Tao , Ding Jianning , Yuan Ningyi
Published: January 2018

We present a novel horizontal ribbon growth (HRG) process and a theoretical analysis of this method. Assuming that the existence of the meniscus is defined by diffuse growth, we determine analytically the thickness and height of the meniscus and an explicit expression for the performance of meniscus under different conditions. We then calculate the thermal profile in melt part, as well as the conditions under which the undercooling is sufficient around the solidification point. We find that diffuse growth is more sensitive to small initial thickness, and find the minimum length of the melt part to obtain undercooling. Finally, we calculate the change rule of solidification position by a variational approach, as well as the stability of the process under different conditions. We also give an expression to the instability of past HRG methods.
Adaptive Sliding Mode Control for High-Frequency Sampled-Data Systems with Actuator Faults
Authors: Zhao Dongyang , Liu Yu , Liu Ming , Yu Jinyong
Published: January 2018

This paper investigates the sliding mode control for high-frequency sampled-data systems with actuator faults. Besides matched nonlinearity, this paper also considers unmeasurable states and unknown actuator degradation ratio as important factors of the overall system. The estimates of system state vector are obtained by an adaptive sliding mode observer method firstly. Then, a novel integral-type sliding surface, corresponding to the unified closed-loop delta operator system, is provided based on aforementioned estimation values, and the fault closed-loop system is proven to be stable by the proposed sliding mode control law. Finally, the fault-tolerant control theory is verified to be valid via a practical simulation example.
Rosuvastatin Improves Vaspin Serum Levels in Obese Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Al-kuraishy Hayder , Al-Gareeb Ali , Al-Buhadilly Ali
Published: January 2018

Adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor (vaspin), which has endocrine and local roles in atherosclerosis growth, is also synthesized by adipose tissue; it was found that vaspin was negatively correlated with blood pressure in obese patients, while vaspin levels were decreased in endothelial dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to determine rosuvastatin modulation effects on serum vaspin levels in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with class I obesity. A total number of seventy patients with acute coronary syndrome previously and currently treated with rosuvastatin was compared to 40 patients with IHD not treated by rosuvastatin as a control. Vaspin serum levels were higher in rosuvastatin-treated patients with acute coronary syndrome compared to the patients with acute coronary syndrome not treated by rosuvastatin, p < 0.01. Additionally, in the rosuvastatin-treated group, patients with STEMI showed higher vaspin serum levels compared to NSTEMI p < 0.01. Conclusion: Rosuvastatin significantly increases vaspin serum levels in acute coronary syndrome.
The Effect of Emulsion Intensity on Selected Sensory and Instrumental Texture Properties of Full-Fat Mayonnaise
Authors: Olsson Viktoria , Håkansson Andreas , Purhagen Jeanette , Wendin Karin
Published: January 2018

Varying processing conditions can strongly affect the microstructure of mayonnaise, opening up new applications for the creation of products tailored to meet different consumer preferences. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of emulsification intensity on sensory and instrumental characteristics of full-fat mayonnaise. Mayonnaise, based on a standard recipe, was processed at low and high emulsification intensities, with selected sensory and instrumental properties then evaluated using an analytical panel and a back extrusion method. The evaluation also included a commercial reference mayonnaise. The overall effects of a higher emulsification intensity on the sensory and instrumental characteristics of full-fat mayonnaise were limited. However, texture was affected, with a more intense emulsification resulting in a firmer mayonnaise according to both back extrusion data and the analytical sensory panel. Appearance, taste and flavor attributes were not affected by processing.
Fractional Velocity as a Tool for the Study of Non-Linear Problems
Authors: Prodanov Dimiter
Published: January 2018

Singular functions and, in general, Hölder functions represent conceptual models of nonlinear physical phenomena. The purpose of this survey is to demonstrate the applicability of fractional velocities as tools to characterize Hölder and singular functions, in particular. Fractional velocities are defined as limits of the difference quotients of a fractional power and they generalize the local notion of a derivative. On the other hand, their properties contrast some of the usual properties of derivatives. One of the most peculiar properties of these operators is that the set of their non trivial values is disconnected. This can be used for example to model instantaneous interactions, for example Langevin dynamics. Examples are given by the De Rham and Neidinger’s singular functions, represented by limits of iterative function systems. Finally, the conditions for equivalence with the Kolwankar-Gangal local fractional derivative are investigated.
Age-Related Epigenetic Derangement upon Reprogramming and Differentiation of Cells from the Elderly
Authors: Ravaioli Francesco , Bacalini Maria , Franceschi Claudio , Garagnani Paolo
Published: January 2018

Aging is a complex multi-layered phenomenon. The study of aging in humans is based on the use of biological material from hard-to-gather tissues and highly specific cohorts. The introduction of cell reprogramming techniques posed promising features for medical practice and basic research. Recently, a growing number of studies have been describing the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from old or centenarian biologic material. Nonetheless, Reprogramming techniques determine a profound remodelling on cell epigenetic architecture whose extent is still largely debated. Given that cell epigenetic profile changes with age, the study of cell-fate manipulation approaches on cells deriving from old donors or centenarians may provide new insights not only on regenerative features and physiology of these cells, but also on reprogramming-associated and age-related epigenetic derangement.
Network-Based Methods for Identifying Key Active Proteins in the Extracellular Electron Transfer Process in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1
Authors: Ding Dewu , Sun Xiao
Published: January 2018

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 can transfer electrons from the intracellular environment to the extracellular space of the cells to reduce the extracellular insoluble electron acceptors (Extracellular Electron Transfer, EET). Benefiting from this EET capability, Shewanella has been widely used in different areas, such as energy production, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation. Genome-wide proteomics data was used to determine the active proteins involved in activating the EET process. We identified 1012 proteins with decreased expression and 811 proteins with increased expression when the EET process changed from inactivation to activation. We then networked these proteins to construct the active protein networks, and identified the top 20 key active proteins by network centralization analysis, including metabolism- and energy-related proteins, signal and transcriptional regulatory proteins, translation-related proteins, and the EET-related proteins. We also constructed the integrated protein interaction and transcriptional regulatory networks for the active proteins, then found three exclusive active network motifs involved in activating the EET process—Bi-feedforward Loop, Regulatory Cascade with a Feedback, and Feedback with a Protein–Protein Interaction (PPI)—and identified the active proteins involved in these motifs. Both enrichment analysis and comparative analysis to the whole-genome data implicated the multiheme c-type cytochromes and multiple signal processing proteins involved in the process. Furthermore, the interactions of these motif-guided active proteins and the involved functional modules were discussed. Collectively, by using network-based methods, this work reported a proteome-wide search for the key active proteins that potentially activate the EET process.
Few Sex Differences in Hospitalized Suicide Attempters Aged 70 and Above
Authors: Wiktorsson Stefan , Rydberg Sterner Therese , Mellqvist Fässberg Madeleine , Skoog Ingmar , Ingeborg Berg Anne , Duberstein Paul , Van Orden Kimberly , Waern Margda
Published: January 2018

Relatively little research attention has been paid to sex issues in late life suicidal behaviour. The aim was to compare clinical characteristics of women and men aged 70+ who were hospitalized after a suicide attempt. We hypothesized higher depression and anxiety scores in women, and we expected to find that men would more often attribute the attempt to health problems and compromised autonomy. Participants (56 women and 47 men, mean age 80) were interviewed by a psychologist. In addition to psychiatric and somatic health assessments, participants responded to an open-ended question concerning attributions of the attempt. There were no sex differences in depression and anxiety. Forty-five percent of the men and 14% of the women had a history of substance use disorder (p = 0.02). At least one serious physical disability was noted in 60.7% of the women and 53.2% of the men (p = 0.55). Proportions attributing their attempt to somatic illness did not differ (women, 14.5% vs. men 17.4%, p = 0.79), and similar proportions attributed the attempt to reduced autonomy (women, 21.8% vs. men, 26.1%, p = 0.64). We found strikingly similar figures for depression scores, functional disability and attributions for attempting suicide in older men and women. Larger studies are needed in diverse settings as sex differences might be influenced by cultural context.
Asbestos-Related Disorders in Germany: Background, Politics, Incidence, Diagnostics and Compensation
Authors: Baur Xaver
Published: January 2018

There was some limited use of asbestos at end of the 19th century in industrialized countries including Germany, but its consumption dramatically increased after World War II. The increase in use and exposure was followed by the discovery of high numbers of asbestos-related diseases with a mean latency period of about 38 years in Germany. The strong socio-political pressure from the asbestos industry, its affiliated scientists and physicians has successfully hindered regulatory measures and an asbestos ban for many years; a restrictive stance that is still being unravelled in compensation litigation. This national experience is compared with the situation in other industrialized countries and against the backdrop of the constant efforts of the WHO to eliminate asbestos-related diseases worldwide.
The Role of miRNAs in the Pathophysiology of Liver Diseases and Toxicity
Authors: Schueller Florian , Roy Sanchari , Vucur Mihael , Trautwein Christian , Luedde Tom , Roderburg Christoph
Published: January 2018

Both acute and chronic liver toxicity represents a major global health burden and an important cause of morbidity and lethality worldwide. Despite epochal progress in the treatment of hepatitis C virus infections, pharmacological treatment strategies for most liver diseases are still limited and new targets for prevention or treatment of liver disease are urgently needed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a new class of highly conserved small non-coding RNAs that are involved in the regulation of gene expression by targeting whole networks of so called “targets”. Previous studies have shown that the expression of miRNAs is specifically altered in almost all acute and chronic liver diseases. In this context, it was shown that miRNA can exert causal roles, being pro- or anti-inflammatory, as well as pro- or antifibrotic mediators or being oncogenes as well as tumor suppressor genes. Recent data suggested a potential therapeutic use of miRNAs by targeting different steps in the hepatic pathophysiology. Here, we review the function of miRNAs in the context of acute and chronic liver diseases. Furthermore, we highlight the potential role of circulating microRNAs in diagnosis of liver diseases and discuss the major challenges and drawbacks that currently prevent the use of miRNAs in clinical routine.
Usability as the Key Factor to the Design of a Web Server for the CReF Protein Structure Predictor: The wCReF
Authors: Machado Paixão-Cortes Vanessa , Dos Santos da Silva Tanus Michele , Paixão-Cortes Walter , De Souza Osmar , De Borba Campos Marcia , Silveira Milene
Published: January 2018

Protein structure prediction servers use various computational methods to predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins from their amino acid sequence. Predicted models are used to infer protein function and guide experimental efforts. This can contribute to solving the problem of predicting tertiary protein structures, one of the main unsolved problems in bioinformatics. The challenge is to understand the relationship between the amino acid sequence of a protein and its three-dimensional structure, which is related to the function of these macromolecules. This article is an extended version of the article wCReF: The Web Server for the Central Residue Fragment-based Method (CReF) Protein Structure Predictor, published in the 14th International Conference on Information Technology: New Generations. In the first version, we presented the wCReF, a protein structure prediction server for the central residue fragment-based method. The wCReF interface was developed with a focus on usability and user interaction. With this tool, users can enter the amino acid sequence of their target protein and obtain its approximate 3D structure without the need to install all the multitude of necessary tools. In this extended version, we present the design process of the prediction server in detail, which includes: (A) identification of user needs: aiming at understanding the features of a protein structure prediction server, the end user profiles and the commonly-performed tasks; (B) server usability inspection: in order to define wCReF’s requirements and features, we have used heuristic evaluation guided by experts in both the human-computer interaction and bioinformatics domain areas, applied to the protein structure prediction servers I-TASSER, QUARK and Robetta; as a result, changes were found in all heuristics resulting in 89 usability problems; (C) software requirements document and prototype: assessment results guiding the key features that wCReF must have compiled in a software requirements document; from this step, prototyping was carried out; (D) wCReF usability analysis: a glimpse at the detection of new usability problems with end users by adapting the Ssemugabi satisfaction questionnaire; users’ evaluation had 80% positive feedback; (E) finally, some specific guidelines for interface design are presented, which may contribute to the design of interactive computational resources for the field of bioinformatics. In addition to the results of the original article, we present the methodology used in wCReF’s design and evaluation process (sample, procedures, evaluation tools) and the results obtained.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Inventions in 2017
Authors:   Inventions Editorial Office
Published: January 2018

Peer review is an essential part in the publication process, ensuring that Inventions maintains high quality standards for its published papers [...]
Function of Adenylyl Cyclase in Heart: the AKAP Connection
Authors: Baldwin Tanya , Dessauer Carmen
Published: January 2018

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), synthesized by adenylyl cyclase (AC), is a universal second messenger that regulates various aspects of cardiac physiology from contraction rate to the initiation of cardioprotective stress response pathways. Local pools of cAMP are maintained by macromolecular complexes formed by A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). AKAPs facilitate control by bringing together regulators of the cAMP pathway including G-protein-coupled receptors, ACs, and downstream effectors of cAMP to finely tune signaling. This review will summarize the distinct roles of AC isoforms in cardiac function and how interactions with AKAPs facilitate AC function, highlighting newly appreciated roles for lesser abundant AC isoforms.
Candidate Genes for Aggressiveness in a Natural Fusarium culmorum Population Greatly Differ between Wheat and Rye Head Blight
Authors: Castiblanco Valheria , Castillo Hilda , Miedaner Thomas
Published: January 2018

Fusarium culmorum is one of the species causing Fusarium head blight (FHB) in cereals in Europe. We aimed to investigate the association between the nucleotide diversity of ten F. culmorum candidate genes and field ratings of aggressiveness in winter rye. A total of 100 F. culmorum isolates collected from natural infections were phenotyped for FHB at two locations and two years. Variance components for aggressiveness showed significant isolate and isolate-by-environment variance, as expected for quantitative host-pathogen interactions. Further analysis of the isolate-by-environment interaction revealed the dominant role of the isolate-by-year over isolate-by-location interaction. One single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the cutinase (CUT) gene was found to be significantly (p < 0.001) associated with aggressiveness and explained 16.05% of the genotypic variance of this trait in rye. The SNP was located 60 base pairs before the start codon, which suggests a role in transcriptional regulation. Compared to a previous study in winter wheat with the same nucleotide sequences, a larger variation of pathogen aggressiveness on rye was found and a different candidate gene was associated with pathogen aggressiveness. This is the first report on the association of field aggressiveness and a host-specific candidate gene codifying for a protein that belongs to the secretome in F. culmorum.
The Corrosion Behavior of Ti-Based Metallic Glass Matrix Composites in the H2SO4 Solution
Authors: Qiao Junwei , Fan Jing , Yang Fan , Shi Xiaohui , Yang Huijun , Lan Aidong
Published: January 2018

In-situ metallic glass matrix composites (MGMCs) are a new kind of promising structural engineering material. In this study, a comprehensive study about the corrosion behavior of in-situ Ti46Zr20V12Cu5Be17 MGMCs versus their size was conducted. It is interesting to find that the large sample exhibits a more excellent corrosion resistance than the small sample in the 10% H2SO4 solution both in chemical and electrochemical tests at room temperature. Furthermore, the results obtained from X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) demonstrate that the quality of the passive film formed on the large-sized sample is indeed superior to the small-sized sample. Based on (scanning electron microscope) SEM observation, the possible mechanisms of the observed phenomenon have been discussed in the present study.
FeS Corrosion Products Formation and Hydrogen Uptake in a Sour Environment for Quenched & Tempered Steel
Authors: Wallaert Elien , Depover Tom , De Graeve Iris , Verbeken Kim
Published: January 2018

Surface corrosion product formation is one of the important factors affecting the corrosion rate and hydrogen uptake in a H2S environment. However, it is still unclear how the base material composition will affect the corrosion products that are generated, and consequently their impact on the corrosion rate. In this paper, corrosion product formation and the impact of the Mo content of the base material on the composition of the corrosion products and hydrogen absorption in a sour environment was investigated. The corrosion layer was composed of a double layered mackinawite (FeS1−x) structure, which was enriched with molybdenum and chromium. The layers were formed via two different mechanisms, i.e., the inner layer was created via a general oxide film formation corrosion mechanism, whereas the upper layer was formed by a precipitation mechanism. The presence of this double corrosion layer had a large influence on the amount of diffusible hydrogen in the materials. This amount decreased as a function of contact time with the H2S saturated solution, while the corrosion rate of the materials shows no significant reduction. Therefore, the corrosion products are assumed to act as a physical barrier against hydrogen uptake. Mo addition caused a decrease in the maximal amount of diffusible hydrogen.