bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stress ocupacional e burnout em académicos: exploração de fatores organizacionais protetores
Authors: Ferreira Ana Teresa , Ferreira Ana Rita
Published: November 2017

A presente investigação pretende perceber a relação entre o stress ocupacional e o surgimento do burnout em professores universitários.

Este estudo pretende ser relevante e inovador ao analisar duas dimensões associadas ao burnout que até ao momento ainda não foram exploradas como fatores organizacionais protetores de saúde mental: a confiança e o relacionamento com a gestão de recursos humanos.

Outro dos aspectos pertinentes no carácter inovador deste estudo prende-se com a população em estudo. Os académicos possuem uma função altamente exigente, de elevado desafio inteletual e de relacionamento interpessoal e habitualmente estudam outras profissões que não a sua. Não são conhecidos até à data estudos nacionais ou internacionais nesta população.

O plano de investigação foi quantitativo, transversal e correlacional. A amostra é constituída por 117 professores do ensino superior de 4 instituições. Os resultados mostram uma associação significativa negativa da confiança e da relação com a gestão de recursos humanos com o stress e burnout. Resultados práticos para a intervenção e implicações teóricas serão apresentadas. As organizações devem priviligiar e trabalhar ativamente os relacionamentos organizacionais positivos entre colaboradores e chefia. Estas dimensões apresentam impactos relevantes na dimininuição deste tipo de problemáticas associadas à saúde mental.
Tomada de decisão, atribuição causal e teoria dos jogos na previsão do comportamento individual nas organizações
Authors: Ferreira Ana Teresa , Keating José
Published: November 2017

A gestão de recursos humanos tem focado a sua preocupação no desenvolvimento de sistemas de gestão que permitam o alcance de objetivos organizacionais e individuais. Em 2004, Bowen e Ostroff iniciam uma abordagem que pretende estudar os processos de gestão de recursos humanos, relacionando-os com variáveis psicológicas individuais, utilizando a atribuição.

Trabalhos anteriores (Ferreira, 2014) focaram-se no desenvolvimento de um instrumento que medisse a relação dos colaboradores com a gestão de recursos humanos associando-a ao compromisso. Esta dimensão considera aspetos concretos como a performance percebida, resolução de problemas específicos, comunicação e utilidade percebida.

Este trabalho pretende relacionar teoricamente esta dimensão com os processos de atribuição de Kelly (1973) e com os processos de tomada de decisão, feitos pelos colaboradores nas organizações.

Teoricamente discutimos a relevância desta dimensão no processo atribucional do individuo, através da construção de um teste de hipóteses que pode ter resultados positivos na regulação dos comportamentos individuais dentro das organizações.

A discussão critica pretende demonstrar que os colaboradores têm dificuldade em desintegrar a sua perceção sobre um sistema formal versus representantes do mesmo. Os indivíduos não avaliam o sistema de gestão de recursos humanos linearmente seguindo as predições da teoria da atribuição. É possível que os indivíduos precisem de o personalizar nos representantes da função RH para que consigam desenvolver perceções sobre o mesmo e consequentemente estabelecer atribuições causais.

Desta forma, a relação estabelecida com os representantes da função RH, que implementam na prática os sistemas, e a importância deste relacionamento interpessoal é fulcral, e deve ser considerado um ponto de partida privilegiado pelo especialista RH no desenvolvimento da perceção individual dos seus colaboradores sobre o SGRH.

Considerando a teoria dos jogos serão exploradas possiveis tomadas de decisões de dos colaboradores, considerando os aspetos anteriores de atribuição que realizam sobre a gestão de pessoas.
La prospectiva en el proceso de construcción de una pedagogía social
Authors: P. Francisco Perea
Published: November 2017

Sin resumen.
Fundamentación del área de investigación
Authors: Roman Jair Duque , Perea Francisco , Molina Ruth
Published: November 2017

Sin resumen.
Los poetas malditos: un ensayo libre de culpa
Authors: Pérez Martínez Tito
Published: November 2017

Sin resumen.
Comentarios a la conferencia: evaluación, competencias y estándares
Authors: Herrera Correa Roberto
Published: November 2017

Sin resumen.
Experiencias con escuelas normales superiores
Authors: Villarroel Yolanda
Published: November 2017

El artículo recoge la experiencia de acompañamiento de la Facultad de Educación a las escuelas Normales Superiores de Nocaima y Girardot. Este proceso, descrito en sus generalidades, permite comprender las bondades de compartir con comunidades académicas cuyos saberes y experiencias han sido significativos para los maestros y para la educación colombiana. De igual manera se resalta el aprendizaje obtenido por los docentes de Uniminuto comprometidos en esta actividad, y los resultados positivos para las Normales, las cuales obtuvieron, por parte del Ministerio de Educación Nacional, la valoración satisfactoria en el proceso de acreditación de calidad y desarrollo.
Formar educadores en derechos humanos: acción urgente en Colombia
Authors: Morales Manuel Camilo , Ocampo Francisco Javier
Published: November 2017

Hoy educar trasciende las cuatro paredes de la escuela y se traslada hasta la comunidad educativa. Por eso, desde la pedagogía, se pretende tejer sueños en acción que ayuden a formar ciudadanos defensores de la paz, respetuosos del estado social de derecho y comprometidos con los derechos humanos. Dichos sueños tienen que apelar a la comprensión de las interacciones cotidianas que se dan entre los hombres en esta selva de cemento llamada sociedad urbana; si no se hace ese trabajo estaremos condenados a sumergirnos en la guerra y el olvido. Entonces, tanta tinta, sudor y sangre sólo serán el Insumo para escribir narrativas de realismo mágico que servirán para un honor sin paz, cierta seguridad sin democracia y una escuela autoritaria. Por tanto, la universidad tiene un gran reto, formar educadores que observen, describan, interpreten y propongan soluciones que propendan por la preservación de los derechos humanos.
Hacia una docencia ética
Authors: Muñoz Dagua Clarena
Published: November 2017

El artículo propone analizar qué clase de ética debe generar y, al mismo tiempo, practicar el docente, en una sociedad que reproduce valores condicionados a unas formas de convivencia social que exige el statu quo vigente. A partir de la exploración de los términos ética y estética se plantea la necesidad que el docente asuma una posición crítica frente a la labor que realiza, la cual permita sensibilizar al estudiante para participar en la construcción de una conciencia crítica que ayude en la transformación de las actuales prácticas sociales.
¿Qué son las lenguas?
Authors: Pérez Martínez Tito
Published: November 2017

Sin resumen.
Meaning and direction in foreign language teaching
Authors: Estrada Naranjo Luis Carlos
Published: November 2017

This document explores the possibility to link to foreign lan - guage teaching practice in the classroom, two streams of theo - retical elements set by late research on neurosciences about the cognitive processes underling learning, and the elements from sociolinguistics dealing with languages in contact. The objective of the paper is to consider those elements as an en - riching source for didactics and as an alternative to practice based on recipe -like activities well designed to different settings. Reflective teaching is presented though, as the empirical tool to make language education a real part of praxeology, in which effective teaching is connected to meaningful and contextualized didactics.
Una experiencia de acompañamiento desde la praxeología pedagógica
Authors: Rubio González Hilda Marlén
Published: November 2017

El artículo describe el acompañamiento realizado por UNIMINUTO a cuatro municipios de Cundinamarca: La Calera, Guasca, Guatavita, Cachipay. Este trabajo estuvo orientado desde los lineamientos de la Praxeología Pedagógica y con el proceso metodológico a partir de los momentos de la Praxeología (ver, juzgar, actuar y devolución creativa), contribuyó a consolidar procesos transformadores tanto, para las instituciones como, para el equipo acompañante.
Polvo de libros
Authors: Obando Gil. Huberto
Published: November 2017

Sin resumen.
¿Por qué los alumnos no aprenden la ciencia que se les enseña? Convicción racional
Authors: Bustamante Zamudio Guillermo
Published: November 2017

Sin resumen.
Los medios de comunicación y sus posibilidades educativas
Authors: Galindo Santofimio Mauricio
Published: November 2017

Este artículo busca principalmente dar, tanto a educadores como a Comunicadores y Periodistas, algunos visos frente a las formas de establecer relación entre los medios y la escuela. Pretende despertar la creatividad de los docentes en el uso de los medios de comunicación masivos y además muestra la estrecha relación que existe entre medios y escuela.Mucho se ha hablado sobre el asunto, pero todo lo que se diga seguirá contribuyendo al debate y desde luego, para la implementación real, no de la tecnología como tal, sino de herramientas comunicativas que hagan de la enseñanza una verdadera tarea de aprendizaje mutuo entre maestros y estudiantes.
Projeção da suscetibilidade a desertificação em Pernambuco utilizando o modelo HADGEM-ES (Projection of susceptibility to desertification in Pernambuco using the HADGEM-ES model)
Authors: Santos Thalyta Soares dos
Published: November 2017

A suscetibilidade da região Nordeste do Brasil ao processo de desertificação está associada à variabilidade do clima e a fatores antropogênicos. Nesse contexto, extremos climáticos intensos associados à degradação do solo podem levar à aceleração do processo de desertificação no semiárido. O objetivo do trabalho é avaliar processo de desertificação no estado de Pernambuco e suas projeções para o século XXI. O estudo foi realizado com dados mensais de simulações de precipitação e temperatura do Climatic Research Unit (CRU) e projeções do modelo HADGEM2-ES derivado do Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5, utilizados no quinto relatório do Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC-AR5) no cenário RCP 8.5. Para analise, a evapotranspiração potencial foi calculada pelo método de Thornthwaite, que serviu para o cálculo do índice de aridez. O índice de aridez é bastante utilizado nos estudos para a determinação de áreas secas e principalmente nos estudos do processo de desertificação. Os resultados indicaram que, considerando a variabilidade do climática atual e futura no Nordeste do Brasil, associada a ações antrópicas, o estado de Pernambuco tem uma alta suscetibilidade a desertificação.  A B S T R A C TThe Brazilian Northeast region susceptibility to desertification process is associated with climate variability and anthropogenic factors. Intense climatic extremes associated with soil degradation may accelerate the desertification process in the semiarid region. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the desertification process in Pernambuco state and its projections for the 21st century. The study was carried out with monthly precipitation and temperature datasets from Climatic Research Unit (CRU) and HADGEM2-ES projections, derived from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5, used in the fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - IPCC -AR5) in the RCP 8.5 scenario. The potential evapotranspiration was calculated by the Thornthwaite method, which was used to calculate the aridity index. The aridity index is widely used in to determine dry areas, especially in desertification process studies. The results shows that, considering the current and future climate variability in Brazilian Northeast, associated with anthropic actions, Pernambuco has a high susceptibility to desertification.Keywords: CMIP5; Aridity Index; Semi-arid.
Índices climáticos e caracterização climática do entorno de Manaus
Authors: Antonio Isaac Cohen
Published: November 2017

Neste trabalho é apresentada a caracterização climática através de alguns índices climáticos pluviométricos e termopluviométricos, calculados com os dados da série histórica, registrados na estação agrometeorológica da Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental, (Manaus, AM), nas coordenadas georreferenciadas de -2o53’25” de Latitude; -59o58’06” de Longitude e Altitude de 102 metros. O IPN mensal caracteriza um período de 3 meses de seca suave a moderada (JAS) e, seis meses de período úmido (dezembro a maio), caracterizando junho como sendo o mês de transição para o período seco e outubro o mês de transição para o período chuvoso podendo ser usado como índice de alerta para meses de secas hídricas do solo nos meses mais secos (JAS) na região de Manaus. O PCI anual confirma que ocorre uma moderada concentração de chuvas. O PCI do trimestre mais seco (JAS) mostrou que as poucas chuvas deste período, são distribuídas de forma uniforme a moderadamente concentradas. A variação interanual do IAC e do IACm não divergiu para os três Fatores de Escala, ambos podem ser usados. O Índice de Anomalia de Chuva mostrou que os trimestres mais chuvoso e menos chuvoso estiveram seis vezes na faixa extrema. O Diagrama Termopluviométrico de Gaussen-Bagnouls e Walter-Lieth construído com as médias da série histórica, não caracterizou os meses secos. Quando se aplicam estes índices mês a mês, aparece uma frequência de meses secos, com agosto sendo o mais seco. O índice anual de De Martonne, classifica o clima local como Superúmido, porém não tem acurácia para caracterizar os meses secos.
The long genealogy of quality in the British drinking-milk sector
Authors: Atkins Peter J. ,   University of Durham
Published: November 2017

Throughout most of the last 150 years milk in Britain has been an example of modernity in food production. It became a mass-produced, industrial product, with high volume, rapid tur nover, but limited choice. To modify Henry Ford’s humorous dictum, you could have any kind of milk you wanted as long as it was white and about 3% fat (Ford, 1923: 72). It is only in the last two or three decades that drinking-milk in Britain has become differentiated into the many different lines we see today: reduced fat, sweetened, flavoured, for tified, and so on. The pur pose of the paper is to look at the evolution of milk quality since the late nineteenth centur y and to suggest that today’s milk is the result of many histor ical developments. These include the breeding of the modern dair y cow, the changing organization of the milk industry, advances in processing technology, the identification of bacteriolog ical risk, and the increased involvement of state-inspired regulation and the law. Until 1993 the British experience was very different from that in other countries but the regulator y framework of the European Union has encouraged convergence. It remains to be seen whether Brexit will open a new chapter in British milk quality.
Nutritional transitions and the food system: expensive milk, selective lactophiles and diet change in Spain, 1950-65
Authors: Collantes Fernando ,   University of Zaragoza
Published: November 2017

Why were products such as meat or milk relatively unimportant in the diet of European Mediterranean populations up until the 1960s? Conventional wisdom has it that this was a consequence of the environmental and macroeconomic conditions prevailing in the region, which basically involved aridity and economic backwardness. This article examines the case of dairy products in Spain in the 1950s and early 1960s; it then proposes a modified view in which environmental and macroeconomic factors are considered in conjunction with the political economy of the food chain and consumer agency. Even after considering the environmental constraints to production of cow’s milk and the obstacle posed by low household incomes, dairy consumption could have grown faster than it did. While consumer response to increased purchasing power was relatively passive, a rise in the relative price of milk cancelled out some of the income effect derived from rapid economic growth. This suggests that, in line with conventional wisdom, there were both supply-side and demand-side obstacles to increasing consumption of dairy products. Contrary to conventional wisdom, in this case supply-side obstacles were not primarily related to dairy farming but to other links in the chain, particularly commercial intermediation, while demand-side obstacles were not primarily quantitative, but qualitative.
Longitudinal study of family factors associated with risk behaviors in Mexican youth
Authors: González-González Alejandro ,   Universidad Anáhuac México-Norte, México, Betancourt Ocampo Diana , Romo-Parra Héctor , Fernández-Varela Mejía Héctor , Solís Torres Cuauhtémoc ,   Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
Published: November 2017

Introduction: according to literature, adolescence is a period where the young are more likely to engage in behaviors that could endanger their health. In addition, there is evidence suggesting the impact of some factors of family environment on the presence of risk behaviors. 

Objetive: the aim of this study was to determine changes in risk behavior and analyze the differences in family factors on these behaviors. 

Method: we used a longitudinal study on a group of 6,089 students (37.5% men and 62.5% women). Risk behaviors were assessed with 10 indicators. Family factors were evaluated by three scales: support, relationship and substance abuse within the family context. The information was obtained in a previous session prior to the beginning of the scholar semester for each of the three analyzed events. 

Results: an increase in risk behaviors was observed over time. Further, we also found significant differences in family factors on risk behaviors in the three measurements. 

Discussion: this evidence will allow the development of prevention and early detection programs to treat several problems related to teenagers during their school career.
Teachers’ Instructional Adaptations: A Research Synthesis
Authors: Parsons Seth A. , Vaughn Margaret , Scales Roya Qualls , Gallagher Melissa A. , Parsons Allison Ward , Davis Stephanie G. , Pierczynski Melissa , Allen Melony
Published: November 2017

Researchers recognize adaptive teaching as a component of effective instruction. Educators adjust their teaching according to the social, linguistic, cultural, and instructional needs of their students. While there is consensus that effective teachers are adaptive, there is no consensus on the language to describe this phenomenon. Diverse terminology surrounding the same phenomenon impedes effective communication and comprehensive understanding of this important aspect of classroom instruction. Moreover, researchers have studied this phenomenon using a variety of methods, in various disciplines, with different results. Therefore, our research team completed a comprehensive literature review of the empirical research studying adaptability across academic disciplines. In this article, we describe how adaptive teaching is defined and conceptualized in the education research literature from 1975 to 2014, the methods used to study instructional adaptations, and the results of these studies.
Evolution of the Surface Performance-Graded Specification for Chip Seal Binders
Authors: Epps Martin Amy , Chang Shi , Theeda Swathi Mayi , Arámbula-Mercado Edith
Published: November 2017

Over the past 15 years, a surface performance-graded (SPG) specification for chip seal binders has been developed by the Texas Department of Transportation and has been validated with laboratory measurements and the visual field performance of 120 highway sections. The SPG specification was established in an effort to extend the service life of chip seals by providing a binder grading system and an associated selection method that ( a) accounted for differences in climate and ( b) used existing equipment and performance-based properties that precluded bleeding and aggregate loss in the critical first year of service after construction. A multiyear implementation effort of this specification is ongoing. This paper describes the motivation and evolution of the SPG specification, including a summary of the validation effort and a round robin testing program with the Texas Department of Transportation and suppliers of chip seal binders. Binder selection guidelines that use this specification are provided.
Systematic Method for Quantifying Re-Refined Engine Oil Bottom Content in Binders: Using X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Authors: Karki Pravat , Zhou Fujie
Published: November 2017

Re-refined engine oil bottom (REOB) has been used to modify asphalt binders for a long time. Recent studies revealed that pavements constructed with REOB-modified binders cracked much faster than those constructed with binders containing no REOB. Therefore, some state transportation agencies enforced a complete ban while others set an upper limit for its use. It is imperative to quantify REOB content in binders. This paper presents a systematic method to address this need. Researchers prepared 414 asphalt binder–REOB blends using 16 base binders and six REOBs at five dosages, and measured intensities of 11 key elements using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. XRF tests showed that element intensities depended directly on ( a) binder source, ( b) binder performance grade, ( c) REOB source, and ( d) REOB content. This method has three major steps. In the first step, potential sources and performance-grade levels of binders that were used to prepare an unknown sample on the basis of its closeness to calibration standards in an intensity plot of sulfur versus vanadium were identified. In the second step, potential sources of REOBs were determined on the basis of calibration curves of the ratio of calcium and potassium intensities. In the final step, the REOB content in an unknown sample was estimated by using the calibration curve of the zinc intensity of the selected binder source, binder performance grade, and REOB source. The reasonableness of this method was verified by preparing and testing some additional blends. These tests showed that the new method can quantify REOB content in asphalt binders with reasonable accuracy.
Feasibility and safety of using thoracic and lumbar cortical bone trajectory pedicle screws in spinal constructs in children: technical note
Authors: Sellin Jonathan N. , Raskin Jeffrey S. , Staggers Kristen A. , Brayton Alison , Briceño Valentina , Moreno Amee J. , Jea Andrew
Published: November 2017

Thoracic and lumbar cortical bone trajectory pedicle screws have been described in adult spine surgery. They have likewise been described in pediatric CT-based morphometric studies; however, clinical experience in the pediatric age group is limited. The authors here describe the use of cortical bone trajectory pedicle screws in posterior instrumented spinal fusions from the upper thoracic to the lumbar spine in 12 children. This dedicated study represents the initial use of cortical screws in pediatric spine surgery.

The authors retrospectively reviewed the demographics and procedural data of patients who had undergone posterior instrumented fusion using thoracic, lumbar, and sacral cortical screws in children for the following indications: spondylolysis and/or spondylolisthesis (5 patients), unstable thoracolumbar spine trauma (3 patients), scoliosis (2 patients), and tumor (2 patients).

Twelve pediatric patients, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years (mean 15.4 years), underwent posterior instrumented fusion. Seventy-six cortical bone trajectory pedicle screws were placed. There were 33 thoracic screws and 43 lumbar screws. Patients underwent surgery between April 29, 2015, and February 1, 2016. Seven (70%) of 10 patients with available imaging achieved a solid fusion, as assessed by CT. Mean follow-up time was 16.8 months (range 13–22 months). There were no intraoperative complications directly related to the cortical bone trajectory screws. One patient required hardware revision for caudal instrumentation failure and screw-head fracture at 3 months after surgery.

Mean surgical time was 277 minutes (range 120–542 minutes). Nine of the 12 patients received either a 12- or 24-mg dose of recombinant human bone morphogenic protein 2. Average estimated blood loss was 283 ml (range 25–1100 ml).

In our preliminary experience, the cortical bone trajectory pedicle screw technique seems to be a reasonable alternative to the traditional trajectory pedicle screw placement in children. Cortical screws seem to offer satisfactory clinical and radiographic outcomes, with a low complication profile.
Synthesis and Evaluation of 5-Benzyl-1,3,4-Thiadiazole Derivatives as Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors
Authors: Shi Da-Hua , Zhu Hui-Long , Liu Yu-Wei , Tang Zong-Ming , Lu Chen , Ma Xiao-Dong , Song Xiao-Kai , Liu Wei-Wei , Dong Tong , Song Meng-Qiu
Published: November 2017

Three novel 5-benzyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives were synthesised starting from phenylacetic acid derivatives. These compounds were characterised by NMR, HRMS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. 2-Pyrrolidyl-5-[2-(4-bromophenyl)methyl]-1,3,4-thiadiazole showed moderate acetylcholinesterase-inhibition activity with a 50% inhibitory concentration value of 33.16 μM. 2-Pyrrolidyl-5-[2-(4-bromophenyl)methyl]-1,3,4-thiadiazole and acetylcholinesterase docking was demonstrated using the Molecular Operating Environment program.
Synthesis of Trans- and cis-2-acetyl-3-phenyl-3,3a,4,5-tetrahydro-2H-benzo[g] Indazoles: Evaluation as Inhibitors of β-hematin Formation
Authors: Aparicio Daniel A. , Lobo Gricela M. , Sánchez Jennifer L. , Monasterios Melina C. , Acosta María E. , De Lima Lola , Llovera Ligia J. , Ángel Jorge E. , Charris Jaime E.
Published: November 2017

Several trans- and cis-2-acetyl-3-(substituted-phenyl)-3,3a,4,5-tetrahydro-2 H-benzo[ g]indazole derivatives have been synthesised via the condensation of the appropriate exocyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones with hydrazine in hot acetic acid, to obtain diastereomeric mixtures of N-acetylated isomers. Structure elucidation was based on their spectral data and the trans–cis stereochemistry using of NOE and NOESY experiments. Biological testing of these derivatives as inhibitors of β-hematin formation was carried out.
Precise measurement of inner diameter of mono-capillary optic using X-ray imaging technique
Authors: Kwon Soonmu , Lim Jae Hong , Namba Yoshiharu , Chon Kwon Su
Published: November 2017

BACKGROUND:

Mono-capillary optics have been applied to increase the performance of X-ray instruments. However, performance of a mono-capillary optic strongly depends on the shape accuracy, which is determined by the diameters of the inner hollow of the capillary along the axial direction.

OBJECTIVE:

To precisely determine the inner diameter of the capillary optic used in X-ray imaging technique, which aims to replace the conventional method using a visible microscope.

METHODS:

High spatial resolution X-ray images of the mono-capillary optic were obtained by a synchrotron radiation beamline. The inner diameter of the mono-capillary optic was measured and analyzed by the pixel values of the X-ray image.

RESULT:

Edge enhancement effect was quite useful in determining the inner diameter, and the accuracy of the diameter determination was less than 1.32 μm. Many images obtained by scanning the mono-capillary optic along the axial direction were combined, and the axial profile, consisting of diameters along the axial direction, was obtained from the combined image. The X-ray imaging method could provide an accurate measurement with slope error of±19 μrad.

CONCLUSIONS:

Applying X-ray imaging technique to determine the inner diameter of a mono-capillary optic can contribute to increasing fabrication accuracy of the mono-capillary optic through a feedback process between the fabrication and measurement of its diameter.
Significant MRI indicators of malignancy for breast non-mass enhancement
Authors: Yang Quan-Xin , Ji Xing , Feng Lin-Lin , Zheng Long , Zhou Xiao-Qian , Wu Qian , Chen Xin
Published: November 2017

OBJECTIVE:

To explore and evaluate new malignant predictors of breast non-mass enhancement lesions using the new BI-RADS MRI lexicon.

METHODS:

A dataset involving 422 consecutive women underwent breast 3.0 T MRI between January 2014 and July 2016 was assembled for this study. Each case was retrospectively reviewed by 3 radiologists. Eighty-four lesions that present non-mass enhancement in 79 patients were identified in the study. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI features were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses to identify significant indicators of malignancy.

RESULTS:

Of 84 non-mass enhancement lesions, 52 (61.9%) were malignant and 32 (38.1%) were benign. Segmental distribution ( P = 0.015 from univariate analysis; OR = 4.739, P = 0.008 from multivariate analysis), cluster ring enhancement ( P = 0.017 from univariate analysis; OR = 3.601, P = 0.032 from multivariate analysis), time-intensity curve of plateau ( P = 0.002 from univariate analysis; OR = 3.525, P = 0.027 from multivariate analysis) and phase to peak ( P = 0.06 from univariate analysis; OR = 6.327, P = 0.015 from multivariate analysis) were significantly different between malignant and benign lesions.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study demonstrated that segmental distribution, clustered ring enhancement, and short time to peak could act as new malignant predictors for breast non-mass enhancement detected on 3.0 T MRI.
Automatic segmentation of tumors in B-Mode breast ultrasound images using information gain based neutrosophic clustering
Authors: Lal Madan , Kaur Lakhwinder , Gupta Savita
Published: November 2017

BACKGROUND:

Since breast ultrasound images are of low contrast, contain inherent noise and shadowing effect due to its imaging process, segmentation of breast tumors depicting ultrasound image is a challenging task. Thus, a robust breast ultrasound image segmentation technique is inevitable.

OBJECTIVE:

To develop an automatic lesion segmentation technique for breast ultrasound images.

METHODS:

First, the technique automatically detects the suspicious tumor region of interest and discards the unwanted complex background regions. Next, based on the concept of information gain, the technique applies an existing neutrosophic clustering method to the detected region to segment the desired tumor area. The proposed technique computes information gain values from the local neighbourhood of each pixel, which is further used to update the membership values and the cluster centers for the neutrosophic clustering process. Integrating the concept of entropy and neutrosophic logic features into the technique enabled to generate better segmentation results.

RESULTS:

Results of proposed method were compared both qualitatively and quantitatively with fuzzy c-means, neutrosophic c-means and neutrosophic ℓ-means clustering methods. It was observed that the proposed method outperformed the other three methods and yielded the best Mean (TP: 94.72, FP: 5.85, SI: 93.75, HD: 8.2, AMED: 2.4) and Standard deviation (TP: 3.2, FP: 3.7, SI: 3.8, HD: 2.6, AMED: 1.3) values for different quality metrics on the current set of breast ultrasound images.

CONCLUSION:

Study demonstrated that the proposed technique is robust to the shadowing effect and produces more accurate segmentation of the tumor region, which is very similar to that visually segmented by Radiologist.
Feasibility and its characteristics of CO2 laser micromachining-based PMMA anti-scattering grid estimated by MCNP code simulation
Authors: Bae Jun Woo , Kim Hee Reyoung
Published: November 2017

BACKGROUND:

Anti-scattering grid has been used to improve the image quality. However, applying a commonly used linear or parallel grid would cause image distortion, and focusing grid also requires a precise fabrication technology, which is expensive.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate and analyze whether using CO2 laser micromachining-based PMMA anti-scattering grid can improve the performance of the grid at a lower cost. Thus, improvement of grid performance would result in improvement of image quality.

METHODS:

The cross-sectional shape of CO2 laser machined PMMA is similar to alphabet ‘V’. The performance was characterized by contrast improvement factor (CIF) and Bucky. Four types of grid were tested, which include thin parallel, thick parallel, ‘V’-type and ‘inverse V’-type of grid.

RESULTS:

For a Bucky factor of 2.1, the CIF of the grid with both the “V” and inverse “V” had a value of 1.53, while the thick and thick parallel types had values of 1.43 and 1.65, respectively.

CONCLUSION:

The ‘V’ shape grid manufacture by CO2 laser micromachining showed higher CIF than parallel one, which had same shielding material channel width. It was thought that the ‘V’ shape grid would be replacement to the conventional parallel grid if it is hard to fabricate the high-aspect-ratio grid.
Assessment of Soil Aggradation through Soil Aggregation and Particulate Organic Matter by Riparian Switchgrass Buffers
Authors: Márquez Carmen , García Víctor , Schultz Richard , Isenhart Tom
Published: November 2017

The restoration of riparian zones has been an important issue in many regions for the recovery of ecosystem functions. The objective of this study was to assess soil aggradation in a 7-year established riparian switchgrass buffer (SGB) and in a non-buffered riparian zone with an annual row crop (ARC). We measured the aggregate size distribution and stability of macroaggregates, aggregate-associated soil organic carbon, soil organic matter fractions and the chemical composition of light particulate organic matter to monitor soil aggregation in a riparian soil following the conversion of agricultural row crops to switchgrass filters. Aggregate size fractions were separated by wet sieving using the aggregate size-stability protocol. The proportion of soil and total organic C was quantified for each aggregate size class. Soil organic matter fractions were isolated by size and density into light particulate organic matter and heavy particulate organic matter and mineral fraction organic matter. The categorization of aggregates by size and water stability (slaking resistance) showed a significantly larger (p < 0.001) proportion of water-unstable large macroaggregates (>2000 µm) under SGB (34%) compared to that under ARC (29%), while the proportion of water-unstable small macroaggregates (250–2000 µm) was significantly higher under ARC (14%) than under SGB (10%). Our results showed that the amounts of light and heavy particulate organic matter did not change in the short-term (7 years) after SGB establishment. It appears that the lower soil stabilization and soil organic C storage under SGB is related to (i) the large number of coarse roots; (ii) lower inputs of light and heavy particulate organic matter; (iii) no changes in the alkyl-C/O-alkyl-C ratio over time; and (iv) light particulate organic matter with a high C/N ratio.
The Effect of Hock Injury Laterality and Lameness on Lying Behaviors and Lying Laterality in Holstein Dairy Cows
Authors: Eberhart Nicole , Krawczel Peter
Published: November 2017

Lactating dairy cattle divide their lying equally between their left side and their right side. However, discomfort, such as pregnancy and cannulation, can cause a cow to shift lying side preference. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of lameness and hock injuries on lying behaviors, particularly lying laterality, of lactating dairy cows. Cows from four commercial farms in eastern Croatia that had lying behavior data, health score data, and production records were used in the study. Health scores including hock injuries and locomotion were collected once per cow. Severely lame cows had greater daily lying time compared to sound cows and moderately lame cows. Overall, cows spent 51.3 ± 1.2% of their daily lying time on the left side. Maximum hock score, locomotion score, hock injury laterality, or parity did not result in lying laterality differing from 50%.
Biomineralization Mediated by Ureolytic Bacteria Applied to Water Treatment: A Review
Authors: Arias Dayana , Cisternas Luis , Rivas Mariella
Published: November 2017

The formation of minerals such as calcite and struvite through the hydrolysis of urea catalyzed by ureolytic bacteria is a simple and easy way to control mechanisms, which has been extensively explored with promising applications in various areas such as the improvement of cement and sandy materials. This review presents the detailed mechanism of the biominerals production by ureolytic bacteria and its applications to the wastewater, groundwater and seawater treatment. In addition, an interesting application is the use of these ureolytic bacteria in the removal of heavy metals and rare earths from groundwater, the removal of calcium and recovery of phosphate from wastewater, and its potential use as a tool for partial biodesalination of seawater and saline aquifers. Finally, we discuss the benefits of using biomineralization processes in water treatment as well as the challenges to be solved in order to reach a successful commercialization of this technology.
Information Fusion in a Multi-Source Incomplete Information System Based on Information Entropy
Authors: Li Mengmeng , Zhang Xiaoyan
Published: November 2017

As we move into the information age, the amount of data in various fields has increased dramatically, and data sources have become increasingly widely distributed. The corresponding phenomenon of missing data is increasingly common, and it leads to the generation of incomplete multi-source information systems. In this context, this paper’s proposal aims to address the limitations of rough set theory. We study the method of multi-source fusion in incomplete multi-source systems. This paper presents a method for fusing incomplete multi-source systems based on information entropy; in particular, by comparison with another method, our fusion method is validated. Furthermore, extensive experiments are conducted on six UCI data sets to verify the performance of the proposed method. Additionally, the experimental results indicate that multi-source information fusion approaches significantly outperform other approaches to fusion.
Numeric Investigation of Gas Distribution in the Intake Manifold and Intake Ports of a Multi-Cylinder Diesel Engine Refined for Exhaust Gas Stratification
Authors: Shen Zhaojie , Cui Wenzheng , Ju Xiaodong , Liu Zhongchang , Wu Shaohua , Yang Jianguo
Published: November 2017

In-cylinder exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) stratification, generally achieved by supplying EGR asymmetrically into intake ports on a four-valve diesel engine, is sensitive to trapped exhaust gas in the intake manifold and intake ports that is caused by the continuous supply of EGR during the valve-close periods of the intake valves. The subject of this study is to evaluate the distribution of trapped exhaust gas in the diesel intake system using commercial Star-CD software (version 4.22.018). Numeric simulations of the intake flow of fresh air and recycled exhaust in the diesel intake system were initialized following previous experiments that were conducted on a reformed six-cylinder diesel engine by supplying CO2 instead of EGR to the tangential intake port alone to establish CO2 stratification in the first cylinder. The distributions of the intake CO2 in the intake manifold and intake ports under the conditions of 1330 r/min and 50% load with different mass flow rates of CO2 are discussed. This indicates that CO2 supplied to one intake port alone would escape to another intake port, which not only weakens the CO2 stratification by diminishing the mass fraction disparity of the CO2 between the two intake ports of cylinder 1, but also influences the total mass of CO2 in the cylinder. There is 4% CO2 by mass fraction in the intake port without CO2 supply under the condition that the CO2 mass flow rate is 5 kg/h during the intake process, and 10% CO2 under the condition of 50 kg/h.
Gasification under CO2–Steam Mixture: Kinetic Model Study Based on Shared Active Sites
Authors: Liu Xia , Wei Juntao , Huo Wei , Yu Guangsuo
Published: November 2017

In this work, char gasification of two coals (i.e., Shenfu bituminous coal and Zunyi anthracite) and a petroleum coke under a steam and CO2 mixture (steam/CO2 partial pressures, 0.025–0.075 MPa; total pressures, 0.100 MPa) and CO2/steam chemisorption of char samples were conducted in a Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA). Two conventional kinetic models exhibited difficulties in exactly fitting the experimental data of char–steam–CO2 gasification. Hence, a modified model based on Langmuir–Hinshelwood model and assuming that char–CO2 and char–steam reactions partially shared active sites was proposed and had indicated high accuracy for estimating the interactions in char–steam–CO2 reaction. Moreover, it was found that two new model parameters (respectively characterized as the amount ratio of shared active sites to total active sites in char–CO2 and char–steam reactions) in the modified model hardly varied with gasification conditions, and the results of chemisorption indicate that these two new model parameters mainly depended on the carbon active sites in char samples.
Energy Management Strategy in Consideration of Battery Health for PHEV via Stochastic Control and Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Wang Yuying , Jiao Xiaohong , Sun Zitao , Li Ping
Published: November 2017

This paper presents an energy management strategy for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that not only tries to minimize the energy consumption, but also considers the battery health. First, a battery model that can be applied to energy management optimization is given. In this model, battery health damage can be estimated in the different states of charge (SOC) and temperature of the battery pack. Then, because of the inevitability that limiting the battery health degradation will increase energy consumption, a Pareto energy management optimization problem is formed. This multi-objective optimal control problem is solved numerically by using stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) for satisfying the vehicle power demand and considering the tradeoff between energy consumption and battery health at the same time. The optimization solution is obtained offline by utilizing real historical traffic data and formed as mappings on the system operating states so as to implement online in the actual driving conditions. Finally, the simulation results carried out on the GT-SUITE-based PHEV test platform are illustrated to demonstrate that the proposed multi-objective optimal control strategy would effectively yield benefits.
A Fractional-Order Infectivity and Recovery SIR Model
Authors: Angstmann Christopher N. , Henry Bruce I. , McGann Anna V.
Published: November 2017

The introduction of fractional-order derivatives to epidemiological compartment models, such as SIR models, has attracted much attention. When this introduction is done in an ad hoc manner, it is difficult to reconcile parameters in the resulting fractional-order equations with the dynamics of individuals. This issue is circumvented by deriving fractional-order models from an underlying stochastic process. Here, we derive a fractional-order infectivity and recovery Susceptible Infectious Recovered (SIR) model from the stochastic process of a continuous-time random walk (CTRW) that incorporates a time-since-infection dependence on both the infectivity and the recovery of the population. By considering a power-law dependence in the infectivity and recovery, fractional-order derivatives appear in the generalised master equations that govern the evolution of the SIR populations. Under the appropriate limits, this fractional-order infectivity and recovery model reduces to both the standard SIR model and the fractional recovery SIR model.
Development of Novel Polymorphic EST-SSR Markers in Bailinggu (Pleurotus tuoliensis) for Crossbreeding
Authors: Dai Yueting , Su Wenying , Yang Chentao , Song Bing , Li Yu , Fu Yongping
Published: November 2017

Identification of monokaryons and their mating types and discrimination of hybrid offspring are key steps for the crossbreeding of Pleurotus tuoliensis (Bailinggu). However, conventional crossbreeding methods are troublesome and time consuming. Using RNA-seq technology, we developed new expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers for Bailinggu to easily and rapidly identify monokaryons and their mating types, genetic diversity and hybrid offspring. We identified 1110 potential EST-based SSR loci from a newly-sequenced Bailinggu transcriptome and then randomly selected 100 EST-SSRs for further validation. Results showed that 39, 43 and 34 novel EST-SSR markers successfully identified monokaryons from their parent dikaryons, differentiated two different mating types and discriminated F1 and F2 hybrid offspring, respectively. Furthermore, a total of 86 alleles were detected in 37 monokaryons using 18 highly informative EST-SSRs. The observed number of alleles per locus ranged from three to seven. Cluster analysis revealed that these monokaryons have a relatively high level of genetic diversity. Transfer rates of the EST-SSRs in the monokaryons of closely-related species Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae and Pleurotus ostreatus were 72% and 64%, respectively. Therefore, our study provides new SSR markers and an efficient method to enhance the crossbreeding of Bailinggu and closely-related species.
Taxonomic Classification for Living Organisms Using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Khawaldeh Saed , Pervaiz Usama , Elsharnoby Mohammed , Alchalabi Alaa , Al-Zubi Nayel
Published: November 2017

Taxonomic classification has a wide-range of applications such as finding out more about evolutionary history. Compared to the estimated number of organisms that nature harbors, humanity does not have a thorough comprehension of to which specific classes they belong. The classification of living organisms can be done in many machine learning techniques. However, in this study, this is performed using convolutional neural networks. Moreover, a DNA encoding technique is incorporated in the algorithm to increase performance and avoid misclassifications. The algorithm proposed outperformed the state of the art algorithms in terms of accuracy and sensitivity, which illustrates a high potential for using it in many other applications in genome analysis.
The HMGA1 Pseudogene 7 Induces miR-483 and miR-675 Upregulation by Activating Egr1 through a ceRNA Mechanism
Authors: De Martino Marco , Palma Giuseppe , Azzariti Amalia , Arra Claudio , Fusco Alfredo , Esposito Francesco
Published: November 2017

Several studies have established that pseudogene mRNAs can work as competing endogenous RNAs and, when deregulated, play a key role in the onset of human neoplasias. Recently, we have isolated two HMGA1 pseudogenes, HMGA1P6 and HMGA1P7. These pseudogenes have a critical role in cancer progression, acting as micro RNA (miRNA) sponges for HMGA1 and other cancer-related genes. HMGA1 pseudogenes were found overexpressed in several human carcinomas, and their expression levels positively correlate with an advanced cancer stage and a poor prognosis. In order to investigate the molecular alterations following HMGA1 pseudogene 7 overexpression, we carried out miRNA sequencing analysis on HMGA1P7 overexpressing mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Intriguingly, the most upregulated miRNAs were miR-483 and miR-675 that have been described as key regulators in cancer progression. Here, we report that HMGA1P7 upregulates miR-483 and miR-675 through a competing endogenous RNA mechanism with Egr1, a transcriptional factor that positively regulates miR-483 and miR-675 expression.