bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Las actitudes de los enfermeros de atención primaria en el ciclo de envejecimiento de las familias
Authors: Moreira da Silva Margarida A. , Almeida Macedo Loureiro Helena M.
Published: February 2018

La importancia de la familia en el cuidado ha provocado que en Portugal se cree el perfil profesional del enfermero de la familia para asegurar una atención de calidad, ya que se presenta como el eje central de los equipos. Varios autores argumentan que los enfermeros que dan importancia a las familias en los cuidados son más propensos a interactuar con estas familias, aumentando el nivel de atención. Además, el centro de atención, en las intervenciones de enfermería, no debe ser solamente una respuesta de las familias, sino también las actitudes de los enfermeros. Con el objetivo de evaluar las actitudes de los enfermeros que se enfrentan a la familia, se realizó un estudio cuantitativo con la escala “A Importância das Famílias nos Cuidados de Enfermagem-Atitudes dos Enfermeiros(IFCE-AE)” a 871 enfermeros de Atención Primaria de Salud en el centro de Portugal. Se concluye que tienen mejores actitudes los enfermeros que: realizan intervención específica con las familias con los padres, abuelos y nietos (p<0.001); para consultar a los niños,llaman a sus abuelos también (p<0.001); integran a sus nietos en los cuidados de sus abuelos (p<0.001).
Alexitimia, resiliencia y creencias paranormales en personas mayores en un centro institucionalizado
Authors: Méndez Inmaculada , García-Sevilla Julia , Martínez Juan P. , Bermúdez Ana Mª. , Pérez Pilar , García-Munuera Isabel
Published: February 2018

La alexitimia hace referencia a la dificultad para comprender e identificar los propios sentimientos y los de los demás. El proceso de adaptación a un centro residencial es una de las situaciones estresantes a las que puede enfrentarse la persona mayor. Para poder sobreponerse ante dichas situaciones es fundamental la capacidad de resiliencia e incluso existen personas que buscan apoyo en la religiosidad o en las creencias en lo paranormal. En este trabajo se estudió la relación entre aleximitia, resiliencia y creencias paranormales en un grupo de 35 personas mayores (21 mujeres) con edades entre 66 y 95 años de un centro institucionalizado. Se administraron la escala TAS-20 para la evaluación de la alexitimia, la Escala de Resiliencia CD-RISC y la Escala Mejorada de Creencias Paranormales. Entre los principales resultados cabe destacar que los sujetos con mayores Dificultades para identificar sentimientos son los que presentaban un menor Control personal; los sujetos con mayores Dificultades para identificar sentimientos son los que menor creencia poseían de las Formas de vida extraordinaria y los sujetos con mayor capacidad de Control Personal son los que mayor creencia tenían de las Formas de vida extraordinaria. Se discuten las aplicaciones que los profesionales pueden poner en marcha en centros institucionalizados de personas mayores.
Creatividad, creencias paranormales y deterioro cognitivo en personas mayores
Authors: Méndez Inmaculada , García-Sevilla Julia , Martínez Juan P. , García-Munuera Isabel , Bermúdez Ana Mª , Pérez Pilar
Published: February 2018

En el caso de las personas mayores, el pensamiento estético y la creatividad son formas de mantener activas la mente y la imaginación, contribuyendo a prevenir el deterioro cognitivo. Asimismo tener un sistema de creencias religiosas o incluso un sistema de creencias o experiencias paranormales ha demostrado ser beneficioso sobre la salud de los ancianos. El objetivo del estudio fue estudiar la relación entre la creatividad, el grado de deterioro cognitivo y las creencias paranormales. Se analizaron si existían diferencias atendiendo a características sociodemográficas. A un grupo de 36 personas mayores (16 varones) con edades comprendidas entre los 66 y 95 años se le administró el Mini-Examen-Cognoscitivo (MEC), el Test CREA y la Escala Mejorada de Creencias Paranormales. Los resultados principales destacan que: los sujetos con mejor estado cognitivo son los más creativos; los menos creativos poseían más Creencias religiosas tradicionales e incluso mayor superstición; los ancianos con mejor estado cognitivo eran los menos supersticiosos. Es destacable que los varones eran más creativos, mientras que las mujeres destacaban en creencias religiosas tradicionales. El estudio permite reflexionar sobre la importancia de que los profesionales que trabajen con personas mayores lleven a cabo programas que favorezcan la creatividad e incluso recaben información sobre el sistema de creencias.
Impulsividad y consumo de alcohol y tabaco en adolescentes
Authors: Pérez-Fuentes María Del Carmen , Gázquez José J. , Molero María Del Mar , Cardila Fernando , Martos África , Barragán Ana B. , Garzón Anabella , Carrión José J. , Mercader Isabel
Published: February 2018

La etapa de la adolescencia se caracteriza por una prematura experimentación de nuevas experiencias y sensaciones. Estas experiencias, pasan en ocasiones por el consumo de drogas, que aun siendo legales y socialmente aceptadas, las consecuencias negativas en el desarrollo del adolescente comienzan a hacerse patentes. En los últimos años se ha observado una disminución en el consumo de tabaco en los adolescentes españoles, no así en el consumo de alcohol. Una de las causas de inicio en las drogas es la personalidad o conducta impulsiva. Así, el objetivo de este estudio es analizar la relación entre la impulsividad y la frecuencia de consumo de alcohol y tabaco en 822 alumnos de entre 13 y 18 años. Para ello, se utilizó la Escala de Impulsividad Estado (EIE) y un cuestionario elaborado ad hoc para conocer las características demográficas y el consumo de alcohol y tabaco. Los resultados mostraron que aquellos estudiantes que se declararon consumidores obtuvieron puntuaciones significativamente más altas en impulsividad. De este modo, analizar detalladamente el perfil de los sujetos con este factor de riesgo puede favorecer la creación de programas más adecuados para la intervención.
Modificaciones durante el envejecimiento de la sincronización electroencefalográfica (EEG) cortical bajo estimulación visual
Authors: Alba Guzmán , González Almudena , González Julián J.
Published: February 2018

En este trabajo analizamos los cambios durante el envejecimiento en la sincronización electroencefalográfica (EEG) entre distintas zonas de la corteza cerebral en sujetos mayores sanos bajo estimulación visual. Se seleccionaron dos grupos: uno (A) de 10 adultos de edades entre 50-65 años y otro (B) de 15 sujetos entre 66-80 años. Se realizaron registros de 16 canales EEG monopolares (digitalizados a 256 Hz) referenciados a la media siguiendo el sistema estándar 10-20, registrados en condiciones de reposo con ojos cerrados bajo estimulación visual. A partir de un índice (L) de sincronización nolineal generalizada se estimó la sincronización cortical media (SCM) de cada canal con el resto y la correspondiente asimetría interhemisférica media en la sincronización (ACM). Los cambios con la edad (A vs. B) en la sincronización y en la asimetría media para el conjunto de canales/áreas corticales se estimaron a través de un MANOVA de medidas repetidas. Los resultados muestran que, bajo estimulación visual, la SCM decrece con la edad para la mayoría de los canales (p < 0.01) a excepción de los frontales. Los canales que presentaron asimetría interhemisférica en la sincronización (p < 0.01) fueron los frontales F3, Fp2 y F4, el parietal P3 y el temporal T5, en los que se observó una importante disminución de la asimetría con la edad (p < 0.01).
Componentes de influencia más valorados en la calidad de vida por las personas mayores de 60 años físicamente activas
Authors: Parra-Rizo María Antonia
Published: February 2018

El envejecimiento y la calidad de vida han emergido con fuerza en el ámbito científico teniendo en cuenta el auge de la esperanza de vida. Sin embargo, no existen demasiados trabajos centrados en el estudio de los componentes que más influyen en la calidad de vida en personas mayores de 60 a 90 años físicamente activos. En el presente trabajo se evalúa la calidad de vida y la práctica de actividad física en 397 personas mayores físicamente activas de la provincia de Alicante. El objetivo de la investigación es conocer cuáles son los factores que consideran las personas mayores físicamente activas que más influyen a su calidad de vida. Los resultados concluyen que los componentes que más influyen en la calidad de vida están relacionados con la salud, relaciones, autonomía funcional y mantenerse activo como los principales factores de influencia en la calidad de vida de los mayores activos frente a la economía, pensión, vivienda o renta. Los resultados forman la antesala de nuevos estudios que tengan en cuenta el perfil de las personas mayores físicamente activas atendiendo a diferencias por deporte practicado.
An Application of Artificial Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic on the Stock Price Prediction Problem
Authors: Tung Khuat Thanh , Le My Hanh
Published: February 2018

The financial industry has been becoming more and more dependent on advanced computing technologies in order to maintain competitiveness in a global economy. Hence, the stock price prediction problem using data mining techniques is one of the most important issues in finance. This field has attracted great scientific interest and has become a crucial research area to provide a more precise prediction process. Fuzzy logic (FL) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) present an exciting and promising technique with a wide scope for the applications of prediction. There is a growing interest in both fields of fuzzy logic computing and the financial world in the use of fuzzy logic to predict future changes in prices of stocks, exchange rates, commodities, and other financial time series. Fuzzy logic provides a way to draw definite conclusions from vague, ambiguous or imprecise information. Artificial Neural Network is one of data mining techniques being widely accepted in the business area due to its ability to learn and detect relationships among nonlinear variables. The ANN outperforms statistical regression models and also allows deeper analysis of large data sets, especially those that have the tendency to fluctuate within a short of time period. In this paper, we investigate the ability of Fuzzy logic and multilayer perceptron (MLP), which is a kind of the ANN, to tackle the financial time series stock forecasting problem. The proposed approaches were tested on the historical price data collected from Yahoo Finance with different companies. Furthermore, the comparison between those techniques is performed to examine their effectiveness.
A Review of Iris Recognition Algorithms
Authors: Ghali Abdulrahman Aminu , Jamel Sapiee , Mohamad Kamaruddin Malik , Yakub Nasir Abubakar , Mat Deris Mustafa
Published: February 2018

With the prominent needs for security and reliable mode of identification in biometric system. Iris recognition has become reliable method for personal identification nowadays. The system has been used for years in many commercial and government applications that allow access control in places such as office, laboratory, armoury, automated teller machines (ATMs), and border control in airport. The aim of the paper is to review iris recognition algorithms. Iris recognition system consists of four main stages which are segmentation, normalization, feature extraction and matching. Based on the findings, the Hough transform, rubber sheet model, wavelet, Gabor filter, and hamming distance are the most common used algorithms in iris recognition stages.Â  This shows that, the algorithms have the potential and capability to enhanced iris recognition system.Â
Common Benchmark Functions for Metaheuristic Evaluation: A Review
Authors: Hussain Kashif , Mohd Salleh Mohd Najib , Cheng Shi , Naseem Rashid
Published: February 2018

In literature, benchmark test functions have been used for evaluating performance of metaheuristic algorithms. Algorithms that perform well on a set of numerical optimization problems are considered as effective methods for solving real-world problems. Different researchers choose different set of functions with varying configurations, as there exists no standard or universally agreed test-bed. This makes hard for researchers to select functions that can truly gauge the robustness of a metaheuristic algorithm which is being proposed. This review paper is an attempt to provide researchers with commonly used experimental settings, including selection of test functions with different modalities, dimensions, the number of experimental runs, and evaluation criteria. Hence, the proposed list of functions, based on existing literature, can be handily employed as an effective test-bed for evaluating either a new or modified variant of any existing metaheuristic algorithm. For embedding more complexity in the problems, these functions can be shifted or rotated for enhanced robustness.
A Digital Image Watermarking System: An Application of Dual Layer Watermarking Technique
Authors: Phin Châ€™ng Chen , Ab Rahman Nurul Hidayah , Che Pa Noraini
Published: February 2018

Watermarking is a method to digitally sign a product to provide authentication and prevent copyright infringement to proving the ownership of a product and provides integrity for companies to protect their product. In this study, dual layer watermark that applies two different watermarking techniques at each layer is presented. The first layer applies the LSB Substitution technique while the second layer uses the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) technique. This implies greater integrity as it contains of two signatures in providing authentication.
A Sleep-Awake Scheme Based on CoAP for Energy-Efficiency in Internet of Things
Authors: Jin Wenquan , Kim DoHyeun
Published: February 2018

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) have developed Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) to enable communication between sensor or actuator nodes in constrained environments, such as small amount of memory, and low power. IETF CoAP and HTTP are used to monitor or control environments in Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M). In this paper, we present a sleep-awake scheme based on CoAP for energy efficiency in Internet of Things. This scheme supports to increase energy efficiency of IoT nodes using CoAP protocol. We have slightly modified the IoT middleware to improve CoAP protocol to conserve energy in the IoT nodes. Also, the IoT middleware includes some functionality of the CoRE Resource Directory (RD) and the Message Queue (MQ) broker with IoT nodes to synchronize sleepy status.
Exploring Potential Factors in Green and Sustainable Software Product
Authors: Raisian Komeil , Yahaya Jamaiah , Deraman Aziz
Published: February 2018

software engineering is a principle role of our activity in social and economic life. Software engineers are starting to comprehend the significance of designing sustainability regarding software processes. The field of sustainable and green software and green software engineering is still young. Thus, in modern society, researches effort is mainly focused on green and sustainable software engineering itself.Â In other words, the aim of this study at hand aims an in-depth understanding of the related potential factors for the purpose of improving the recently reluctant trend of sustainability dimension in green software based on life cycle of green software product process. To reach this purpose, this study is reviewed latest research and used conceptual model. A conceptual model is rendered demonstrating the consolidated life cycles of sustainable product and principle sustainable measurement dimensions, for example, energy or information efficiency, low cost, Resource efficiency, Waste reduction, Equality support and human health.
A new approach towards Image retrieval using texture statistical methods
Authors: Tamilkodi R , Kumari G. Rosline Nesa , Perumal S. Maruthu
Published: February 2018

Texture is a possession that represents the facade and arrangement of an image. Image textures are intricate ocular patterns serene of entities or regions with sub-patterns with the kind of brightness, color, outline, dimension, and etc.This article proposes a new method for texture characterization by using statistical methods (TCUSM). In this proposed method (TCUSM) the features are obtained from energy, entropy, contrast and homogeneity. In an image, each one pixel is enclosed by 8 nearest pixels. The confined in turn for a pixel can be extracted from a neighbourhood of 3x3 pixels, which represents the fewest absolute unit. We used four vector angles 0, 45, 90,135 to carry out the experimentation with the query image. A total of 16 texture values are calculated per unit. Compute the feature vectors for the query image by calculating texture unit and the resultant value is compared with the image database. The retrieval result shows that the performance using Canberra distance has achieved higher performance.Â
RETRACTED: Impact Analysis of Meditation on Physiological Signals
Authors: Ingle Rahul , Awale R N
Published: February 2018

RETRACTEDFollowing a rigorous, carefully concerns and considered review of the article published inÂ JOIV : International Journal on Informatics Visualization to article entitled â€œImpact Analysis of Meditation on Physiological Signalsâ€ Vol 2, No 1, pp. 31-36, January 2018, DOI:Â https://doi.org/10.30630/joiv.2.1.98This paper has been found to be in violation of theÂ JOIV : International Journal on Informatics Visualization Publication principles and has been retracted.The article contained redundant material, the editor investigated and found that the paper published inÂ Ahani, A., Wahbeh, H., Miller, M., Nezamfar, H., Erdogmus, D., & Oken, B. (2013). Change in physiological signals during mindfulness meditation.Â International IEEE/EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering : [proceedings]. International IEEE EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering, 1738â€“1381. https://doi.org/10.1109/NER.2013.6696199The document and its content has been removed from JOIV : International Journal on Informatics Visualization, and reasonable effort should be made to remove all references to this article.
PENGARUH PENAGIHAN PAJAK DENGAN SURAT TEGURAN DAN SURAT PAKSA TERHADAP KEPATUHAN WAJIB PAJAK DI LINGKUNGAN KANWIL DJP JAWA TENGAH I DAN JAWA TENGAH II
Authors: Rosyidi Fahim
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of tax addiction with admission letter and enforcement letter toward tax payer compliance. The method that be used in this research is multiple linier regression which test using SPSS Program In this research, the sample is taken from admission letters and enforcement letter that issued by tax office in the Directorate General of Taxation Central Java I and Central Java II Territory during period 2010 and 2011. The method for choosing the sample is nonprobability, choosing sample based on simplycity Based on the result of the research, shows that the result of hypothesis partially (t-test) get the significancy variable score admission letter and enforcement letter is 0,003 and 0,001 smaller than 0,05. So its proved that admission letter and enforcementletter have significant influence toward tax payer compliance. Determination coefficient shows 0,324 or 32,4% means 32,4% tax payer compliance is influenced by admission letter and enforcement letter.
PERSEPSI ANALIS KARTU KREDIT TENTANG RESIKO KARTU KREDIT PADA BANK KONVENSIONAL DAN BANK SYARIAH
Authors: Prayogo Hilda Febianne
Published: February 2018

This study aimed to compare the perception of risk analysts credit card at conventional banks and Islamic banks , case studies on the BNI and BNI Syariah in Semarang which includes the process of risk management application, credit card risk identification and appearing stagnant credit card. This study was measured using a questionnaire method is to assess the perception of risk analysts credit card at conventional banks and Islamic banks . Then to compare the perception of risk analysts credit card at conventional banks and Islamic banks performed different tests using the Mann - Whitney test because the data presented is not normal , by ten respondents . The results of the research analyst ‘s perception of the risk of credit card shows that on each item tested on conventional banks aresuperior to Islamic banks when viewed from the mean rank in Mann Whitney rank output , but this difference was not significant , so that could be said about the credit card analyst perception risk credit card at conventional banks and Islamic banks are the same .
ANALISIS TINGKAT KESEHATAN BANK BERDASARKAN RISK-BASED BANK RATING DAN PENGARUHNYA TERHADAP HARGA SAHAM
Authors: Winarsih Winarsih
Published: February 2018

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menginvestigasi tingkat kesehatan bank berdasarkan risk-based bank rating(RBBR) dan pengaruhnya terhadap harga saham dengan menggunakan perspektif signaling theory untuk menjelaskan hubungan antar variabel. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalahdata sekunder, dengan teknik pengambilan sampel purposive sampling. Sampel yang memenuhi kriteria sebanyak 28 perusahaan dan teknik analisis data menggunakan persamaan regresi berganda dengan bantuan program SPSS versi 19. Hasil pengujian secara statistik menunjukkan bahwa Loanto Deposit Ratio (LDR) tidak terbukti berpengaruh positif terhadap harga saham. Sedangkan Good corporate governance, Return On Equity (ROE) dan Capital Adequacy Ratio(CAR) terbukti berpengaruh positif terhadap harga saham.
QAUL SHAHABI DAN APLIKASINYA DALAM FIQH KONTEMPORER
Authors: Nizar Muchamad Choirun
Published: February 2018

Dinamika perkembangan hukum Islam tidak dapat terlepas dari disiplin ilmu ushul fiqh yang memiliki sejumlah metodologi sebagai dalil serta landasan untuk berijtihad. Qaul Shahabi menjadi salah satu dari dalil yang digunakan oleh Ulama Fiqh dalam mengatasi problematika yang terjadi di kalangan umat Islam. Qaul shahabi ialah perihal satu orang shahabah mengemukakan sebuah pendapat kemudian menyebar di kalangan shahabah lainnya, tanpa diketahui seorang shahabat pun yang menentang. Qaul Shahabi menjadi eksis sebagai salah satu rujukan hukum Islam sejak masa Tabi�in. Kehujjahan qaul shahabi diperselisihkan oleh kalangan Ulama. Imam Malik, Ar Razi, Hanafiyyah, Asy Syafi�i dengan Qaul Qadim beliau dan Ahmad bin Hanbal menerima Qaul Shahabi sebagai hujjah. Sedangkan Ulama Asya�irah, Mu�tazilah, Asy Syafi�i dengan Qaul Jadid beliau, Ulama� Syi�ah, Al Karkhi, Ulama Kontemporer Madzhab Maliki dan Hanafi serta Ibnu Hazm menolak Qaul Shahabi sebagai hujjah. Sama halnya dengan hujjah lain, Qaul Shahabi juga dapat menjadi rujukan bagi permasalahan kontemporer. Perbedaan pendapat Ulama tentang penggunaan Qaul Shahabi sebagai hujjah berpengaruh pada aplikasinya dalam fiqh kontemporer.
INFORMASI DATA REKAM MEDIS PASIEN DI RS BEDAH MITRA KABUPATEN LAMONGAN DENGAN METODE NAIVE BAYES DAN CLUSTERING DALAM PENENTUAN PENYAKIT HYPERTENSI
Authors: Mauladi Kemal Farouq
Published: February 2018

Medical records have a very broad sense, not only as a recording activity, but has a notion as a system of medical record recordings that start recording during the patient get medical service, followed by handling medical records file that includes the storage and the release of files from the storage for Serve requests or loans if from patients or for other purposes.
Documents of patient medical record data from patient card data, especially patients with hypertension who at the time of control to the partner surgery hospital will from the medical record card document will be scanned or scanned into computer data base as data base storage efficiently and regularly , To then be tested with data mining by using clustering and naive baiyes to determine the number of patients based on the place or area of patients who are frequently treated at the partner surgical hospital.
SISTEM PAKAR DIAGNOSA OVERHEATING PADA KENDARAAN BERSISTEM PENDINGIN AIR (LIQUID COOLING SYSTEM)
Authors: Sandrayanto Adika Nur , Mauladi Kemal Farouq
Published: February 2018

overheating, backward elimination, certainly factor, radiator
Ecological and Environmental Study of Eupatorium adenophorum Sprengel (Banmara) with Reference to its Gall Formation in Gorkha-Langtang Route, Nepal
Authors: Shrestha Keshav , Wilson Emma , Gay Honer
Published: February 2018

Eupatorium adenophorum Sprengel is a forest killer widely spreading as weed in Nepal. A study on its ecology and utilization was carried out in central Nepal with reference to its gall formation. This banmara is attacked by Procecidochares utilis, a gall which causes metabolic and physical damage to the plant. The main field survey was done in Gorkha-Langtang area and compared with the phenomenon with that of Kathmandu Valley. It has been found that the index of exposure has no effect on the plant growth; pH also has no effect where as soil and gall formation has some effect on plant growth. Artemisia vulgaris and Urtica dioca were commonly found in association with Eupatorium adenophorum. Though the plant acts as forest killer, some beneficial phenomena were also recorded.Key words: Correlation coefficient; Gall formation; index of exposure; life cycle; quadratesJournal of Natural History Museum Vol. 23, 2008 Page 108-124
Clinical and Radiographic Efficacy of Portland Cement as Pulpotomy Material in Human Primary Molar
Authors: Santa Kamrun Nahar , Bashar A.K.M. , Hossain Mozammal , Sheikh Md. Hannan , Alim Md. Abdul , Moral Ali Asgor
Published: February 2018

Mineral trioxide aggregates (MTA) has been considered one of the most effective pulpotomy materials as it induces the formation of dentine at a greater rate with superior structural integrity, minimal inflammation and nominal hyperplasia. Portland cement (PC), posing the principal chemical elements with similar mechanisms of action, physical properties and biocompatibility like MTA, may be considered as effective alternative for the same. So, the objective of the study was to compare the clinical and radiographic outcome of Portland cement and mineral trioxide aggregates as pulpotomy material in primary teeth. A total of 40 patients having deep carious primary tooth with mild thermal sensitivity were enrolled in this study. Pulpotomy 20 patients were treated with Portland cement and the remaining 20 patients were treated with mineral trioxide aggregates, those considered as group A and group B respectively. Then, clinical and radiological examinations were performed at 3, 6 and 12 months interval to investigate the incidence of postoperative pain, swelling, dentinal bridge formation and root resorption. After a period of one year, a total of 60.0% teeth treated by Portland Cement and 50.0% teeth treated by MTA group came out successfully both clinically and radiographically. All these treated teeth that came out successful remained vital having no pain clinically along with radiological evidence of dentin bridge formation and absence of internal resorption. The difference between the tested groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05). It can be considered that Portland cement (PC) can also be used as successful pulpotomy material as an effective and economic substitute of MTA.
Commoditization of Rural Lands in the Semi-Arid Region of Chile—The Case of the Huentelauquén Agricultural Community
Authors: Gallardo Fernández Gloria , Saunders Fred
Published: February 2018

The agri-pastoralist communities of the semi-arid region of Chile, with their unusual common land ownership, have not escaped economic neo-liberalism. The general pattern of insatiable demand of land for agricultural production, mining, energy generation and real-estate development has become a challenge for these communities. How are these processes affecting the traditional practices of these localized agri-food systems, based on rain-fed-agriculture, pastoralism and the fading practice of transhumance? In this article, we look at how the Huentelauquén Agricultural Community in the Canela Commune has dealt with, reacted to, and been affected by regional economic shifts geared towards market liberalization. In particular, we analyze the structural changes in the community in regard to alienation of the commons and changes in land tenure. Qualitative interviews were conducted with key informants in this setting. To provide a richer contextual setting, this article draws on several other empirically-based works on the commons’ emergence and evolution, land commoditization and local struggles for livelihoods. Our study shows that a community can adopt different strategies when dealing with powerful sectoral development that can involve resistance as well as positioning that seeks to find favorable terms of engagement. Our findings highlight that processes affecting the traditional commons are resulting in the re-appropriation and re-occupation of the land. This is resulting in social differentiation, weakening of the community’s social bonds, depeasantization and further degradation of an already vulnerable ecosystem. In sum, these shifts are posing an existential threat to this form of traditional agri-pastoralism.
Impact of the Genetic–Environment Interaction on the Dynamic of Nitrogen Pools in Arabidopsis
Authors: Chietera Giorgiana , Chaillou Sylvain , Bedu Magali , Marmagne Anne , Masclaux-Daubresse Céline , Chardon Fabien
Published: February 2018

Mineral nutrient availability and in particular nitrogen abundance has a huge impact on plant fitness and yield, so that plants have developed sophisticated adaptive mechanisms to cope with environmental fluctuations. The vast natural variation existing among the individuals of a single species constitutes a great potential to decipher complex traits such as nutrient use efficiency. By using natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana that differ for their pattern of adaptation to nitrogen stress, we investigated the plant response to nitrate supplies ranging from 0.01 mM up to 50 mM nitrate. The biomass allocation and the different nitrogen pools in shoot and in roots were monitored to establish the nutrition status of each plant. Analysis of variation for these traits revealed genetic differences between accessions for their sensibility to nitrate availability and for their capacity to produce shoot biomass with the same nitrogen nutrition index. From the correlation matrix of all traits measured, a statistical model was formulated to predict the shoot projected area from the nitrate supply. The proposed model points out the importance of genetic variation with respect to the correlation between root thickness and amino acids content in roots. The model provides potential new targets in plant breeding for nitrogen use efficiency.
The ALMT Gene Family Performs Multiple Functions in Plants
Authors: Liu Jie , Zhou Meixue
Published: February 2018

The aluminium activated malate transporter (ALMT) gene family is named after the first member of the family identified in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The product of this gene controls resistance to aluminium (Al) toxicity. ALMT genes encode transmembrane proteins that function as anion channels and perform multiple functions involving the transport of organic anions (e.g., carboxylates) and inorganic anions in cells. They share a PF11744 domain and are classified in the Fusaric acid resistance protein-like superfamily, CL0307. The proteins typically have five to seven transmembrane regions in the N-terminal half and a long hydrophillic C-terminal tail but predictions of secondary structure vary. Although widely spread in plants, relatively little information is available on the roles performed by other members of this family. In this review, we summarized functions of ALMT gene families, including Al resistance, stomatal function, mineral nutrition, microbe interactions, fruit acidity, light response and seed development.
A Comparison of Cats (Felis silvestris catus) Housed in Groups and Single Cages at a Shelter: A Retrospective Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Suchak Malini , Lamica Jacalyn
Published: February 2018

The merits of various housing options for domestic cats in shelters have been debated. However, comparisons are difficult to interpret because cats are typically not able to be randomly assigned to different housing conditions. In the current study, we attempted to address some of these issues by creating a retrospective matched cohort of cats in two housing types. Cats in group housing (GH) were matched with cats in single housing (SH) that were the same age, sex, breed, coat color, and size. Altogether we were able to find a match for 110 GH cats. We compared these two groups on several measures related to their experience at the shelter such as moves and the development of behavioral problems. We also compared these groups on outcomes including length of stay, live release, and returns after adoption. We found that while the frequency of moves was similar in both groups, SH cats were more likely to be moved to offsite facilities than GH cats. SH cats also spent a smaller proportion of time on the adoption floor. Length of stay and, live release and returns after adoption did not significantly differ across groups, however GH cats were two times as likely to be returned after adoption. Future research should look at the behavioral impacts of shelter decision-making regarding moving and management of cats in different housing systems.
Validity of the Nintendo Wii Balance Board for Kinetic Gait Analysis
Authors: Eguchi Ryo , Takahashi Masaki
Published: February 2018

The Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB) has been suggested as an inexpensive, portable and accessible alternative to costly laboratory-grade force plates for measuring the vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) and center of pressure (COP). Kinetic gait analysis provides important information for the rehabilitation of patients with gait disorders; however, the validity of the WBB for measuring kinetic gait parameters has not been evaluated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy of walking force measurements—which change dynamically in a short period of stance time—collected with the WBB. Three healthy adults were asked to walk 10 steps along both straight and curved paths in clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) directions while measurements were taken using the WBB and the force plate. The accuracy of the vGRF, COP trajectory, and stance duration were evaluated using the root-mean-square error (RMSE), Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman plots (BAPs) to compare the WBB and the force plate. The results of the vGRF showed high accuracy (r > 0.96 and %RMSE < 6.1% in the mean values), and the stance duration as defined by the vGRF and COP trajectory was equivalent to that of commercial instrumented insoles, which are used as an alternative to the force plates. From these results, we determined that the WBB may be used for kinetic gait analysis in clinical settings where lower accuracy is acceptable.
Study of Standing-Wave Thermoacoustic Electricity Generators for Low-Power Applications
Authors: Piccolo Antonio
Published: February 2018

This paper is concerned with the study of low-cost, low-power thermoacoustic electricity generators. Based on target electrical output power values of 50 and 100 W, three standing wave prototypes (of both one-stage and two-stage prototypes) integrating a commercial loudspeaker with different coupling arrangements are conceived. Each stage consists of a square-pore stack sandwiched between hot and ambient heat exchangers. The working gas is air at atmospheric pressure. The prototypes’ efficiency in converting heat to electrical power is simulated by the specialized Design Environment for Low-Amplitude ThermoAcoustic Engines (DeltaEC) design tool based on the linear theory of thermoacoustics. At a given operation frequency, the optimal impedance matching between the loudspeaker and the engine is realized by adjusting both the engine parameters (stack location, stack length, heat exchangers length, loudspeaker location) and loudspeaker parameters (load resistance and box volume). Computations reveal that the one-stage engine and two-stage engine with loudspeakers coupled in side-branch mode are able to meet the target output power values with comparable thermal-to-electric efficiency (4.6%). The two-stage engine with the loudspeaker coupled in push–pull mode is unable to reach the desired power output and is characterized by low conversion efficiencies (2%) due to the poor loudspeaker–engine acoustic impedance matching.
Study on the Properties of 1319 nm Ultra-High Reflector Deposited by Electron Beam Evaporation Assisted by an Energetic RF Ion Source
Authors: Deng Songwen , Li Gang , Wang Feng , Lv Qipeng , Sun Long , Jin Yuqi
Published: February 2018

Ultra-high reflectors, working as a critical optical component, has been widely applied as a cavity mirror in fine optical systems such as laser gyro, F-P interferometer, etc. For decades, ion beam sputtering (IBS) technology, which can deposit ultra-low loss and dense layers, has been commonly believed to be the only and irreplaceable method to fabricate ultra-high reflectors. Thus, reports on other methods are rare and a reflectivity above 99.99% obtained by evaporation technology (including ion assisted evaporation) has not been seen yet. In the present study, an energetic radio frequency (RF) ion source was introduced during the electron beam evaporation process, which improved the layer quality dramatically. An ultra-high reflector at 1319 nm with reflectivity of 99.992% (measured by cavity-ring down method) was successfully deposited on a φ100 mm × 25 mm single crystal silicon substrate whose surface roughness was approximately 0.420 nm. The surface figure of the reflector was accurately controlled superior to 1/6λ (λ = 632.8 nm). The measured absorption was approximately 3–5 ppm and the calculated scatter based on surface roughness measurement was approximately 6.64 ppm. Total loss of the reflector was systematically discussed. This study showed that it is possible to apply electron beam evaporation in ultra-high reflector manufacture and the method is capable of depositing reflectors with an aperture larger than φ600 mm which is the maximum capacity of current IBS technology.
Coefficients Calculation in Pascal Approximation for Passive Filter Design
Authors: Kasapoglu George , Karagianni Evangelia , Fafalios Michael , Koukos Ioannis
Published: February 2018

The recently modified Pascal function is further exploited in this paper in the design of passive analog filters. The Pascal approximation has non-equiripple magnitude, in contrast of the most well-known approximations, such as the Chebyshev approximation. A novelty of this work is the introduction of a precise method that calculates the coefficients of the Pascal function. Two examples are presented for the passive design to illustrate the advantages and the disadvantages of the Pascal approximation. Moreover, the values of the passive elements can be taken from tables, which are created to define the normalized values of these elements for the Pascal approximation, as Zverev had done for the Chebyshev, Elliptic, and other approximations. Although Pascal approximation can be implemented to both passive and active filter designs, a passive filter design is addressed in this paper, and the benefits and shortcomings of Pascal approximation are presented and discussed.
Effect of Carbon Concentration on the Sputtering of Carbon-Rich SiC Bombarded by Helium Ions
Authors: Liang Xinghao , Li Yang , Zhao Qiang , Zhang Zheng , Ouyang Xiaoping
Published: February 2018

Silicon carbide (SiC) is considered as an important material for nuclear engineering due to its excellent properties. Changing the carbon content in SiC can regulate and control its elastic and thermodynamic properties, but a simulation study of the effect of carbon content on the sputtering (caused by the helium ions) of SiC is still lacking. In this work, we used the Monte-Carlo and molecular dynamics simulation methods to study the effects of carbon concentration, incidence energy, incident angle, and target temperature on the sputtering yield of SiC. The results show that the incident ions’ energy and angle have a significant effect on sputtering yield of SiC when the carbon concentration in SiC is around 62 at %, while the target temperature has a little effect on the sputtering yield of SiC. Our work might provide theoretical support for the experimental research and engineering application of carbon fiber-reinforced SiC that be used as the plasma-facing material in tokamak fusion reactors.
Harmonic Analysis of Single-Phase Neutral-Point-Clamped Cascaded Inverter in Advanced Traction Power Supply System Based on the Big Triangular Carrier Equivalence Method
Authors: Han Pengcheng , He Xiaoqiong , Wang Yi , Ren Haijun , Peng Xu , Shu Zeliang
Published: February 2018

An advanced traction power supply system based on a single phase neutral-point-clamped (NPC) cascaded inverter is studied. The big triangular carrier equivalence method in double coordinate system is proposed, which can reduce one coordinate system, thus simplifying the calculation. Based on the big triangular carrier equivalence method, the harmonic characteristics of a single phase NPC cascaded inverter are calculated by double Fourier transform and voltage harmonics expressions of 5-level, 9-level and 13-level output waveforms are derived. Finally, the performance and calculated results of the proposed method were verified by simulations and experiments. The result provides a theoretical basis for further studies on traction network resonance.
Challenges of Microgrids in Remote Communities: A STEEP Model Application
Authors: Akinyele Daniel , Belikov Juri , Levron Yoash
Published: February 2018

There is a growing interest in the application of microgrids around the world because of their potential for achieving a flexible, reliable, efficient and smart electrical grid system and supplying energy to off-grid communities, including their economic benefits. Several research studies have examined the application issues of microgrids. However, a lack of in-depth considerations for the enabling planning conditions has been identified as a major reason why microgrids fail in several off-grid communities. This development requires research efforts that consider better strategies and framework for sustainable microgrids in remote communities. This paper first presents a comprehensive review of microgrid technologies and their applications. It then proposes the STEEP model to examine critically the failure factors based on the social, technical, economic, environmental and policy (STEEP) perspectives. The model details the key dimensions and actions necessary for addressing the challenge of microgrid failure in remote communities. The study uses remote communities within Nigeria, West Africa, as case studies and demonstrates the need for the STEEP approach for better understanding of microgrid planning and development. Better insights into microgrid systems are expected to address the drawbacks and improve the situation that can lead to widespread and sustainable applications in off-grid communities around the world in the future. The paper introduces the sustainable planning framework (SPF) based on the STEEP model, which can form a general basis for planning microgrids in any remote location.
Correction: Shelly Y. Shih; et al.; Applications of Probe Capture Enrichment Next Generation Sequencing for Whole Mitochondrial Genome and 426 Nuclear SNPs for Forensically Challenging Samples. Genes 2018, 9, 49
Authors: Shih Shelly , Bose Nikhil , Gonçalves Anna , Erlich Henry , Calloway Cassandra
Published: February 2018

The authors wish to make the following change to their paper [1][...]
Addendum: Iwaszko et al., Influence of NKG2D Genetic Variants on Response to Anti-TNF Agents in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Genes 2018, 9, 64
Authors: Iwaszko Milena , Świerkot Jerzy , Kolossa Katarzyna , Jeka Sławomir , Wiland Piotr , Bogunia-Kubik Katarzyna
Published: February 2018

It has been brought to our attention that the funding of the National Center of Science (Poland) was missing in the acknowledgements section of our published paper [1], and therefore we would like to add this and report the acknowledgements as follows:[...]
Exploration and Exploitation of Novel SSR Markers for Candidate Transcription Factor Genes in Lilium Species
Authors: Biswas Manosh , Nath Ujjal , Howlader Jewel , Bagchi Mita , Natarajan Sathishkumar , Kayum Md Abdul , Kim Hoy-Taek , Park Jong-In , Kang Jong-Goo , Nou Ill-Sup
Published: February 2018

Lilies (Lilium sp.) are commercially important horticultural crops widely cultivated for their flowers and bulbs. Here, we conducted large-scale data mining of the lily transcriptome to develop transcription factor (TF)-associated microsatellite markers (TFSSRs). Among 216,768 unigenes extracted from our sequence data, 6966 unigenes harbored simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Seventy-one SSRs were associated with TF genes, and these were used to design primers and validate their potential as markers. These 71 SSRs were accomplished with 31 transcription factor families; including bHLH, MYB, C2H2, ERF, C3H, NAC, bZIP, and so on. Fourteen highly polymorphic SSRs were selected based on Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) values and used to study genetic diversity and population structure in lily accessions. Higher genetic diversity was observed in Longiflorum compared to Oriental and Asiatic populations. Lily accessions were divided into three sub-populations based in our structure analysis, and an un-rooted neighbor-joining tree effectively separated the accessions according to Asiatic, Oriental, and Longiflorum subgroups. Finally, we showed that 46 of the SSR-associated genes were differentially expressed in response to Botrytis elliptica infection. Thus, our newly developed TFSSR markers represent a powerful tool for large-scale genotyping, high-density and comparative mapping, marker-aided backcrossing, and molecular diversity analysis of Lilium sp.
Ageing with HIV
Authors: McGettrick Padraig , Barco Elena Alvarez , Mallon Patrick W. G.
Published: February 2018

The population of people living with HIV (PLWH) is growing older with an estimated 4 million over the age of 50 years, a figure which has doubled since the introduction of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) and which is increasing globally. Despite effective ART, PLWH still experience excess morbidity and mortality compared to the general population with increased prevalence of age-related, non-AIDS illnesses (NAI) such as cardiovascular disease, malignancies, cognitive impairment and reduced bone mineral density, which impact disability and everyday functioning. This review will discuss the challenges presented by comorbidities in ageing PLWH and discuss the aetiology and management of age-related illnesses in this vulnerable population.