bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preference Handling in Combinatorial Domains: From AI to Social Choice
Authors: Chevaleyre Yann , Endriss Ulle , Lang Jérôme , Maudet Nicolas
Published: July 2017

In both individual and collective decision making, the space of alternatives from which the agent (or the group of agents) has to choose often has a combinatorial (or multiattribute) structure. We give an introduction to preference handling in combinatorial domains in the context of collective decision making and show that the considerable body of work on preference representation and elicitation that AI researchers have been working on for several years is particularly relevant. After giving an overview of languages for compact representation of preferences, we discuss problems in voting in combinatorial domains and then focus on multiagent resource allocation and fair division. These issues belong to a larger field, which is known as computational social choice and which brings together ideas from AI and social choice theory, to investigate mechanisms for collective decision making from a computational point of view. We conclude by briefly describing some of the other research topics studied in computational social choice.
Elicitation of Factored Utilities
Authors: Braziunas Darius , Boutilier Craig
Published: July 2017

The effective tailoring of decisions to the needs and desires of specific users requires automated mechanisms for preference assessment. We provide a brief overview of recent direct preference elicitation methods: these methods ask users to answer (ideally, a small number of) queries regarding their preferences and use this information to recommend a feasible decision that would be (approximately) optimal given those preferences. We argue for the importance of assessing numerical utilities rather than qualitative preferences and survey several utility elicitation techniques from artificial intelligence, operations research, and conjoint analysis.
Report on the Fourth International Conference on Knowledge Capture (K‐CAP 2007)
Authors: Sleeman Derek , Barker Ken , Corsar David
Published: July 2017

The Fourth International Conference on Knowledge Capture was held October 28–31, 2007, in Whistler, British Columbia. K‐CAP 2007 included two invited talks, technical papers, posters, and demonstrations. Topics included knowledge engineering and modeling methodologies, knowledge engineering and the semantic web, mixed‐initiative planning and decision‐support tools, acquisition of problem‐solving knowledge, knowledge‐based markup techniques, knowledge extraction systems, knowledge acquisition tools, and advice‐taking systems.
The AAAI 2008 Robotics and Creativity Workshop
Authors: Kim Youngmoo E. , Oh Paul , Jenkins Odest Chadwicke
Published: July 2017

The AAAI 2008 Robotics and Creativity Workshop was held in Chicago on July 14, 2008, and was immediately followed by the three‐day Robotics Exhibition. In 2008, the AAAI Robotics organizers eschewed the previous format of a Robot Competition, choosing instead to focus on groundbreaking work representing two areas of robotics: creativity and mobility and manipulation (detailed in a separate article). Both workshops were held on July 14, and the Robotics Exhibition included participants from both categories. The Robotics and Creativity Workshop was made possible through the support of the National Science Foundation's CreativeIT program and Microsoft Research.
Robots and Avatars as Hosts, Advisors, Companions, and Jesters
Authors: Rich Charles , Sidner Candace L.
Published: July 2017

A convergence of technical progress in AI and robotics has renewed the dream of building artificial entities that will play significant and worthwhile roles in our human lives. We highlight the shared themes in some recent projects aimed toward this goal.
SARA 2009: The Eighth Symposium on Abstraction, Reformulation, and Approximation
Authors: Bulitko Vadim , Beck J. Christopher
Published: July 2017

This article reports on the Eighth Symposium on Abstraction, Reformulation, and Approximation. The symposium took place in July 2009 in Lake Arrowhead, California.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Question Answering
Authors: Gunning David , Chaudhri Vinay K. , Welty Chris
Published: July 2017

This special issue issue of AI Magazine presents six articles on some of the most interesting question‐answering systems in development today. Included are articles on Vulcan's Project Halo, Cyc's Semantic Research Assistant, IBM's Watson, True Knowledge, and the University of Washington's TextRunner.
The 2008 Classic Paper Award: Summary and Significance
Authors: Friedland Peter
Published: July 2017

We at the NASA laboratory believed that our best work came when we simultaneously advanced AI theory and provided immediately usable solutions for current NASA problems. “Solving Large‐Scale Constraint Satisfaction and Scheduling Problems Using a Heuristic Repair Method,” by Steve Minton, Mark Johnston, Andy Phillips, and Phil Laird clearly achieved both. It proved that local search and repair was applicable to a wide class of constraint‐satisfaction problems and clearly explicated the theory behind that proof.
Special Issue on Structured Knowledge Transfer
Authors: Shapiro Daniel G. , Munoz‐Avila Hector , Stracuzzi David
Published: July 2017

This issue summarizes the state of the art in structured knowledge transfer, which is an emerging approach to the problem of knowledge acquisition and reuse. Its goal is to capture, in a general form, the internal structure of the objects, relations, strategies, and processes used to solve tasks drawn from a source domain, and exploit that knowledge to improve performance in a target domain.
Knowledge Transfer between Automated Planners
Authors: Fernández Susana , Aler Ricardo , Borrajo Daniel
Published: July 2017

In this article, we discuss the problem of transferring search heuristics from one planner to another. More specifically, we demonstrate how to transfer the domain‐dependent heuristics acquired by one planner into a second planner. Our motivation is to improve the efficiency and the efficacy of the second planner by allowing it to use the transferred heuristics to capture domain regularities that it would not otherwise recognize. Our experimental results show that the transferred knowledge does improve the second planner's performance on novel tasks over a set of seven benchmark planning domains.
Transfer Learning by Reusing Structured Knowledge
Authors: Yang Qiang , Zheng Vincent W. , Li Bin , Zhuo Hankz Hankui
Published: July 2017

Transfer learning aims to solve new learning problems by extracting and making use of the common knowledge found in related domains. A key element of transfer learning is to identify structured knowledge to enable the knowledge transfer. Structured knowledge comes in different forms, depending on the nature of the learning problem and characteristics of the domains. In this article, we describe three of our recent works on transfer learning in a progressively more sophisticated order of the structured knowledge being transferred. We show that optimization methods and techniques inspired by the concerns of data reuse can be applied to extract and transfer deep structural knowledge between a variety of source and target problems. In our examples, this knowledge spans explicit data labels, model parameters, relations between data clusters, and relational action descriptions.
The Sixth International Conference on Intelligent Environments (IE 10): A Report
Authors: Callaghan Vic , Egerton Simon , Kameas Achilles , Satoh Ichiro
Published: July 2017

The Sixth International Conference on Intelligent Environments (IE 10) was held July 19–21 at the Sunway campus of Monash University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This article presents a report of the conference.
Cancer: A Computational Disease That AI Can Cure
Authors: Tenenbaum Jay M. , Shrager Jeff
Published: July 2017

Cancer kills millions of people each year. From an AI perspective, finding effective treatments for cancer is a high‐dimensional search problem characterized by many molecularly distinct cancer subtypes, many potential targets and drug combinations, and a dearth of high‐quality data to connect molecular subtypes and treatments to responses. The broadening availability of molecular diagnostics and electronic medical records presents both opportunities and challenges to apply AI techniques to personalize and improve cancer treatment. We discuss these in the context of Cancer Commons, a “rapid learning” community where patients, physicians, and researchers collect and analyze the molecular and clinical data from every cancer patient and use these results to individualize therapies. Research opportunities include adaptively planning and executing individual treatment experiments across the whole patient population, inferring the causal mechanisms of tumors, predicting drug response in individuals, and generalizing these findings to new cases. The goal is to treat each patient in accord with the best available knowledge and to continually update that knowledge to benefit subsequent patients. Achieving this goal is a worthy grand challenge for AI.
CPT calibration and analysis for a carbonate sand
Authors: Giretti D. , Been K. , Fioravante V. , Dickenson S.
Published: July 2017

This paper describes a project-based cone penetration test (CPT) calibration on a carbonate sand fill that was hydraulically placed and subsequently densified by vibrocompaction. The project involved the development of an artificial island constructed offshore from the United Arab Emirates for oil and gas production. Carbonate sands have crushable grains and can be significantly more compressible than silica sands, so it was determined that the semi-empirical CPT-based correlations for silica sands were not applicable and a soil-specific calibration was needed for post-densification characterisation of density, shear strength and compressibility. The CPT calibration investigation was primarily undertaken in a centrifuge, and then checked with supplementary tests in a large calibration chamber. In this paper, analysis of the calibration data follows three different threads for comparison with more typical siliceous sands: (a) relationships between CPT tip resistance, void ratio and vertical effective stress; (b) a relationship between CPT tip resistance and state parameter; and (c) an approach based on cavity expansion theory, which provides predictive capability for the CPT once soil properties have been measured in the laboratory. The test results are compared with silica sands, in terms of void ratio or the state parameter ψ.
Challenges of civil engineering megaprojects in North America
Authors: Delatte Norbert J
Published: July 2017

In many respects, megaprojects define the civil engineering profession, going back to the Panama Canal and the Hoover dam. They present many challenges. By definition, they are large, innovative projects that have never been done before. The Boston Central Artery/Tunnel and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge are now in service and by all accounts are performing well. However, these both had large cost overruns and concerns about quality and lengthy construction delays. The Central Artery/Tunnel also suffered a fatal ceiling collapse. Megaprojects require careful management. Owners and builders must be transparent and responsive to open record requests. Public employees should be empowered to bring forward concerns about quality and safety issues. The agencies should establish reliable open channels of communication with the public. Cost estimates should consider risk and provide for both best and worst cases. Independent inspection agencies should be established to provide oversight of large projects.
O processo de ensino e aprendizagem do esporte na escola na perspectiva dos professores de Educação Física
Authors: Taques Marcelo José , Madrid Silvia Christina De Oliveira
Published: July 2017

Este artigo tem por desígnio apresentar um recorte da pesquisa realizada junto ao Programa de Pós-Graduação Mestrado e Doutorado em Educação da UEPG/PR e do grupo de estudos e pesquisas em Educação Física escolar e formação de professores – GEPEFE/CNPq. Objetivo: evidenciar alguns elementos básicos sobre os saberes e estratégias que os professores apresentam sobre o esporte e as ferramentas que podem ser adotadas com esse conhecimento, durante as aulas de Educação Física, nos anos finais do ensino fundamental. Método: a pesquisa é qualitativa com delineamento pautado na pesquisa de campo; utilizamos como instrumento para a coleta de dados o questionário aberto, destinado a todos os professores de Educação Física de duas instituições de ensino públicas estaduais do município de Guarapuava-PR. A técnica de análise de dados foi pautada na Análise de Conteúdo, a partir da delimitação da categorização, a qual foi desenvolvida a partir do agrupamento e da seleção das respostas que apresentavam semelhanças e significados relevantes para a reflexão da temática. Resultados: buscamos contribuir com reflexões, discussões e possíveis ações docentes para o ensino do esporte na escola, numa perspectiva pedagógica, bem como valorizar o processo de pesquisa que possibilitem novos estudos à luz do desenvolvimento do esporte no contexto escolar, uma vez que observamos que as práticas docentes são abordadas de diversas maneiras. Considerações finais: um processo de reflexão sobre as práticas pedagógicas vem sendo desenvolvido no contexto do ensino fundamental; dessa forma, torna-se necessário uma sistematização do conhecimento e uma análise criteriosa na organização das estratégias metodológicas que podem ser adotadas.
Ideação Suicida em Adolescentes de 15 a 18 Anos Estudantes do Ensino Médio da Microrregião de São Carlos/SP
Authors: Lucas Azzis Ferreira De Luca  , Diene Aparecida De Oliveira Costa  , Richard Maxwell De Souza
Published: July 2017

As taxas de suicídio no mundo têm aumentado significativamente. Segundo dados de 2014 da Organização Mundial de Saúde, aproximadamente 804 mil pessoas cometem suicídio todos os anos, o que significa que a cada 40 segundos uma pessoa tira sua própria vida. Assim, o objetivo dessa pesquisa é identificar se adolescentes da microrregião de São Carlos (estado de São Paulo, Brasil) apresentam ideação suicida. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo com adolescentes na faixa de 15 a 18 anos de idade que cursavam o 1º e o 3º ano do Ensino Médio em uma escola pública da cidade mencionada anteriormete. Como instrumento de pesquisa foi utilizado um Questionário Sociodemográfico e de Investigação de Ideação Suicida (elaborado por Lucas Azzis Ferreira de Luca, autor da pesquisa). Como resultado, encontrou-se a existência de ideação suicida em 40% dos adolescentes pesquisados e à cerca desses casos: 66% relatam relação familiar ruim; 41,6% relatam sentimento de infelicidade consigo mesmo; 41,6% declararam sentimento de infelicidade com terceiros, 33,3% dizem ter relação ruim com amigos, 25% dizem que possuem relação escolar ruim; 16,6% fazem uso de drogas e 8,3% descrença em um Deus. Baseado nos dados obtidos, sugere-se que os principais fatores associados à ideação suicida em adolescentes estudantes do ensino médios estão alicerçados em 4 pontos: o relacionamento familiar, relacionamentos afetivos, relacionamento escolar e o sentimento de infelicidade.
Diferenciação Genética de Gêmeos Monozigóticos: Uma Importante Evidência para Área Forense
Authors: Laís Ubaldo Antonio  , Margaret Mitiko Inada Pereira  , Joyce Aparecida Martins Lopes Ferraz
Published: July 2017

Gêmeos monozigóticos (MZ) derivam de um único zigoto e geralmente são indistinguíveis pela realização do teste genético padrão, o qual avalia marcadores do tipo repetições curtas consecutivas (Short Tandem Repeats, STR) que apenas confirmam a monozigosidade destes indivíduos. Contudo, outros marcadores genéticos estão sendo analisados para a diferenciação dos mesmos. O objetivo do presente artigo é apresentar, através de uma revisão bibliográfica, as tecnologias utilizadas para se obter a diferenciação de gêmeos MZ e as evidências genéticas que corroboram tais dados. Para isso, foram selecionados 68 artigos científicos sendo que seis destes tratavam especificamente do referido tema, mostrando a deficiência de estudos nesta área. Os descritores utilizados foram DNA, gêmeos monozigóticos, genética e diferenciação celular. Apenas em um caso, um padrão tri-alélico extremamente raro no marcador STR vWA foi utilizado para solucionar um caso criminal com gêmeos MZ. Por outro lado, a análise de polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, SNP) nucleares e do perfil de metilação do DNA têm se mostrado eficientes na diferenciação de gêmeos MZ. Além disso, a genotipagem do DNA mitocondrial também revelou diferentes perfis de SNPs entre estes indivíduos, com a vantagem do sequenciamento do genoma mitocondrial ser mais barato que o nuclear e ter maior possibilidade de tipagem em amostras com DNA degradado ou ausente. A identificação de SNPs em diferentes tecidos possibilitou detectar mutações capazes de diferenciar gêmeos MZ auxiliando em investigações de paternidade pois tais mutações podem ser herdadas pelos filhos.
Wind speed characteristics and implications for wind power generation: Cape regions, South Africa
Authors: Wright Marc A. , Grab Stefan W.
Published: July 2017

Spatio-temporal dynamics of near-surface wind speeds were examined across the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape regions of South Africa. The regions assessed were geographically subdivided into three zones: coastal, coastal hinterland and inland. Wind speed data (10 m) were evaluated at monthly, seasonal, annual and zonal resolutions, with the aim to establish wind speed attributes and trends. Data from 19 weather stations with high-resolution wind records between 1995 and 2014 were evaluated. The majority of stations (79%) recorded a decrease in mean annual wind speed over the study period. The mean rate of decrease across all stations over the 20-year period equates to -1.25%, quantifying to an annual decrease of -0.002 m/s/year (-0.06% pa). The largest seasonal decline of -0.006 m/s/year (-0.15% pa) was recorded in summer. Statistically significant declines in mean annual wind speed are somewhat more pronounced for the coastal zone (-0.003 m/s/year, -0.08% pa) than over interior regions (-0.002 m/s/year, -0.06% pa) for the study period. The largest decrease (-0.08% pa) was recorded for the coastal zone, followed by the inland zone (-0.06% pa), equating to an annual reduction in available energy of 0.18% pa and 0.09% pa, respectively. When considering all stations over the study period, the mean inter-annual variability is 3.11%. Despite such decreases in wind speed, the variance identified in this study would not have posed any risk to power generation from wind across the assessed stations, based on the period 1995 to 2014.

Significance: 

Mean recorded wind speed decreases have been marginal under recent (last 20 years) climatic conditions and change, thus adding confidence to the justification by the South African government to procure additional wind-generated electricity capacity.
Wind speed trends and variance measured over the research period (1995–2014) for the Cape stations in this study, would not have posed any risk to power generation from wind.
Only four stations (28.6%) recorded statistically significant trends at the 0.05% level; of these 75% were decreasing trends.
Coastal zones recorded a statistically larger decrease in mean wind speed compared to inland regions.
When considering all stations over the period 1995–2014, the mean inter-annual variability is 3.11%.
Extreme 1-day rainfall distributions: Analysing change in the Western Cape
Authors: De Waal Jan H. , Chapman Arthur , Kemp Jaco
Published: July 2017

Severe floods in the Western Cape Province of South Africa have caused significant damage to property and infrastructure over the past decade (2003–2014). The hydrological design criteria for exposed structures and design flood calculations are based mostly on the implicit assumption of stationarity, which holds that natural systems vary within an envelope of variability that does not change with time. This assumption was tested by examining the changes in extreme 1-day rainfall high percentiles (95th and 98th) and both the 20- and 50-year return period rainfall, comparing the period 1950–1979 against that of 1980–2009 across the province. A generalised Pareto distribution and a peaks-over-threshold sampling approach was applied to 76 rainfall stations across the province. Of these stations, 48 (63%) showed an increase in the 50-year return period 1-day rainfall and 28 (37%) showed a decrease in the 1980–2009 period at the 95th percentile peaks-over-threshold. At the 98th percentile peaks-over-threshold, 49 stations (64%) observed an increase and 27 (36%) a decrease for the later period. The change in the number of 3-day storms from the first to the second period is negligible, evaluated at 0.9% and 0.5% at the 95th and 98th percentile peaks-over-threshold levels, using cluster analysis. While there is no clear spatial coherency to the results, the general trend indicates an increase in frequency of intense rainfalls in the latter half of the 20th and early 21st centuries. These results bring into question assumptions of stationarity commonly used in design rainfall.

Significance: 

63% of analysed rainfall stations in the Western Cape display an increase in 20- and 50-year 1-day rainfall extremes.
The results challenge the current assumptions of climate stationarity made in design rainfall estimations.
We propose an alternative methodology to rainfall extremes analysis for design flood estimation.
The methods employed can be replicated by future studies in other regions.
importance of monitoring the Greater Agulhas Current and its inter-ocean exchanges using large mooring arrays
Authors: Morris Tamaryn , Hermes Juliet , Bea Lisa , Du Plessis Marcel , Duncombe Rae Christopher , Gulekana Mthuthuzeli , Lamont Tarron , Speich Sabrina , Roberts Michael , Ansorge Isabelle J.
Published: July 2017

The 2013 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, using CMIP5 and EMIC model outputs suggests that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) is very likely to weaken by 11–34% over the next century, with consequences for global rainfall and temperature patterns. However, these coupled, global climate models cannot resolve important oceanic features such as the Agulhas Current and its leakage around South Africa, which a number of studies have suggested may act to balance MOC weakening in the future. To properly understand oceanic changes and feedbacks on anthropogenic climate change we need to substantially improve global ocean observations, particularly within boundary current regions such as the Agulhas Current, which represent the fastest warming regions across the world’s oceans. The South African science community, in collaboration with governing bodies and international partners, has recently established one of the world’s most comprehensive observational networks of a western boundary current system, measuring the Greater Agulhas Current System and its inter-ocean exchanges south of Africa. This observational network, through its design for long-term monitoring, collaborative coordination of resources and skills sharing, represents a model for the international community. We highlight progress of the new Agulhas System Climate Array, as well as the South African Meridional Overturning Circulation programme, which includes the Crossroads and GoodHope hydrographic transects, and the South Atlantic MOC Basin-wide Array. We also highlight some of the ongoing challenges that the programmes still face.

Significance: 

Large mooring arrays have been successfully deployed to monitor the Greater Agulhas Current system.
Capacity development is ongoing, although established, in marine science around South Africa.
Challenges exist with regard to retention of skilled staff, resources and funding.
extent of South African authored articles in predatory journals
Authors: Mouton Johann , Valentine Astrid
Published: July 2017

We present a first estimate of the extent of predatory publishing amongst South African academics. This estimate is based on an analysis of all South African authored papers that qualified for subsidy over the period 2005 to 2014. The analysis shows that 4246 South African papers were published in 48 journals which we re-classified (refining Beall’s classification) as either being probably or possibly predatory. A breakdown of these papers by year shows that the greatest increase in predatory publishing has occurred since 2011. Results are also presented of the distribution of these papers by individual university and scientific field. We conclude with some suggestions about predatory publishing and its pervasive consequence for our trust in science and how this should be addressed by the major stakeholders in the South African higher education system.

Significance: 

This study is the first to analyse the extent of predatory publishing in South Africa.
An Examination of the Relationship between Team Cohesion and Individual Anxiety among Recreational Soccer Players
Authors: Oh Eungwang , Gill Diane
Published: July 2017

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between cohesiveness and competitive state anxiety and the contribution of cohesion to the prediction of competitive state anxiety among recreational soccer players. The research, which was conducted over two studies with recreational soccer players (n=47 in Study 1; n=88 in Study 2), revealed negative relationships between sub-dimensions of cohesion and cognitive and somatic state anxiety. Further, individual attraction to the group-task (ATG-T) contributed significantly to the prediction of state anxiety beyond the contribution of competitive trait anxiety. The findings suggest that recreational soccer participants with high ATG-T are likely to have low competitive state anxiety.
¿Por qué jugar? Sport socialization among Hispanic/Latina female NCAA division I student-athletes
Authors: Darvin Lindsey , Cintron Alicia , Hancock Meg
Published: July 2017

Representation of Hispanics/Latinas in intercollegiate athletics is lacking. During the 2014-2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic season, only 2.2 percent of all female Division I student-athlete’s identified as Hispanic or Latina (NCAA, 2015). This low percentage of Hispanic/Latina female participants calls into question how these young women become involved in athletics and sustain their involvement within sport. While previous research has examined the socialization processes of youth athletes and parents of youth athlete participants, there is little research aimed at examining these processes for elite-level athlete participants (Dorsch, Smith, & McDonough, 2015; Greendorfer, Blinde, & Pellegrini, 1986;). Thus, the aim of this current study was to examine the potential factors that may have contributed to consistent sport participation for an elite group of Hispanic/Latina female athletes throughout their youth and collegiate careers. Participants for this study identified as current NCAA Division I Hispanic/Latina female student-athletes. Results showed that family, specifically parents and siblings, contributed to socializing Hispanic/Latina athletes into sport, while family and coaches contributed to the persistence of their athletic endeavors. Findings also show a sense of cultural indifference, youth coaches who invested in the participants long-term, and a significant involvement of the patriarch of the family in their athletic success.
Mission and Purpose
Authors: Bass Jordan
Published: July 2017

Mission and Purpose for Volume Three, Issue Two (2017)
Journal Leadership and Editorial Board
Authors: Bass Jordan
Published: July 2017

Journal Leadership and Editorial Board for Volume Three, Issue Two (2017)
Changes in the Anterior Segment After Cycloplegia With a Biometer Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography v1
Authors: Higashiyama Tomoaki
Published: July 2017

Cycloplegic agents are used routinely during the examination in pediatric patients to investigate the correct refraction without accommodation. Cycloplegia was performed using the following regimen. Cyclopentolate hydrochloride 1% (Cyplegin 1% ophthalmic solution, Santen Pharmaceutical, Osaka, Japan) was instilled three times at 10-min intervals. The measurements were obtained 60min after the last instillation. After cycloplegia was established, the lens thickness was routinely determined using the biometer, and the refraction was obtained with the autorefractometer.
As influências do marketing na educação de crianças para o consumo
Authors: Bortolatto Mario Sergio , Vanderlin André , Alberton Josué , Boeing Fabricio Loch , Willemann Simão Enkel , Zwierewicz Marlene
Published: July 2017

A presença das crianças como potenciais consumidores é uma realidade no mercado. Por outro lado, a ausência dos pais em tempo integral tem favorecido o acesso das empresas de marketing à alcançar com maior facilidade o público infantil. A justificativa para realizar esta pesquisa foi a constante necessidade de conhecer a ponte realizada pelo público infantil entre o comércio e seus consumidores, utilizando-se como ferramenta a publicidade em meios de comunicação visual, com foco específico nos meios de televisão. O trabalho teve por objetivo apresentar a ação do marketing no comportamento das crianças. Os métodos utilizados foram a pesquisa bibliográfica e a abordagem qualitativa, que possibilitaram estabelecer a compreensão do entendimento da relação existente entre o público infantil e a propaganda na televisão, a identificação de quais fatores chamam maior atenção das crianças em um comercial de televisão e o conhecimento do tempo médio de contato com a televisão e, prováveis consequências para as crianças brasileiras. Os resultados mostraram claramente a ligação da imaginação das crianças com os comerciais, onde empresas de marketing tem utilizado personagens de desenhos animados para chamar a atenção do público infantil. A principal relação encontrada foi entre personagens e produtos alimentícios, onde existe grande possibilidade que as empresas elevem as ações de marketing sobre este seguimento de mercado.
Valoración del alumnado del Grado de Educación Primaria acerca de la metodología de aprendizaje-servicio
Authors: Cámara Estrella África María , Pegalajar Palomino María del Carmen
Published: July 2017

Este trabajo describe un Proyecto de Innovación Docente basado en el uso de la metodología de Aprendizaje-Servicio para el desarrollo de las prácticas en la asignatura “Sociedad, Familia y Escuela” del Grado de Educación Primaria de la Universidad de Jaén. Se pretenden analizar las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre el desarrollo de este tipo de metodología innovadora, comparándola con el uso de metodologías tradicionales para el desarrollo en el alumnado de las competencias genéricas establecidas en el contexto europeo. Para ello, se ha utilizado un estudio descriptivo, llevándose a cabo la recogida de datos mediante un cuestionario ad hoc (n=194). Los resultados revelan datos favorables para la metodología de Aprendizaje-Servicio hacia el desarrollo de habilidades de investigación y de trabajo en grupo así como el desarrollo de competencias instrumentales contempladas en los resultados de aprendizaje de la asignatura.
Making Science Education Accessible to All
Authors: Margolin Lerman Zafra
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTMany students shy away from science. In order to attract students into studying science, creative methods for teaching and learning were developed for all levels of education, from primary school to university, and from formal to informal settings. These methods utilize the students’ talents, hobbies, interests and cultural backgrounds. Equal access to science education is a human right that belongs to all [1, 2]. If we do not guarantee science education to all, we will form a two-class society divided not by royalty and status, but by knowledge of science. The centerpiece for this method is the development of student projects, which help them to remember and understand abstract scientific concepts. An old Chinese proverb says: “I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand.” These students’ projects take advantage of seeing and remembering, doing and understanding.Through this process, students are active learners, instead of being passive observers. To demonstrate their understanding of scientific concepts through their projects, the students use a media of their choice, from drawing, dance and drama (no tech) to computer animation (high tech). Projects can also take the form of paintings, sculptures, songs, films, and scripts for theater. These projects are used as alternative assessment methods where the whole class is involved in the assessment process. In order for this method to be successful, workshops for teachers as well as parents must be conducted. This way, the students will be taught in a creative way in school and through the joint involvement of teachers and parents, students will be encouraged to pursue chemistry. After all, “it takes a village to raise a child,” as the African proverb states.
A modo de introducción… La diversidad como valor en una escuela que cambia
Authors: Tonucci Francesco
Published: July 2017

Sin resumen
Inclusive ecosystem model for the management of knowledge, training and innovation: progress, difficulties and challenges
Authors: Álvarez-Arregui Emilio , Rodríguez-Martín Alejandro , Agudo Prado Susana , Arreguit Xavier
Published: July 2017

ABSTRACTRelations between Society and Education are being reconsidered at each significant point in time based on the current situation and facts. Taking into account the possibilities and limitations of the economic, social and cultural climates, it is therefore necessary to make continuous adjustments depending on the actual stage of development of the concurrent ecosystems, considering also their integrating elements, in order to synchronize the development of shared projects in the short, medium and long term in all environments: political, business, academic and social, In this framework, we have been progressing in recent years, in both theory and practice, in the construction, the development and the implementation of an inclusive ecosystem model that integrates training, research and innovation of professionals and users to provide comprehensive answers to the needs and demands of involved organizations, institutions, as well as of the citizens in general. The ecosystem model serves as a platform to manage knowledge and a network of institutions. In this article we present some of the projects that we are supporting from the Institute of Research and Educational Innovation (INIE) of the University of Oviedo, as well as the difficulties we are encountering, the progress and future challenges.Keywords: ecosystem of training, social inclusion, didactic methodology, collaborative learning, knowledge management, teaching practice, combined teaching.RESUMENLas relaciones entre Sociedad y Educación se van reinterpretando en cada momento histórico concreto en base a circunstancias situacionales. Ante esta realidad se hace necesario realizar ajustes continuados en función del estadio de desarrollo en que se encuentren los ecosistemas concurrentes, así como elementos que los integran para sincronizar el desarrollo de proyectos compartidos a corto, medio y largo plazo en los ámbitos políticos, empresariales, académicos y sociales atendiendo a las posibilidades y límites coyunturales, situacionales y culturales. En este escenario venimos avanzando en los últimos años, desde la teoría y la práctica, en la construcción, desarrollo e implementación de un modelo ecosistémico inclusivo que integra la formación, la investigación y la innovación desde el que gestionamos el conocimiento y las redes de instituciones, de profesionales y usuarios para dar respuestas integrales a las necesidades y demandas de las organizaciones con las que interactuamos y de la ciudadanía en general. En este artículo presentamos algunos de los proyectos que estamos respaldando desde el Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Educativa (INIE) de la Universidad de Oviedo, así como las dificultades que nos estamos encontrando, los avances y los retos de futuro.Palabras Clave: ecosistema de formación, inclusión social, metodología didáctica, aprendizaje colaborativo, gestión del conocimiento, práctica docente, enseñanza combinada.
Nanoscale flow cytometry of patient plasma for the detection of prostate cancer-associated extracellular vesicles
Authors: Poon Andrew C. , Garzon Johanna , Brett Sabine , Lowerison Matthew , Williams Karla , Leong Hon S.
Published: July 2017

Introduction

Prostate cancer is the predominant cancer in men, affecting one in seven men during their lifetime. Current tests for prostate cancer include the digital rectal exam and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are submicron particles that participate in intercellular cross-talk by releasing cell mediators such as microRNA, carbohydrates and proteins. While they are known to express the broad tetraspanin family of proteins, i.e. CD9/CD63, prostate cancer-derived EVs have also been found to express PSA and six transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate (STEAP1). Traditionally, scientists have purified these EVs through ultracentrifugation. Here we propose a tandem purification of patient plasma, followed by nanoscale flow cytometry (A50+) as a novel method to detect tumour-derived EVs.

Materials and Methods

Plasma was obtained from healthy volunteers, patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and patients with metastatic prostate cancer. CD9, CD63, PSA and STEAP1 were used as primary antibodies for the purification of EVs from neat plasma. To perform the purification in tandem, Protein G immunoprecipitation using CD9 and PSA was carried out first, followed by immunoaffinity purification with biotinylated CD63 and STEAP1. First and second elutions were collected for the enumeration of dual positive events by A50+. Initial histogram overlays and bivariate plots of neat and purified plasma were computed, then exported as comma-separated values for mathematical modelling by MATLAB.

Results

Strong dual positive EV populations from patient plasma were optimised, demonstrating that the method enriches tumour-derived EVs from neat samples of patient plasma. This was observed for HVs, patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, and prostate cancer patients with Gleason 4+4. Enrichment in these purified samples was measured by A50+ and demonstrated by overlaying purified and non-purified histoplots by MATLAB. Additional results show that PSA and STEAP1 can be adapted to detect single or dual positive populations of tumour-associated EVs in prostate cancer patients.

Discussions and Conclusions

This study suggests that tandem purification of tumour-associated EVs and A50+ analysis from plasma of prostate cancer patients can lead to earlier diagnosis and risk stratification, compared to traditional screening tests and aspiration cytology. Future studies will be directed toward optimizing this detection method for markers of other cancer types to achieve better outcomes in cancer detection and prognosis.
Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in rural Koppal: a study from teaching hospital, Koppal, India
Authors: N. Seema B.
Published: July 2017

Background: Anemia is the nutritional deficiency disorder and 56% of all women living in developing countries are anaemic according to World Health Organization. India has the highest prevalence of anaemia and 20% of total maternal deaths are due to anemia. To determine the prevalence of anemia and factors influencing its causation among pregnant women.           Methods: This is the study of 1769 pregnant women which was conducted in a rural population of Koppal district, Karnataka, India, from June 2016 to November 2016 i.e. a period of 6 months. This longitudinal prospective observational study was conducted in the district hospital of Koppal. Anemia was classified as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) criteria. The diagnosis of anemia was undertaken by peripheral blood smear examination and standard hemoglobin estimation by shale’s method.Results: The average age of pregnant women was 23.5 years, ranging between 18 and 40 years. Most of the women belonged to below poverty line (BPL) families (84.6%) and Hindu religion (98%). Regarding education, 28.9% were illiterates. The mean haemoglobin level was found to be 8.95. Prevalence of anemia was 96.5% among the pregnant females in this region of rural Koppal. Out of these 22.47% had mild anemia, 56.30% had moderate anemia, 14.98% had severe anemia and 2.73% very severe anemia according to ICMR classification of anemia.Conclusions: High prevalence of anemia among pregnant women indicates anemia to be a major public health problem in the rural community and indicates strict implementation of National Nutrition Anemia prophylaxis programme. Factors such as socioeconomic status, education, birth interval, and gravida contribute to this high prevalence.
Patterns of voluntary and replacement blood donors in a tertiary care center: a retrospective study
Authors: Sehgal P. K. , Garg Dinesh
Published: July 2017

Background: Blood donor base is the foundation of any blood transfusion system. In India any able-bodied individual between the age of 18 and 60 years can donate blood. Blood donors are of two types: voluntary donors and replacement donors. Blood donation should be done by low risk population otherwise there is high risk of transfusion transmissible infections like HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and malaria. The present study was conceived to see the patterns of blood donation among voluntary and replacement blood donors in tertiary care centre.Methods: In this study 50 (27 male and 23 female) adult skulls were investigated to determine the type of asterion, its distance from important bony landmarks and also the nearby venous sinuses were measured.Results: Of the total 340078, 298421(87.75%) collections were voluntary and 41657(12.25%) were replacement collections. A total of 2810 camps were held to gather blood through voluntary donors. Number of blood camps held show an increasing pattern as we progress in time. Also, the trends in voluntary blood donations increased over the period and more donors donated blood whereas replacement donors decreased over the period and eventually vanished in time.Conclusions: For a safe blood service in our country, where comprehensive laboratory tests are neither possible nor pragmatic, it is best to switch over to 100% voluntary donations, as it is now established that only voluntary non-remunerated regular donation is the safest. Thus, one of our key strategies to enhance blood safety is to focus on motivating non-remunerated blood donors and phasing out even replacement donors.
Comparison of short-term outcomes following open and laparoscopic resections for colorectal malignancies
Authors: R. Keerthi B. , Shankar Amritha Prabha , S. Ganesh M. , N. Hemanth G.
Published: July 2017

Background: The laparoscopic approach for colorectal cancers are still a matter of controversy. In the present study, we tried to compare the laparoscopy with open methods of colorectal resections.Methods: Retrospective study where patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer in our hospital from year 2014 January to December 2016 were taken. Total number of cases were 69 of which, the total number of right colon cases were 26. Out of twenty-six, 12 underwent open procedure and 14 underwent laparoscopic resections. Total number of left colon cancers were 09. Of these, 2 underwent open and 7 underwent laparoscopic procedure. Thirty-four (34) rectal cancers were included in the study. Of these, 12 underwent open rectal procedures and 22 underwent laparoscopic resections. Multiple parameters like duration of surgery, post-operative complications, postoperative stay, pathological T staging, lymph node yield, positive nodes, distal resection margins, circumferential radial margins were compared.Results: Operating time was significantly shorter in open procedure than laparoscopic surgery in both rectal resection and right hemicolectomies. The postoperative stay was significantly shorter in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy compared to open procedure. All other parameters like post-operative complications, T stage, lymph node yield, positive nodes, distal resection margins and CRMs were comparable in both groups. The lymph node yield was similar in upfront and post neoadjuvant carcinoma rectum cases.Conclusions: Laparoscopic colorectal resections have similar rates of complication, with shorter hospital stays with no compromise on oncological clearance with respect to lymph node yield, CRMs, distal resection margins compared to open procedures.
Seroprevalence of anti HCV antibodies among blood donors: a retrospective study from Haryana, India
Authors: Sehgal P. K. , Garg Anubha
Published: July 2017

Background: HCV is known for its chronicity and leads to cirrhosis in about 10 to 20 per cent of patients and may further progress to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The global seroprevalence of HCV among blood donors varies from 0.4 to 19.2 per cent and the estimated risk for HCV transmission is between 0.10 to 2.33 per million units transfused. ELISA is the most commonly used initial assay for detecting HCV antibodies. The purpose of the present analysis was to monitor the seroprevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in the blood donor population in a hospital based blood bank in north India for a period of 10 years (2007-2016), and to evaluate the trends over the years.Methods: The purpose of the present analysis was to monitor the seroprevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in the blood donor population in a hospital based blood bank in north India for a period of 10 years (2007-2016), and to evaluate the trends over the years.Results: Of the total 340078, 298421 (87.75%) collections were voluntary and 41657 (12.25%) were replacement collections. A prevalence of 0.72% of hepatitis C virus infection was seen among the donors from the period 2007-2016. The trend of hepatitis C prevalence among donors has been fluctuating while ranging from 0.51% to 0.89%.Conclusions: For a safe blood service in our country, where comprehensive laboratory tests are neither possible nor pragmatic, it is best to switch over to 100% voluntary donations, as it is now established that only voluntary non-remunerated regular donation is the safest. Thus, one of our key strategies to enhance blood safety is to focus on motivating non-remunerated blood donors and phasing out even replacement donors. Since, no vaccine is presently available for immunization against HCV infection, transfusion transmitted HCV infection remains a potential threat to the safety of the blood supply.