bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cancer Fundraising 1.0: A Pioneer Project to Finance Nutrition Education Programmes for Cancer Patients in National Cancer Institute, Putrajaya, Malaysia
Authors: Nuraini M.S. Siti , Sharina M.H.L. Betti
Published: September 2018

Amount raised: Dietitians of National Cancer Institute (NCI), Putrajaya, Malaysia has organized various activities in conjunction with Dietitians' Day 2017 celebration on 19 October 2017. Among the activities was a charity sale. During the event, healthy self-made ice creams were sold. At the end of the project, we managed to gather RM552 which was later spent for next project in Daycare Centre, NCI. Background and context: Malnutrition is a common problem among cancer patients and likely to develop or worsen during specific cancer treatments especially when early and appropriate nutritional intervention is not properly indicated. To address this issue, the Dietetics and Food Services Department of NCI has come up with the initiative to conduct a Nutrition Support Group (NSG) among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in Daycare Centre, NCI. The NSG involves giving nutrition education to patients, discussion and sharing session among patients as well as food tasting of high-calorie high-protein recipes. To finance the project, the amount of money gathered from the charity sale was used. Aim: To raise fund for NSG at Daycare Centre, NCI. Strategy/Tactics: We aim to educate the public and cancer patients by promoting healthy desserts recipe using fresh and healthy ingredients. We decided to sell ice creams and provide recipes for everyone who purchased our products. We chose ice creams because Malaysia is located near the equator and the weather all year long is mostly warm. Malaysians usually enjoy ice cream during hot weather. Furthermore, cancer patients particularly those who are on treatment may develop oral ulcers and difficulty swallowing. This group of patients will benefit the coolness from ice cream to soothe their burning oral cavity. We created 3 different ice creams flavors; watermelon sorbet, chocolate banana peanut butter and mango madness. Program process: The charity sale was located at outpatient lobby, in front of Oncology Clinic. This was the most strategic location to attract the public and patients to our charity sale. The charity sale was a success as the ice creams were sold out within 2 hours. We also gathered some positive feedback from the customers regarding our ice creams. Costs and returns: The total production cost was RM350. Gross sale was RM552 with a net profit of RM202. With this amount, we were able to conduct NSG for 12 sessions from December 2017 to May 2018. Each session cost RM15 for purchasing items for food tasting. What was learned: We look forward to organize such event at a bigger scale to gather larger amount of financial resources. More education sessions have to be organized to help patients receive their targeted nutrition requirement. With this self-initiated fund-raising campaign, many more projects can be done without having to rely to the limited hospital budget.
Bovine Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carrier Treatment in a Severely Anemic Jehovah’s Witness Patient After Cystoprostatectomy and Nephrectomy: A Case Report
Authors: Brotman Ian , Kocher Matthew , McHugh Stephen
Published: September 2018

Patients who are Jehovah’s Witnesses are known to the medical community for frequently declining blood products, even at times of life-threatening anemia. Alternatives to red blood cell transfusion are being developed, including hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers. We present the case of a 77-year-old male Jehovah’s Witness who underwent a cystoprostatectomy and radical nephrectomy with a postoperative Hb nadir of 4.5 g/dL. He received an Hb-based oxygen carrier, PEGylated carboxyhemoglobin bovine (Sanguinate), with gradual improvement in anemia symptoms and eventual discharge to a short-term rehabilitation facility.
Pathogenic and non-pathogenic Escherichia coli colonization and host inflammatory response in a defined microbiota mouse model
Authors: Stromberg Zachary R. , Van Goor Angelica , Redweik Graham A. J. , Wymore Brand Meghan J. , Wannemuehler Michael J. , Mellata Melha
Published: September 2018

Most Escherichia coli strains in the human intestine are harmless. However, enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is a foodborne pathogen that causes intestinal disease in humans. Conventionally reared (CONV) mice are inconsistent models for human infections with EHEC because they are often resistant to E. coli colonization, in part due to their gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota. Although antibiotic manipulation of the mouse microbiota has been a common means to overcome colonization resistance, these models have limitations. Currently, there are no licensed treatments for clinical EHEC infections and, thus, new tools to study EHEC colonization need to be developed. Here, we used a defined microbiota mouse model, consisting of the altered Schaedler flora (ASF), to characterize intestinal colonization and compare host responses following colonization with EHEC strain 278F2 or non-pathogenic E. coli strain MG1655. Significantly higher (P<0.05) levels of both strains were found in feces and cecal and colonic contents of C3H/HeN ASF compared to C3H/HeN CONV mice. GI inflammation was significantly elevated (P<0.05) in the cecum of EHEC 278F2-colonized compared to E. coli MG1655-colonized C3H/HeN ASF mice. In addition, EHEC 278F2 differentially modulated inflammatory-associated genes in colonic tissue of C3H/HeN ASF mice compared to E. coli MG1655-colonized mice. This approach allowed for prolonged colonization of the murine GI tract by pathogenic and non-pathogenic E. coli strains, and for evaluation of host inflammatory processes. Overall, this system can be used as a powerful tool for future studies to assess therapeutics, microbe-microbe interactions, and strategies for preventing EHEC infections.
Protecting the heart in cancer therapy
Authors: Finet J. Emanuel , Tang W. H. Wilson
Published: September 2018

Recent advances in cancer prevention and management have led to an exponential increase of cancer survivors worldwide. Regrettably, cardiovascular disease has risen in the aftermath as one of the most devastating consequences of cancer therapies. In this work, we define cancer therapeutics-induced cardiotoxicity as the direct or indirect cardiovascular injury or injurious effect caused by cancer therapies. We describe four progressive stages of this condition and four corresponding levels of prevention, each having a specific goal, focus, and means of action. We subsequently unfold this didactic framework, surveying mechanisms of cardiotoxicity, risk factors, cardioprotectants, biomarkers, and diagnostic imaging modalities. Finally, we outline the most current evidence-based recommendations in this area according to multidisciplinary expert consensus guidelines.
Burden of cytomegalovirus reactivation post kidney transplant with antithymocyte globulin use in Thailand: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Chitasombat Maria N. , Watcharananan Siriorn P.
Published: September 2018

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important cause of infectious complications after kidney transplantation (KT), especially among patients receiving antithymocyte globulin (ATG). CMV infection can result in organ dysfunction and indirect effects such as graft rejection, graft failure, and opportunistic infections. Prevention of CMV reactivation includes pre-emptive or prophylactic approaches. Access to valganciclovir prophylaxis is limited by high cost. Our objective is to determine the burden and cost of treatment for CMV reactivation/disease among KT recipients who received ATG in Thailand since its first use in our center.

Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of KT patients who received ATG during 2010-2013. We reviewed patients’ characteristics, type of CMV prophylaxis, incidence of CMV reactivation, and outcome (co-infections, graft function and death). We compared the treatment cost between patients with and without CMV reactivation.

Results: Thirty patients included in the study had CMV serostatus D+/R+. Twenty-nine patients received intravenous ganciclovir early after KT as inpatients. Only three received outpatient valganciclovir prophylaxis. Incidence of CMV reactivation was 43%, with a median onset of 91 (range 23-1007) days after KT. Three patients had CMV end-organ disease; enterocolitis or retinitis. Infectious complication rate among ATG-treated KT patients was up to 83%, with a trend toward a higher rate among those with CMV reactivation (P = 0.087). Patients with CMV reactivation/disease required longer duration of hospitalization (P = 0.018). The rate of graft loss was 17%. The survival rate was 97%. The cost of treatment among patients with CMV reactivation was significantly higher for both inpatient setting (P = 0.021) and total cost (P = 0.035) than in those without CMV reactivation.

Conclusions: Burden of infectious complications among ATG-treated KT patients was high. CMV reactivation is common and associated with longer duration of hospitalization and higher cost.
A institucionalização (ou banalização) da Sustentabilidade Organizacional à luz da teoria crítica
Authors: Castro Aline Eggres de , Campos Simone Alves Pacheco de , Trevisan Marcelo
Published: September 2018

O presente estudo consiste em um ensaio teórico que visa a contribuir com a temática da Sustentabilidade Organizacional ao provocar uma reflexão à luz da Teoria Crítica. O argumento central é que as práticas voltadas às questões socioambientais se tornaram questões institucionalizadas nas organizações, visto que possuem legitimidade perante a sociedade e, com isso, as ações realizadas são mecânicas e apresentam um mínimo impacto – são realizadas apenas para atender às demandas sociais, mantendo a legitimidade, mas evitando investimentos de maior vulto. Essa é uma abordagem dificilmente encontrada no mainstream dos estudos organizacionais, visto que vai contra os interesses econômicos dos grandes detentores de capital, mas de um ponto de vista acadêmico é fundamental discutir as implicações que tais questões provocam, visto que perpetuam ações meramente remediadoras ou de impacto irrisório.
Valores materiais e de consumo ecológico: quais influenciam a intenção de compra?
Authors: Da Silva Sousa Evangelina , Buhamra Abreu Romero Cláudia
Published: September 2018

Esta pesquisa buscou: (i) analisar a influência dos atributos de valor material sobre os valores de consumo ecológico; (ii) investigar a influência dos atributos de valor material sobre a intenção de compra de produtos ecológicos; e (iii) analisar a influência dos atributos de valor material dos valores de consumo ecológico na intenção de compra de estudantes da área de engenharia de uma universidade pública brasileira. Por meio de uma amostra de 308 estudantes, realizou-se uma pesquisa descritiva e de natureza quantitativa. Os dados foram analisados por meio de análise fatorial exploratória e regressão linear. Os resultados evidenciaram que apenas os valores ecológicos influenciam de forma positiva a intenção de compra de produtos ecológicos. Infere-se que os respondentes estimulados pelos valores ambientais tendem a desenvolver uma consciência ambiental que influencia em sua intenção de compra, resgatando o caráter utilitário do consumo.
Initiative prioritization for innovation in the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry: a proposal using multicriteria
Authors: Cruz Eduardo Picanço , Antunes Adelaide Maria De Souza , Borschiver Suzana
Published: September 2018

The structure of the pharmaceutical industry requires special attention on the part of developing countries, whose populations remain dependent both on the distribution of drugs and on a policy of significant reduction in established prices.  It is essential that governments, businesses and universities work together in order to plan future strategies for this sector. This article reflects on the Forum’s technological innovation initiatives, financed with more than R$200 million in resources from Sectoral Funds. Given this industry’s dependence on innovation, the present work presents a decision-making methodology for determining investment priorities to be applied by the working group of the above-mentioned Forum. It also aims to offer support mechanisms for a better distribution of financial resources by creating a hierarchy of the already functioning programs of the government agencies.
A importância da estratégia organizacional para a Confederação Brasileira de Voleibol
Authors: Souza Sávio Lourenço
Published: September 2018

O objetivo geral deste trabalho é analisar a estratégia organizacional desenvolvida por uma organização brasileira de administração esportiva, a Confederação Brasileira de Voleibol (CBV) nos últimos 30 anos, a partir da metodologia das “5 forças de Porter”.  Ficou estabelecido a análise da Confederação Brasileira de Voleibol como estudo de caso. Ao abordarmos o case da CBV foi possível detectar os ganhos que uma instituição de administração esportiva pôde obter a partir da definição de uma estratégia organizacional e, na seqüência, do desenvolvimento de um planejamento estratégico estruturado. Planejamento este que teve início há 30 anos baseado em uma estratégia inovadora que tinha como alicerce o entendimento do esporte como um negócio. Entretanto, os resultados alcançados não estão condicionados apenas ao fato de possuir um plano estratégico, tão importante quanto ter é saber executá-lo.
A Permanência do Modelo Instrumental do Ensino em Administração
Authors: Cruz Breno De Paula Andrade , Dutt_Ross Steven , Zouain Déborah Moraes
Published: September 2018

Este trabalho busca aproximar o conceito de indústria cultural apresentado em Dialética doesclarecimento (Adorno e Horkheimer, 1985) ao ensino de administração no Brasil. Utiliza-se tambémo conceito de esclarecimento como possibilidade de ir contra a massificação do ensino emadministração no país. Para apresentar a presença predominante de uma racionalidade instrumentalnos cursos no Brasil, 37 instituições de ensino em administração tiveram suas estruturas curricularesanalisadas. Foram construídas três categorias: (a) disciplinas profissionalizantes; (b) raciocínioquantitativo, e, (c) estudos organizacionais. A maioria das escolas se encontra num modelo que foichamado de instrumental neste artigo. Buscando apresentar uma alternativa diferente daquelasusuais, relata-se um caso do PCDA em que é possível discutir uma forma de construção de umaestrutura curricular interdisciplinar e coerente com as necessidades dos alunos.
As Escolas Empreendedoras: Foco na Eficiência e na Qualidade dos Processos
Authors: Fontanillas Carlos Navarro , Cova Carlos José Guimarães
Published: September 2018

No futuro, aumentará a tendência de empresas orientadas a projetos com uma estrutura bem diferentedas tradicionais. A função de produção será uma das mais importantes dimensões da organização,porque a sua concepção afetará diretamente o nível pelo qual ela satisfaz os seus consumidores. Osrecursos de entrada (input) poderão ser classificados como sendo de transformação (instalação efuncionários) que deverão atuar em direção aos recursos transformados (materiais, informações econsumidores). Osprofissionais do conhecimento não estão mais subordinados a chefes inflexíveis, mas sim afornecedores de serviços em um mercado livre. No caso da empresa intra-empreendedora, muitos dosfornecedores serão equipes internas que ainda estarão na condição de empregados da empresa, tantono sentido legal quanto pelo fato de pertencerem a ela.
MODELAGEM DE CROSS-SELLING NO MARKETING DE RELACIONAMENTO POR MÁQUINAS DE VETOR DE SUPORTE
Authors: PINHO ANDERSON GUIMARÃES DE PINHO GUIMARÃES DE
Published: September 2018

Analistas de marketing estão freqüentemente em busca de novas maneiras de se vender maisprodutos e serviços para os mesmos clientes. É de grande debate em processos KDD (KnowledgeDiscovery Database) a discussão sobre modelagem de cross-selling, ou venda cruzada, pela aplicaçãode tradicionais técnicas de inteligência computacional e estatísticas como Redes Neurais e RegressãoLogística. O presente artigo abordará a técnica conhecida como Máquinas de Vetor de Suporte (MVS)para resolução de problemas desta natureza em contrapartida as demais já utilizadas. No presenteartigo, utilizaremos uma base de dados real de uma empresa vendedora de motos a pessoas físicascomo aplicação da técnica. MVS tratase de um tipo especial de redes neurais alimentadas adiante, erepresenta real vantagem às outras técnicas, pois permite ao analista o domínio na determinação dassuperfícies de separação entre grupos, em nosso caso, de interessados e não interessados na comprade outra moto.
ANÁLISE RFV DO CLIENTE POR ALGORITMOS GENÉTICOS NA OTIMIZAÇÃO DE ESTRATÉGIAS DE MARKETING
Authors: PINHO Anderson GUIMARÃES
Published: September 2018

O presente artigo objetivará a evolução de regras de decisão por Algoritmos Genéticos as quais classifiquem corretamente futuros clientes evasivos para a empresa. Em estratégias de marketing, é de grande dúvida para a empresa quais clientes abordar numa campanha, ou quais clientes apresentam maiores chances de evasão. Para responderem a isto, muitos pesquisadores têm recorrido a informações de recência, freqüência e valor do cliente, na mineração de conhecimento valioso o qual possa ser utilizado. Neste artigo, utilizaremos Algoritmos Genéticos como um diferencial competitivo na explicitação deste conhecimento. Diferencial competitivo, pois a classificação de um comportamento futuro do cliente ocorre na forma de regras do tipo “If Then Else”. Isto nos permitirá uma simples integração dos resultados obtidos com processos empresarias, de fácil entendimento para o usuário. Trata-se de uma nova forma de se alinhar estratégias de marketing com inteligência de mercado na área de conhecimento chamada database marketing.
APOIO GERENCIAL NA INCUBAÇÃO DE EMPRESAS DE BASE TECNOLÓGICA: O CASO DA INCUBADORA CISE
Authors: Costa Larissa Florêncio Silva da , França Mariana Carla Lima , Teixeira Rivanda Meira
Published: September 2018

O presente estudo tem como objetivo geral analisar o apoio gerencial oferecido pela incubadora CISE aos empreendimentos de base tecnológica em fase de incubação. Adotou-se a estratégia de pesquisa de estudo de caso único e as evidências foram coletadas através de entrevistas e de fontes documentais.  Com base nas evidências encontradas observou-se que a incubadora CISE considera que vem cumprindo seu papel de apoiadora no desenvolvimento gerencial dos seus empreendimentos incubados, no que concerne à estrutura física, assessoria/consultoria e treinamento. No entanto, foram constatadas diferentes percepções por parte dos incubados. Para eles a incubadora vem atendendo parcialmente suas necessidades, especialmente com relação a falta de consultoria/assessoria. Para as estas empresas o apoio na gestão de seus negócios permitiria que o projeto inicial de ingresso fosse desenvolvido e aprimorado e assim seria possível enfocar o aspecto estratégico do negócio e não o operacional.
RESPONSABILIDADE SOCIAL: A PARTICIPAÇÃO DAS MULHERES NAS ORGANIZAÇÕES DE BLUMENAU (SC)
Authors: Dreher Marialva Tomio , Dal Moro Renata
Published: September 2018

Este estudo objetiva analisar a participação das mulheres na gestão da responsabilidade social (RS) das Organizações de Blumenau (SC).  O método de pesquisa foi à qualitativa e as técnicas exploratórias e descritivas. A população foi de 21 gestoras de RS das organizações vinculadas ao Núcleo de Responsabilidade Social da Associação Comercial e Industrial de Blumenau (NÚCLEO RS/ACIB). Os resultados confirmam que o índice de 21 mulheres gestoras de RS é elevado considerando que há 24 organizações no Núcleo. O perfil demonstra que a maioria é casada e possui filhos, estes motivos não limitam as gestoras a ingressar no mercado de trabalho e a assumir uma gestão de RS, pelo contrário representa uma conquista profissional. Todavia, afirmam que devido ao acúmulo de atividades, doméstica e profissional, ocorrem exigências demasiadas pelo excesso de compromissos. Quanto à gestão da RS, observou-se que há uma identificação pessoal das gestoras com a temática.
DIFERENÇAS DE PERCEPÇÃO DE ADOTANTES E NÃO-ADOTANTES QUANTO AO USO DE SERVIÇOS DE MOBILE BANKING E SUA RELAÇÃO COM AS CARACTERÍSTICAS INDIVIDUAIS DE INOVATIVIDADE
Authors: Martins Ramos Anatalia Saraiva , Pimenta Iris Linhares , Barbosa Rodrigues Paula Agusta
Published: September 2018

O presente trabalho buscou analisar as percepções dos consumidores quanto à adoção de novas tecnologias de serviços bancários baseados na mobilidade - o Mobile Banking. Tendo como base a clássica Teoria de Difusão de Inovações (TDI) proposta por Rogers (1995), foi empreendida uma investigação quantitativa do tipo exploratória com 96 adotantes ou potenciais adotantes do mobile banking escolhidos de forma não-probabilística por conveniência. A análise estatística ocorreu em três etapas: análise descritiva, teste de variância e correlação. Constatou-se que os não adotantes têm uma visão mais negativa dos atributos da inovação (vantagem relativa, observabilidade, compatibilidade e complexibilidade). Confirmou-se que as características típicas de inovatividade influenciam a percepção acerca dos serviços de Mobile Banking na maior parte das variáveis. O artigo finaliza com as  implicações teóricas e gerenciais decorrentes dos resultados.
Distribution of low-power solar flares by brightness rise time
Authors: Боровик Александр , Borovik Aleksandr , Жданов Антон , Zhdanov Anton
Published: September 2018

For brightness classes this trend is less pronounced. We have found that flares with explosive phase and flares with one brilliant point have the shortest flash phases; two-ribbon flares and flares with several intensity maxima, the longest ones. We have separated 572 cases when the brightness rise time was more than 60 min; 80 % of such ultra-long flares have a shorter brightness decay time (main phase). We have established that low-power flares in terms of developmental features do not differ from large flares. Low-power solar flares, as well as large flares, can be followed by filament activation or disappearance, and can have an explosive phase and several intensity maxima. Two-ribbon flares, white-light flares, and flares covering sunspot umbra can also have low power.
Heliolatitude regularities of magnetically disturbed days with daily average geomagnetic index Dst<–100 nT
Authors: Макаров Георгий , Makarov Georgy
Published: September 2018

This paper considers storm days for a period 1966–2015 when the daily average geomagnetic Dst index was <–100 nT. The distribution of the number of days with a high daily average Dst is shown to depend on Earth’s heliolatitude φ: the number of days increases with the absolute value of φ in both solar hemispheres. It is found, as expected, that the seasonal distribution of storm days with Dst<–100 nT has equinoctial maxima. Moreover, there is a noticeable increase in the number of such days in July and November. It is noted that at Earth’s heliolatitudes 4.1°–5.0° there is a sharp increase in the number of storm days. It is established that this increase occurs during storm events in July and November, which stand out against the seasonal distribution of highly disturbed days.
Ionospheric disturbances over East Asia during intense December magnetic storms of 2006 and 2015: similarities and differences
Authors: Золотухина Нина , Zolotukhina Nina , Куркин Владимир , Kurkin Vladimir , Полех Неля , Polekh Nelya
Published: September 2018

Using data from ionosondes, located in East Asia, and total electron content maps, we have made a comparative analysis of ionospheric disturbances associated with the intense geomagnetic storms of December 14–16, 2006 and December 19–22, 2015. These storms had almost equal peak intensities (Dstmin=–162 and –155 nT), but different durations of the main phases (2.5 and 19 hr). At the beginning of both the storms, the region under study was located in the vicinity of the midnight meridian. Ionospheric responses to magnetic storms differed in: i) an increase in the F2-layer critical frequency at subauroral latitudes, caused by an increase in auroral precipitation, during the initial phase of the former storm and the absence of this effect in the latter; (ii) a sharp drop in the critical frequency in the evening hours of the main phase of the latter storm, caused by a shift of the main ionospheric trough to lower latitudes, and the absence of this effect during the former storm; (iii) generation of a short-term positive disturbance observed at subauroral latitudes only in the early recovery phase of the former storm after the negative ionospheric disturbance. During both the storms at middle latitudes there were positive disturbances and wave-like fluctuations of the critical frequency which increased in the vicinity of the dawn meridian. The main causes of the differences between the ionospheric storms are shown to be the differences between the initial conditions of the magnetosphere–ionosphere system and durations of the main phases of magnetic storms.
Receiving antenna electrodynamic model in terms of waveguide representation of HF field
Authors: Хахинов Виталий , Khakhinov Vitaliy
Published: September 2018

The receiving antenna is an important part of a radio channel that requires electrodynamic approach in mathematical simulation of its characteristics. Since the invention of radio, and due to further theoretical studies of radio signal transmission, the following situation has arisen: researchers’ attention to receiving antennas is inversely proportional to the factor by which their number exceeds the number of transmitting antennas. We address the problem of building a receiving antenna electrodynamic model in terms of a waveguide representation of HF field. Structurally, the antenna is considered as metal wires of a finite length and arbitrary configuration. Current distribution in antenna is calculated using the long-line theory and normal-mode approach. The mathematical representation of the receiving antenna electrodynamic model is calculation expressions for receiving coefficients of normal modes. They reflect the effects of receiving antenna characteristics, including its directional pattern, on effectiveness of the incident HF field energy conversion into the energy of the driven current waves and final distribution of net current in antenna. These expressions are used to derive the expression to calculate the effective length of the receiving antenna.

The obtained mathematical expressions of the receiving antenna electrodynamic model do not contradict the principle of antenna reciprocity.

We present calculation formulas for the receiving coefficients and excitation of the isotropic antenna electromagnetic model.
Atmospheric effects of the cosmic-ray mu-meson component
Authors: Янчуковский Валерий , Yanchukovsky Valery , Кузьменко Василий , Kuzmenko Vasiliy
Published: September 2018

Variations in the intensity of cosmic rays observed in the depth of the atmosphere include the atmospheric component of the variations. Cosmic-ray muon telescopes, along with the barometric effect, have a significant temperature effect due to the instability of detected particles. To take into account atmospheric effects in muon telescope data, meteorological coeffi-cients of muon intensity are found. The meteorological coefficients of the intensity of muons recorded in the depth of the atmosphere are estimated from experi-mental data, using various methods of factor analysis. The results obtained from experimental data are com-pared with the results of theoretical calculations.
Individual and Organizational Antecedents of Strategic Foresight: A Representational Approach
Authors: Csaszar Felipe A. , Laureiro-Martínez Daniella
Published: September 2018

The ability to make predictions about strategic outcomes—what we term strategic foresight—is central to most theories of competitive advantage. This paper identifies individual- and organization-level antecedents of strategic foresight by analyzing an exercise taken by 358 MBA students. Among the individual antecedents, we show that two characteristics of mental representations (namely their breadth and agreement with consensus) are positively related to strategic foresight. Comparing individual to group performance reveals that groups exhibit greater strategic foresight than do individuals. Finally, from comparing the performance of real-life groups with “statistical” groups (for which decisions are computed by averaging the predictions of individuals before they become group members), we find that the superiority of group performance is due mostly to aggregating predictions, not representations.
Cannabis sativa Increases Seizure Severity and Brain Lipid Peroxidation in Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Kindling in Rats
Authors: M.E. Abdel-Salam Omar , A. Sleem Amany , Abd El Baset Mohamed Sayed Marawan , A. Khadrawy Yasser , A. Morsy Fatma
Published: September 2018

The effect of Cannabis sativa extract on chemical kindling induced in rats by the repeated intraperitoneal (ip) injections of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) was studied. Rats were treated with PTZ (35 mg/kg) once every 48 hours for 12 times alone or with ip Cannabis sativa (20 mg/kg expressed as Δ9-THC content) 30 min prior to PTZ injection. Seizures were recorded for 20 minutes. Control rats received ip saline. Cannabis treatment caused significant elevation of mean seizure score as compared to PTZ only group after the 5th, 6th and 7th PTZ repeated injections during seizure development. In particular, cannabis caused significant elevation in the frequency of myoclonic jerks, rearing (stage 3), turn over onto one side position and back position (stage 4), and generalized tonic-clonic seizures (stage 5) compared with the PTZ only group. PTZ caused significant elevations in brain lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde), and nitric oxide along with deceased reduced glutathione level. In addition, brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity significantly decreased compared to control value after PTZ treatment. Cannabis given to PTZ treated rats caused significant increase in brain malondialdehyde and AChE activity compared to PTZ only group. Reduced glutathione level was restored by cannabis. Histopathological studies indicated the presence of spongiform changes, degenerated and necrotic neurons, inflammatory cells, and gliosis in cerebral cortex and degeneration of some Purkinje cells in the cerebellum in both PTZ- and cannabis-PTZ-treated groups. It is concluded that in an epilepsy model induced by repeated PTZ administration, cannabis increased lipid peroxidation and mean seizure score.
Automatic Pulmonary Nodule Growth Measurement through CT Image Analysis based on Morphology Filtering and Statistical Region Merging
Authors: Aghabalaei Khordehchi Elaheh , Ayatollahi Ahmad , Reza Daliri Mohammad
Published: September 2018

This paper proposes an innovative method for automatic detection of pulmonary nodules in Computed Tomography (CT) data and measurement of changes in the number and sizes of the detected nodules during the treatment session. In the presented method, two multi-slice CT images are first taken from the patient’s lung, each captured by a similar capturing device but at two different dates. The CT images are then analyzed and their pulmonary nodules are extracted using a novel framework based on Mathematical Morphology Filtering (MMF), Statistical Region Merging (SRM), and Support Vector Machines (SVM). The MMF step smoothes the image in order to increase its homogeneity as well as removing the noises and artifacts. The SRM algorithm segments each slice of the CT image. After connecting the boundaries of the segments in adjacent slices, three-dimensional objects are produced which are considered as nodule-candidates. These candidates are classified into nodules and non-nodules using a two-class SVM classifier. The extracted nodules in each image are then labeled and their characteristics (i.e. labels, locations, and sizes) are stored. Finally, after registering the image pair using an affine algorithm, the growth rates of the lung nodules are measured.
Inhibition of Alpha Amylase and Alpha Glycosidase Enzymes by Various Earth Worm Extracts
Authors: Amin Mir M. , Upadhay Shalini , Ahmad Mir Bilal
Published: September 2018

The earth worm extracts have been analysed for the inhibition of alpha amylase and alpha glycosidase enzymes, which are the key enzymes for the control of glucose in the human system so have direct impact upon the health of an organism. These two enzymes have direct involvement in the diabetic process. So the inhibition of these two enzymes helps in the reduction of diabetes. Various extracts of the earth worms, viz, Ethyl acetate, Acetone, DMSO, Ethanol and Water have been analysed against the inhibition of the respective enzymes. Among the various extracts it had been found that water extract posses the highest inhibition potential followed by ethanol extract. The DMSO, Acetone posses the inhibition potential in between water extract and the Ethyl acetate extract. So it could be concluded that polar solvents posses high inhibition potential than the lesser polar solvents, which could be due the polar extracted compounds from the concerned extract of earth. Diabetes mellitus is spreading at an alarming rate in the world and three fourth of the world population is being getting effected by the disease in reference, which leads to major cause of high economic loss in the development of nations. The uncontrolled diabetes leads to many chronic complications like blindness, heart issues, and renal failure, etc. Therapies have been developed along with the principles of western medicine (allopathic) which often have limited efficacy, which carry the risk of adverse effects, and are often too costly, especially for the developing countries. But the research in reference is the first research in the world in which it had been shown that earth worm extracts can be used as anti-diabetic medicines. Other properties of earth worms, like antimicrobial anti-inflammatory etc are known already but the anti-diabetic effect has been analysed first time in the world.
Influence of Energy Drinks on Pharmacokinetic Parameters of Sildenafil in Rats
Authors: Abdulla Mohammad , Mallah Eyad , Abu Dayyih Wael , Abu Rayyan Walid , Darwish El-Hajji Feras , Bustami Mona , Mansour Kenza , Al-Ani Israa , Seder Nisreen , Arafat Tawfiq
Published: September 2018

Both sildenafil and RED BULL®(energy drink) are claimed to boost up energy.RED BULL®, one of the most commonly used energy drinks and its easily and widely available for daily use, the idea of this research work had arisen from observations about the concomitant use of sildenafil with RED BULL® by men seeking for better sexual performance. To study the effect of RED BULL® on the pharmacokinetic profile of sildenafil by using HPLC.The pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, Tmax and AUC) were determined in 10 rats following oral administration of 0.57 mg/ml sildenafil with and without RED BULL® in crossover design, to achieve this purpose,simple, rapid and accurate method for validation and determination of sildenafil in rat plasma in the presence of RED BULL® has been developed. This was performed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography- Ultra Violet (HPLC-UV). The pharmacokinetic data showed that sildenafil plasma level was lower when combined with RED BULL® According to the results obtained, maximum concentration (Cmax) for sildenafil alone was (162.05 ng/ml) after 0.5 hours of administration. The Cmax decreased to (44.68 ng/ml) after 0.5 hoursof administration RED BULL® concomitantly with sildenafil which showed a significant effect on sildenafil plasma level (P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) decreased significantly from (370.53 ng/ml*hr) for sildenafil alone to (87.74 ng/ml*hr) when combined with RED BULL®. RED BULL® can alter sildenafil pharmacokinetic if they were taken together.
Comparison of Some Mechanical and Physical Properties of three Types of Impression Materials with Different Dental Implant Angulations
Authors: H. Mohammed Dhuha , A. Fatalla Abdalbseet , H. Jani Ghassak
Published: September 2018

Choosing an appropriate impression material is a challenge for many dentists, yet an essential component to provide an excellent clinical outcome and improve productivity and profit. The purpose of present study was to compare wettability, tear strength and dimensional accuracy of three elastomeric impression materials, with the same consistencies (light-body). Three commercially available light body consistency and regular set 3M ESPE Express polyvinylsiloxane (PVS), 3M ESPE Permadyne polyether (PE), and Identium (ID), impression materials were comparedTear strength test, contact angle test and linear dimensional accuracy were evaluated for three elastic impression material. Among the three experimental groups PE impression material exhibited the higher mean values of tear strength, followed by ID group then PVS which showed the lowest mean value. For wettability test, Polyether group exhibited the lowest mean values of contact angle, followed by mean values of contact angle of ID group, while the PVS group showed the highest contact angle. There was a significant difference in the linear distance measurements between the two parallel impression coping/analogue assembly of the working models obtained by using (Identium, 3M ESPE ExpressPVS , 3M ESPE Permadyne polyether) the polyether impression materials provide higher tear strengths and lower wettability than elastomer impression materials and Identium material have acceptable tear strengths and wettability. All three experimental impression materials were distorted in both conditions (angled and parallel implant situations)
utomated Skin Disease Identification using Deep Learning Algorithm
Authors: Kumar Patnaik Sourav , Singh Sidhu Mansher , Gehlot Yaagyanika , Sharma Bhairvi , Muthu P.
Published: September 2018

Dermatological disorders are one of the most widespread diseases in the world. Despite being common its diagnosis is extremely difficult because of its complexities of skin tone, color, presence of hair. This paper provides an approach to use various computer vision based techniques (deep learning) to automatically predict the various kinds of skin diseases. The system uses three publicly available image recognition architectures namely Inception V3, Inception Resnet V2, Mobile Net with modifications for skin disease application and successfully predicts the skin disease based on maximum voting from the three networks. These models are pretrained to recognize images upto 1000 classes like panda, parrot etc. The architectures are published by image recognition giants for public usage for various applications. The system consists of three phases- The feature extraction phase, the training phase and the testing /validation phase. The system makes use of deep learning technology to train itself with the various skin images. The main objective of this system is to achieve maximum accuracy of skin disease prediction.
Brain Tumor Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Seetha J. , Raja S. Selvakumar
Published: September 2018

The brain tumors, are the most common and aggressive disease, leading to a very short life expectancy in their highest grade. Thus, treatment planning is a key stage to improve the quality of life of patients. Generally, various image techniques such as Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and ultrasound image are used to evaluate the tumor in a brain, lung, liver, breast, prostate…etc. Especially, in this work MRI images are used to diagnose tumor in the brain. However the huge amount of data generated by MRI scan thwarts manual classification of tumor vs non-tumor in a particular time. But it having some limitation (i.e) accurate quantitative measurements is provided for limited number of images. Hence trusted and automatic classification scheme are essential to prevent the death rate of human. The automatic brain tumor classification is very challenging task in large spatial and structural variability of surrounding region of brain tumor. In this work, automatic brain tumor detection is proposed by using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) classification. The deeper architecture design is performed by using small kernels. The weight of the neuron is given as small. Experimental results show that the CNN archives rate of 97.5% accuracy with low complexity and compared with the all other state of arts methods.
Modeling and Calibration of Electrical Capacitance Tomography Sensor for Medical Imaging
Authors: Ambika M. , Kumar S. Selva
Published: September 2018

Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) is an imaging technique which generates a cross-sectional image representing the internal permittivity distribution based on external capacitance measurements. It possesses the advantages of being non-radioactive, non-intrusive, non-invasive, high imaging speed and low cost over the conventional imaging techniques. Inter-electrode capacitance measurements are done by exciting electrodes placed around the non-conductive dielectric medium cylinder inside which, the material to be imaged is placed. This paper emphasizes on modelling and calibrating an electrical capacitance tomography sensor using ANSYS APDL with medium as air, water and extending the procedure for normal bone and cracked bone. ECT sensor is modelled by mounting 12 electrodes symmetrically outside the cylinder. The cylinder is made up of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) which is non-conductive dielectric medium while the electrodes are made up of Copper (Cu) which is conductive. The electrodes are excited in pairs and the potential distribution which is based on permittivity of the medium is analysed using ANSYS and the capacitance between the electrodes were calculated. The entire electrode modelling, calibration and capacitance measurement for the simulated bone model with and without crack is presented in this paper.
Effects of Gallic Acid and Its Derivates on Inflammatory Regulation of Endometriotic Primary Cultures: Study on NF-kB mRNA Expression and IL-6 Secretion
Authors: Bustami Arleni , Sopiah Popi , Muharam R. , Wibowo Heri
Published: September 2018

Endometriosis is a gynecologic disease in women that can cause infertility and chronic pelvic pain with a relatively high recurrence rate. This research was to prove the effects of gallic acid and its derivatives on inflammatory regulation of endometriosis primary cultures in terms of NF-kB mRNA expression and IL-6 secretions. Endometriosis cells are derived from endometriosis tissue of patients undergoing laparoscopy, isolated enzymatically and cultured primarily. The culture cells were treated with gallic acid, heptyl and octyl gallate at doses (25.6 μg/ml, 51.2 μg/ml and 102.4 μg/ml) for 48 h, then induced with 500 ng/ml LPS for 24 h. Inflammatory regulation was assessed from NF-kB mRNA expression with qRT-PCR and IL-6 secretion levels with ELISA. Gallic acid and its derivatives showed a decrease in the relative expression of NF-kB, significantly at dose 102,4 μg/ml. IL-6 although not statistically significant. The result indicated that gallic acid and its derivatives have a potential as anti-inflammatory effect. Gallic acid and its derivative compounds have an effect on decreased relative expression of mRNA NF-kB and IL-6.
An Overview of the Development and Strengthening of All-Ceramic Dental Materials
Authors: Abdul-Hamid Naji Ghassan , Anita Omar Ros , Yahya Rosiyah
Published: September 2018

High-strength all-ceramic systems for fixed partial dentures (FPDs) are necessary for replacing missing teeth. The ability to fabricate a restoration outside the mouth and subsequently integrate it with a tooth extends the range of materials available to be utilized by a dentist. This article presents a review of the development of all-ceramic restorations, including the evolution and development of materials, technologies and how to improve the strength of all-ceramic restorations, with respect to survival, applications, strength, color, and aesthetics. New core/framework materials have developed and evolved over the last decade because of the growth of ceramic materials and systems currently available for utilization. A search of English language reviewed literature was undertaken, which focused on the evidence-based published research articles. This review also elucidates the various all-ceramic materials and systems currently available for clinical use, and that no single universal material or system exists for all clinical cases. Successful implementation depends on the clinicians, materials, manufacturing techniques, and individual clinical condition. Further longitudinal clinical studies are recommended for the development of ceramic materials and systems.
Evaluation of Reactive Oxygen Metabolites in Down Syndrome Persons With Periodontitis— A Comparative Study
Authors: Ahmed A. Nizar , Mosses Ravindran Deepak , Balaji S. K. , C. C. Dinesh
Published: September 2018

Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common chromosomal disorders, occurring in one out of 700-1000 live births, and the most common cause of mental retardation. Increasing evidence has shown that DS individuals are under unusual increased oxidative stress, which may be involved in the higher prevalence and severity of a number of pathologies associated with the syndrome, as well as the accelerated ageing observed in these individuals. ROS leads to oxidative damage of DNA, proteins and lipids; therefore, oxidative stress may play an important role in the pathogenesis of DS. Periodontal disease is a common problem among DS individuals. The disease starts early in life and progresses with age eventually leading to tooth loss. This study was undertaken to evaluate and compare the levels of ROM in DS subjects with periodontitis and systemically healthy subjects with chronic periodontitis. There is significant increase in levels of ROM and shows statistically significant value (<0.001) in DS with Chronic periodontitis patients.