bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of Capital structure in financial performance of non-financial sector firms: Evidence from Pakistan Stock Exchange
Authors: Rashid Hafiz Abdur , Bilal Ahmed Raza
Published: October 2020

This paper looks at financial performance of non-financial sectors of Pakistan concerning capital structure. We gathered data from annual audited financial statements of 152 firms listed at PSX during 2010-2017. To analyze data gathered, we have employed descriptive, correlation and regression analyses techniques. The findings show substantial positive contribution of LTDA in EPS and ROA and significant negative role in NPM and ROE which implies prefer long term debt over short term debt because of less financing cost. STDTA has substantial negative contribution in firms financial performance among all sectors except sugar and communication & technology sectors. TDTA also has negative impact on financial performance of firms among all sectors except automobile sector, which implies that equity financing is preferable over debt financing. These findings validate pecking order theory and recommend preferring internal financing (retained earnings) over external financing.
A Speech Act Analysis of the First Speech of Imran Khan as Prime Minister
Authors: Hussain Tanveer , Shahwar Deeba , Basit Abdul
Published: October 2020

This paper aims to highlight the speech acts which have been working behind the first speech that has delivered by Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan at 26, July 2018. It is a political discourse that attracts the researcher's interest. The objective of this paper is to answer what type of speech acts have been used by Imran Khan, the overlapping of what speech acts occur in Imran Khan's speech and what direct and indirect speech acts have been used by Imran Khan. The findings revealed that his speech includes representative acts (27.083%), expressive acts (1.041%), declarative acts (7.291%), directive acts (25%), commissive acts (39.583%) out of the total 100% of data. This paper-based on both qualitative and quantitative analysis of discourse. The framework employed in this study is the Speech Act theory that has introduced by J.L Austin in 1962 and further developed by J.R Searle (1969).
Impact of Servant Leadership on Teaching Effectiveness: A Study of Public Sector Universities, KP, Pakistan
Authors: Haider Aftab , Anees Khan Muhammad , Taj Tanveer
Published: October 2020

Among many leadership styles, servant leadership is among recent style that is getting a wide range of attention and acceptance among business researchers and academia. The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of Servant leadership influence on teaching effectiveness. Data were collected through questionnaires from 480 students of two public sector universities KPK. Structured Equation Modeling (AMOS) was employed to test the hypotheses of the study. Three models were developed and tested. The results show that Servant Leadership had a positive but insignificant impact on teaching effectiveness; interesting findings are that individual dimensions of servant leadership had a strong positive and significant impact on teaching effectiveness. Thus, this paper provides in-depth analysis necessary for higher educational institutes and Business institutions, for practical and theoretical implications to adopt servant leadership at the workplace.
ACCOUNTING AND ANALYTICAL PROVISION OF MANAGEMENT IN THE TIMES OF INFORMATION THINKING
Authors: Tetiana Bochulia  , Oleksandr Melnychenko
Published: October 2020

The article is devoted to solving topical issues concerning modern trends of development of new type of thinking as an ideology of continuous changes due to technological reorientation of society, economy and accounting. The substantive content of the essence of informational thinking has been worked out, which made it possible to substantiate its features, which caused by the generation and dissemination of technological and intellectual innovations in the processes of processing, transmission and storage of information. The key parameters and limitations of the development of informational thinking were characterized, which allowed to structure the factors of modification of information processes. The modification of the principles are made, which should promote the innovative direction of the transformation of thinking as a new ideology of information processing without the use of templates and the rejection of traditional statements. The communication component of the project of change is substantiated as a priority parameter for the formation of a plan for further actions that defining a new logic of changes and transformations for business. The conceptual model of the development of project of changes are formed, in which takes into account the parameters of innovation in the formation of knowledge and the expansion of professional competencies, which in the integrated set give a universal formula for business development.
RISK REGULATION OF BANKING ACTIVITIES WITH DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS: A COMPARATIVE ASPECT
Authors: Anastasiia Petruk
Published: October 2020

The global financial crisis of 2007-2009 demonstrated a new threat source to the global financial system – the rapid expansion of the derivatives market, which volume (80 trillion dollars in 2008) exceeded global GDP. Generating cause for serious concern, derivatives contradicted their economic nature as a tool for hedging and risk avoidance in the financial market. This fact called into question the very necessity of credit derivatives existence, since they have partially claimed responsibility for the bankruptcy of the largest financial institutions. Lack of control mechanism (from professional organizations or state one) for the issuance and circulation of such financial instruments, an increase in the OTC derivatives market, as well as the absence of effective regulating methods for banking activities related to the bank capital release with the reinvestment purposes – all these factors caused the unrestricted growth of derivatives market. In this regard, our research related to modern methods of banking regulation for risk reduction is one of the most relevant nowadays. The effective banking system functioning is a prerequisite for the development of market relations in Ukraine that makes banking regulation and supervision important and necessary elements in maintaining stability of the banking system and economy as a whole. This article examines the operating techniques for regulating commercial banks activities in Ukraine and in European practice, following the example of the Czech Republic. The issues of adaptation and implementation the European experience in order to reduce the level of various banking risks, considering the peculiarities of the Ukrainian economy, is a perspective direction for the research in the field of banking regulation.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF THE TOURISM ENTERPRISES FINANCIAL POTENTIAL
Authors: Irina Saukh  , Nataliya Vyhovska
Published: October 2020

The article solves the problem of the imperfection of current operational economic analysis techniques for assessing the tourism enterprises financial potential and the necessity for the usage of strategically-oriented analytical tools.     This will contribute to prudent and effective decisionmaking regarding the tourism enterprises strategic development. The aim of the article is to develop the methodological tools for the strategic analysis of the tourism enterprises financial potential based on the development of the integrated dynamic model including the determinants of the environmental direct and indirect impact. The model of the financial potential system of the enterprise is suggested, which is based on a combination of the resource concept, cybernetic and system approach, developmental theory, self-organization theory and dynamic abilities concepts, and consists of the internal contour (resource, personnel, organizational and information support), external contour (enterprise’s potential), the mechanism of resources transformation into financial results and feedback information, which provides a system homeostasis, taking into account, the influence of the environmental direct and indirect factors. The scientific and methodological approach to the strategic analysis of the internal tourism large enterprises financial potential is developed according to the additive factor model usage with integrated estimation based on a complex combination of deterministic analysis methods (concerning resource potential), nonformalized methods (regarding personnel, organizational and potential information support) and the "sum of places" method (in regard to the interpretation of the financial potential ranking score). A range of limits for the determination of the integral indicator level of the internal financial potential is defined and the rating of the tourist enterprises of the chosen strategic area of economic activity is proposed.
INFLUENCE OF INTELLECTUAL MIGRATION ON THE ECONOMY OF LATVIA
Authors: Tatyana Golubkova  , Alexander Masharsky  , Lada Sirjajeva
Published: October 2020

The importance of human capital for innovation and economic growth is widely recognized. Innovative enterprises are one of the main factors of economic growth. Consequently, venture capital firms are key players in ensuring economic growth and innovation. In this study, the authors paid attention to factors that contribute to the success of activities using venture capital and investments. One of the main factors was human capital. Nevertheless, there are not enough specialists in countries with low economic development, while in developed countries there may be an overabundance of specialists of certain specialties. For this reason, specialists, who did not find a place in the labor market according to the obtained specialty, are forced to look for another job, often low-skilled one.           Experts are willing to accept cooperation offers from venture capital funds, as they, in turn, offer not only earnings, but a flexible schedule, which is not tied to the location. For example, often IT professionals can work anytime during the day and from any part of the world. Nevertheless, even if the specialist has to come to a certain country to implement the project, then, in any case, this is only a temporary phenomenon. Due to this fact, they avoid spending time and money on relocation, paperwork and search for accommodation.           The work examines the modern processes of international intellectual migration and their features. Special attention is paid to the consideration of the place of Latvia in the international intellectual labor market, problems of adaptation to the rules of its functioning in the context of globalization. The following question was studied: what is the main reason for intellectual migration and the increasing tendency of conflict of interests of employers' claims and professional competence in the labor market?           To check whether the problem of migration of qualified personnel abroad is relevant for Latvia, a survey was conducted, during which the main reasons for the migration of specialists were identified.           The article ends with conclusion that the development of venture investment could have a positive effect on the economy of Latvia.
APPROACHES TO FINANCING DURING GLOBAL CRISIS
Authors: Tetiana Girchenko  , Oleksandr Yaroshenko
Published: October 2020

The study of financing approaches during the global crisis remains relevant due to new factors that emerge during each new crisis. In 2020, this issue renewed its relevance due to the inability to use the same economic levers that were used to save the financial system during the crisis that began in 2008 because of the already record low interest rates on loans in developed countries, which could no longer be lowered to obtain significant effect on the economy. The article is devoted to exploring the global crisis of 2020, trends and direction of funding during crises. The coronavirus pandemic has led to a "major halt" in business, disrupted global supply chains and slowed the economy, the final impact of which is difficult to predict. In the world economy, Governments and international financial organizations are planning measures of monetary stimulation on an unprecedented scale to restore financial markets and prevent the complete shutdown of all production. At the time of this writing, 2.2 trillion dollars for USA, 3 trillion Euro for the EU and about 400 billion dollars for China rescue / incentive packages were approved. This article discusses the challenges posed by the crisis that has arisen from the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and how states respond to them, as well as where the funding from economic stimulus packages is directed. This article discusses the challenges posed by the crisis, which is unfolding at three levels: in the health sector, in demand reduction for goods and services, and in significant capital outflows. The actions of the US, EU and Chinese governments in the context of crisis management are also analysed. It is determined that in order to successfully overcome the crisis, it is necessary to introduce the correct combination of financial, monetary and fiscal measures to provide the following opportunities: to people – to meet their basic needs; to business – to recover after the worst phase of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic; to state – to find funding available under economic stimulus packages.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AS A MODERN PRINCIPLE OF PLANNING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SECURE BUSINESS IN TRADE
Authors: Hanna Koptieva  , Sergiy Kozub
Published: October 2020

The increasing role of society as a factor in the development of a company actualizes the introduction of the corporate social responsibility concept, its boundaries and its impact on economic results. The implementation of corporate social responsibility activities and programs forms a positive image of the company as of a responsible employer, manufacturer and counterparty, which simultaneously strengthens the company's competitive position and increases its level of security. Nevertheless, the integration of environmental and social programs into the company's business processes requires investments and, respectively, the coordination of these projects with strategic business development initiatives to ensure a certain balance between desired goals and real opportunities. That is the reason for the relevance of researching the practice of planning of socially targeted events and determining the relationship between their implementation and the performance results of the company. The article considers the current practice of implementing the principles of corporate social responsibility in the activities of world trading companies in the context of ensuring their economic security. The author of the article investigated the level of implementation of corporate social responsibility tools in the practice of 19 world trade leaders in terms of their turnover. It is proved that trading companies with high rates of corporate sustainability implement social initiatives in accordance with the developed plans and strategies for their implementation. The author identifies priority areas for the implementation of social projects of trading companies, among which the most common are creation of decent working conditions, gender equality, implementation of educational initiatives to rationalize consumption and production in terms of human physiological needs and careful use of resources, of the fight against climate change and their consequences. The hypothesis regarding the dependence of business economic security on the activity of implementation of corporate social responsibility projects was also checked. Based on the correlation analysis, a direct relationship has been established between corporate sustainability indicators and the main performance results of trading companies, which determine their level of economic security.
CURRENT STATE OF CASH CIRCULATION AND CASHLESS CALCULATIONS
Authors: Mariia Lutsyk
Published: October 2020

This study contributes to the scientific literature, emphasizing the urgency of the problem of withdrawal of funds from circulation, reducing cash turnover in the economies of different countries in order to minimize the risks associated with its use. Reducing cash flow is a task that requires solving economic, political, social, administrative, psychological problems. The general decrease in the volume of cash will lead to lower inflation, the risk of money laundering, terrorist financing, improve the investment climate, liberalize the credit market and more. Despite the rather long time during which the chosen topic is researched by scholars and studied in practice at the level of states, intergovernmental associations, banks, there is still a significant share of cash transactions with a general tendency to increase non-cash transactions both in number and amount. . Therefore, it is important to obtain and analyze relevant information, review forecasts, clarify plans, which is why this study is primarily devoted. The transition to non-cash payments is associated with a number of obstacles and challenges, so the author analyzes the determinants of implementation and the effectiveness of non-cash turnover substantiates which socio-economic factors constrain the use of non-cash transactions. The demand for the use of non-cash payments depends on the level of use of funds in the country, and on how quickly society will be able to give up physical money. The positive aspects of the impact of non-cash circulation on the country's economy, public administration, industry and society have been identified. Statistics show that the preference for certain types of payment instruments, cash or non-cash payment depends on the level of economic development of the country, traditions, habits and areas of economic activity in societies. This article considers and analyzes the current state of cash circulation in individual countries, the ratio of cash to total assets of global technology companies from 2007 to 2019; cash use forecasts in different countries are displayed. In addition, the issue of cybersecurity, which should be given special attention when it comes to payments using special means of payment in general, and on the Internet in particular, is not ignored.
DISTRIBUTED PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS' SOFT SKILLS ASSESSMENT
Authors: Natalia Krasnokutska  , Tetiana Osetrova
Published: October 2020

Today, people are suddenly forced to interact remotely due to the pandemic, while companies around the world are beginning to accept the fact that teams don't really have to work in offices to get the expected results. That is why distributed teams are increasingly becoming the norm in various industries, delivering results, and saving corporate resources. At the same time, new realities have not only changed the way companies work but also changed people's thinking to adapt to working in distributed teams. Especially now, the knowledge and skills of employees are intellectual capital for companies, which is fast becoming a new icon of the economic value of the company. Due to this fact, project workers, those who want to succeed in the new business environment, should learn to work effectively in distributed teams. This will require strengthening soft skills such as leadership, commitment, etc. The article considers the economic and social preconditions for distributed project teams trend formation. The literature on the topic of the distributed team’s efficiency was analysed. Thus, one of the factors influencing the team work efficiency related to the soft skills maturity level among distributed project team members was distinguished. The unified list of soft skills based on world experience is determined. The current state and main trends in the work of project teams are studied, based on which the methodological tools for assessing the maturity level of the project team’s soft skills by project managers at the enterprise were proposed. The levels of soft skills maturity, as well as assessment parameters of each of soft skills, are revealed. The practice of applying the unified soft skills list on the example of a distributed team in the Ukrainian company was evaluated, based on which conclusions about the possibility of its use were made.
METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF MARKET SEGMENTATION OF VEGETABLE PRODUCTS USING CLUSTER ANALYSIS IN THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Аllа Gumeniuk  , Oksana Shkolenko  , Tetiana Kharchuk  , Viktoryia Melnik
Published: October 2020

The cluster model of business organization has several advantages. In the presence of a cluster, marketing structures, which are created for the purpose of marketing support for the activities of enterprises taking into account the infrastructure of the vegetable market, are formed. This approach allows small-scale agricultural enterprises to avoid the growth of conditionally fixed costs and to increase performance of activity. At the same time, it's important to understand that clustering enables producers of vegetable products not only to jointly promote their products, but also to form an effective marketing support system for the activities of each enterprise. In this article authors have formed the essence of cluster analysis on the basis of the research of domestic and foreign scientists. The methodology of cluster analysis is generalized for vegetable enterprises. The use of methods of cluster analysis is proposed for the study of the regional vegetable market and consumer groups of vegetable products. Analytical and graphical possibilities of application of the software package STATISTICA are shown for multivariate grouping of consumers of vegetable products. A dendrogram of consumer preferences of vegetable products in a supermarket has been constructed. The authors used hierarchical clustering of consumers of vegetable products on the basis of Ward’s method, as an agglomeration plan. It is proved that the proposed methods should be used in the further practical activity of marketing services at the enterprises of the vegetable industry and their integration formations. The article justifies expediency the inclusion of psychographic and behavioral features in the segmentation of the market of vegetable products with cluster analysis, which will enable the marketing service to take into account the needs and demands of consumers in detail, establish the degree of their loyalty that is, the relation to vegetable production, its packaging and qualitative characteristics. The control of this technique is important not only for the marketer who carries out marketing researches, but also for employees of the marketing department of a small vegetable company.
FINANCIAL MODEL OF INVESTMENT PROJECT AND PECULIARITIES OF ITS USE IN PROJECT FINANCING
Authors: Ievgen Tishchenko
Published: October 2020

The article explores the main directions for improving the management of the investment process on the basis of the development and use of the financial model of the investment project, which is proposed to be considered as a decision making tool at all stages of financing. From a practical point of view, such a model is a digital form of presenting the results of the calculation and analysis of the main parameters of the investment project in order to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of its implementation. The purpose and main tasks of the development and use of the financial model of the investment project, which consists in ensuring its functionality, accuracy and reliability of the calculations, coverage of all stages of implementation and the main indicators of the project, informativeness, as well as ease of use for the purpose of effective project management, are determined. The basic principles of model formation, which include integrity, systemicity, uniformity, transparency and consistency, are distinguished. The methodology and sources for forming the Book of assumptions and input data collection for building a financial model are described. Its structure and conditions, which form the level of validity and reliability of the results of calculations, are determined. The sequence of actions of project managers regarding the development, verification and use of the financial model in project financing is characterized. The system of indicators, which, in a generalized way, characterize the main results of the project implementation, its investment attractiveness, sustainability and economic efficiency, is defined. The factors of sensitivity of the investment project to the influence of external and internal shocks are described. The necessity of using a single methodology and unification of the financial indicators and calculation processes used in the construction of the financial model to optimize financial flows and improve project risk management is proved
CITIZENSHIP AND SOVEREIGNTY AS DEMOCRATIC VALUES OF A STATE IN GLOBAL WORLD
Authors: Vitaliy Kovalchuk  , Iryna Sofinska  , Yaryna Bohiv
Published: October 2020

This article mainly focuses on determination of sovereignty as the answer to challenges, caused by globalization, migration, and integration. In the modern view, sovereignty is a fundamental state feature, while citizenship is a real and effective political and legal link between person and state. Citizenship is a primary legal aspect of self-identity from the theoretical, legal and philosophical point of view. It should be mentioned that nowadays, there are a lot of discussions on this issue in order to determine possible strong ideological baggage, the set of rights and duties and full membership in a state (features of citizenship) from daily and personal complexity of social interaction (features of self-identity). Undoubtedly, the correct, up-to-date application of person’s legal status and identity issues is a fundamental tension in frames of such triangle: person – society – sovereign state. The article explains that such importance depends not only upon the level of legal self-consciousness of a person, geopolitical, social and economic, demographic development of society and state’s place on the international arena, but also on active state (governmental) policy in the field of citizenship. Authors pay particular attention to the grounds for terminating the citizenship of a person, as a result of which a person may become "apatride" (a stateless person). In addition, this study is aimed to generalize the common and distinctive features of the main grounds for termination of citizenship of a person, which depends on the will of last one or is foreseen as the state "punishment" for his/her activity. According to the results of this research, the value of citizenship in the modern world is inevitably to become lower. Therefore, in the ideal scenario, it is necessary to upgrade the citizenship concept, to proceed with real, proper and useful, but not cosmetic changes. In addition, there is a need to allow drifting on the citizenship front to secure values and shared symbols of citizenship in the sovereign state.
MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING OF ECOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC EXPENDITURE AS A COMPLEX OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENTERPRISE
Authors: Maryna Pashkevych  , Olga Usatenko  , Olha Driha
Published: October 2020

The article deals with the topical issue of forming managerial accounting theoretical bases. Managerial accounting is considered as a part of a company’s sustainable development harmonizing its economic, environmental and social activities. Therefore, the research is aimed at offering the informational basis and metrics for assessment and selection of the managerial accounting strategy as a part of a company’s sustainable development. The research object is a process of sustainable development management. A cost approach underpins the new theory explaining the essence of a company’s sustainable development and providing financial indicators for it. This allowed proving for the first time the Project-Based-Costing that in contrast to other types of costing focuses on economic, environmental and social projects as calculation objects and on working hours of project teams’ managers as a basis of overhead cost distribution incurred due to additional administrative and marketing activities. The obtained result is worth using, owning to the fact, that this instrument allows gathering financial information required for a company’s sustainable development management. Indicating initial types of costs resulted in the indication of ratio (Distance to Sustainable Development) supposing a company’s sustainable development assessment and managerial strategies in the case of its being negative. In practice, the ratio assessing a company’s sustainable development might serve for current monitoring operations from the perspectives of provision of harmonized economic, environmental and social activities as well as a range of offered strategies – for studying proved management in order to achieve a given level of a company’s sustainable development.
TRIP13 promotes lung cancer cell growth and metastasis through AKT/mTORC1/c-Myc signaling
Authors: Cai Weiyang , Ni Wei , Jin Yin , Li Yanyan
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a primary cause of cancer-patient mortality throughout the world. Thyroid hormone receptor interactor 13 (TRIP13) is a gene that expresses a protein involved in cell division, including tumorigenesis. Its expression is high in various human tumors; however, its role in LUAD cells remains undetermined. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the TRIP13’s role in the development of LUAD. METHODS: Bioinformation analysis was used to analyze the expression of TRIP13 in LUAD tissues and the impact on the prognosis of LUAD; CRISPR/Cas9 was used to construct the cell lines; CCK-8 was used to explore the cell proliferation; Transwell assays was applied to exam the cell migration and cell invasion abilities; Western blot and immunoprecipitation was used to explore the relation between TRIP13 and AKT/mTORC1/c-Myc signaling pathway. RESULTS: By analyzing LUAD data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Gene Expression Omnibus databases, we determined that TRIP13 is highly expressed in LUAD tissues and that this expression level has a negative impact on the patient mortality. TRIP13 has also proved to promote LUAD cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In this study, we demonstrated that TRIP13 activates AKT/mTORC1/c-Myc signaling in these cells. CONCLUSION: Our results have identified the role and potential mechanism by which TRIP13 affects LUAD cells, which may provide a useful marker for helping to diagnose this disease and create new therapies against it.
An Analysis of the Debate over Structural Universals
Authors: Garbacz Pawel
Published: October 2020

The paper outlines a conceptual framework to identify all ontological and logical aspects relevant for the debate over structural universals. The framework allows for a multi-facetted classifications of various accounts of the latter and facilitates their comparison in a systematic way. To show the framework in action I use it to classify all major theoretical positions in this debate.
Towards GFO 2.0: Architecture, Modules and Applications
Authors: Burek Patryk , Loebe Frank , Herre Heinrich
Published: October 2020

The General Formal Ontology (GFO) is a top-level ontology that has been developed by the Onto-Med Research Group since the early 2000s. Since that time several new theoretical results have been achieved as well as numerous projects have utilized the ontology, especially in complex domains such as bioinformatics and medical computer science. This leads to the need for an up-to-date overview of GFO and access to its applications. This paper represents the first step towards introducing the GFO 2.0 framework, which aims at the integration of the work that is already present, but scattered in various publications, and its provision as a ready-to-use and reusable framework. For this purpose we summarize key features of GFO so far, outline a novel modular architecture and survey first modules for GFO 2.0, linking to applications. Finally, a rigorous and systematic development process is indicated.
A Commonsense Theory of Secrets
Authors: Ismail Haythem O. , Shafie Merna
Published: October 2020

With the advent of social robots, precise accounts of an increasing number of social phenomena are called for. Although the phenomenon of secrets is an important part of everyday social situations, logical accounts of it can only be found, in a rather strict sense, within logical investigations of systems security. This paper is an attempt to formalize the logic of a commonsense notion of secrets as a contribution to ontologies of social and epistemological phenomena. We take a secret to be a five-way relation between a proposition, a group of secret-keepers, a group of nescients, a condition of secrecy, and a time point. A bare-bones notion of secrets is defined by providing necessary and sufficient conditions for said relation to hold. Special classes of secrets are then identified by considering an assortment of extra conditions. The logical language employed formalizes a classical account of belief and intention, a theory of groups, and a novel notion of revealing. In such a rich theory, interesting properties of secrets are proved.
An Ontology for Formal Models of Kinship
Authors: Chui Carmen , Grüninger Michael , Wong Janette
Published: October 2020

The near ubiquity of family relationship ontologies in the Semantic Web has brought on the question of whether any formal analysis has been done in this domain. This paper examines kinship relationships that are normally overlooked in formal analyses of domain-specific ontologies: how are such ontologies verified and validated? We draw inspiration from existing work done in anthropology, where attempts have been made to formally model kinship as atemporal algebraic models. Based on these algebraic models, we provide an ontology for kinship written in first-order logic and demonstrate how the ontology can be used to validate definitions found in Canadian legal laws and data collection documentation.
Needs and Intentionality
Authors: Biccheri Luca , Ferrario Roberta , Porello Daniele
Published: October 2020

A thorough understanding of what needs are is fundamental for designing well-behaved information systems for many social applications and in particular for public services. Talking about needs pervades indeed the jargon of Public Administrations when motivating their service offering. In this paper, we propose an ontological analysis of needs, aiming at a principled disentangling of the different uses of the term. We leverage philosophical tradition on intentionality, for its rich understanding of mental entities, we compare it with the well-established BDI (Belief-Desire-Intention) tradition in knowledge representation, and we propose a formalisation of needs within the foundational ontology DOLCE. Throughout the paper, we motivate our analysis focusing on needs in public services.
Ontology-Driven Cross-Domain Transfer Learning
Authors: Fumagalli Mattia , Bella Gábor , Conti Samuele , Giunchiglia Fausto
Published: October 2020

The aim of transfer learning is to reuse learnt knowledge across different contexts. In the particular case of cross-domain transfer (also known as domain adaptation), reuse happens across different but related knowledge domains. While there have been promising first results in combining learning with symbolic knowledge to improve cross-domain transfer results, the singular ability of ontologies for providing classificatory knowledge has not been fully exploited so far by the machine learning community. We show that ontologies, if properly designed, are able to support transfer learning by improving generalization and discrimination across classes. We propose an architecture based on direct attribute prediction for combining ontologies with a transfer learning framework, as well as an ontology-based solution for cross-domain generalization based on the integration of top-level and domain ontologies. We validate the solution on an experiment over an image classification task, demonstrating the system’s improved classification performance.
School reopening during COVID-19 pandemic: Considering students with disabilities
Authors: Brandenburg Joline E. , Holman Lainie K. , Apkon Susan D. , Houtrow Amy J. , Rinaldi Robert , Sholas Maurice G.
Published: October 2020

Over 80% of the children in the world have had their education impacted by COVID-19. For children with disabilities who receive special education services, access to in-person education and other resources at school is particularly important. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for students to attend school in person, without specifics for how children with disabilities can safely return to school. To appropriately plan and accommodate children with disabilities we must prioritize safety, allow for adherence to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and preserve essential school staff. The less cumbersome default of confining students with disabilities to home is not acceptable. We provide an outline describing why Individual Education Plans and 504 plans are important, how they are related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and recommendations for measures to help with safe return to school for children with disabilities.
Auditory biophysics of endolymphatic hydrops
Authors: Avan Paul , Djennaoui Idir
Published: October 2020

Audiological tests in patients with Menière’s disease reveal abnormal patterns relevant for diagnostic purposes with some success. Electrocochleography, otoacoustic emissions and immittance measurements share a moderate sensitivity but a good specificity. Their potential for monitoring the patients suggests means to understand the characteristic time course of Menière’s disease and the pathophysiology behind its attacks. Besides, magnetic resonance imaging now allows direct evaluation of endolymphatic hydrops. One issue is now to understand the links between volume inflation of endolymphatic spaces, which sometimes remains asymptomatic, and the functional signs, in the hope that a better understanding of what triggers the attacks may guide future treatments. This article provides a short review of the possible biophysical significance of audiological tests of Menière’s disease, and of the attempts to make sense of functional and imaging data and of the patterns they form when combined.
Prevalence, risk factors, and ethnic characteristics of uninvestigated dyspepsia
Authors:   Research Institute of Medical Problems in the North, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Tsukanov V.V. , Vasyutin A.V. ,   Research Institute of Medical Problems in the North, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Tonkikh Yu.L. ,   Research Institute of Medical Problems in the North, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation
Published: October 2020

Background: in our country, studies on the prevalence of dyspepsia performed using the Rome IV criteria are rare, which makes it difficult to objectively compare Russian and international data, including ethnic characteristics. Aim: to study the prevalence and risk factors of uninvestigated dyspepsia in indigenous and foreign residents in rural areas of the Republic of Khakassia. Patients and Methods: continuous epidemiological screening (coverage 93.4%) of dyspepsia was performed in the villages Matur, Anchul, Verchnii Kurlugash, Nizhnie Siry, Bolshoy Bor, Bolshaya Seya, Verkhnyaya Seya, Inchul, Verkhnii Tashtyp of the Tashtyp district. A total of 2,080 newly-arrived residents (Caucasians, 911 males, average age 43.6 years) and 2,117 indigenous residents (Khakas, 978 males, average age 42.9 years) were surveyed. Dyspepsia was studied in accordance with the recommendations of the Rome IV criteria. Epigastric pain syndrome and postprandial distress syndrome were distinguished. Due to the fact that endoscopic examination of patients was not used, dyspepsia was considered as uninvestigated dyspepsia. The presence of Helicobacter pylori was determined serologically in 566 Caucasians and 533 Khakas. The results of clinical examination and interview (social status, complaints, medical history) were recorded in the standard questionnaires. Results: uninvestigated dyspepsia was diagnosed in 24.6% of Caucasians and 19.2% of Khakas (p<0.001). Gender did not affect the prevalence of dyspepsia in Khakas. Among Caucasians, there was a tendency to more common detection of dyspepsia in women. The pain variant of dyspepsia prevailed in men in both populations. The incidence of postprandial distress syndrome among Caucasians was significantly higher in women. Other risk factors for dyspepsia in both populations were the following: age older than 50, Helicobacter pylori infection, smoking 20 or more cigarettes per day for more than 10 years, history of gallbladder pathology, acute viral hepatitis and helminthiasis. Conclusion: the data obtained allow to consider the influence of ethnicity on the prevalence of uninvestigated dyspepsia, including depending on gender identity. KEYWORDS: uninvestigated dyspepsia, ethnic characteristics, Helicobacter pylori, prevalence, risk factors. FOR CITATION: Tsukanov V.V., Vasyutin A.V., Tonkikh Yu.L. Prevalence, risk factors, and ethnic characteristics of uninvestigated dyspepsia. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2020;4(5):264–267. DOI: 10.32364/2587–6821–2020–4-5-263-267.
Living with HIV in the Time of COVID-19
Authors: Noor Muhammad Naveed
Published: October 2020

This commentary foregrounds the need to examine how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated conditions may be affecting the lives of people living with HIV (PLWH) in a developing country context like Pakistan. It raises some important questions on medical care and updated information regarding PLWH in the time of COVID-19. Since PLWH are at an increased risk of developing comorbid conditions – something that makes them more vulnerable to COVID-19 – it is critical that timely research and evidence-based actions are undertaken to protect their health.
Crónicas
Authors: Autores Varios
Published: October 2020

.
Preparation of silica/carbon composite from rice husk and its electrochemical pro ertives as anode material in Li-ion batteries
Authors: Phat Vu Tan , Nguyen Ngoc Thi Bao , Thinh Phung Gia , Huynh Tuyen Thi Kim , Tran Man Van , Le Phung My Loan
Published: October 2020

Rice husk is a common agricultural waste and an abundant source in Viet Nam. In terms of composition, rice husk is a silica-rich material (SiO2) so it can be used to prepare negative electrode materials for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. Recent processes of synthesizing the silica materials for the rechargeable batteries are often complex, expensive, and energy-intensive. In this study, KOH was used to treat rice husk ash to obtain SiO2/C porous composite materials. X-ray diffraction results (XRD) showed that the diffraction peak between 22o and 23o (2q ) was characterized of SiO2 material, and the other peaks around 43-44o was featured of carbon material. Scanning electron microscope image (SEM) showed the porous structure with the pore size 3-5 mm.Besides, the amorphous structure with coverage layers was also confirmed through the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images. Preliminary electrochemical results demonstratedthat Li-ion coin cell using the SiO2/C anode material exhibited a high capacity of 1200 mAh/g at a discharge current of 1.0 A/g and maintained 1000 mAh/g after 100 cycles. SiO2/C materials prepared from rice husks were highly promising for battery application thanks to their low cost, stable performance, environmental friendliness, and easy expansion for production scale.
Infectious plant diseases: etiology, current status, problems and prospects in plant protection
Authors: Nazarov Pavel A. , Baleev Dmitry N. , Ivanova Maria I. , Sokolova Luybov M. , Karakozova Marina V.
Published: October 2020

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of diseases caused by bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. Infections affect plants at different stages of agricultural production. Depending on weather conditions and the phytosanitary condition of crops, the prevalence of diseases can reach 7080% of the total plant population, and the yield can decrease in some cases down to 8098%. Plants have innate cellular immunity, but specific phytopathogens have an ability to evade that immunity. This article examined phytopathogens of viral, fungal, and bacterial nature and explored the concepts of modern plant protection, methods of chemical, biological, and agrotechnical control, as well as modern methods used for identifying phytopathogens.
Cytokine profile as a marker of cell damage and immune dysfunction after spinal cord injury
Authors: Telegin George B. , Chernov Aleksandr S. , Konovalov Nikolay A. , Belogurov A. A. , Balmasova Irina P. , Gabibov Aleksandr G.
Published: October 2020

This study reviews the findings of recent experiments designed to investigate the cytokine profile after a spinal cord injury. The role played by key cytokines in eliciting the cellular response to trauma was assessed. The results of the specific immunopathogenetic interaction between the nervous and immune systems in the immediate and chronic post-traumatic periods are summarized. It was demonstrated that it is reasonable to use the step-by-step approach to the assessment of the cytokine profile after a spinal cord injury and take into account the combination of the pathogenetic and protective components in implementing the regulatory effects of individual cytokines and their integration into the regenerative processes in the injured spinal cord. This allows one to rationally organize treatment and develop novel drugs.
PENGARUH INSENTIF, KOMPENSASI DAN REWARD TERHADAP KINERJA KARYAWAN PT. BRI (PERSERO).TBK KANTOR CABANG BENGKULU
Authors: Fauzan Fauzan
Published: October 2020

This study aims to determine how much influence the incentives, compensation and rewards on the performance of employees of PT. BRI Persero Tbk Bengkulu Branch Office. Data analysis method uses Multiple Linear Regression, with Incentives as Free Variable (X1), Compensation as Free Variable (X2), Reward as Free Variable (X3) and Employee Performance as dependent variable (Y). that there is a positive influence between the four variables. The value of the correlation coefficient (r) is 0.760 and the coefficient of determination Adjusted R square of 0.549 shows the influence of incentives, compensation, and rewards on Employee Performance is very strong.