•The paper presents a study of the reliability of two mapping studies.•It is concluded that reliability of systematic studies cannot be taken for granted.•Four conjectures are put forward to increase ...reliability of literature studies.
Systematic literature reviews and systematic mapping studies are becoming increasingly common in software engineering, and hence it becomes even more important to better understand the reliability of such studies.
This paper presents a study of two systematic mapping studies to evaluate the reliability of mapping studies and point out some challenges related to this type of study in software engineering.
The research is based on an in-depth case study of two published mapping studies on software product line testing.
We found that despite the fact that the two studies are addressing the same topic, there are quite a number of differences when it comes to papers included and in terms of classification of the papers included in the two mapping studies.
From this we conclude that although mapping studies are important, their reliability cannot simply be taken for granted. Based on the findings we also provide four conjectures that further research has to address to make secondary studies (systematic mapping studies and systematic literature reviews) even more valuable to both researchers and practitioners.
Traffic congestion is a major concern in urban centers, as it can affect society, the environment, and the economy. There are many studies on the use of computational intelligence (CI) to improve ...mobility in urban centers. Some of these researches focus on developing strategies for traffic light programming, since traffic coordination is complex due to its many parameters, variables, and dynamic behavior, and also an inefficient traffic control plan can lead to increased delays and contribute to traffic congestion. Although there are many works in the literature on strategies for traffic control, there are still some contributions and gaps to be filled, especially because some studies do not consider the automatic optimization of traffic signals in real time, that is, according to the demand of vehicles on the roads, considering multiple objectives and the use of a network of intersections in their experiments. In addition, some of the proposed models are not independent of simulation to evaluate the solutions of CI algorithms, resulting in a more complex deployment in real situations. In this context, this paper presents a new method to optimize traffic light plan in a network of intersections and in real time, called Active Control of Traffic Signals (ACTS) associated with the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm, considering multiple objectives in the optimization process (minimizing the average delay time and the number of vehicles stops per cycle). To test the applicability of the model, a real dataset of vehicle demand collected by the Company of Transport and Traffic of Belo Horizonte (BHTrans) is loaded into the AIMSUN simulator, then the method is applied and compared with the current traffic control plan used by BHTrans. The results show that the ACTS method reduces the average vehicle delay by almost half compared to the results obtained with the current solution used by BHTrans. In real life, this means less time spent in traffic, which promotes faster traffic flow, reducing traffic congestions.
Dynamic software product lines extend the concept of conventional SPLs by enabling software-variant generation at runtime. Recent studies yield insights into the current state of the DSPL field, ...research trends, and major gaps to address.
Obesity is a global epidemic that has shown a steady increase in morbimortality indicators; it is considered a social problem and entails serious health risks. One of the alternatives in the ...treatment of obesity is the traditional use of medicinal plants, which supports the research and development of obesity phytotherapy. In this article, we provide information about ethnopharmacological species used to treat obesity, through an electronic search of the periodical databases
,
,
and
, considering the period 1996-2015 and using the descriptors "plants for obesity", "ethnopharmacology for obesity" and "anti-obesity plants" in both Portuguese and English. We analyzed and organized data on 76 plant species, cataloged per the taxonomy, geographic distribution, botanical aspects, popular use, and chemical and biological studies of the listed plants. The anti-obesity effect of the cataloged species was reported, describing actions on the delay of fat absorption, suppression of enzymatic activities, mediation of lipid levels and increase of lipolytic effects, attributed mainly to phenolic compounds. Given these findings, ethnopharmacological approaches are relevant scientific tools in the selection of plant species for studies that demonstrate anti-obesity action. Deeper botanical, chemical, pre-clinical and clinical studies are particularly necessary for species that present phenolic compounds in their chemical structure.
Potential ergogenic activity of grape juice in runners Toscano, Lydiane Tavares; Tavares, Renata Leite; Toscano, Luciana Tavares ...
Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism,
09/2015, Letnik:
40, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Recent studies have indicated that certain food products have ergogenic potential similar to that of sports supplements. The present study aimed to investigate the potential ergogenic effect of ...integral purple grape juice on the performance of recreational runners. Twenty-eight volunteers of both sexes (age, 39.8 ± 8.5 years; peak oxygen consumption, 43.2 ± 8.5 mL/(kg·min)) were randomized into either a group that received grape juice (grape juice group (GJG), n = 15; 10 mL/(kg·min) for 28 days) or a group that received an isocaloric, isoglycemic, and isovolumetric control beverage (control group (CG), n = 13). A time-to-exhaustion exercise test, anaerobic threshold test, and aerobic capacity test were performed, together with assessments of markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, immune response, and muscle injury, performed at baseline and 48 h after the supplementation protocol. The GJG showed a significant increase (15.3%) in running time-to-exhaustion (p = 0.002) without significant improvements in either anaerobic threshold (3.6%; p = 0.511) or aerobic capacity (2.2%; p = 0.605). In addition, GJG exhibited significant increases in total antioxidant capacity (38.7%; p = 0.009), vitamin A (11.8%; p = 0.016), and uric acid (28.2%; p = 0.005), whereas α-1-acid glycoprotein significantly decreased (20.2%; p = 0.006) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels remained unchanged. In contrast, no significant changes occurred in any of these variables in the CG. In conclusion, supplementation with purple grape juice shows an ergogenic effect in recreational runners by promoting increased time-to-exhaustion, accompanied by increased antioxidant activity and a possible reduction in inflammatory markers.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, FSPLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Listeria monocytogenes
is an invasive opportunistic foodborne pathogen and its routine surveillance is critical for protecting the food supply and public health. The traditional detection methods are ...time-consuming and require trained personnel. Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), on the other hand, is an easy-to-perform, rapid point-of-care test and has been widely used as an inexpensive surveillance tool. In recent times, nucleic acid–based lateral flow immunoassays (NALFIA) are also developed to improve sensitivity and specificity. A significant improvement in lateral flow–based assays has been reported in recent years, especially the ligands (antibodies, nucleic acids, aptamers, bacteriophage), labeling molecules, and overall assay configurations to improve detection sensitivity, specificity, and automated interpretation of results. In most commercial applications, LFIA has been used with enriched food/environmental samples to ensure detection of live cells thus prolonging the assay time to 24–48 h; however, with the recent improvement in LFIA sensitivity, results can be obtained in less than 8 h with shortened and improved enrichment practices. Incorporation of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and/or immunomagnetic separation could significantly improve LFIA sensitivity for near-real-time point-of-care detection of
L. monocytogenes
for food safety and public health applications.
Multifractal analysis of Bitcoin market da Silva Filho, Antônio Carlos; Maganini, Natália Diniz; de Almeida, Eduardo Fonseca
Physica A,
12/2018, Letnik:
512
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The recent emergence and use growth of cryptocurrencies based on Blockchain technology increased interest in the study of its economic dynamics and financial characteristics. Bitcoin is up to now the ...more widely known and disseminated cryptocurrency, with greater volume of transactions, market value and acceptance in exchange services. In order to contribute to the comprehension of the price behavior of the Bitcoin market, this study analyzes whether the historical series of prices of this currency, quoted every 12 h from September 14, 2011 to November 20, 2017 has multifractal behavior. The results of the research identified multifractal characteristics in the series and that both long-range correlations and fat tails distribution contribute to Bitcoin’s multifractal behavior. We compared the non-Gaussian properties and the multifractality degrees of Bitcoin series with the non-Gaussian properties and multifractality degrees of several stock market indices scattered around the world. In addition, we investigated the power of multifractal analysis in the study of volatility and forecast for this series, pointing to a possible use of multifractal parameters in Technical Analysis.
•An investigation of the multifractality of the Bitcoin time series is addressed.•The multifractality was evidenced in the work through the MFDFA method.•The multifractality originates from both long-range correlations and fat tails.•The multifractality degrees (MD) of Bitcoin are higher than the MD of many indices.•There is a direct relation between multifractality degrees and volatility in the same time interval.
Papiliotrema laurentii
, previously classified as
Cryptococcus laurentii
, is an oleaginous yeast that has been isolated from soil, plants, and agricultural and industrial residues. This variety of ...habitats reflects the diversity of carbon sources that it can metabolize, including monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, glycerol, organic acids, and oils. Compared to other oleaginous yeasts, such as
Yarrowia lipolytica
and
Rhodotorula toruloides
, there is little information regarding its genetic and physiological characteristics. From a biotechnological point of view,
P. laurentii
can produce surfactants, enzymes, and high concentrations of lipids, which can be used as feedstock for fatty acid–derived products. Moreover, it can be applied for the biocontrol of phytopathogenic fungi, contributing to quality maintenance in post- and pre-harvest fruits. It can also improve mycorrhizal colonization, nitrogen nutrition, and plant growth.
P. laurentii
is also capable of degrading polyester and diesel derivatives and acting in the bioremediation of heavy metals. In this review, we present the current knowledge about the basic and applied aspects of
P. laurentii
, underscoring its biotechnological potential and future perspectives.
Key points
• The physiological characteristics of P. laurentii confer a wide range of biotechnological applications.
• The regulation of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase in P. laurentii is different from most other oleaginous yeasts.
• The GEM is a valuable tool to guide the construction of engineered P. laurentii strains with improved features for bio-based products.
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