bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Copy number loss in the region of the ASPN gene in patients with acetabular dysplasia
Authors: Sekimoto T. , Ishii M. , Emi M. , Kurogi S. , Funamoto T. , Yonezawa Y. , Tajima T. , Sakamoto T. , Hamada H. , Chosa E.
Published: July 2017

Objectives

We have previously investigated an association between the genome copy number variation (CNV) and acetabular dysplasia (AD). Hip osteoarthritis is associated with a genetic polymorphism in the aspartic acid repeat in the N-terminal region of the asporin (ASPN) gene; therefore, the present study aimed to investigate whether the CNV of ASPN is involved in the pathogenesis of AD.

Methods

Acetabular coverage of all subjects was evaluated using radiological findings (Sharp angle, centre-edge (CE) angle, acetabular roof obliquity (ARO) angle, and minimum joint space width). Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes. Agilent’s region-targeted high-density oligonucleotide tiling microarray was used to analyse 64 female AD patients and 32 female control subjects. All statistical analyses were performed using EZR software (Fisher’s exact probability test, Pearson’s correlation test, and Student’s t-test).

Results

CNV analysis of the ASPN gene revealed a copy number loss in significantly more AD patients (9/64) than control subjects (0/32; p = 0.0212). This loss occurred within a 60 kb region on 9q22.31, which harbours the gene for ASPN. The mean radiological parameters of these AD patients were significantly worse than those of the other subjects (Sharp angle, p = 0.0056; CE angle, p = 0.0076; ARO angle, p = 0.0065), and all nine patients required operative therapy such as total hip arthroplasty or pelvic osteotomy. Moreover, six of these nine patients had a history of operative or conservative therapy for developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Conclusions

Copy number loss within the region harbouring the ASPN gene on 9q22.31 is associated with severe AD. A copy number loss in the ASPN gene region may play a role in the aetiology of severe AD. Cite this article: T. Sekimoto, M. Ishii, M. Emi, S. Kurogi, T. Funamoto, Y. Yonezawa, T. Tajima, T. Sakamoto, H. Hamada, E. Chosa. Copy number loss in the region of the ASPN gene in patients with acetabular dysplasia: ASPN CNV in acetabular dysplasia. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:439–445. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.67.BJR-2016-0094.R1.
The voices of royal subjects? Political speech in the judicial and governmental records of fourteenth-century England
Authors: Lacey Helen
Published: July 2017

This article examines the reported speech of individuals who were accused of voicing criticism of the monarch or of royal government in fourteenth-century England. These words were attributed to individuals outside of the social elite, who were then drawn into political discourses shaped by the ideologies and institutional structures of the royal courts. This process might influence relations between neighbours and local communities, as well as between individuals and the officials who represented the Crown. When we think about how this affects our understanding of late medieval political culture, we need to think about the whole context of the accusation: the role of ‘informers’, witnesses and local juries. Political news sometimes emanated from royal office holders, messengers, clerks and sheriffs, allowing them to demonstrate just how well-connected they were with those in power. They could also manipulate the process to accuse opponents of spreading false tales and pursue local vendettas through the royal courts. All those who participated in the process had to interact with the language and procedure of the royal judicial system and they constructed their narratives carefully as part of the performance required by the courts. The written records, then, allow us to examine how the words of these individuals were rendered in textual form, and further, to think carefully about how they were represented as subjects of the Crown.
Digitale Archivierung im Hessischen Landesarchiv
Authors: Schieber Sigrid
Published: July 2017

Am Beispiel eines deutschen Staatsarchivs, das 2011 mit der digitalen Archivierung begonnen hat, versucht dieser Artikel die wesentlichen Herausforderungen der digitalen Archivierung in einem typischen Archiv herauszuarbeiten. Da wir nach wie vor am Anfang dieser Aufgabe stehen, liegt der Fokus auf der Übernahme digitalen Materials (Ingest) – wie kann archivwürdiges digitales Material ausfindig gemacht werden, wie wird es in archivfähige Dateiformate und Datenstrukturen übertragen, wie werden die Integrität der Daten und der Datenschutz bei der Datenübermittlung sichergestellt etc. Der Artikel konzentriert sich dabei auf drei Formen digitaler Unterlagen: strukturierte Informationen aus Datenbanken, elektronische Akten und Dateiablagen und endet mit einem Exkurs zu den Fragen der Erhaltung und (späteren) Nutzung dieser Unterlagen.
Contested Practice: Political Activism in Nursing and Implications for Nursing Education
Authors: Buck-McFadyen Ellen , MacDonnell Judith
Published: July 2017

Canadian nurses have a social mandate to address health inequities for the populations they serve, as well as to speak out on professional and broader social issues. Although Canadian nursing education supports the role of nurses as advocates for social justice and leadership for health care reform, little is known about how nurse educators understand activism and how this translates in the classroom. A comparative life history study using purposeful sampling and a critical feminist lens was undertaken to explore political activism in nursing and how nurse educators foster political practice among their students. Findings from interviews and focus groups with 26 Ontario nurse educators and nursing students suggested that neoliberal dynamics in both the practice setting and in higher education have constrained nurses’ activist practice and favour a technical rational approach to nursing education. Implications and strategies to inspire political action in nursing education are discussed.
Multinodular goiter in children: treatment controversies
Authors: García-García Emilio , López-González Mercedes , Cabello-Laureano Rosa , Navarro-González Elena
Published: July 2017

Background:

Multinodular goiter (MG) is very common in adults. MG may occur in children in some exceptional circumstances. The objective of this study was to examine two cases of MG in children who relapsed soon after surgery and to discuss the treatment options in pediatric ages.

Methods:

Two girls consulted for euthyroid colloid goiter, uninodular goiter and bilateral MG. They were intervened by hemithyroidectomy and total thyroidectomy, respectively, due to the existence of local symptoms.

Results:

Goiters reappeared 3 years after intervention in both cases. They already appeared as bilaterally MG, and patients underwent a total thyroidectomy, in one case after 1 year of treatment with levothyroxine (LT4).

Conclusions:

MG treatment remains controversial. There is an increasing trend to a more radical surgery decreasing recurrence risk. Treatment with LT4 may be tested but it is rarely effective. Regardless of the therapeutic option, these children should be followed up and they should know about the possibility of goiter regeneration and the need for reintervention.
Concentrations of leptin, adiponectin and other metabolic parameters in non-obese children with Down syndrome
Authors: Tenneti Nikhil , Dayal Devi , Sharda Sheetal , Panigrahi Inusha , Didi Mohammed , Attri Savita Verma , Sachdeva Naresh , Bhalla Anil Kumar
Published: July 2017

Background:

Recent data indicates that adults with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) that significantly contributes to their morbidity and mortality. Although identification of cardiometabolic risk factors during childhood is desirable to design preventive interventions, the data on such risk factors in children with DS is scarce. The aim of this study was to study the cardiometabolic risk factors such as insulin resistance (IR), leptin and adiponectin concentrations, lipid abnormalities and leptin resistance in non-obese children with DS.

Methods:

This cross-sectional case control study included karyotype confirmed trisomy-21 DS children aged 2–12 years and their matched healthy controls. After detailed anthropometry, weight, height and body mass index (BMI) standard deviation scores (SDSs) were calculated with reference data. Laboratory evaluation included determination of fasting lipid parameters, insulin, glucose, leptin and adiponectin concentrations. The homeostasis model assessment method (HOMA-IR) was used to assess IR and the ratio of leptin to BMI was used as an index of leptin resistance.

Results:

Seventy-seven children (39 with DS and 38 controls) comprised the study cohort. The anthropometric parameters were similar in the two groups. Children with DS showed significantly higher mean leptin concentrations (2.098±1.68 ng/mL vs. 1.44±0.52 ng/mL, p-value: 0.00) and higher indices of leptin resistance (0.127±0.085 vs. 0.09±0.03, p-value: 0.001) as compared to controls. Fasting adiponectin concentrations were lower (20.64±19.87 ng/mL vs. 32.58±34.25 ng/mL, p-value: 0.21) and fasting glucose higher (89.25±8.12 mg/dL vs. 85.71±5.52 mg/dL, p-value: 0.06) in the DS group as compared to the controls but the differences did not reach statistical significance. The concentrations of insulin, various lipid parameters and calculated HOMA-IR values were similar in the two groups. In the DS group, five children were identified to have high (>75th centile) leptin levels and four as impaired fasting glucose as compared to none in the controls.

Conclusions:

Alterations of several cardiometabolic risk factors, in particular, leptin concentrations and leptin resistance are present in children with DS. The presence of hyperleptinemia without hyperinsulinemia suggests a probable inherent genetic basis for increased leptin resistance in patients with DS. There is a need for larger studies to further understand increased leptin resistance in DS that may contribute to increased CVD related morbidity and mortality in these patients.
Manners of Performing Terrorist Attacks
Authors: Bąk Tomasz
Published: July 2017

The article below presents the evolution of terrorist tactics over the years. It describes the basic types of terrorist attacks divided by the place of attack and by means used to execute it. The recent ways of performing terrorist attacks by terrorist organizations have been presented on the basis of accessible sources and statistics. The last part of the article is dedicated to expected changes of terrorist attack tactics in the future.
Constellation of Cubesats to Monitor the Environment for the Benefit of Europe
Authors: Dimitrov Ivan , Dimitrov Miroslav , Baev Georgi
Published: July 2017

In our project we are going to present a concept for the creation, launching, usage and exploiting of an innovative system of semi-autonomous, grouped in “swarm” satellites from one type with 24/7 link to Earth-based facilities and stations for control, transfer and analysis of space-gathered data. The innovation in our mission is the usage of a group of apparatuses that can work both like a structured group with one directed goal or like a loosely-chained system of autonomous machines, each with a different task or mission given by the control center on Earth.
Modern Approaches in the Training of Military Police Cadets at Vassil Levski National Military University
Authors: Krastev Krastyu
Published: July 2017

The mission of the Vasil Levski National Military University is to build its students morally, mentally and physically, to indoctrinate them with the ideals of patriotism, duty and honour, to form them as individuals and leaders. The graduated students have to possess leadership qualities, be able to develop and apply scientific knowledge, manage public and special structures in peacetime and crises and to participate in national and multinational projects aiming at maintaining security, peace and development of society. The present paper describes some results of the implementation of the modern person centered educational approaches to training of the Military police cadets.
Security, Defence and Armed Forces - Public View
Authors: Libor Frank
Published: July 2017

The paper deals with the interpretation of public opinion polls in the Czech Republic related to security, defence and armed forces. In recent years, we can observe concern about the security situation development in the relatively close vicinity of the Czech Republic. In particular, information regarding the activities of the so-called Islamic State, the conflict in Ukraine and media presentation of recent terrorist attacks, as well as the dominant securitization of migration, have a major impact on the public opinion and the level of support for specific steps of the government in the field of security and defence policy. In the surveys, we can trace not only the growing public concern, but also the increasing support for higher defence spending and possible reintroduction of some form of compulsory military service. Special attention is paid to the public perception of the armed forces and the interpretation of the latest public opinion polls at the turn of 2016/2017. The growing support for the military and the increasing willingness of the public to engage in the Active Reserve System are positive factors that can be used to meet the recruiting goals of the Czech Armed Forces.
Criteria Determination for Obstacle Effectivenes Evaluation
Authors: Palasiewicz Tibor , Kyjovský Jan
Published: July 2017

Up to date concept of warfare is characterized by a high mobility of units, in spite of this counter-mobility is currently disregarded. However, military engineers try to keep and develop this capability. One of the most important elements for the development in the field of counter-mobility is man-made obstacles effectiveness evaluation. The process of evaluation is applicable to the obstacle employment design, to the estimation of a battle progress as well as to the development of mine-laying means, including mines and explosives for obstacle creating. The article is focused on determination of the appropriate obstacles effectiveness evaluation criteria. The criteria can be applied within planning of barriers as well as other complexes of obstacles (obstacle areas, zones, belts), which allows to optimize the engagement of engineer units and means to fulfil the engineer tasks.
Diplomacy and Security
Authors: Pop Ștefan
Published: July 2017

Changes in diplomacy are especially visible by the involvement of many new actors in the area of international cooperation. A fast developing international system opened doors to many new actors, including international organizations, transnational corporations, and important interest groups.Diplomacy that, from the middle of the 15th century, was known as an important tool of foreign policy became wider in the post-Cold War era. In fact, the transformation of diplomacy has not been completed yet. Nowadays, for instance, governmental diplomacy must deal with various nonstate actors that shape its agenda.
Brexit – Major Consequences on the Process of European Military Integration?
Authors: Pricopi Marius
Published: July 2017

The United Kingdom’s choice to withdraw from the European Union (Brexit) took many by surprise, including a good part of the „Leave“ voters. The repercussions of this vote are in full display and affect each and every area of the community life. Considering different indicators (such as the number of troops deployed by the United Kingdom to military operations conducted by the European Union or the British contributions to the Battlegroups), in this paper we submit to analysis the United Kingdom’s stance in the process of military integration within the European Union in the period before the Brexit Referendum (2011-2015); we mainly argue that - although regrettable - Brexit will not significantly affect the day-to-day activities and projects conducted within the Common Security and Defence Policy.
Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield as a Part of Knowledge Development
Authors: Skalický Pavel , Palasiewicz Tibor
Published: July 2017

The aim of this article is to introduce an approach to intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB) as a part of knowledge development in conditions of the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR). Numerous of NATO publications and Stanags has been analyzed as well as Czech national documents. Based on results of the analyses and personal experience of authors, the current state of IPB applied in ACR has been outlined and main imperfections of this process have been emphasized such as a disregard of dynamic changes of terrain in time and so on. It the closing section of the article a few possible ways of IPB development have been suggested. Those suggestions show possible form of this process for needs in 21st century.
The Drones and Issues Connected with Their Use in Contemporary Conflicts
Authors: Stojar Richard
Published: July 2017

The text deals with the development and methods of use of Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in contemporary conflicts or special operations. The contribution tries to present the main advantages of these vehicles as being the main reasons for their current use in armed forces of state as well as non-state actors and their dynamic proliferation in global space in past years. We can observe a new trend in the armed conflict in the last two decades - use of advanced systems of unmanned vehicles in such a range that many military and academic experts talk about a new wave of revolutionary changes in the military affairs. This wave, or we could even talk about militarytechnological breakthrough should lead to imminent use of these systems in contemporary as well as future conflicts which would result in the partial or complex robotization of the battlefield. Specific attention is dedicated to controversies tied to the use of Drones/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in socalled Drone Warfare and current discussion in the context of cultural or societal dimension of their use and perspectives for further development.
Considerations on the Necessity of Modernization of Engineer Forces from NATO Members Countries
Authors: Vladu Mircea , Popa Ioan-Dan
Published: July 2017

The engineer branch has been established at a certain stage of historical evolution of the armed forces to provide engineer support to the combat forces, as well as to support civil societies to achieve, develop and maintain the necessary infrastructure elements in order to conduct of economic and social activities. Having in mind all these elements and taking into account the structural perspective and the endowment, the evolution of engineer forces should have been made in accordance with the evolution of the common combat joint forces, keeping the same rhythm of development. Unfortunately, the engineer forces within the armies of the NATO member states did not evolve under the aforementioned aspects, even if some commitments have been made at the various summits held over time at different levels. As a result of these realities, in this paper we present some considerations about what should be the way ahead in the evolution of the engineer forces until the horizon of 2050.
The Role of Computer Systems in the Management of Hotels in Veliko Tarnovo Region, Bulgaria
Authors: Mancheva-Ali Olga , Dimitrova Vanya
Published: July 2017

This study presents the essence, importance and role of hotel computer systems used in Veliko Tarnovo region. The attached questionnaire presents a method of analyzing systems and their role in the management process. The study shows the most used local systems, their advantages and disadvantages and possible steps and recommendations for the improvement of their effectiveness.
Empirical Study Regarding the Influence of Communication Upon the Purchasing Decision
Authors: Popescu Dan , Dinu Alina , State Cristina , Picu Cătălina
Published: July 2017

The aim of the present study is to emphasize the influence of communication upon the customer’s purchasing decision. This objective is translated through determining the change of products in the sales’ structure using communication by omission. The study is focused upon the purchasing selection between two similar products by the subjects included in the study. The difference between the two products lies in the customers’ care for the environment. Thus, one of the two products does not pollute, in the conditions in which the application with care and attention is applied (this being expressed through a price difference compared to the other, polluting, product). The study has two phases in order to compare the sales structure in the situations in which it is used the communication through omission (in the second phase of the study) with the sales structure when the communication through omission is not used. The hypothesis according to which the purchasing process takes place according to the care for the environment and not necessarily according to the direct utility allocated to some apparently similar products has been tested through econometric instruments.
Some Aspects Concerning The Communication in Multinational Corporations Existing on The Romanian Market
Authors: Niţă Monica , Stanciu Radu D.
Published: July 2017

The proposed topic presents a high interest at least from two points of view. Economically speaking, the multinational corporations define to a considerable extent the economic performance of Romania. As communication, these corporations with entire or prevailing foreign capital could be considered as models for what it means intercultural communication and cultural adapting. The research of the aspects connected to communication in an intercultural framework allows the drawing of some pertinent conclusions concerning the role of communication as a key factor of success or on the contrary an important barrier. At the same time, the approach of communication process needs not only the study of communication itself but also the mentalities, the attitudes, and the behaviors. The present paper refers mostly to internal communication and less to promotional communication. In the same time, it refers to the way act the organizational cultures existing in those corporations, if there is a closed connection between communication and organizational culture.
The Referendum as an Instrument to Join International Organizations
Authors: Gerginova Zlatka
Published: July 2017

The article scrutinizes the referendum as an instrument to join international organizations. It analyzes the interaction of the participants for achieving unanimity and consensus, not differences or attempts to impose a certain opinion. A conclusion is drawn that through direct democracy the citizens take responsibility for the future development of the state.
The International Image of Ion I. C. Brătianu in 1919
Authors: Calcan Gheorghe
Published: July 2017

Our paper aims to present how Ion I. C. Brătianu was perceived outside national borders in a very important moment of the Romanian national history, namely the international recognition of the Great Union, within the Peace Conference at Paris-Versailles in 1919 -1920. Ion I. C. Brătianu was at that moment Prime Minister and the leader of the Romanian delegation at Versailles. Foreign countries perceived him as a very powerful personality, capable to influence other states with similar interests in Central and South Eastern Europe. Brătianu stoutly and patriotically defended the Romanian interests. Therefore, although his position was correct, it came into conflict with the interests of the great powers. Brătianu would not give up his principles and decided to leave the Peace Conference. French media was objective in their accounts and proved favourable to the Romanian position.
A Study of Nutrition and The Nutritional Status of Servicemen, Assessed on The Basis of Anthropometric Indicators
Authors: Glushkov Pavlin Ivanov
Published: July 2017

The modern food industry has the potential to produce and offers "unlimited" quantities of all sorts tempting foods in response to the expectations of consumers. The development of powerful marketing and promotional campaigns in pursuance of the objective to boost sales creates the perfect conditions for the modification of the eating patterns of the population. In addition, this makes it possible for foods, whose everyday use would increase the risk of non-communicable diseases, to permanently find their place on the menu in every household.
A Preliminary Study of Empathy in Romanian College Students
Authors: Lupu Valentin
Published: July 2017

Keywords

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index is a self-report instrument used for assessing empathy. The theoretical model of empathy for IRI assumes that empathy is multidimensional in nature containing affective aspects (Empathic Concern and Personal Distress) and cognitive aspects (Perspective Taking and Fantasy). The objective of this study was to compare the level of empathy in Romanian college students to the level of empathy in American college students and to compare empathy in college students based on gender and field of study. The IRI was administered to a sample of 216 Romanian college students. We were interested only on Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking scales. The results revealed that Empathic Concern in Romanian college students is lower than in American college students, women score higher than men on the two scales used and students studying at humanities colleges have a higher Perspective Taking than students studying at science colleges. Our suggestion as a result of this study is to introduce more classes in the curriculum at the elementary school level to teach children empathy using diverse methods.
Vulnerabilities and Threats to Human Security Generated by an Ineffective Educational System
Authors: Macrea Rareș , Macrea Petronela
Published: July 2017

The present trend towards globalization has led to people changing their views on possible threats to their existence. Nowadays, we witness a diversification of vulnerabilities and threats to human security, as well as a progressive reduction of our resilience. The article attempts to correlate the 5 dimensions of national security, as identified by the Copenhagen School of Security, with the problems of the Romanian educational system, explaining how these problems can become threats to the security of Romanian citizens. It offers an overview of the problems of the Romanian educational system, and the threats and vulnerabilities derived from them towards human security. It also suggests solutions to problems and indicators for monitoring progress.
Characterization of 2D and 3D Rough Fractal Surfaces from Backscattered Radar Data
Authors: Kotopoulis Apostolos , Pouraimis Georgios , Kallitsis Evangelos , Frangos Panayiotis
Published: July 2017

The scattering of electromagnetic (EM) waves, emitted by a monostatic radar, from two - dimensional (2D) rough fractal surfaces is examined by using the Kirchhoff approximation. We examine the way that the level of roughness of the fractal surface affects the backscattered EM wave captured by a radar as a function of frequency (therefore, a ‘spectral method’) and whether the roughness of the surface can be estimated from these radar measurements. The backscattering coefficient is calculated for a number of radar frequencies and for different values of the surface fractal dimension. It is found that the values of the slopes between the main lobe and the first sidelobes of the backscattering coefficient as a function of the wave number (frequency) of the incident EM waves increase with the surface fractal dimension. Therefore, we conclude that the magnitude of the above slopes provides a reliable method for the classification of the rough fractal surfaces. Furthermore, concerning three - dimensional (3D) fractal surfaces, investigations similar to the above are already performed by the authors and will be presented during the Conference. The above are also investigated in the presence of electronic noise in the radar receiver (effect of SNR values in the above proposed technique).
The Influence of Temperature Changes on the Eigen - Frequencies and Mode Shapes for Rectangular Plates Clamped on the Contour
Authors: Haţiegan Cornel , Gillich Gilbert Rainer , Popovici Gheorghe , Haţiegan Luminita
Published: July 2017

The alysis of free vibrations on rectangular plates with mixed conditions of buckling in the thermal environment is carried out by means of the 3D elasticity theory. In this paper there has been analyzed by the finite element method (FEM), the mode shape and the eigen-frequencies for a rectangular plate clamped on the contour for different temperatures. In this analysis successive heat degrees have been used, this fact helping to find the critical values in which the frequencies were at zero and to correlate these temperatures with the values obtained from the static analysis The temperature rise, the material graded index and the geometrical parameters on the eigen-frequencies were studied.
The influence of deformation on the corrosion properties of the material
Authors: Nováková M. , Chocholatý O. , Kříž A.
Published: July 2017

This work was focused on changes of corrosion behaviour influence of deformation. The This work focuses on changes in corrosion behaviour under the influence of deformation. The main purpose is to observe the changes caused by tensile stress. The experimental material used is steel 1.4301 and titanium GRADE 2. The measurements were carried out using a potentiostat, which measures potential changes over time and electric current. The electrolyte used was 3.5% NaCl. Corrosion properties, especially polarization resistance, corrosion potential and corrosion rate, were evaluated from the measurements. The results demonstrate the changing corrosion properties depending on deformation. The corrosion properties worsened as the deformation increased.
Copper and copper patina
Authors: Rak P. , Bureš R.
Published: July 2017

This article is aimed at summarizing knowledge about copper and patina that is formed on the surface of copper. The article describes chemical processes in patina formation and explains the difference between natural and artificial patina, as well as some methods used in the investigation of patina such as XRD analysis, EIS analysis, Raman spectroscopy
Random walk on spheres algorithm for solving transient drift-diffusion-reaction problems
Authors: Sabelfeld Karl K.
Published: July 2017

We suggest in this paper a Random Walk on Spheres (RWS) method for solving transient drift-diffusion-reaction problems
which is an extension of our algorithm we developed recently [26]
for solving steady-state drift-diffusion problems.
Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems are solved. Survival probability, first passage time and the exit position for a sphere (disc)
of the drift-diffusion-reaction process are explicitly derived from a generalized spherical integral relation we prove both for two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems. The distribution of the exit position on the sphere has the form of the von Mises–Fisher distribution
which can be simulated efficiently. Rigorous expressions are derived in the case of constant velocity drift,
but the algorithm is then extended to solve drift-diffusion-reaction problems with arbitrary varying drift velocity vector.
The method can efficiently be applied to calculate the fluxes of the solution to any part of the boundary.
This can be done by applying a reciprocity theorem which we prove here for the drift-diffusion-reaction problems with general boundary conditions. Applications of this approach to methods of cathodoluminescence (CL) and electron beam induced current (EBIC) imaging of defects and dislocations in semiconductors are presented.
Local innovation systems in Poland - the beginning of the road
Authors: Dziemianowicz Wojciech , Laskowska Agnieszka , Peszat Klaudia
Published: July 2017

Local innovation systems (LIS) constitute a relatively new term as usually the discussion about the systemic approach to innovation has focused on the level of countries, and most of all - regions. In this article an attempt was made to assess Polish municipalities from the perspective of their potential for development of local innovative systems. The performed factor analysis allowed characterization of five types of institution networks which may impact creation and development of LIS. The study was completed with case studies in selected voivodeship cities as centres of the highest concentration of institutions usually building local innovation systems, three of which were capitals of the poorest regions in Poland.
Two new separation schemes for the group isolation of rare earth elements (REE) from biological and other matrices and their determination by ICP-MS, NAA and chromatographic methods
Authors: Dybczyński Rajmund S. , Samczyński Zbigniew , Bartosiewicz Iwona , Kulisa Krzysztof , Polkowska-Motrenko Halina , Pyszynska Marta , Zuba Iga
Published: July 2017

Two new group separation schemes, based on ion exchange chromatography, for the selective and quantitative isolation of rare earth elements (REE) from accompanying elements, were devised. After checking their performance with the aid of radioactive tracers, the schemes were further used together with ICP-MS, NAA and ion exchange chromatography for the determination of Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu in two certified reference materials (CRMs). The results were compared with another series of analyses, where the REEs were determined directly, i.e. without pre-separation, by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). It was demonstrated that while direct INAA and ICP-MS in most instances provide reliable results for the majority of REEs, for some elements, notably Sc, Yb and Tm in the cases of ICP-MS and INAA, respectively, systematic errors occur or may potentially occur.
A Woman Traveller in the Moorish Sanctum: A Look at Emily Keene, Shareefa of Wazzan’s My Life Story
Authors: Aammari Lahoucine
Published: July 2017

Emily Keene’s My Life Story (1911) is a unique travel account as it is written by an Englishwoman, which puts the travelogue in the ambit of female travel narratives. She married a Moorish notable, Sidi Al-Hadj Abd al-Salam, the Shareef of Wazzan, spending, hence, more than four decades amongst the Moors in pre-protectorate Morocco or the “Land of the Furthest West”. For more than four decades, Keene managed to live on the cusp of two starkly different cultures, civilizations, religions and societies. Keene was fascinated by the atavistic Moroccan customs and the metaphysical world of the Moors. The man she married epitomized these purely aspired elements. Keene was mesmerized and enchanted by the Moors, their culture and traditions, but at the same time she adhered to her own culture, moving, hence, between two acutely different identities. As an Englishwoman in the Moorish sanctum, Keene was virtually seen by most of the Moors as a Christian from “Bilad al-Nassara” or an “Abode of Disbelief”.
William Golding’s Apocalyptic Vision in Lord of the Flies and Pincher Martin
Authors: Chatterjee Arnab
Published: July 2017

Humanity has long been haunted by the notions of Armageddon and the coming of a Golden Age. While the English Romantic poets like Shelley saw hopes of a new millennium in poems like “Queen Mab” and “The Revolt of Islam”, others like Blake developed their own unique “cosmology” in their longer poems that were nevertheless coloured with their vision of redemption and damnation. Even Hollywood movies, like The Book of Eli (2010), rehearse this theme of salvation in the face of imminent annihilation time and again. Keeping with such trends, this paper would like to trace this line of apocalyptic vision and subsequent hopes of renewal with reference to William Golding’s debut novel Lord of the Flies (1954) and his Pincher Martin (1956). While in the former, a group of young school boys indulge in violence, firstly for survival, and then for its own sake, in the latter, a lonely, shipwrecked survivor of a torpedoed destroyer clings to his own hard, rock-like ego that subsequently is a hurdle for his salvation and redemption, as he is motivated by a lust for life that makes him exist in a different moral and physical dimension. In Lord of the Flies, the entire action takes place with nuclear warfare presumably as its backdrop, while Pincher Martin has long been interpreted as an allegory of the Cold War and the resultant fear of annihilation from nuclear fallout (this applies to Golding’s debut novel as well). Thus, this paper would argue how Golding weaves his own vision of social, spiritual, and metaphysical dissolution, and hopes for redemption, if any, through these two novels.
Literature and Learning in Marilynne Robinson’s Novel Gilead
Authors: Hricková Mária
Published: July 2017

Literature and learning play an important role in Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gilead (2004). By focusing on the author’s many references to books, literature and learning, the present paper attempts to study their individual contextual occurrences and explores how they saturate the discursive substratum of the novel’s major themes. The paper claims that a special role attributed to books and learning, and particularly to the Greek New Testament, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine and The Essence of Christianity, sheds significant light on the philosophical and spiritual aspects of the meaning of life, one of the novel’s central concerns.
Healing Trauma and Reasserting Identity through Remembrance in Joanne Fedler’s The Dreamcloth
Authors: Abdullah Md Abu Shahid
Published: July 2017

The aim of this article is to analyse the role of memory in generating, transmitting and coming to terms with trauma, and the importance of exploring history, and talking about and sharing traumatic events in the process of healing in Joan Fedler’s The Dreamcloth (2005). In the novel, Maya’s memories of her unrequited lesbian relationship with her beloved Rochel, oppression by the traditional structures of her family and Jewish community, her forced marriage with Yankel, and her being raped by him are responsible for her trauma on a personal level, whereas her forced relocation to South Africa in order to flee from the Holocaust is responsible for her trauma on a communal level. Mia, the protagonist and the grand-daughter of Maya, suffers from the transgenerational trauma of her grandmother, is haunted by her ghost, and also symbolically represents the traumatized Jewish community. She cannot relate to her own Jewish South African identity and thus tries to avoid being reminded of her historical background. Mia recovers from her trauma by exploring her history, solving the riddles of the past and sharing the traumatic memories of the past.
Dodging the Literary Undertaker – Biographic Metafiction in Hanif Kureishi’s The Last Word
Authors: Chalupský Petr
Published: July 2017

Hanif Kureishi’s 2014 novel, The Last Word, involves most of the author’s idiosyncratic themes, such as ethnicity, racism, sexual identity, examination of interpersonal relationships and the crucial role of the creative imagination in human life. Its focal concern, however, is to explore the process of writing a literary biography of a living person and the character and dynamics of the relationship between the biographer and his subject - a writer. As such, the novel can be taken as being representative of biographic metafiction, a subcategory of historiographic metafiction, which, following the postmodernist questioning of our ability to know and textually represent historical truth, presents biographic writing critically or even mockingly, rendering its enthusiastic practitioners’ efforts with ironic scepticism. The aim of this article is to present The Last Word as a particular example of biographic metafiction that has all the crucial features of this genre, yet which differs from its predecessors through the complexity and thoroughness of its portrayal of the biographer-biographee relationship.
Hatha Yoga as a Form of Physical Activity in the Context of Lifestyle Disease Prevention
Authors: Grabara Małgorzata
Published: July 2017

Physical activity is interrelated with health, physical fitness, and quality of life. The role physical activity plays in the context of lifestyle disease prevention is indisputable. Physical exercises of yoga (hatha yoga) are a type of recreational physical activity classified as a form of body and mind fitness. Hatha yoga training consists of slow or fast and smooth entering into, holding, and exiting yoga postures called “asanas”. Besides asanas, a yoga class may also include breathing exercises (pranayama) and relaxation exercises. The aim of this paper is to analyse the benefits of regular hatha yoga training in the light of scientific studies in regard to primary and secondary prevention of lifestyle diseases (cardiovascular diseases, respiratory system diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system in particular). The results of the analysis revealed that regular hatha yoga training including pranayama (breathing exercises) produced a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate, improved respiratory functions, decreased blood glucose levels and body mass, as well as improving functional fitness and self-perceived quality of life. Therefore, hatha yoga as a form of physical activity can be a useful intervention for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, respiratory system diseases, metabolic diseases, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including back pain.
Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Towing Resistance of the Innovative Pneumatic Life Raft
Authors: Burciu Zbigniew , Abramowicz-Gerigk Teresa , Jachowski Jacek , Kornacka Edyta , Wawrzusiszyn Michał
Published: July 2017

The paper presents the experimental and numerical investigations of a novel design of a pneumatic life raft in calm water conditions. Two main issues were considered: the life raft performance under tow and its resistance in calm water conditions. The experiment and CFD simulations were performed by using the full scale prototype to eliminate the scale effect. The towing tank tests confirmed the results of numerical computations. The compatibility of the results of numerical and experimental tests was high mainly because the new life raft does not deform under the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic loads. The characteristics similar to rigid body behaviour result mainly from a new construction and materials used for manufacturing the life raft.
Application of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Topsis Model for Troubleshooting an Offshore Patrol Boat Engine
Authors: Aikhuele Daniel Osezua , Sorooshian Shahryar , Ansah Richard Hannis , Turan Faiz Mohd
Published: July 2017

In this paper, an Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS model which is based on a score function is proposed for detecting the root cause of failure in an Offshore Boat engine, using groups of expert’s opinions. The study which has provided an alternative approach for failure mode identification and analysis in machines, addresses the machine component interaction failures which is a limitation in existing methods. The results from the study show that although early detection of failures in engines is quite difficult to identify due to the dependency of their systems from each other. However, with the Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS model which is based on an improved score function such faults/failures are easily detected using expert’s based opinions.
Variant Designing in the Preliminary Small Ship Design Process
Authors: Karczewski Artur , Kozak Janusz
Published: July 2017

Ship designing is a complex process, as the ship itself is a complex, technical multi-level object which operates in the air/water boundary environment and is exposed to the action of many different external and internal factors resulting from the adopted technical solutions, type of operation, and environmental conditions. A traditional ship design process consists of a series of subsequent multistage iterations, which gradually increase the design identification level. The paper presents problems related to the design of a small untypical vessel with the aid of variant methodology making use of optimisation algorithms. The computer-aided design methodology has been developed which does not need permanent reference to already built real ships and empirical-statistical relations. Possibilities were indicated for integrating together early design stages, and parallel designing of hull shape and parameters.
Subjective Risk on Carriage of Hazardous Loads with Automobile Transport
Authors: Minevski Ivan , Banabakova Vania
Published: July 2017

The role of the human factor and its importance for the evaluation of the risk on carriage of hazardous loads with automobile transport is examined in the article. A system of indicators for evaluation of the risk in this direction is proposed.
Using ZMET for Investigating the Role of Social Media in the Employment Process
Authors: Danileț Magdalena , Stoian Claudia
Published: July 2017

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of social media in the employment setting as it is perceived by the job seekers. The study is a qualitative investigation in which thirteen in-depth interviews based on Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) were conducted in order to gain a deeper understanding of the link between social media and the process of employment. The 22 elicited bipolar constructs associated with the role of social media in the employment setting were framed into six deep metaphors: Connection, Resource, Journey, Control, Affective Distress and Transformation. The size of the sample and the deeply subjective nature of answers provided by the subject’s limits the generalization of the results for a wider range of job seekers in the social media environment. This research provids an insight into deep-seated motivations, attitudes and behaviors involved in the use of social media by job seekers.
Foreign Exchange Market Efficiency In Botswana
Authors: Matebejana Gofaone , Motlaleng Gaotlhobogwe , Juana James
Published: July 2017

The random walk behaviour of exchange rates in Botswana’s foreign exchange market is explored by employing unit root tests. The unit root tests employed include the ADF, PP and the KPSS. This paper uses monthly data for the period 2000:01 to 2015:12. The conclusive evidence based on the unit roots tests indicates that the behaviour of the Pula against the South African Rand, Japanese Yen and the American Dollar exchange rates is consistent with the random walk process and the weak form efficiency market hypothesis. However, the Pula against the British Pound is inconsistent with the weak form efficiency market hypothesis. These results compliment those from Namibia (Mabakeng and Sheefeni, 2014). Furthermore, there is no evidence of the semi-strong form level of efficiency as revealed by the cointegration results obtained. These results corroborates with those found by Wickremasinghe (2008) and Çiçek (2014) in which weak form was found to exist whilst the semi-strong form was found not to exist. This paper has filled an important gap as it is the first study to investigate the efficiency of the foreign exchange market in Botswana.
A Newton-type method for non-linear eigenproblems
Authors: Demyanko Kirill V. , Nechepurenko Yuri M. , Sadkane Miloud
Published: July 2017

This work is devoted to computations of invariant pairs associated with separated groups of finite eigenvalues of large regular non-linear matrix pencils. It is proposed to combine the method of successive linear problems with a Newton-type method designed for partial linear eigenproblems and a deflation procedure. This combination is illustrated with a typical hydrodynamic spatial stability problem.