bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
El compromiso social de la universidad latinoamericana del siglo XXI. Entre el debate y la acción
Authors: Alvez María Soledad
Published: February 2018

En esta publicación los autores realizan un recorrido conceptual sobre la relación de la universidad con la sociedad, así como un análisis de experiencias en territorio que se llevan a cabo desde diferentes instituciones de educación superior. Las mismas constituyen un aporte para pensar el compromiso social de las universidades de América Latina y el Caribe, en especial en estos tiempos y este contexto.
The Working-Class Struggle for Welfare in Britain
Authors: Matthews David
Published: February 2018

The experience of the British working class from the late nineteenth century to the current era of austerity illustrates that for labor, the welfare state is not just a mechanism to enhance the accumulation of capital or reinforce oppression. From the beginning, it was a vital part of the class struggle—and so it remains today.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
Preface to Beyond Leviathan
Authors: Mészáros István
Published: February 2018

The state cannot be other than Leviathan in imposing its structurally entrenched power on overall societal decision-making. Yet a way must be found to extricate humanity from the ever more dangerous, arbitrary, and alienated form of the Leviathan state. Indeed, the survival of humanity depends on it.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
An Infinite Natural Product
Authors: Lipparini Paolo
Published: February 2018

We study a countably infinite iteration of the natural product between ordinals.We present an “effective” way to compute this countable natural product; in the non trivial cases the result depends only on the natural sum of the degrees of the factors, where the degree of a nonzero ordinal is the largest exponent in its Cantor normal form representation. Thus we are able to lift former results about infinitary sums to infinitary products. Finally, we provide an order-theoretical characterization of the infinite natural product; this characterization merges in a nontrivial way a theorem by Carruth describing the natural product of two ordinals and a known description of the ordinal product of a possibly infinite sequence of ordinals.
On a Functional Equation Related to Two-Sided Centralizers
Authors: Kosi-Ulbl Irena
Published: February 2018

The main aim of this manuscript is to prove the following result. Let n > 2 be a fixed integer and R be a k-torsion free semiprime ring with identity, where k ∈ {2, n - 1, n}. Let us assume that for the additive mapping T : R→ R 3T(xn) = T(x)xn-1+ xT(xn-2)x + xn-1T(x), x ∈R, is also fulfilled. Then T is a two-sided centralizer.
Lexical Borrowing, Categorization, and Mental Representation
Authors: Benő Attila
Published: February 2018

The article argues that lexical borrowing is not only motivated by cultural factors linked to prestige or economical aspects but also by the speakers’ need for new lexical-semantic categories and for highly expressive metaphorical terms to operate with, which makes them borrow words. The semantic changes of the lexical borrowings point to the creation of new items in the semantic fields of the receiving language. The integration of borrowings into Hungarian and Romanian exemplifies these processes.
Public–Private Monopoly
Authors: Moszoro Marian W.
Published: February 2018

This article presents comparative statics of organizational modes of natural monopoly in public utilities with a focus on co-ownership and co-governance. Private monopoly lowers output and increases the price to maximize profit; public monopoly incurs higher costs due to the lack of know-how; and a regulated monopoly results in regulation costs to overcome informational asymmetries. A public–private partnership arises as an efficient organization mode when it enables the internalization of private know-how and saves regulation costs due to correspondingly sufficient private and public residual control rights. Public–private partnerships support higher prices than marginal costs due to rent sharing, with its upper price frontier decreasing in private residual control rights.
Tirana’s Changing Face
Authors: Young Antonia
Published: February 2018

An atmospheric and illustrated reflection on several decades of visits to Albania’s capital city and the transformation it has experienced
Pediatric reference intervals for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D using the DiaSorin LIAISON XL assay in the healthy CALIPER cohort
Authors: Higgins Victoria , Truong Dorothy , White-Al Habeeb Nicole M.A. , Fung Angela W.S. , Hoffman Barry , Adeli Khosrow
Published: February 2018

Background:

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), the biologically active vitamin D metabolite, plays a critical role in calcium and phosphate homeostasis. 1,25(OH)2D is measured to assess calcium and phosphate metabolism, particularly during periods of profound growth and development. Despite its importance, no reliable pediatric reference interval exists, with those available developed using adult populations or out-dated methodologies. Using the fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassay by DiaSorin, we established 1,25(OH)2D pediatric reference intervals using healthy children and adolescents from the CALIPER cohort.

Methods:

Serum samples from healthy subjects (0 to <19 years) were analyzed for 1,25(OH)2D using the DiaSorin LIAISON XL assay and age-specific reference intervals were established. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to determine seasonal differences. Pooled neonatal and infantile samples were quantified using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine if elevated concentrations during the first year of life may be attributed to cross-reacting moieties.

Results:

Three reference interval age partitions were required with highest levels in subjects 0 to <1 year (77–471 pmol/L), which declined and narrowed after 1 year (113–363 pmol/L) and plateaued at 3 years (108–246 pmol/L). 1,25(OH)2D concentration was not significantly affected by seasonal variation or sex. Elevated 1,25(OH)2D concentrations in neonatal and infantile samples may be the result of an interfering substance. The absence of 3-epi-1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in the pooled samples makes it unlikely to be the interfering moiety.

Conclusions:

Pediatric reference intervals for 1,25(OH)2D were established to improve test result interpretation in children and adolescents. 1,25(OH)2D is elevated in a proportion of neonates and infants, which may be the result of a cross-reacting moiety.
The effect of delignification on the properties of cellulosic fiber material
Authors: Wang Quanliang , Xiao Shengling , Shi Sheldon Q. , Cai Liping
Published: February 2018

The behavior of pressed poplar chemi-thermomechanical pulping (CTMP) without additive the focus of our study. Four CTMPs with decreasing lignin contents were prepared by the sodium chlorite/acetic acid method and the holocellulose, α-cellulose, pentosan and Klason lignin contents of the delignified CTMPs were determined. The surface composition, aggregation structure and microstructure of the delignified fibers were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the mechanical properties of the fiber material were investigated by means of tensile and bending tests. As shown by XPS, the lignin content of the Pr-CTMP surface layer firstly increased and then decreased as the lignin content of CTMP decreased. With the delignification time increased from 0 to 240 min, the crystallinity index (C
r
I) of CTMP increased from 60.1% to 65.7%. The C
r
I of all CTMPs at different delignification degrees showed significant elevated values after hot-pressing. The fiber cell wall became thinner and the cells were flattened and thus elevated the contact area among fibers and, as a consequence, the density of material gradually increased at higher delignification degrees. The tensile strength increased by ca. 10%, when the lignin content decreased from 24.9% to 13.1%, and by ca. 53%, when the lignin content decreased from 13.1% to nearly zero. The bending strength increased with increasing delignification. When the removal rate of lignin increased from 47% to 54%, the bending strength increased from 101 to 122 MPa.
Techno-economic Analysis of Wind Turbines in Algeria
Authors: Charrouf Omar , Betka Achour , Becherif Mohamed , Tabanjat Abdulkader
Published: February 2018

In this study, the wind energy potential and the unit energy cost related to six wind turbines in the city of Illizi in Southeast of Algeria are investigated. The hourly measured data (wind, pressure and temperature) observed during the period 2005–2014 at meteorological station in Illizi were used. An analysis of the collected data using the Weibull statistical method was made. The preliminary results were used to evaluate the power density in this region. Moreover, technical data of six chosen wind turbine models were analyzed to select the best appropriate turbine according to the techno economic analysis. The annual energy output of the selected wind turbines was calculated and the energy cost for each model was evaluated using two different methods. Input parameters affecting the cost, return on investment and payback period are also studied. For the 1MW wind turbine which, according to the economic analysis, is found to be the most suitable for this region, the cost of energy per kWh varies between 0.0388$ and 0.0634$ with PVC method and in range of 0.0878$ to 0.1142$ with LCOE method.
Variant Texts According to Types of Sensory Perception
Authors: Pastyřík Milan , Škuta Petr , Takács Ondřej , Oujezdský Aleš
Published: February 2018

The paper deals with a problematic of creating variant texts according to a sensory perception. An idea of transcribing text is based on a theory of adaptive learning, which is thoroughly studied at the Department of Information and Communication Technologies. Researchers in this work combined the adaptive approach together with thinking styles introduced by Libor Činka and created four variants of texts of the chosen topics. Then those texts undergone the verification by the students from high school and university, who read them and evaluated them as well as they answered to a prepared set of testing questions. All received data was compared against the replies from the learning style questionnaires VARK and questionnaire by Šimíčková. The paper discovered some differences between the results of VARK and Šimíčková questionnaire, which proved to be slightly more reliable compared to both the results of test questions and the students’ own opinion. There were also differences between sensory variants of texts. As expected, the kinesthetic variant proved to be the less effective compared to the rest. It seems that university students accepted the rewritten texts better than high school students too.
Simulation of the process kinetics and analysis of physicochemical properties in the freeze drying of kale
Authors: Dziki Dariusz , Polak Renata , Rudy Stanisław , Krzykowski Andrzej , Gawlik-Dziki Urszula , Różyło Renata , Miś Antoni , Combrzyński Maciej
Published: February 2018

Investigations were performed to study the freeze-drying process of kale (Brassica oleraceaL. varacephala). The process of freeze-drying was performed at temperatures of 20, 40, and 60°C for whole pieces of leaves and for pulped leaves. The kinetics of the freeze-drying of both kale leaves and kale pulp were best described by the Page model. The increasing freeze-drying temperature from 20 to 60°C induced an approximately two-fold decrease in the drying time. Freeze-drying significantly increased the value of the lightness, delta Chroma, and browning index of kale, and had little influence on the hue angle. The highest increase in the lightness and delta Chroma was observed for whole leaves freeze-dried at 20°C. An increase in the drying temperature brought about a slight decrease in the lightness, delta Chroma and the total colour difference. Pulping decreased the lightness and hue angle, and increased browning index. Freeze-drying engendered a slight decrease in the total phenolics content and antioxidant activity, in comparison to fresh leaves. The temperature of the process and pulping had little influence on the total phenolics content and antioxidant activity of dried kale, but significantly decreased the contents of chlorophyllaand chlorophyllb.
Effects of plastic mulches and high tunnel raspberry production systems on soil physicochemical quality indicators
Authors: Domagała-Świątkiewicz Iwona , Siwek Piotr
Published: February 2018

In horticulture, degradable materials are desirable alternatives to plastic films. Our aim was to study the impact of soil plastic mulching on the soil properties in the high tunnel and open field production systems of raspberry. The raised beds were mulched with a polypropylene non-woven and two degradable mulches: polypropylene with a photodegradant and non-woven polylactide. The results indicated that the system of raspberry production, as well as the type of mulching had significant impact on soil organic carbon stock, moisture content and water stable aggregate amount. Soils taken from the open field system had a lower bulk density and water stability aggregation index, but higher organic carbon and capillary water content as compared to soils collected from high tunnel conditions. In comparison with the open field system, soil salinity was also found to be higher in high tunnel, as well as with higher P, Mg, Ca, S, Na and B content. Furthermore, mulch covered soils had more organic carbon amount than the bare soils. Soil mulching also enhanced the water capacity expressed as a volume of capillary water content. In addition, mulching improved the soil structure in relation to the bare soil, in particular, in open field conditions. The impact of the compared mulches on soil quality indicators was similar.
Community-level physiological profiles of microorganisms inhabiting soil contaminated with heavy metals
Authors: Kuźniar Agnieszka , Banach Artur , Stępniewska Zofia , Frąc Magdalena , Oszust Karolina , Gryta Agata , Kłos Marta , Wolińska Agnieszka
Published: February 2018

The aim of the study was to assess the differences in the bacterial community physiological profiles in soils contaminated with heavy metalsversussoils without metal contaminations. The study’s contaminated soil originated from the surrounding area of the Szopienice non-ferrous metal smelter (Silesia Region, Poland). The control was soil unexposed to heavy metals. Metal concentration was appraised by flame atomic absorption spectrometry, whereas the the community-level physiological profile was determined with the Biolog EcoPlatesTMsystem. The soil microbiological activity in both sites was also assessedviadehydrogenase activity. The mean concentrations of metals (Cd and Zn) in contaminated soil samples were in a range from 147.27 to 12265.42 mg kg−1, and the heavy metal contamination brought about a situation where dehydrogenase activity inhibition was observed mostly in the soil surface layers. Our results demonstrated that there is diversity in the physiological profiles of microorganisms inhabiting contaminated and colntrol soils; therefore, for assessment purposes, these were treated as two clusters. Cluster I included colntrol soil samples in which microbial communities utilised most of the available substrates. Cluster II incorporated contaminated soil samples in which a smaller number of the tested substrates was utilised by the contained microorganisms. The physiological profiles of micro-organisms inhabiting the contaminated and the colntrol soils are distinctly different.
Evaluation of biomass quality of selected woody species depending on the soil enrichment practice
Authors: Stolarski Mariusz J. , Krzyżaniak Michał , Załuski Dariusz , Niksa Dariusz
Published: February 2018

Perennial energy crops are a source of the bio-mass used to generate energy. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical and thermophysical parameters of short rotation woody crops (black locust, poplar and willow), depending on soil enrichment practice (mineral fertilisation, lignin and mycorrhiza), in three- and four-year harvest cycles. In the study, the thermophysical properties and elemental composition of the biomass were determined. All analyses were performed in trip-licate according to the standards. The fresh black locust biomass had the lowest moisture content, which resulted in the best lower heating value (10.16 MJ kg−1, on average) in the four-year harvest cycle. The poplar biomass had the greatest higher heating value, fixed carbon, carbon and ash content, the highest concentrations of which were found in the biomass in which lignin was applied (2.00% d.m.). On the other hand, the willow biomass contained the lowest concentrations of ash and fixed carbon. Soil enrichment significantly differentiated the quality parameters of black locust, poplar and willow. This effect is of particular importance to those who grow and use biomass as a fuel.
Friedman and Wilcoxon Evaluations Comparing SVM, Bagging, Boosting, K-NN and Decision Tree Classifiers
Authors: Biju Vinai George , Prashanth CM
Published: February 2018

This paper describes a number of experiments to compare and validate the performance of machine learning classifiers. Creating machine learning models for data with wide varieties has huge applications in predictive modelling across multiple domain of science. This work reviews state of the art techniques in machine learning classifiers methods with several extent of magnitude in statistics and key findings that will be helpful in establishing best methodological practices for class predictions. Comprehensive comparative review analysis with statistical validations for various machine learning algorithm for SVM, Bagging, Boosting, Decision Trees and Nearest Neighborhood algorithm on multiple data sets is carried out. Focus on the statistical analysis of the results using Friedman-Test and Wilcoxon Test as well as other interpretative metrics like classification rate, ROC, F-measure are evaluated to benchmark results.
Analysis of Performance and Efficiency of Hardware and Software Firewalls
Authors: Konikiewicz Wojciech , Markowski Marcin
Published: February 2018

Firewalls are key elements of network security infrastructure. They should guarantee the proper level of security and, at the same time, the satisfying performance in order to not increase the packet delay in the network. In the paper, we present the comparative study on performance and security of a few firewall technologies including hardware, software and virtual solutions. Three important criteria are considered: the maximal throughput of firewall, the introduced delay and the ability to resist Denial of Service attacks. We report results of experiments, present analysis and formulate a few practical conclusions.
Metabolic features and changes in glucose-induced serum glucagon-like peptide-1 levels in children with hypothalamic obesity
Authors: Chai-udom Rapeepun , Aroonparkmongkol Suphab , Sahakitrungruang Taninee
Published: February 2018

Background

Hypothalamic damage may alter glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion and be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity. We aim to evaluate the metabolic features and the dynamic changes of GLP-1 levels during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in children with hypothalamic obesity (HO) compared with simple obesity controls.

Methods

Subjects included eight patients (six females, aged 9–16 years) with hypothalamo-pituitary tumors who later developed obesity and eight controls with simple obesity matched for age, body mass index (BMI), gender and puberty. We assessed the metabolic syndrome features, fat mass, severity of hyperphagia using a standardized questionnaire, and measured glucose, insulin and GLP-1 levels during a standard 75 g OGTT.

Results

Age, gender distribution, pubertal status and BMI-Z scores were not significantly different. Subjects with HO had higher fasting triglycerides (TG) than controls (128 vs. 94 mg/dL; p=0.05). Four HO subjects and three controls met the criteria for the metabolic syndrome. Fasting and 120 min post-glucose load GLP-1 levels were significantly higher in HO patients than in controls (21.9 vs. 19.7 pg/mL; p=0.025, 22.1 vs. 17.7 pg/mL; p=0.012). Patients with HO had significantly higher hyperphagia scores than in simple obese controls (13 vs. 2.5; p=0.012).

Conclusions

Patients with HO appear to have more metabolic complications and hyperphagia than controls with simple obesity. Impaired satiety may play an important role in HO. Fasting and glucose-induced serum GLP-1 concentrations seem to be altered in HO patients and could be a part of the pathogenesis of HO.
Basic and low-risk substances under European Union pesticide regulations: a new choice for biorational portfolios of small and medium-sized enterprises
Authors: Marchand Patrice A.
Published: February 2018

Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 established a framework for Community action to bring about the sustainable use of pesticides and encourage low concern biorationals. Basic substances described in article 23 of EC phytopharmaceutical Regulation No 1107/2009 consist of a new operative category for crop protection products with 16 substances approved so far. Another status, ruled by article 22 is also operative with 11 approved low-risk substances (see EU pesticide database). Now small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have the opportunity to register biorationals at the EU level in one of the two categories. Our institute previously provided technical expertise on how to complete the Basic Substance Application (BSA), together with a description of first results. However it is clear that there is a need for a shorter survey of the two parallel procedures for SMEs. Here we provide a concise sequence of the necessary steps for SMEs, including strategic approach, a rapid steps description, a timeframe for the global pathway, up to the final step, after approval by the Plants, Animals, Food and Feed Standing Committee (PAFF). We present in detail the advantages and limitations of the two statutes. The introduction of approved substances into organic farming is also discussed. Currently basic and low-risk substance pathways are now accessible for biorationals handled by SMEs. Therefore, the option is open for SMEs to seek a possibly low-risk active substances endorsement with market authorizations or a basic substance approval with no plant protection product claims depending on the selected strategy.
Crystal structure and optical properties of diaqua-tris(nitrato-κ2
O,O′)-bis(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(p-pyridyl)imidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide-κN)praseodymium(III), C24H36N9O15Pr
Authors: Li Dongjiao , Zhao Zhiyuan , Yao Xiuxiu , Chen Zhen , Wu Xiaoqiang , Zheng Xiuwen
Published: February 2018

C24H36N9O15Pr, monoclinic C2/c (no. 15), a = 23.686(9) Å, b = 11.727(5) Å, c = 12.001(5) Å, β = 94.852(4) V = 3322(2) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0282, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0769, T = 293 K.
Borenium and boronium ions of 5,6-dihydro-dibenzo[c,e][1,2]azaborinine and the reaction with non-nucleophilic base: trapping of a dimer and a trimer of BN-phenanthryne by 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine
Authors: Hahn Jennifer , Biswas Sunanda , Maichle-Mössmer Cäcilia , Schrenk Claudio , Schnepf Andreas , Bettinger Holger F.
Published: February 2018

6-Chloro-5,6-dihydro-dibenzo[c,e][1,2]azaborinine (1) reacts with pyridine derivatives to borenium or boronium ions. The boronium ion obtained from reaction with an excess of pyridine could be characterized structurally and transforms into the borenium ion in solution. The reaction of 1 with 2,2′-bipyridine (a) and derivatives (b: 6,6′-dimethyl; c: 4,4′-di-tert-butyl) results in spirocyclic boronium ions 8a–c of which 8b could be characterized by X-ray crystallography. Despite the chelate effect, the spirocyclic boronium ions readily undergo hydrolysis or alcoholysis. Treatment of the spirocyclic boronium ion 8c with potassium hexamethyl disilazide (KHMDS) results in neutral products that are monomers, dimers, or trimers of dibenzo[c,e][1,2]azaborinine (“BN-phenanthryne”) trapped with 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine by formation of B–C, B–N, or dative B–N bonds, indicative of deprotonation of NH and CH bonds of the boronium ion by KHMDS.
Preparation of hydroxyapatite-titanium particle hierarchical filled polyetheretherketone functional gradient biocomposites
Authors: Pan Yusong , Ding Jie
Published: February 2018

Functional gradient biomaterials have been widely applied in the biomedical field due to their designable structure and performance. In this paper, hydroxyapatite-titanium particles hierarchical filled polyetheretherketone functional gradient biocomposites [(HA-Ti)/PEEK FGBm] were successfully fabricated through combination of a layer-by-layer casting method and hot pressing technology. The microstructure and morphology of the FGBm were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray analysis spectrometry (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of XRD and EDS verified that the components of the FGBm consist of HA, Ti and PEEK. FTIR and SEM studies showed that the existence of TiO2 thin film on the surface of Ti particles was beneficial to improve the wettability of Ti particles to the PEEK matrix, thus increasing the interfacial bonding strength between Ti particles and PEEK matrix. The SEM observation revealed that the size of HA particles in (HA-Ti)/PEEK FGBm was on the nano-scale and that of Ti particles was on the micron-scale. Furthermore, several typical microstructures such as micro-pores, dimple-like, and encapsulated-like morphologies in (HA-Ti)/PEEK FGBm were observed by SEM. With the rise of Ti and HA particle content in PEEK matrix, the distribution of them in PEEK matrix becomes more and more inhomogeneous and they tend to agglomerate.
99mTc-HYNIC-(Ser)3-LTVPWY peptide bearing tricine as co-ligand for targeting and imaging of HER2 overexpression tumor
Authors: Aligholikhamseh Nazan , Ahmadpour Sajjad , Khodadust Fatemeh , Abedi Seyed Mohammad , Hosseinimehr Seyed Jalal
Published: February 2018

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in several cancers. Today’s tumor targeting is receiving more attention due to its specificity to target receptor-dependent cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the 99mTc-HYNIC-(tricine)-(Ser)3-LTVPWY peptide for tumor targeting and imaging with overexpression of HER2. HYNIC-(Ser)3-LTVPWY peptide was labeled with 99mTc using tricine as a co-ligand at room temperature. Specific binding of this radiolabeled peptide was assessed on four cancer cell lines with different levels of HER2 receptor expression. Also the affinity of 99mTc-HYNIC-(tricine)-(Ser)3-LTVPWY peptide to the HER2 receptor was evaluated in the SKOV-3 cell line. Biodistribution study of this radiolabeled peptide was performed in SKOV-3 tumor bearing nude mice. The HYNIC conjugated peptide was simply labeled with 99mTc radionuclide with high labeling efficiency about 98±1% showing favorable stability in normal saline and human serum. In the presence of unlabeled peptide as competitor, the HER2 binding capacity of the radiolabeled peptide reduced (approximately five-fold). The KD and Bmax values were found 2.6±0.5 nM and (2.6±0.1)×106, respectively. The tumor/muscle ratios for this radiotracer were determined 1.17±0.77, 1.15±0.32 and 2.65±0.32 at 1, 2 and 4 h after injection, respectively. Presaturation of HER2 receptors in SKOV-3 xenografted nude mice showed a reduction in the tumor/muscle ratio confirming in vivo specificity of the peptide. According to SPECT imaging, the tumor was visualized in mouse after 4 h postinjection of radiolabeled peptide. 99mTc-HYNIC-(tricine)-(Ser)3-LTVPWY peptide exhibited overexpressed HER2 tumor targeting.
Using the Communication Methods, Tools and Support During Management of Project Communication in Industrial Manufacturing Enterprises
Authors: Samáková Jana , Babčanová Dagmar , Hrablikchovanová Henrieta , Mesárošová Jana , Šujanová Jana
Published: February 2018

Effective communication is the most significant ability for project manager and successful project. However, during the management of projects communication, it is very often forgotten, often overlooked or taken for granted. In the management of projects, it is principally necessary to deal with communication during all project lifecycle. Within the project communication, it is very important to define the main methods, tools, support of communication and frequency of communication; these belong to the most important elements of the communication channel which is very often forgotten. Therefore, the main aim of the paper is to analyse the utilisation of the communication channel: communication methods, communication tools, communication frequency and to support project communication in industrial manufacturing enterprises in Slovakia. Based on the research, we can conclude that communication channel is not adequately elaborated in international methodologies and standards of project management as well as in industrial manufacturing enterprises. These facts are very negative, conclusion and it is therefore necessary to deal with the problem.
Digitalisierung – Management Zwischen 0 und 1
Authors: Friedrich Stefan , Rachholz Josef
Published: February 2018

Digitization as a process of expressing actions and values by codes 0 and 1 has already has become part of our lives. Digitization enables enterprises to improve production, sales and to increase volume of production. However, no standard digitization strategy has been yet developed. Even in the digitized business process management system, the most important position remains to a human being. The improvement of software products, their availability and the education system in the area of introduction and use of information technology is thus a striking feature in development of managing (but also other) current processes.
Sluicing, Sprouting and Missing Objects
Authors: Li Yen-Hui Audrey , Wei Ting-Chi
Published: February 2018

Taking “sluicing” to be derived by movement + deletion, as represented by Merchant (2001), and “pseudo-sluicing” to be a base-generated structure [pro(+be) +wh] (going by Wei 2004; Adams 2004), this paper reviews arguments for and against the presence of a sluicing construction in Mandarin Chinese. We show that all the tests available in the literature do not argue against the presence of such a sluicing construction, except the test building on the distribution of the copulashi. Unfortunately, theshitest is demonstrated to be uncertain and it cannot be used to argue conclusively that only a base-generation pseudo-sluicing analysis should be adopted. We show that a much clear evidence for an exclusive pseudo-sluicing analysis comes from the behavior of the sprouting construction. Investigation of sprouting also sheds light on the properties of null arguments, topic-variable relation, locality, and subcategorization of verbs in the language.
Developing polymer composite-based leaf spring systems for automotive industry
Authors: Oztoprak Nahit , Gunes Mehmet Deniz , Tanoglu Metin , Aktas Engin , Egilmez Oguz Ozgur , Senocak Ciler , Kulac Gediz
Published: February 2018

Composite-based mono-leaf spring systems were designed and manufactured to replace existing mono-leaf metal leaf spring in a light commercial vehicle. In this study, experimentally obtained mechanical properties of different fiber-reinforced polymer materials are presented first, followed by the description of the finite element analytical model created in Abaqus 6.12-1 (Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp., RI, US) using the obtained properties. The results from the finite element analysis are presented next and compared with actual size experimental tests conducted on manufactured prototypes. The results demonstrated that the reinforcement type and orientation dramatically influenced the spring rate. The prototypes showed significant weight reduction of about 80% with improved mechanical properties. The hybrid composite systems can be utilized for composite-based leaf springs with considerable mechanical performance.
Partner Notification for Gonorrhea and Syphilis in Belgrade
Authors: Bjekić Milan , Vlajinac Hristina
Published: February 2018

“Contact tracing” or “partner notification” refers to clinicians’ efforts to identify sex partners of infected persons to ensure their medical evaluation and treatment. For many years partner notification has been a cornerstone in the management of patients diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and it is the essential component in the control of these infections. Clinicians’ efforts to ensure the treatment of a patient’s sex partners can reduce the risk for re-infection and potentially diminish transmission of STIs. Partner notification includes three different approaches for notifying the sexual partners of the person infected with a STI: provider referral, patient referral, and contract referral. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of partner notification among syphilis and gonorrhea cases registered at the City Institute for Skin and Venereal Diseases in Belgrade in 2016, and its contribution to prevention and control of these diseases. A retrospective chart review of patients with gonorrhea and early syphilis registered in 2016 was undertaken. We analyzed data about the possible source of infection as well as sexual orientation, provided on the official form for notification of syphilis and gonorrhea. The study included 112 male patients, 67 with gonorrhea and 45 with syphilis. Out of three modalities of partner notification offered to patients, only patient notification of sexual partner/s was accepted. Although all patients accepted this type of partner notification, index patients with gonorrhea notified only 17 partners (25.4%) and index patients with syphilis also notified 17 partners (37.8%). The effectiveness of partner notification for gonorrhea and syphilis cases was only 30.4%, and its contribution to prevention and control of these diseases was lower than we expected. National guidelines offering standardized protocols for partner notification service provision can improve this process, as a novel approach with non-traditional method of partner notification such as patient-delivered partner therapy.
Primary Cutaneous Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma – a Case Report
Authors: Milovanović Milena , Mijušković Željko , Kandolf Sekulović Lidija , Radić-Tasić Olga , Tarabar Olivera , Mijušković-Janković Danijela , Rajović Milica
Published: February 2018

In 2005, the World Health Organization - European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (WHOEORTC) classified cutaneous B-cell lymphomas into 4 categories: primary cutaneous marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (PCMZL), primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma (PCFCL), primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type (PCDLBCL-LT), and primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, other (PCDLBCL-O). The absence of evident extra-cutaneous disease is a necessary condition for the diagnosis of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas, because they have a completely different clinical behavior and prognosis from their nodal counterparts. PCDLBCL-O basically represents a morphological variation, lacking the typical features of PCDLBCLLT, neither confirming the definition of PCFCCL, but on the clinical ground, its behavior seems at least to partially overlap the indolent course of PCFCCL. In fact, the present WHO lymphoma classification from 2008 overcame the previous WHO-EORTC classification, including at least a part of PCDLBCL-O within the spectrum of PCFCCL. However, owing to the rarity and heterogeneity of the PCDLBCL-O, the precise clinicopathological characteristics have not been well characterized and the optimal treatment for this group of lymphomas is yet to be defined. Nevertheless, dermatologists and pathologists should be aware of this entity in order to avoid unnecessary aggressive treatment. We present a case of a 46-year-old Caucasian male with one large round-shaped tumor and a few scattered nodules localized on the back. The histopathological features of the lesion corresponded to PCDLBCL-O. The patient follow-up showed that he was disease-free three months after surgical excision of the lesions and adjuvant local radiotherapy. No additional therapy was introduced, including chemotherapy with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, oncovin, prednisolone (R-CHOP).
Simplified Graphical Domain-Specific Languages as Communication Tools in the Process of Developing Mobile Systems for Reporting Life-Threatening Situations – the Perspective of Technical Persons
Authors: Żyła Kamil
Published: February 2018

Reporting systems based on mobile technologies and feedback from regular citizens are becoming increasingly popular, especially as far as protection of environmental and cultural heritage is concerned. Reporting life-threatening situations, such as sudden natural disasters or traffic accidents, belongs to the same class of problems and could be aided by IT systems of a similar architecture. Designing and developing systems for reporting life-threatening situations is not a trivial task, requiring close cooperation between software developers and experts in different domains, who could possibly find industrially recognized languages and notations difficult. Thus, the question is whether using simplified graphical domain-specific languages (SGDSLs) could help in creating a common communication platform. It has been revealed that domain experts have a preference for such languages as they offer good learnability, readability and ability to focus on the idea of application. The perspective of developers (technical persons) is introduced on the basis of feedback obtained from 84 students of Computer Science at the Lublin University of Technology, who attended comprehensive workshops followed by an anonymous survey. All participants received theoretical and practical training in modeling mobile software using the same set of languages as domain experts. An analysis of the results revealed that opinions expressed by technical and nontechnical persons concerning SGDSLs oriented on defining a flow of actions is consistent. Most respondents claimed that such languages might be valuable as tools for creating a common communication platform.
Distance Learning Methods in Continuing Education of Paramedics
Authors: Leszczyński Piotr , Charuta Anna , Gotlib Joanna , Kołodziejczak Barbara , Roszak Magdalena , Zacharuk Tamara
Published: February 2018

The process of continuing education of paramedics is based on gaining educational credits during five-year educational periods. One of the forms of self-improvement are Internet-based educational programs. The lack of regulations concerning the organizational and technical aspects of e-learning made the authors attempt to analyze the phenomenon. The aim of the article is to present an initial analysis of the role of online educational programs in comparison with other forms of professional training of paramedics. One in three respondents has recently used one of the methods of distance learning. Despite the low awareness of the effectiveness of e-learning, almost 70% of the interviewees expressed a positive opinion about it and over 50% were willing to use such forms in the future. The respondents preferred online trainings in the asynchronous version, containing audio-visual materials and providing the possibility to obtain a certificate issued to the participant after completing the course. The demand for topics in the area of professional training included mainly the fields of Drug Therapy, electrotherapy, electrocardiogram (ECG) evaluation, medical segregation, and help in delivery in pre-hospital conditions. Modern forms of distance learning do not make it possible to acquire practical skills, yet their role in professional training of paramedics is still significant. According to the authors, online educational programs constitute an effective complement to traditional training through the performance of tasks in a mixed form, known as blended-learning.
Determining the Shape Factor for Bend Torque
Authors: Křístek Ivo , Havlík Jiři , Mosler Václav , Daniš Igor , Pilc Jozef
Published: February 2018

This article is focused on creating diagrams to determine the shape factor α. Its significance for the use of the design components. And the experimental determination curves diagrams comparing the previously used charts and monograms. The beginning of the development of appropriate calculation methods for determining courses of stress concentration factor for individual notches, with the previously used charts.
Triaxial X-Ray Diffraction Method and its Application to Monitor Residual Stress in Surface Layers after High-Feed Milling
Authors: Zaušková Lucia , Czán Andrej , Šajgalík Michal , Pobijak Jozef , Mikloš Matej
Published: February 2018

High-feed milling is a milling method characteristic with shallow depth of cut and high feed rate to maximize the amount of removed metal from a part, generating residual stresses in the surface and subsurface layers of the machined parts. The residual stress has a large influence on the functional properties of the components. The article is focused on the application of triaxial x-ray diffraction method to monitor residual stresses after high feed milling. Significance of triaxial measuring method is the capability of measuring in different angles so it is possible to acquire stress tensor containing normal and shear stress components.
Assessment of Surface Area Characteristics of Dental Implants with Gradual Bioactive Surface Treatment
Authors: Czan Andrej , Babík Ondrej , Miklos Matej , Záušková Lucia , Mezencevová Viktória
Published: February 2018

Since most of the implant surface is in direct contact with bone tissue, shape and integrity of said surface has great influence on successful osseointegration. Among other characteristics that predetermine titanium of different grades of pureness as ideal biomaterial, titanium shows high mechanical strength making precise miniature machining increasingly difficult. Current titanium-based implants are often anodized due to colour coding. This anodized layer has important functional properties for right usage and also bio-compatibility of dental implants. Physical method of anodizing and usage of anodizing mediums has a significant influence on the surface quality and itself functionality. However, basic requirement of the dental implant with satisfactory properties is quality of machined surface before anodizing. Roughness, for example, is factor affecting of time length of anodizing operation and so whole productivity. The paper is focused on monitoring of surface and area characteristics, such as roughness or surface integrity after different cutting conditions of miniature machining of dental implants and their impact on suitability for creation of satisfactory anodized layer with the correct biocompatible functional properties.
Retailing science: genre hybridization in online science news stories
Authors: Zhang Yiqiong
Published: February 2018

This study explores how marketing and science rhetoric have become entrenched in online science news stories. The schematic structures of a corpus of 270 news stories from three types of website (university websites, the websites of Futurity.org and MSNBC.com) have been analyzed and compared. An eight-move structure identified from the corpus suggests that the genre of news stories is a hybridization of promotional discourse for marketization and science discourse for explanation. Hybridization is first evident in university press releases, which are then spread by the mass media without significant changes. From the perspective of intertextual chains, the emerging discourse practices can be attributed to the power shifting of news production from journalists to science institutions and further from journalistic to scientific norms. In turn, the discourse practices accelerate the shift of power, which could ultimately lead to the loss of independent and critical science journalism.
The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the Romanian Labour Market: New Evidence from a Pooled Model
Authors: Diaconu Maxim Laura , Sterbuleac Daniel
Published: February 2018

The present paper presents a series of results concerning the labour market impact of the foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in Romania, during the period 2005-2014. In order to reach this objective, we have conducted both an investigation of the specialized literature and an econometric analysis, based on a pooled OLS regression. The added value of this study results from the novelty aspects brought by the results, which indicate two new roles of FDI on the Romanian labour market: a potential “gap-widening” effect between the civil employment and number of employees and a “crawling” effect on the net income. Since the results showed a positive correlation between FDI and civil employment and also between FDI and the average number of employees, the first effect suggests that most of employees of the foreign firms work there less than one year. This may explain why foreign companies are not motivated to offer their employees much higher wages than the local firms and thus that the effect of FDI on nominal net income is very small (“crawling” effect).
Financing Human Development for Sectorial Growth: A Time Series Analysis
Authors: Shobande Abdul Olatunji , Etukomeni Charles
Published: February 2018

The role which financing human development plays in fostering the sectorial growth of an economy cannot be undermined. It is a key instrument which can be utilized to alleviate poverty, create employment and ensure the sustenance of economic growth and development. Thus financing human development for sectorial growth has taken the center stage of economic growth and development strategies in most countries. In a constructive effort to examine the in-depth relationship between the variables in the Nigerian space, this paper provides evidence on the impact of financing human development and sectorial growth in Nigeria between 1982 and 2016, using the Johansen co-integration techniques to test for co-integration among the variables and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to ascertain the speed of adjustment of the variables to their long run equilibrium position. The analysis shows that a long and short run relationship exists between financing human capital development and sectorial growth during the period reviewed. Therefore, the paper argues that for an active foundation for sustainable sectorial growth and development, financing human capital development across each unit is urgently required through increased budgetary allocation for both health and educational sectors since they are key components of human capital development in a nation.
Examination of the Impact of Health Status on Economic Performance in Hungary
Authors: Bakos Izabella Mária , Bálint Csaba
Published: February 2018

For a long time it has been a well-known and proven fact that economic growth of a country contributes to improvement of the health status of population. There is at the same time another type of opposite relationship starting from health status and pointing to the performance of economy. In our study, besides giving a general presentation of the health situation in Hungary, we examined the direction and strength of the relations between health and economic indicators and the inequalities that can be identified between the different regions with help of statistical methods. Another objective of the study was to examine the factors influencing mortality, and to develop a multiple linear regression equation to estimate the degree of mortality at a confidence interval of 95%. The results could provide a good basis to determine the intervention points necessary to alleviate and improve the economic burden of bad health status and diseases.