bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kirkko brändinä? Suomen evankelis-luterilaisen kirkon brändäys viestintästrategioissa vuosina 1992-2020
Authors: Kokkonen Laura
Published: December 2019

Evankelis-luterilaisen kirkon asema suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa on muutoksessa, joka konkretisoituu erityisesti kirkon jäsenistön jatkuvana vähenemisenä. Lisääntynyt kirkosta eroaminen on kiihdyttänyt keskustelua sen maineesta ja tulevaisuudesta sekä kirkon sisä- että ulkopuolella. Uskontososiologiassa kirkko voidaan asemoida keskelle kulutuskulttuuria, jonka hallitsevaksi tekijäksi määritellään eri elämänalojen markkinaistuminen. Pohjoismaiset kansankirkot ovatkin entistä vahvemmin omaksuneet markkinalogiikkaa kielenkäyttöön ja viestintään. Kirkolle sen kuvaan tai brändiin panostaminen on osa viestintää ja aktiivinen keino pyrkiä vaikuttamaan omaan kuvaan, vastaamaan ajan haasteisiin ja säilyttämään jäsenet.

Tässä artikkelissa tarkastelen sisällönanalyysin kautta millä tavoin brändäys markkinaistumisen ilmiönä operationalisoituu keskustelussa Suomen evankelis-luterilaisen kirkon viestinnästä. Aineistona ovat kirkon kaikki neljä viestintästrategiaa, jotka on julkaistu vuosina 1992, 2002, 2007 ja 2016. Nämä strategiat ovat voimassa vuosina 1992-2020. Kehyksenä käytän markkinointiviestinnän mallia brändistä, jonka kautta havainnoin, että strategioissa keskustellaan kirkon kuvasta implementoiden tätä brändimallia. Strategiat sekä käyttävät brändiä että jättävät sen keskeisiä elementtejä pois. Strategiat puhuvat kirkolliseen kielenkäyttöön sopivammin ”kuvasta” ja ”mielikuvasta” eivätkä määrittele ydinviestiä ensimmäistä strategiaa lukuun ottamatta. Toisaalta jäsenten vaikutusta kuvaan korostetaan. Kehys brändistä näyttää, että keskustelu kuvasta on ottanut mallinsa brändiltä jo ensimmäisessä strategiassa vuonna 1992.
Narrating the extremes: The language of suffering and survival in Laila Lalami’s The Moor's Account
Authors: Sensri Insaf , Benabed Fella
Published: December 2019

In the 16th century, the tragic Narvaez expedition to the New World ended with only four survivors: three Spaniard masters and a Moor slave who had never been given a chance to give his testimony as his companions had. In the fictional memoir The Moor’s Account (2014), Laila Lalami gives voice to Mustafa/Estebanico to narrate the hardships they went through from his perspective, which reflects his Arabic and Islamic identity. His story depicts several forms of human suffering: deprivation and poverty in his home country Morocco under the Portuguese occupation, slavery and torment while in Spain, and eight years of privation and wandering in the wilderness of North America. The paper will employ postcolonial poetics to reveal the literary devices used to recount these forms of human suffering as they are represented through the ethnicity of the narrator. This in-text analysis will link linguistic and aesthetic signs in the text to their interpretative functions in cultural reconciliation. Therefore, it will highlight the ideological and aesthetic aspects which classify the novel as postcolonial writing. Then, it will focus on the suffering-survival dichotomy and its representation in the narrative discourse.
Quixotism, Federalism, and the Question of American National Identity in Royall Tyler’s The Algerine Captive
Authors: Ivana Dragoș
Published: December 2019

This article places Royall Tyler’s novel, The Algerine Captive, within the socio-political context of the early American Republic which was acutely concerned with the problem of defining its national identity. As a multi-genre text juxtaposing the picaresque format patterned after Henry Fielding’ Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones with the travelogue and the Barbary captivity narrative, The Algerine Captive is a novel which mirrors the incoherent and disjointed character of America in the last two decades of the eighteenth century, in formal as well as generic terms. By the same token, the variegated adventures of the protagonist/narrator Updike Underhill both at home and abroad reveal social, political, legal, religious and racial differences meant to challenge the Federal meaning of nation as an isolated and self-reliant land under the John Adams government. I examine the link between Tyler’s critique of Federalism taken as national insularity and the status of Updike Underhill as a quixotic character. His return to America as a patriotic citizen after escaping from slavery in Algiers is not a traditional quixotic “cure,” i.e. a return to the Federalist status quo. Underhill’s return to his native country enables him to make American society better, not by simply parroting federalist principles, but by upholding and testing cross-cultural differences and global experiences on native soil as a cosmopolitan citizen.
Kitchen and Other Tables to Think With: The Case of To the Lighthouse, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover and In the Mood for Love
Authors: Ciobanu Estella Antoaneta
Published: December 2019

This article studies comparatively references to tables in Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse and two films, Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover and Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love. Greenaway announces from the title a concern with a cook, which the film duly elaborates by setting its action mostly in a restaurant and its kitchen; tables as the central part of the set visualise power configurations. In Wong’s film about failed love, the kitchen and/or tables as part of the décor reinforce mainstream notions of middle-class domesticity. Woolf challenges middle-class views of gender in two episodes from Part I – Mrs Ramsay’s dinner party and the dialogue between Lily Briscoe and Andrew Ramsay about the object of his father’s philosophy books – by defamiliarising respectively the dining-and kitchen tables. The latter scene, which repurposes the idea of the kitchen table as an analogon for philosophy’s construal of the nature of reality, opens up an epistemic avenue: thinking with the kitchen table. My general frame for analysis is Edmund Husserl’s concept of orientation, sustained by Bertrand Russell’s propositions about unobserved objects and unoccupied perspectives. However, I twist these conceptual tools intersectionally to unravel the social grounds of philosophical and artistic positions that obfuscate gendered contributions to knowledge, sustenance and general well-being.
The Uses of Formulaic Language in Graham Swift’s England and Other Stories
Authors: Kucała Bożena
Published: December 2019

This article argues that in his collection of short stories England and Other Stories (2014), as in most of his fiction, Graham Swift is preoccupied with the limits of language, with what remains unsaid or is poorly communicated. In this volume, the writer’s focus on private, domestic and ordinary lives corresponds to his representation of the language of everyday interaction as essentially non-creative and formulaic. Swift’s deliberately clichéd language reflects what, as contemporary studies of discourse reveal, is a standard mode of social interaction. For example, Roberta Corrigan et al. affirm that linguistic formulae should be considered as yet another manifestation of behavioural routines (xxiii-xxiv), while Alison Wray claims that the reliance on formulaic language “predominates in normal language processing” (Formulaic Language 101). A range of uses of formulaic language is analysed in selected stories from the collection. It is demonstrated that, typically, characters choose prefabricated language for the paradoxical purpose of establishing and maintaining a degree of contact with others while avoiding in-depth interaction.
Forgetting to Re-member: Politics of Amnesia and the Reconstruction of Memory in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Everything Is Illuminated and Memento
Authors: Goc Murat
Published: December 2019

This essay aims to discuss the ideological aspects of memory loss as a reconstruction of personal and collective memory with reference to several Hollywood movies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Memento and Everything Is Illuminated. The essay explores the construction of memory within a network of power relations and the profound influence that the reproduction of memory has on the embodiment of personal identities. The unreliability of human memory has been a major issue in philosophical debates and works of art from early Greek philosophy to cyberpunk novels. Memory studies draw on a wide range of academic fields varying from neuroscience to political science, with an emphasis on prosthetic memories, identity and body politics, displaced cultural identities, and consumer culture. Often intermingled with collective narratives, memory is an ideological artifact or rather a form of language that can be institutionally manipulated or manufactured. The mass production of personal and collective memories further deprives human beings of control over their personal histories and identity constructions. In this regard, this article elaborates the formation, reinforcement, and reconstruction of memory in contemporary culture with particular references to the inclusion of hegemony, cultural politics, and identity politics in selected movies.
“In the desert, we are all illegal aliens”: Border Confluences and Border Wars in Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway
Authors: Andreescu Raluca
Published: December 2019

In May 2001, a traveling party of 26 Mexican citizens tried to cross the Arizonan desert in order to enter the United States illegally. Their attempt turned into a front-page news event after 14 died and 12 barely made it across the border due to Border Patrol intervention. Against the background of consistent tightening of anti-immigration laws in the United States, my essay aims to examine the manner in which Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway: A True Story (2004) reenacts the group’s journey from Mexico through the “vast trickery of sand” to the United States in a rather poetic and mythical rendition of the travel north. Written to include multiple perspectives (of the immigrants and their coyotes, the immigration authorities, Border Patrol agents, high officials on both sides of the border), Urrea’s account, I argue, stands witness to and casts light on the often invisible plight of those attempting illegal passage to the United States across the desert. It thus humanizes the otherwise dry statistics of immigration control by focusing on the everyday realities of human-smuggling operations and their economic and social consequences in the borderland region. At the same time, my paper highlights the impact of the Wellton 26 case on the (re)negotiation of identity politics and death politics at the US-Mexican border.
Evidence for existence of molecular stemness markers in porcine ovarian follicular granulosa cells
Authors: Stefańska Katarzyna , Sibiak Rafał , Hutchings Greg , Dompe Claudia , Moncrieff Lisa , Janowicz Krzysztof , Jeseta Michal , Kempisty Bartosz , Machatkova Marie , Mozdziak Paul
Published: December 2019

Granulosa cells (GCs) are important component of the follicle, a principal functional unit of the ovary. They undergo highly dynamic changes during folliculogenesis and play a vital role in oocyte’s maturation. Recently, it has been shown that GCs also exhibit stem cell properties, since they express OCT-4, Nanog, Sox-2, which are markers of pluripotency, as well as several mesenchymal stem cell markers, such as CD29, CD44, CD90, CD105, CD117 or CD166. In addition, GCs are able to differentiate towards neurogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic lineages. Since the use of embryonic stem cells in regenerative medicine is burdened with ethical concerns and the risk of immune rejection or teratoma formation, adult stem cells are emerging as a promising alternative. GCs especially seem to provide a promising source of stem cells, since they are easily obtainable during assisted reproduction techniques. In order to better understand the genetic changes taking place in proliferating granulosa cells cultured in vitro, we isolated GCs from 40 prepubertal gilts and cultured them in vitro for 168 h. After 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144 and 168 h of cultivation the total RNA was extracted, reverse transcription was conducted and RT-qPCR reaction was performed. We observed that CD44, CD90 and IGF1 were upregulated after the cultivation, whereas CD105 and LIF were downregulated. Collectively, our results confirm stemness potential of porcine GCs and provide an insight into the transcriptome changes during in vitro cultivation.

Running title: Molecular stemness markers in porcine granulosa cells
Influence of Selenium on the Morphology of Immune System Organs in Healthy Broilers
Authors: Korzeniowska Malgorzata , Madej Jan P. , Stefaniak Tadeusz , Kopec Wieslaw
Published: December 2019

This study aimed to establish the effect of dietary supplementation in broiler chickens of organic and inorganic selenium on the weight and structure of the thymus, bursa of Fabricius and spleen. Three dietary regimes were studied in Flex and F15 Hubbard chickens: (i) control, (ii) diets containing 0.5 mg organic selenium/kg by selenized yeast, (iii) diets supplemented with 0.5 mg ionic selenium/kg (sodium selenite). The results showed that the feed additives did not affect the relative weight of the immune system organs, i.e. bursa of Fabricius, thymus and spleen. The organic selenium in the F15 resulted in thinning of the thymic cortex and partial depletion of the lymphoid cells. Moreover, both the organic and inorganic selenium supplementation resulted in depopulation of bursal medulla from lymphocytes in the F15 group. In contrast, in Flex chickens no significant differences in histological structure and morphometric values of lymphoid organs between chickens fed organic and inorganic selenium were found.
First Occurence of African Swine Fever in Serbia
Authors: Milićević Vesna , Kureljušić Branislav , Maksimović Zorić Jelena , Savić Božidar , Stanojević Slobodan , Milakara Emina
Published: December 2019

Until July 30th, 2019 when the first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed, Serbia was a country free from ASF. After the owner reported atypical illness and death of a sow, the local veterinarian submitted the organ samples to the National Reference Laboratory for Classical Swine Fever (CSF) and African Swine Fever within the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Serbia in Belgrade. Observed gross lesions included splenomegaly, serous edema of the wall of the gallbladder and hemorrhages in the enlarged portal lymph nodes, petechial hemorrhages on the kidney and epicardium, and petechial and echymotic hemorrhages on the mucosa of the urinary bladder. Results of real-time PCR confirmed that the cause of illness and death of the swine was African swine fever virus. The samples were sent for confirmation to the EU Reference Laboratory where it was confirmed that Serbian domestic pig virus isolates based on p72 belong to genotype II. In total, 270 pigs from 18 affected holdings were killed in the infected zones. According to the on-record data, mortality was 6.89%, whereas lethality reached 64.5%. Currently, an extensive surveillance program is being conducted, aiming to force passive surveillance. ASF in wild boar has not been confirmed so far.
Work ability index in Slovenian hospital nurses aged over fifty years
Authors: Žmauc Tanja , Železnik Danica , Težak Oto
Published: December 2019

Nurses with reduced work ability are highly susceptible to the deleterious effects of their working environments, and their rates of sick leave, disability, and early retirement are higher than average. The aim of this study was to evaluate work ability in 433 Slovenian hospital nurses aged over fifty years providing secondary care in thirteen hospitals across Slovenia. To do that we used a standardised instrument known as work ability index (WAI). Mean WAI was 36.98±6.46 and median 38. WAI was not associated with age (Spearman’s ρ=-0.034, p=0.475). Total WAI score strongly correlated with the 1st item of the WAI questionnaire “current work ability” (ρ=0.726, p<0.001). Higher WAI scores were also associated with academic education, full-time employment, and working in a single (morning) or three shifts. Our WAI findings in nurses over fifty call for systemic changes in the nursing environment to maintain good work ability among nurses until the retirement age and beyond.
Study on the Westley Maclean Model and the Co-Orientation Model and their Exemplification in an Industrial Enterprise
Authors: Bucur Mihaela , Ban Andreea
Published: December 2019

The present paper makes an incursion into the new and complex models of communication that can be found in literature, trying to identify their graphic decoding and their applicability in an industrial enterprise. The authors identified real examples for each model under investigation, so the purpose of the paper is to emphasize the importance of communication and the applicability of the new methods of communication in engineering.
A Generalization of a Result for Iterative Functions in ℝ
n
Authors: Finta Béla
Published: December 2019

The purpose of this paper is to generalize for real vector-valued functions of a result for real iterative functions and to give some applications for nonlinear system of equations.
Ethnopedagogy: The Term and Content
Authors: Sándor Ildikó
Published: December 2019

Introduction:
This study reviews the most commonly used Hungarian terminology of pedagogical folklorism terms, their interpretations and the conceptual debates around them, as well as the possible imprecisions related to them. With the help of Hungarian and international examples, it places the technical terms of the ethnography-folk tradition-pedagogy triangle into a system and finally, it gives recommendations on the scientific terminology to be used to describe the phenomenon.

Purpose:
The focus of this contribution is to create a system in the expressions that refer to the relationship between folk tradition and pedagogy and to carry out the systematisation of pedagogical activities related to folk tradition/ethnography and to rethink them in a modern and terminology-critical manner.

Methods:
In the present study, we applied source analysis, content analysis, logical operations (analysis, synthesis, comparison).

Conclusions:
Researchers of the issues at the intersection of pedagogy, ethnography, ethnology and anthropology have more or less consistently been applying the term ethnopedagogy for this interdisciplinary research area. It would be expedient to carry out the systematization of pedagogical activities related to folk tradition/ethnography and to rethink them in a modern and terminology-critical manner with the introduction of the term “ethnopedagogy.” This term may be able to connect the partially overlapping, sometimes parallel (at others, contradicting) terms related to the pedagogy of folk tradition without the risk of homogenisation.
An Approach to Estimate Dye Concentration of Domestic Washing Machine Wastewater
Authors: İlkiz Başak Arslan , Beceren Yeşim İridağ , Candan Cevza
Published: December 2019

This article focuses on developing a methodology which can be used to estimate the concentration of dyestuff released from textiles during domestic laundering, so that further studies involving decolorization of the wastewater from domestic washing machine can be conducted in an attempt to develop eco-friendly domestic washing processes. Due to the complexity of the problem, an approach was adopted so that, as an initial step, synthetic red and blue reactive dye solutions were prepared as representative wastewater solutions using Reactive Red 195 and Reactive Blue 19 dyestuffs for the estimation of dye concentration. This was followed by an experimental work consisting of washing tests involving the calculation of dye concentration in the wastewater obtained from domestic washing machine as well as tergotometer as a machine simulator. For this part of the work, dyed cotton plain jersey fabric samples were used to obtain wastewater solutions. All the dye solutions and the wastewater samples were measured with VIS spectrophotometer, and the maximum absorbance values were obtained at relevant wavelengths. Although the characteristics of absorbance spectra of synthetic and wastewater solutions were very different, the maximum absorbance values of both solutions overlapped at relevant wavelengths. The concentration of the dyestuff was calculated from the absorbance values measured at 540 and 592 nm for the red and blue, respectively. The statistical analysis of the data suggested that tergotometer can be used as a domestic washing machine simulator. Moreover, the regression analysis done for the dyestuff concentration under discussion revealed that the most significant factor was the washing step (main wash or rinsing) (89.5%) followed by color (red or blue) (3.4%) and washing device (washing machine or tergotometer) (1.5%).
A Novel splice-site mutation on the MLC1 gene leading to exon 9 skipping and megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts in a Turkish patient
Authors: Türkyılmaz A , Ünver O , Ekinci G , Türkdoğan D
Published: December 2019

Megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy (MLC) with subcortical cysts, also known as Van der Knaap disease (MIM #604004) is an autosomal recessive neurological disorder characterized by early onset macrocephaly, epilepsy, neurological deterioration with cerebellar ataxia and spasticity. An 8-month-old boy was admitted to our pediatric neurology clinic with macrocephaly. His brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed bilateral, diffuse, symmetric structural white matter abnormalities, relatively sparing the cerebellum and bilateral subcortical temporal cysts. The diagnosis of Van der Knaap disease was suspected based on the clinical features and imaging findings and the genetic analysis revealed a novel homozygous c.768+2T>C mutation of the MLC1 gene. For determination of the novel splice-site mutation’s effect, cDNA amplification was performed. cDNA analysis showed that the splice-site c.768+2T>C mutation gave rise to exon 9 skipping.
Association of VDR gene variant (rs1544410) with type 2 diabetes in a Pakistani cohort
Authors: Khan A , Khan S , Aman A , Ali Y , Jamal M , Rahman B , Ahmad M , Aasim M , Jalil F , Shah AA
Published: December 2019

The present study was designed to measure the mean values of body mass index (BMI), random blood sugar/ fast ing blood sugar (RBS/FBS) tests, and Hb A1c and to investigate the role of a genetic variant rs1544410 in the VDR gene in a Pakistani cohort. For this purpose, a total of 917 samples including 469 diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM), 145 DM type 1 (T1DM), and 303 healthy control were collected. Out of the total sample set, 500 individuals (250 T2DM cases and 250 controls) were genotyped for rs1544410. It was found that 65 (26.0%) cases and 32 (12.8%) controls had homozygous AA, while 69 (27.6%) cases and 139 (55.6%) controls had heterozygous AG, and 116 (46.4%) cases and 79 (31.6%) controls had homozygous GG (χ2 = 41.81, p = 0.0001). In addition, a similar distribution of allele frequency was determined in cases and controls [p value = 0.866; odds ratio (OR) = 0.967; relative risk (RR) = 1.034]. A significant difference was observed in homozygous dominant [OR = 2.394 (1.501-3.816); RR = 1.46 (1.225-1.740); p = 0.003] and homozygous recessive models [OR = 2.970 (2.086-4.227); RR = 1.798 (1.501-2.154); p = <0.0001] analysis of rs1544410 in the VDR gene. These findings suggest that the VDR gene is associated with T2DM and genotype GG of genetic variant rs1544410 is the susceptible genotype in our Pakistani cohort.
The variety of industrial towns in Slovenia: a typology of their economic performance
Authors: Bole David , Kozina Jani , Tiran Jernej
Published: December 2019

The aim of this paper is to make a typology of industrial towns according to their economic performance and to establish place-specific local factors influencing the typology and their territorial distribution. We collected 15 indicators of economic performance for 23 small industrial towns in Slovenia, and with the method of Principle Component Analysis with k-means clustering made a typology of small industrial towns. The results show a great variety of small industrial towns, with many of them having a strong economic performance. In the discussion, we relate the findings to the overall transformation of industry in the post-socialist context, to re-industrialisation tendencies and to place-specific factors such as peripherality and specific historical events (polycentric policies). We conclude with the call to continue studying small industrial towns through the prism of opportunities and to address their weaknesses and maximise their place-specific strengths.
Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals Using TiO2 Based Nanocomposite Catalyst-Review
Authors: Fawzi Suleiman Khasawneh Omar , Palaniandy Puganeshwary
Published: December 2019

The occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as pharmaceutical compounds (PhACs) is becoming a major global issue due to the persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity of these pollutants. Human and animal consumption was recognized as the major sources for pharmaceutical pollution. Existent conventional treatment processes have shown low degradation efficiencies towards PhACs. In this regard, TiO2 based nanocomposite photocatalysis process has presented effective degradation towards PhACs. Operational parameters such as dopant content, catalyst loading, and initial pH were the major factors in the photocatalysis system. In this review, we discuss the recent studies that have employed TiO2 based nanocomposite for the degradation of PhACs. Future research recommendations have also been elaborated.
Investigation on Electrically Conductive Aggregates as Grounding Compound Produced by Marconite
Authors: Mohd Tadza Mohd Yuhyi , Tengku Anuar Tengku Hafidatul Husna , Mat Yahaya Fadzil
Published: December 2019

Marconite is often used as alternative material to improve the performance of earth grounding system. This study aims to investigate of the physical and mechanical behaviour of conductive aggregate derived from Marconite namely, the electrical resistivity, water absorption, and crushing strength. In addition, similar tests were also conducted on mortar aggregate for comparison. The resistivity of aggregates were measured using soil box method. Test results showed that the electrical resistivity, water absorption, and crushing strength of both aggregates varied with time. These values were found to be stabilised after approximately after 14 days. The electrical resistivity for aggregates containing Marconite were found to be 39.2 Ω.m, far lower than 12700 Ω.m obtained for mortar-based aggregates. Similarly, the water absorption for Marconite aggregates were greater compared to mortar aggregates. On the other hand, the crushing strength for Marconite aggregates was to be lower. Incorporating Marconite significantly improved the electrical resistivity behaviour while maintaining acceptable mechanical properties crucial for electrical grounding purposes.
Some Geotechnical Properties of Pure and Waste Gypsum for Geoelectrical Grounding Applications
Authors: Mohd Tadza Mohd Yuhyi , Mazelan Nurmazuria , Yusri Nur Farahana , Abdullah Amizatulhani
Published: December 2019

Natural occurring gypsum is a soft mineral consists of hydrated calcium sulphate, mainly used in cement industry. On the other hand, red gypsum (RG) is a waste generated from a sulphate process of ilmenite ore to acquire titanium dioxide. Due to the gypsum content in both materials are similar, it is expected that both gypsum type can be used for similar engineering applications. In this study, RG was tested and compared to pure gypsum for geoelectrical grounding applications. The geotechnical properties and plasticity characteristics were carefully measured and tested. In addition, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was employed to study the chemical constituents of the materials. Test results showed that, the geotechnical properties of RG is different to that of white gypsum. The plasticity index (PI) of RG was 239.6% greater due to the presence of Fe ions. Surprisingly, the electrical resistivity of both material were found to be similar. It was also noted that, although the plasticity of pure gypsum is high, the plasticity of pure gypsum was found to be short lived primarily due to instantaneous exothermic reaction between water and semi-hydrated gypsum. The change in the plasticity also affected the resistivity as gypsum hardened after short duration. Based on the geotechnical and plasticity characteristics determined, RG was found to be a better as grounding material as compared to gypsum.
Performance Evaluation of Metakaolin as Low Cost Adsorbent for Manganese Removal in Anoxic Groundwater
Authors: Mohd Sapingi Mohd Sharizal , Murshed Mohamad Fared , Tajaruddin Husnul Azan , Mohd Omar Fatehah
Published: December 2019

The recent climate condition and pollution problem related to surface water have led to water scarcity in Malaysia. Huge amount of groundwater has been identified as viable source for drinking water. This paper was aimed to investigate groundwater’s quality at specific location and metakaolin’s potential in the groundwater treatment in the removal of manganese. Groundwater purging was determined to be sufficient at 120 minutes where all three parameters (pH, dissolved oxygen and conductivity) were stabilized. The groundwater studied is classified as both anoxic and reductive due the low dissolved oxygen value. It also can be categorized as brackish due to high value of conductivity and total dissolved solid. Manganese content in groundwater was determined as higher than of that permissible limit for raw water and drinking water which makes it unsuitable for them not suitable for consumption and cleaning purpose. Average manganese concentration in samples was 444.0 ppb where the concentrations of manganese ranged from 229.4 ppb to 760.3 ppb. Manganese developed is not that a strong positive correlation against iron concentration, total dissolved solids and conductivity; whereas has a moderate negative correlation against dissolved oxygen. The capability adsorption of manganese by metakaolin was assessed via batch method which indicated optimum dosage and contact time was 14g that removed average 30.2% and contact time optimum at 120 minutes which removed 33.2% manganese from the sample.
Defining the Mathematical Dependencies of NOx and CO Emission Generation after Biomass Combustion in Low-Power Boiler
Authors: Lukáč Ladislav , Kizek Ján , Jablonský Gustáv , Karakash Yevgeniy
Published: December 2019

The paper deals with the study of the influence of various factors, which have an impact on emissions such as NOx, CO, which have been verified by measurements. Biomass in the form of wood chips as fuel of different moisture content from 9% to 25% has been tested at various boiler outputs. The presented work also defines the mathematical dependencies of NOx and CO emission generation by using regression analysis from measured data after biomass combustion in low-power boilers. The paper also describes a mathematical model of biomass combustion. The mathematical model was created to verify the measured data and prediction of emission generation in the process of biomass combustion. This model consists of combustion of stoichiometry, calculation of combustion temperatures, obtained regression equations of NOx and CO. At the end of this paper, the obtained results are compared with the calculated models as well as the results of the defined dependencies from the regression analysis.
New Datings of Deposits From Odra River Valley - Stratigraphic Consequences and Interpretation at Fluvial Succession
Authors: Gontaszewska-Piekarz Agnieszka Helena , Szczepaniak Małgorzata
Published: December 2019

This paper presents organic sediments age analysis in Odra river valley in Słubice, western Poland. In this middle reach of Odra valley reach the uppermost fluvial deposits contain several alternate layers of organic sediments. These deposits have been mostly interpreted as the Holocene fluvial (floodplain) sediments, even if visible admixture of organic matter is not observed. However, there is also another hypothesis. Geotechnical studies conducted in several locations in Słubice, have questioned this interpretation. The main argument was the values of preconsolidation ratio in the range of 0.8 to 5.4, which may suggest, that the analysed sediments were covered by an ice sheet. Also, based on the presence of a clay layer devoid of organic matter impurities in the top of organic deposits, the second one presumes an interglacial (possibly Eemian) age of the discussed fluvial/organic sediments (peats and silts). To verify these hypotheses, six samples from six different boreholes drilled in the Odra river valley, in the centre of Słubice were collected. The results of 14C dating and its interpretation allowed to determine the age of the tested material. All analysed samples from Słubice (Odra river valley) were formed within the last 10,000 years - in Preboreal, Atlantic and Subboreal. Such a result contradicts the earlier stratigraphic interpretations.
Productivity Performance of the Service Sectors in European Union Countries
Authors: Wyszkowska‑Kuna Joanna
Published: December 2019

Economic development has resulted in structural transformation towards economies based on services, which has raised some concerns about the limited opportunities for sustaining productivity growth. The aim of this paper is to examine total factor productivity (TFP) growth in the service sector in comparison with total industries and the manufacturing sector, as well as within the service sector. The study is based on the data from the EU‑KLEMS database (2017), and it covers the years 1995–2015. It refers to EU countries, making it possible to carry out a comparative analysis between countries, in particular between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ member states. The study demonstrates that productivity growth in services was significantly lower than in manufacturing, but compared with total industries, the disparity was not significant. Productivity growth was usually higher in the ‘new’ EU countries than in the ‘old’ ones, except for information and communications services, which, on the whole, were the main driving force behind the productivity growth in services.
A Gravity Model Approach towards Pakistan’s Bilateral Trade with SAARC Countries
Authors: Jan Waheed Ullah , Shah Mahmood
Published: December 2019

This research paper attempts to estimate the bilateral trade of Pakistan with SAARC countries using a gravity model of trade. This panel study covers the period from 2003 to 2016. The empirical results are obtained through pooled OLS, fixed‑effects, and random‑effects estimators. On the basis of Hausman test results, the paper concentrates only on the findings of the fixed‑effects model. The empirical findings reveal that the GDPs of both Pakistan and the partner country have a positive impact on bilateral trade. Market size has a negative impact on trade and this is justified on the basis of the absorption effect. Similarly, distance and exchange rate also have a negative correlation with bilateral trade. The study finds that Pakistan has very low trade with India and Afghanistan, despite the common border. A common language has a positive but insignificant impact on Pakistan’s bilateral trade. The Paper also attempts to calculate the trade potential of Pakistan. The findings reveal that Pakistan has high trade potential with all SAARC member countries except the Maldives and Afghanistan.
Education Level and Income Disparities: Implications for Financial Inclusion through Mobile Money Adoption in South Africa
Authors: Nyoka Charles
Published: December 2019

Financial inclusion has recently become an issue of concern the world over for governments, policymakers, non‑governmental organizations (NGOs), and financial and non‑financial institutions alike. McKinnon (1973) and Shaw (1973), in seminal presentations, brought the world’s attention to the importance of an effective financial system for economic development. In recent years, there has been growing theoretical and empirical works showing the strong linkages between financial development with economic growth and poverty alleviation. After conducting statistical analysis using Stata version 14 for Windows with a multivariate binary logistic regression modeling technique applied, this paper tested and concluded that there is a statically significant relationship between educational levels on the one‑and and income levels on the other on the probability of one having a mobile banking account in South Africa. From a policy perspective, this information will assist policymakers in making more informed decisions with respect to education, and from the banking fraternity point of view it will help, them in the developments of products that are more in line with the population’s education and income levels.
Monitoring changes of the Antarctic Ice sheet by GRACE, ICESat and GNSS
Authors: Zou Fang , Tenzer Robert , Rathnayake Samurdhika
Published: December 2019

In this study, we estimate the ice mass changes, the ice elevation changes and the vertical displacements in Antarctica based on analysis of multi-geodetic datasets that involve the satellite gravimetry (GRACE), the satellite altimetry (ICESat) and the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). According to our estimates, the total mass change of the Antarctic ice sheet from GRACE data is −162.91 Gt/yr over the investigated period between April 2002 and June 2017. This value was obtained after applying the GIA correction of −98.12 Gt/yr derived from the ICE-5G model of the glacial iso-static adjustment. A more detailed analysis of mass balance changes for three individual drainage regions in Antarctica reveal that the mass loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet was at a rate of −143.11 Gt/yr. The mass loss of the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet was at a rate of −24.31 Gt/yr. The mass of the East Antarctic ice sheet increased at a rate of 5.29 Gt/yr during the investigated period. When integrated over the entire Antarctic ice sheet, average rates of ice elevation changes over the period from March 2003 to October 2009 derived from ICESat data represent the loss of total ice volume of −155.6 km3.The most prominent features in ice volume changes in Antarctica are characterized by a strong dynamic thinning and ice mass loss in the Amundsen Sea Embayment that is part of the West Antarctic ice sheet. In contrast, coastal regions between Dronning Maud Land and Enderby Land exhibit a minor ice increase, while a minor ice mass loss is observed in Wilkes Land. The vertical load displacement rates estimated from GRACE and GPS data relatively closely agree with the GIA model derived based on the ice-load history and the viscosity profile. For most sites, the GRACE signal appears to be in phase and has the same amplitude as that obtained from the GPS vertical motions while other sites exhibit some substantial differences possibly attributed to thermo-elastic deformations associated with surface temperature.
Effective combination of microgravimetry and geoelectrical methods in the detection of subsurface cavities in archaeological prospection – selected case-studies from Slovakia
Authors: Pašteka Roman , Kušnirák David , Wilken Dennis , Putiška René , Papčo Juraj , Godová Dominika , Zvara Ivan , Nogová Ema , Ondrášová Lenka
Published: December 2019

This contribution is focused on a common utilization of microgravimetry (very precise and detailed gravimetry) and geoeletrical methods (ground penetrating radar and electric resistivity tomography) in the detection of subsurface cavities in non-destructive archaeological prospection. Both methods can separately detect such kind of subsurface objects, but their complementary and at the same time an eliminating aspect can be very helpful in the interpretation of archaeogeophysical datasets. These properties were shown in various published case-studies. Here we present some more typical examples. Beside this, we present here for a first time an application of the electric resistivity tomography in the interior of a building (a church) in Slovakia. We also demonstrate an example with an extremely small acquisition step in microgravity as a trial for the detection of cavities with very small dimensions – in this case small separated spaces for coffins as a part of the detected crypt (so called columbarium). Unfortunately, these cavities were too small to be reliably detected by the microgravity method. We have tried the well-known 3D Euler deconvolution method to obtain usable depth estimates from the acquired anomalous gravity field. Results from this method were in the majority of cases plausible (sometimes little bit too shallow), when compared with the results from the ground penetrating radar. In one selected example, the 3D Euler solutions were too deep and in the present stage of study we cannot well explain this situation. In general, all presented results support an important role of common combination of several geophysical methods, when searching for subsurface cavities in non-destructive archaeological prospection.
Calculation of temperature distribution and rheological properties of the lithosphere along transect IV in the Western Carpathian-Pannonian Basin region
Authors: Dérerová Jana , Bielik Miroslav , Kohút Igor , Godová Dominika
Published: December 2019

2D integrated modelling algorithm was used to calculate the temperature distribution in the lithosphere along the transect IV located in the Western Carpathian-Pannonian Basin area. Based on the determined temperature field and given rheological parameters of the rocks, it was possible to calculate the strength distribution for both compressional and extensional regimes, construct the strength envelopes for chosen columns of the main tectonic units of the model, and thus construct a simple rheological model of the lithosphere along transect IV. The obtained results indicate decrease of the lithospheric strength from the European platform and the Western Carpathians towards the Pannonian Basin. The largest strength (valid for all tectonic units) can be observed within the upper crust with its maxima on the boundary between upper and lower crust, decreasing towards lower crust and disappearing in the lithospheric mantle, suggesting mostly rigid deformation occurring in the upper crust. A local increase in the values of strength can be observed in the eastern segment of the Western Carpathians where crustal thickening accompanies the lithospheric thickening (formation of the lithospheric root), unlike the previous models along transects I and II, that pass through the western segment of the Western Carpathians and their lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is almost flat and therefore no accompanying crustal thickening is observed and the decrease in strength is slow and steady.
Internal factors of dividend policy in public firms in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Džidić Ante , Živko Igor
Published: December 2019

This paper examines the characteristics of dividend paying firms in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research is conducted on a sample of 35 largest public firms during the period of five years, from 2013 to 2017, using multiple linear regression and logistic regression. The aim of the research is to explore the internal determinants of dividend payouts and to find whether there are any deviations from empirical experiences in the world. The research results show that larger and more profitable firms are more likely to pay dividends, while more indebted and closely held firms are less likely to pay dividends. The negative relation found between the dividend decision and investment opportunities is not statistically significant. The research results also show that the size is positively associated with higher payout ratios, while the payout ratios decrease with greater use of financial leverage. Profitability, investment opportunities and ownership concentration do not affect the level of dividend distribution.
Nonlinear optimisation approach to proposing novel Croatian Industrial Confidence Indicator
Authors: Čižmešija Mirjana , Lukač Zrinka , Novoselec Tomislav
Published: December 2019

Croatian Industrial Confidence Indicator (ICI) is one of the measures of mangers’ sentiment about the economic situation in the Croatian manufacturing industry. Since 2005, the ICI has been calculated in accordance with the harmonised European Commission methodology as a simple average of three variables: order books, stocks of finished products and production expectation. It was empirically confirmed that the ICI could predict the direction of change in industrial production more than one month ahead. With the aim of raising the ICI forecasting power, this paper proposes a novel ICI with a different weighting scheme. The empirical analysis is based on monthly data for three standard ICI subcomponents and industrial production expressed as year-on-year growth rates. The data set covers the period from May 2008 to February 2019. Data sources were the European Commission and Eurostat. The newly defined ICI was constructed by using the nonlinear optimisation approach. The weights were determined by minimizing the root mean square error (RMSE) in a simple regression model and by maximizing the correlation coefficient between the ICI and industrial production for various time lags. The results reveal that the newly defined ICI performs better in adapting and following the industrial production growth rate as well as that the dominant component in the ICI is the production expectation.
A note on the turning point for the quadratic trend
Authors: Kojić Vedran , Škrinjarić Tihana
Published: December 2019

The quadratic trend is a statistical model described by the quadratic function. Finding its extremum (also called the vertex or the turning point) using differential calculus or completing the square method is very well known in the literature. In this paper, a new method for finding the extremum of the quadratic function, based on a simple mathematical inequality is proposed. In comparison with the other two known methods, our method does not require the differentiability assumption and it takes fewer steps than completing the square method. Also, it is shown how the turning point for the quadratic trend can be applied in forecasting the unemployment rate in Croatia in the first quarter of 2019. The obtained conclusions are equal to the conclusions obtained in the usual way by using forecasting software.
Informal payments by patients in Croatia: benign custom or detrimental residue from socialism?
Authors: Franić Josip , Kojouharov Anton
Published: December 2019

Almost three decades after the collapse of the socialist system, numerous informal practices inherited from that period have remained deeply entrenched in the Croatian economy and society. Faced with burdensome regulations and complicated procedures, many citizens and companies opt to resolve their problems using string-pulling, bribery and undeclared work. However, there are many other informal means of conduct, which have not been given adequate attention so far. One of them is the practice of giving gratuity and gifts to medical practitioners for services that are already covered by health insurance, whose roots and the exact function are still not sufficiently understood. To start filling the gap, this paper explores which groups of citizens give out-of-pocket payments to doctors and nurses, as well as what motivates them to do so. The logistic regression analysis applied on data from the Special Eurobarometer Survey No 470, which was conducted in October 2017 on a stratified sample of 1,038 Croatians, reveals that these payments by no means represent a benevolent custom of expressing gratitude for healing. Even though a certain portion of citizens exercises this practice out of choice, informal payments more commonly occur following a direct request by medical staff or simply because the patient feels a pressure to do so. As revealed by the analysis, the majority of such transactions in Croatia highly resemble standard forms of bribery. In line with this, it is recipients rather than donors of gifts and cash supplements who should be targeted in endeavours to eradicate the phenomenon.