bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Indicators of the Instantaneous Speed of a Ship’s Main Engine and its Usability in Assessing the Quality of the Combustion Process
Authors: Chybowski Leszek , Kazienko Damian
Published: August 2020

A graph of the changes in an engine’s operating speed can be used to assess the quality of the combustion in its cylinders. In this paper, the authors carried out tests on a Buckau-Wolf R8VD-136 ship engine, which was directly driving the propeller. This engine is owned by the Laboratory of Marine Engine Rooms at the Maritime University of Szczecin. For standard rotational speeds ranging from 200 to 280 rpm, with increments of 20 rpm, the authors measured the changes in the instantaneous speed for the engine’s normal operating conditions (reference graphs) as well as with one of the cylinders being out of operation. A no-combustion situation was successively introduced into each cylinder for each preset rotational speed. The obtained graphs of the instantaneous speed were then used to determine certain quantitative indicators, which the authors believe can provide information about the technical condition of the engine. The analysis concerned the averaged graphs of the speed under the conditions set for five consecutive engine operating cycles. The indicators that were calculated included the maximum difference in the speed over the engine’s full operating cycle, the uniformity of the engine speed and the differential speed area factor, the latter a term that has been proposed by the authors. The values of the individual indicators that were obtained from the reference graphs and the graphs with no combustion in one of the cylinders were compared. All indicators are sensitive to cylinder misfire. Conclusions were then drawn on the usefulness of these indicators in assessing the condition of an engine.
Analysis of Distortion Mechanisms Used in Rotary Steerable Systems
Authors: Ivanova Tatyana N. , Božek Pavol , Korshunov Aleksandr I. , Koretskiy Vladimir
Published: August 2020

Drilling with a rotary steerable system, the mechanical drilling speed increases by two times compared to drilling with a screw bottom-hole motor, which provides significant savings drilling-time. The effective length of the horizontal elbow increases, which enables to increase the production rate more than twice. It is found that in comparison with the bottom hole motor, rotary steerable system provides drilling smoother barrel, which reduces the risk of accidents to come out. The dependence between the type of the bent housing and the most rational fields of its application is revealed, recommendations on the choice of the rotary steerable system for various issues of directional drilling are developed.
Developing the Cognitive Abilities of Elderly People with the Use of IT Technologies: Presentation of the Project Assumptions and Description of the Research Concept
Authors: Kaźmierczak Jan , Bartnicka Joanna , Borgosz Gabriela , Ikem Benjamin , Jurasik Julia , Kręt Paulina , Pietrulińska Natalia , Radomski Maciej
Published: August 2020

The progress of digitization and the development of new technologies undoubtedly bring many benefits. However, they can also create or deepen problems related to the social exclusion of certain groups of people, such as the elderly, for whom modern technology is still largely unavailable, and even arouses a sense of uncertainty and fear (the so-called technophobia). The consequences of such a phenomenon become particularly evident in the situation of social isolation, whose unprecedented dimension is currently observed in the so-called COVID-19 pandemic era. In particular, the occurrence of the phenomenon of social exclusion combined with a pandemic situation has contributed to the development of the assumptions of the project entitled “Developing the cognitive capabilities of older people through information technology.” This project was developed by the INNOVATOR Student Science Club at the Faculty of Organization and Management of the Silesian University of Technology, and its goal is to develop a tool to support the acquisition of competences by seniors in the field of technological content, operation of electronic devices and the implementation of daily and routine activities using the Internet, e.g. shopping via the Internet or using tele advice services. The proposed tool is also to support the stimulation of the development of cognitive abilities of seniors using e.g. logical games. In the course of project implementation, a survey will be conducted in selected Nursing Homes, Retirement Homes, online forums for the elderly and through direct contact, the results of which will allow to learn the needs and possibilities of developing the abilities of the examined people, and assess the effectiveness of the designed tool in the process of transferring content and shaping competences. An element encouraging seniors to participate in the planned research will be their active participation in lectures and/or talks, workshops and discussions. The assumed result of the project will be to reduce the negative effects of isolation of seniors, improve their communication with their loved ones and reduce the generation gap. A complementary research task will be to develop a way to assess project results in qualitative and, where possible, quantitative dimensions.
Improving Performance Together: Twinning Partnership Between Medium and Low Performer Districts in Ethiopia
Authors: Argaw Mesele Damte , Desta Binyam Fekadu , Abebe Melkamu Getu , Mamo Elias , Gebru Tesfaye , Heyi Wubishet Kebede , Gela Chala , Bele Temesgen Ayehu
Published: August 2020

This article describes the United States Agency for International Development Transform: Primary Health Care Activity supported a twinning partnership strategy, which was implemented between districts (woredas) in the different performance categories. This study presents the details of the partnership and the result observed in health systems strengthening in Ethiopia. The twinning partnership strategy was implemented with six steps. The established relationship helps the health systems to build the skill and capacities of the health workforce at primary healthcare entities. Both partner woredas improved their performances through the established win-win relationship and institutionalized the characteristics of a learning organization.
Efficacy of Current Methods for Correction of Talipes Equinovarus in Patients with Central Hemiparesis
Authors: Ondar V. , Agaev A. , Ismailova S. , Prokopenko S. , Isaeva N.
Published: August 2020

The problem of physiological gait stereotype restoration in patients with post-stroke central hemiparesis remains relevant to this day. This is primarily associated with high risk of falls in this category of patients. At this point, there is a wide variety of methods related to exercise treatment and robotised correction or restoration of impaired gait against the background of post-stroke hemiparesis. At the same time, the problem of management of talipes equinovarus associated with this syndrome remains quite complex and not completely solved. We have analysed existing methods of talipes equinovarus correction with different levels of evidentiality.
Caduceus or Rod of Asclepius? Exploring Logos of University Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria
Authors: Kanmodi Kehinde Kazeem , Ogidan Ifeoluwa Oluwasolafunmi , Adegbile Oluwatobi Emmanuel , Kanmodi Precious Ayomide
Published: August 2020

Background: Historically, the Rod of Asclepius is considered as the correct symbol of Medicine. Unfortunately, many medical/health institutions in the world have erroneously interchanged the Rod of Asclepius symbol with erroneous symbols (e.g. Caduceus) to depict Medicine. This study aims to assess the official logos (i.e. institutional symbols) of university teaching hospitals in Nigeria and determine if these logos actually depict the true symbol of Medicine.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional online survey of teaching hospitals in Nigeria on their official logos. A total of 40,556 operating hospitals and clinics in Nigeria were identified. After systematic screening, a total of 35 hospitals were identified as university teaching hospitals and used for the survey. Official information about the geopolitical zone, ownership and official logo of the selected hospitals was obtained (via online and offline search). Data collected was analysed using SPSS version 22 software.

Results: Out of the 35 surveyed university teaching hospitals, only 7 did not have snake(s) as part of their official logo. However, out of the remaining 28 hospitals that have snake(s) as part of their official logos, only 57.1% (16/28) of them have only one snake in their logo. Exactly half of the surveyed hospitals having logos with two entwined snakes (i.e. Caduceus) were owned by the federal government. Bivariate analysis showed that there exists statistically significant relationship between the geopolitical zone where a hospital is situated and the number of entwined snakes indicated in their official logo (p-value=0.034).

Conclusion: This study shows that the correct symbol of Medicine is not universally indicated in the official logos of the university teaching hospitals in Nigeria.
Test Stand for the Experimental Investigation of Turbochargers with 3D Printed Components
Authors: Andrearczyk Artur , Bagiński Paweł , Żywica Grzegorz
Published: August 2020

The paper discusses the universal test stand which allows determining the characteristics of turbochargers. Currently, there are works carried out in the world aimed to develop innovative fluid-flow machines, made partly with the use of rapid prototyping technology. This type of manufacturing technology allows reducing production time and costs in comparison to conventional methods of prototyping. This article also discusses start-up tests of the experimental test stand using a commercial turbocharger and the comparison between calculated and experimental results. In this paper, there are also described some modifications of the test stand, made prior to the start-up test, which were necessary to get more accurate characteristics of turbochargers. This work is an introduction to the investigation on turbomachines, whose elements were manufactured using the rapid prototyping technology.
Reconstruction of Turbomachines on the Basis of the Flow Structure Visual Diagnostics
Authors: Arsiri Vasyl , Kravchenko Oleg
Published: August 2020

The indicator of the quality of modern turbomachines is only the coefficient of efficiency, which characterizes the ratio of the useful work of compressors or fans to the energy expended on the drive. For the analysis of the quality of the motion, processes in flow parts, the values of resistances are used which are difficult to be considered as an indicator of the efficiency of dynamic processes. The report presents the results of visual diagnostics of the structure of flows during the movement in the elements of turbomachines, as well as options for improving the geometry of the flow parts - in the inlet pipes, impellers.

For the analysis of the efficiency of the motion of liquids and gases in flowing parts, a calculated index is proposed - the coefficient of hydraulic efficiency of dynamic processes. The joint use of two indicators - the efficiency of transformation of different types of energy (efficiency of turbomachines) and the efficiency of dynamic processes in flowing parts allows us to develop and to analyze the results of reconstruction of turbomachines. Reconstruction of turbomachines with the purpose of improving the geometry of the flow parts provides an increase in productivity of turbines, compressors, fans and pumps, while reducing the specific energy consumption for the processes of compression and transport of liquids and gases. Optimization of turbomachines flow parts based of flow structure visual diagnostics allows to reduce noise and vibration, as well as to solve other problems.
Thermodynamics Cycle of Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor
Authors: Polansky Jiri
Published: August 2020

This paper deals with the thermo-hydraulic aspect of gas cooled fast 4 generation reactor. The paper is focused on the comparison of direct and indirect strategy of thermodynamics cycle of helium cooled reactor from the thermodynamics and turbomachinary point of view. The analyses respect pressure looses at all major part of the equipment - reactor, heat exchanger, pipe lines, etc. The compressor and gas turbines efficiency are includes in calculation as well. The working fluid in primary circuit is helium. In the secondary circuit a mixture of helium and nitrogen is considered. The Cycle characteristic point and efficiency calculation reflects mixture properties of the real gas. Calculation point out the influence of mixture composition on the basic structural parameters of the turbines, compressor and heat exchangers. Thermodynamics cycle efficiency, specific heat input/output, heat flux and cycle work will be presented as characteristic parameters.
On the Modeling of Periodic Sandwich Structures with the Use of the Broken Line Hypothesis
Authors: Marczak Jakub
Published: August 2020

In this paper a dynamic analysis of sandwich plate with a certain periodic microstructure is considered. The initial system of governing equations is derived basing on the classic broken line hypothesis. As a result of transformations one can obtain a system of three differential equations of motion with periodic, highly oscillating and non-continuous coefficients. In order to derive a system of equations with constant coefficients tolerance averaging technique is applied. Eventually, in the calculation example a free vibration analysis of certain periodic plate strip is performed with the use of both the derived model and a FEM model. It can be observed that the consistency of obtained results is highly dependent on the calculation assumptions.
Dependence of defect concentration, optical and photocatalytic properties of β-Ni(OH)2/ZnO and NiO/ZnO composite powders on phase transformation
Authors: Suwanboon Sumetha , Klubnuan Sarunya , Homkaew Mukdawan , Amornpitoksuk Pongsaton
Published: August 2020

β-Ni(OH)2/ZnO composite powders were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method at 180 °C for 15 h whereas NiO/ZnO composite powders formed after the as-prepared powders were calcined at 800 °C for 1 h in air. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-Vis spectrophotometer were used to characterize the phase, particle shape as well as size and optical properties, respectively. In this system, it was found that ZnO is a major phase while β-Ni(OH)2 and NiO are a minor phases. The altered particle shape of ZnO was influenced by addition of Ni(CH3COO)2·6H2O whereas the particle shape of the minor phase was changed due to the calcination process. The optical band gap decreased when the amount of minor phase increased. For photocatalytic study, it was found that 6 mol% β-Ni(OH)2/ZnO composite powders exhibited the best decolorization of methylene blue aqueous solution.
Influence of Hydrate Formation and Concentration of Salts on the Corrosion of Steel 20 Pipelines
Authors: Poberezhny Lubomyr , Chudyk Ihor , Hrytsanchuk Andrii , Mandryk Oleg , Kalyn Tetyana , Hrytsuliak Halyna , Yakymechko Yaroslav
Published: August 2020

One of the ways to increase natural gas production is to conserve and/or intensify existing wells with their subsequent development. They are characterized by a high content of highly mineralized water, which leads to an increased risk of hydrate formation and internal corrosion. The issue of the formation of gas hydrates in industrial pipelines, which is a major problem for the exploitation of industrial gas pipelines, requires considerable attention to be made to exclude emergency situations. The main task of the study – to determine the effect of hydrates on the corrosion of the pipeline in order to prevent emergencies. A technique for studying the effect of hydration on the corrosion of pipelines has been developed. The combined analysis of the corrosion behavior of pipe material in aggressive media of chloride type was done. According to the results of corrosion-mechanical tests, regularities of joint action of mechanical stresses, concentration of chlorides and hydrate formation on the speed and localization of corrosion processes are established.
Optimal Gas Transport Management Taking into Account Reliability Factor
Authors: Grudz Volodymyr , Grudz Yaroslav , Zapukhliak Vasyl , Chudyk Ihor , Poberezhny Lubomyr , Slobodyan Nazar , Bodnar Vitaliy
Published: August 2020

In the period of shortage of gas supply, special attention is given to reducing the supply of gas to its consumers, that is, their complete and uninterrupted gas supply. Increasing gas losses associated with technological transportation costs, in particular caused by gas flow instability and frequent changes in gas transmission network operating modes. Considering losses due to unreliability of gas pumping is one of the important tasks of gas supply optimization. The purpose of the study is to develop an optimization mathematical model that will simultaneously take into account the factors of reliability and minimum lossesIn the general case, the optimization calculations of the modes of operation of the main gas pipelines are intended to solve three main problems: determining the maximum productivity, calculating the optimal mode with a given productivity and choosing the optimal strategy, the development of the pipeline. On the basis of approaches of simulation modeling of complex systems, a multi-parameter mathematical model of gas supply process optimization was developed. It is shown that a comparative analysis of the forecast and actual indicators of the operating modes of the plunger gas pumping unit shows their satisfactory convergence. The performance of the compressor operation period in the process of injection according to the forecast deviates from the actual value for the whole period of operation of the plunger gas pumping unit in 2016 by 2.98%. The optimization problem of gas pumping planning is considered, taking into account the expected losses, on the basis of which the transfer of the controlled system from the initial state to the final one is carried out by such a sequence of states that minimizes the total cost of the system evolution.
3D-PIV Measurement for EHD Flow of Spiked Tubular Electrode Corona Discharge in Wide Electrostatic Precipitator
Authors: Yan Dongjie , Zhang Ziang , Li Zhenyang , Yu Ya , Gong Hao , Huang Xueming
Published: August 2020

The electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow induced by a corona discharge has an important influence on the movement and collection of fine particles in an electrostatic precipitator. In this paper, three-dimensional particle image velocimetry (3D-PIV) is used to investigate the impact of different primary flow velocities and applied voltage on diffusion and transport of the spiked tubular electrode corona discharge EHD flow in a wide type electrostatic precipitator. In order to measure the flow characteristics of different positions of a spiked tubular electrode, the PIV measurements are carried out in several cross-sectional planes along the ESP duct. From 2D flow streamlines, in plane 1 (where the tip of the spike is oriented in the direction of primary flow), the velocity of the counter-clockwise vortex caused by the EHD flow near the plate decreases as the primary flow velocity increases. However, in plane 3 (where the tip direction is opposite to the primary flow), two vortices rotate adversely, and the flow velocity of the clockwise vortex near the plate increases as the primary flow velocity increases. Flow velocity increasing near the plate makes the particles deposited on the plate more easily to be re-entrained. It can be found in the three-dimensional analysis of the flow field that there are mainly “ascending vortex” and downward tip jet in the three observation planes. There is a discrepancy (in terms of distribution region and the magnitude of velocity) between the three-dimensional characteristics of these vortices and tip jets in the different cross-sectional planes.
City guide as a multi-sensory mobile phone application
Authors: Konopska Beata , Kamiński Mateusz
Published: August 2020

The authors analyses the issues inherent in implementation of a multi-sensory mobile application which uses a map as an interface for an edutainment-style city guide for tourists. Two models – the triad of tourist experiences (3E), i.e. education, entertainment, and excitement, and the hierarchy of needs of Abraham Maslow – were used as the basis for identifying what conditions should be met by such an application to encourage its use by both local residents and tourists, in equal measure. It was decided that only open source software would be used to achieve the goal of the application.
Tik-Tok: The Utility of Packet Timing in Website Fingerprinting Attacks
Authors: Rahman Mohammad Saidur , Sirinam Payap , Mathews Nate , Gangadhara Kantha Girish , Wright Matthew
Published: August 2020

A passive local eavesdropper can leverage Website Fingerprinting (WF) to deanonymize the web browsing activity of Tor users. The value of timing information to WF has often been discounted in recent works due to the volatility of low-level timing information. In this paper, we more carefully examine the extent to which packet timing can be used to facilitate WF attacks. We first propose a new set of timing-related features based on burst-level characteristics to further identify more ways that timing patterns could be used by classifiers to identify sites. Then we evaluate the effectiveness of both raw timing and directional timing which is a combination of raw timing and direction in a deep-learning-based WF attack. Our closed-world evaluation shows that directional timing performs best in most of the settings we explored, achieving: (i) 98.4% in undefended Tor traffic; (ii) 93.5% on WTF-PAD traffic, several points higher than when only directional information is used; and (iii) 64.7% against onion sites, 12% higher than using only direction. Further evaluations in the open-world setting show small increases in both precision (+2%) and recall (+6%) with directional-timing on WTF-PAD traffic. To further investigate the value of timing information, we perform an information leakage analysis on our proposed handcrafted features. Our results show that while timing features leak less information than directional features, the information contained in each feature is mutually exclusive to one another and can thus improve the robustness of a classifier.
The Price is (Not) Right: Comparing Privacy in Free and Paid Apps
Authors: Han Catherine , Reyes Irwin , Feal Álvaro , Reardon Joel , Wijesekera Primal , Vallina-Rodriguez Narseo , Elazari Amit , Bamberger Kenneth A. , Egelman Serge
Published: August 2020

It is commonly assumed that “free” mobile apps come at the cost of consumer privacy and that paying for apps could offer consumers protection from behavioral advertising and long-term tracking. This work empirically evaluates the validity of this assumption by comparing the privacy practices of free apps and their paid premium versions, while also gauging consumer expectations surrounding free and paid apps. We use both static and dynamic analysis to examine 5,877 pairs of free Android apps and their paid counterparts for differences in data collection practices and privacy policies between pairs. To understand user expectations for paid apps, we conducted a 998-participant online survey and found that consumers expect paid apps to have better security and privacy behaviors. However, there is no clear evidence that paying for an app will actually guarantee protection from extensive data collection in practice. Given that the free version had at least one thirdparty library or dangerous permission, respectively, we discovered that 45% of the paid versions reused all of the same third-party libraries as their free versions, and 74% of the paid versions had all of the dangerous permissions held by the free app. Likewise, our dynamic analysis revealed that 32% of the paid apps exhibit all of the same data collection and transmission behaviors as their free counterparts. Finally, we found that 40% of apps did not have a privacy policy link in the Google Play Store and that only 3.7% of the pairs that did reflected differences between the free and paid versions.
dPHI: An improved high-speed network-layer anonymity protocol
Authors: Bajic Alexander , Becker Georg T.
Published: August 2020

The Internet infrastructure has not been built with security or privacy in mind. As a result, an adversary who has control over a single Autonomous System can set-up mass surveillance systems to gather meta data by passively collecting the headers of the messages they route. To solve this problem, lightweight anonymous routing protocols such as LAP, DOVETAIL and most recently PHI have been proposed which are efficient enough to be deployed in a large scale infrastructure such as the Internet. In this paper we take a closer look at PHI and introduce several de-anonymization attacks malicious nodes can perform to reduce the sender and receiver anonymity. As a direct consequence of this analysis we propose a new protocol called dependable PHI (dPHI). The security analysis of dPHI includes a detailed quantitative anonymity analysis that compares dPHI with PHI, LAP and HORNET. Together with the performance analysis, this allows for a good comparison of trade-offs for these anonymity protocols.
Energy-Efficient Dummy Traffic Generation for Home Automation Systems
Authors: Möllers Frederik
Published: August 2020

Home and Building Automation Systems are becoming more and more popular these days. While they increase the comfort of living, they may also leak private information such as user presence to passive observers. In this paper we investigate approaches for the generation of dummy traffic in Home Automation Systems (HASs).We discuss fundamental requirements and their impact as well as two concrete dummy traffic generation algorithms.We measure the impact of Constant- Rate Dummy Traffic (CRDT) on the responsiveness and energy efficiency of Home Automation Systems. As an alternative, we present the Naive Exponential Dummies (NED) generation scheme in which the balance between privacy guarantees and energy efficiency can be arbitrarily moved. We formally prove its privacy guarantees and evaluate it against realistic sample data.
Self-Processing Private Sensor Data via Garbled Encryption
Authors: Manohar Nathan , Jain Abhishek , Sahai Amit
Published: August 2020

We introduce garbled encryption, a relaxation of secret-key multi-input functional encryption (MiFE) where a function key can be used to jointly compute upon only a particular subset of all possible tuples of ciphertexts. We construct garbled encryption for general functionalities based on one-way functions.

We show that garbled encryption can be used to build a self-processing private sensor data system where after a one-time trusted setup phase, sensors deployed in the field can periodically broadcast encrypted readings of private data that can be computed upon by anyone holding function keys to learn processed output, without any interaction. Such a system can be used to periodically check, e.g., whether a cluster of servers are in an “alarm” state.

We implement our garbled encryption scheme and find that it performs quite well, with function evaluations in the microseconds. The performance of our scheme was tested on a standard commodity laptop.
Who is driving land consumption? A comparison of plans and their impact on land use
Authors: Meinel Gotthard , Henger Ralph , Krüger Tobias , Schmidt Tom , Schorcht Martin
Published: August 2020

Controlling settlement development, which is committed to the land-saving objective, requires precise monitoring of settlement development. This paper describes how the use of new land is related to various planning procedures in Germany. The extent to which the Federal Government, the Federal States and the municipalities contribute to land use was empirically determined on the basis of 30 representatively selected municipalities. The results of these studies show that around two thirds of Germany-wide land use is caused by municipalities within the framework of their municipal planning. Other developments resulting from planning approval procedures, for example, are driven by the Federal Government and the Federal States and contribute to one third of land use. The relatively high proportion of non-municipally induced new land use was not expected tobe as high. The result shows that efforts to save land at all spatial and planning levels are necessary in order to achieve the sustainability goals. Such investigations require comprehensive and continuously updated geometric bases for actual land use. This is the only way to measure changes in land use realistically and promptly and to verify the effects of land management. However, the ongoing methodological changes in land-use recording (geodata modelling, land-use nomenclature) and their time-delayed and different implementation in the Federal States have a negative impact on land-use monitoring.
Occupational exposure to inorganic lead and its compounds in Romania
Authors: Negru Mihaela , Calotă Violeta , Călugăreanu Lavinia , Mateș Dana
Published: August 2020

Lead and its compounds are hazardous chemical agents; some lead compounds, are classified as carcinogens in humans. In Romania, the occupational exposure to inorganic lead and its compounds occurs in many sectors: production of lead, manufacture of batteries, manufacture of thermal ceramic products (terracotta), production of electric and electronic components, manufacture of articles of metal wire, production of dyes and additives for plastics, recovery of lead from waste batteries, waste collection and treatment of electrical and electronic equipment, etc. The binding occupational limit value for inorganic lead compounds established under the national regulations is 0.15 mg/m3 in the air (measured in relation to a reference period of eight hours, time-weighted average, TWA). The binding biological limit value is 70 μg Pb/100 ml blood. We have summarized lead occupational exposure data collected from the regional public health authorities in Romania, for the period 2011-2019. The concentrations of lead recorded in the workplaces air varied between “not detected” and 0.22 mg/m3. The lead concentrations in the blood had high values (over the alert value of 40 μg/100 ml blood) in several activities (production of lead, recovery-recycling of lead from waste batteries, manufacture of batteries, and manufacture of articles of metal wire) leading to the need of continuous surveillance of health status for the exposed workers.
Occupational medicine in Sibiu: the switch from historical diseases to the current and emergent ones
Authors: Stoia Mihaela
Published: August 2020

This study aimed to provide a brief historical overview of occupational medicine in Sibiu County combined with epidemiological evidence and trends in occupational diseases useful to design an agenda for future research and development of other components. Methods: to depict a model of circumstances, correlations, and trends, we applied to the local employee population a semi-structured narrative review method combined with the analysis of occupational diseases. The search strategy relied on literature and document review to create a timeline. We used a statistic chart histogram to highlight the most significant factors. Results: since 1950, concerning the industrial profile and the significant health effects on workers, we identified six stages of developing an occupational health network. The coverage was both for medical and hazard surveillance through a centralized system in the communist regime and recovery in the unique Sanatorium for occupational diseases established in the area. Occupational medicine private health services and the Faculty of Medicine from Sibiu appeared in the 1990s. Sibiu’s occupational disease model was a particular one in the 20th century, given the burden of lead poisoning from local industries. Infectious diseases in medical staff related to sporadic epidemics and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as an emergent professional risk pose new current challenges for occupational medicine. Conclusion: unique challenges increase the need for occupational epidemiologic research and the need for advances in other components of occupational health, but lessons from the past and traditional methods are well documented and still valuable.
Secrets and Lies
Authors: Sanz Milagros Cid
Published: August 2020

The article covers diverse approaches of the term secret: individual, group, social, transgenerational and psychoanalytical, with reference to various psychoanalysts having reflecting about this topic. The author pays special attention to importance of secrets in the psychoanalytic relationship. Conscious and unconscious secrets are brought into play in transfer-countertransfer, stressing on the importance of tolerating the secrets without forcing its disclosure. The analyst’s capacity to tolerate the unspoken and wait for the timely moments of intervention can allow the development of the internal space in the analytical process.
Combined approach by middle and inferior antrostomy for endosinusal inclavated tooth root
Authors: Gheorghe Alexandra , Crac Silviu , Goanta Cristina , Cirpaciu Daniela , Budu Vlad
Published: August 2020

In the recent years, the development of stomatology with emphasis on dental implants procedures has led to an increase in the number of sinonasal complications. Sinonasal complications of dental disease and treatment are an important cause of sinus pathology, being responsible for 10-12% of all causes of chronic maxillary rhinosinusitis.

The main etiological factors involved in odontogenic sinusitis are represented by dental fillings, tooth roots in traumatic extraction, dental implants displacement and parts of broken instruments. The diagnostic work-up includes evaluation of the symptoms, history of dental treatment, dental examination, CT scan and nasal endoscopy.

The treatment is surgical and can be represented by transnasal endoscopic technique performed by the otorhinolaryngologist or a transoral technique performed by the maxillofacial surgeon when oro-antral fistulas are present. The endoscopic approach is preferred but has its limits when the tooth root is placed in the alveolar recess, or at the level of the anterior, medial and lateral wall of the maxillary sinus. Concurrent middle and inferior antrostomy provides a better view of the sinus and increases effectiveness of the surgical treatment with minimal physiological damage.
Prevalence of limb amputations in a Roma population compared to Caucasians, in patients with diabetes mellitus
Authors: Coşoreanu Andrada , Băleanu Maria , Rusu Emilia , Marinescu Mihai , Iordache Sergiu-Andrei , Vlad Andreea Maria , Rusu Florin , Enache Georgiana , Radulian Gabriela
Published: August 2020

Introduction. Over the last few years, lower limb amputations have represented a prevalent worldwide burden in the evolution of diabetic patients, but at what extent this burden affects the Roma population compared to Caucasians in Romania still needs further comprehension.

Aim. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of lower extremities amputations in a Roma population, compared to a Caucasian population, in the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM), as well as to identify the risk factors associated.

Materials and methods. We included 536 patients, of whom 257 Roma subjects and 279 Romanian Caucasians, with the following socio-demographic status: the Roma group included 123 women (48.1%) and 134 men (51.9%), aged between 18 and 86 years, while the Caucasian group registered 107 women (47.9%) and 172 men (61.6%), aged between 18 and 89 years.

Results. Analyzing the whole group, the prevalence of amputations was 5% (n=27). A greater proportion of amputations was found in Romanian Caucasians (n=21, 7.5%), where there were 17 men (9.9%) and 4 women (3.7%) affected, compared to the Roma population (n=6, 2.3%), where all amputations occurred in men. Noticeably, this complication is more predominantly afflicting men.

Conclusions. Non-traumatic lower extremity amputation remains a challenge today in the care of diabetic patients. In our study, higher rates of amputations were observed in Romanian Caucasians, in comparison with the Roma population. Apart from this, this condition was accompanied by many cardiovascular risk factors.
Revaluation of the Proxemics Code in Mediatized Communication
Authors: Drąg Katarzyna
Published: August 2020

Technological progress in the field of media and communication as well as the dynamics of de-velopment of modern communication tools pose a challenge for studying the issue of space in com-munication and proxemics theory. The mediatisation of almost all aspects of human life is basedon increasingly better communication tools that transform time-space relations in communication.Natural forms of interpersonal communication are increasingly being replaced by mediatized com-munication. Electronic communicators are becoming a kind of laboratory that modifies contexts,channels and codes of communication acts, especially in the proxemics field. Therefore, the purposeof our analyses is to show some aspects of these changes from the perspective of three basic prox-emics categories: interpersonal distance, territoriality and space arrangement. In this way, we wantto achieve the triple goal of our analysis: cognitive, research and practical. The cognitive goal is anattempt to show changes in the proxemics code in mediatized communication. The research goal isto describe the functioning of this code in electronic communication practice. However, the practicalgoal of our analyses is to point out the important rules for using proxemics in improving the qualityof personality and efficiency of communication.
Martín de Azpilcueta: The Spanish Scholastic on Usury and Time-Preference
Authors: Caranti Pedro J.
Published: August 2020

Martín de Azpilcueta and his fellow Spanish Scholastics writing and teaching at the University of Salamanca during Spain’s Golden Age are rightly pointed to by historians of economic thought as being major contributors toward, if not outright founders of modern economic theory. Among these is the theory of time-preference for which Azpilcueta has repeatedly been given the credit for discovering. However, this discovery is a curious one given how the same man, Azpilcueta, condemned usury in general during his whole life. If Azpilcueta did in fact discover this theory and fully understand its implications, we would reasonably expect him to have questioned his support for the ban on charging an interest on a loan. This paper, therefore, challenges the claim that Azpilcueta understood and revived time-preference theory and shows how his understanding was much more nuanced, and, at times, inconsistent.
A Proletariat of One: Libertarianism and the Psychosis of Authority
Authors: Fisher David L.
Published: August 2020

Libertarianism has a problem, perhaps an insurmountable one, and its problem lies squarely in the domain from which it is sourced: the intellectual and political elite of the West. As such, it rests on an ontological viewpoint far outside the purview and experience of quotidian man. Furthermore, it rests on an epistemology of the person as sovereign, Natural Law, which requires a concomitant education or understanding of the Classics, or at least self-awareness and the ability to think logically. Many non-intellectuals are either uninterested or incapable of following the Libertarian arguments of personal sovereignty and instead submit. This unconscious submission to the authority of a government, father figure, or other self-appointed “authority” relieves the individual of the psychological pain of breaking out of the herd. C. G. Jung (1875-1961) was adamant that to be an individual is a radical act: “To develop one’s own personality is indeed an unpopular undertaking, a deviation that is highly uncongenial to the herd, an eccentricity smelling of the cenobite, as it seems to the outsider [11, Para. 298]. Further, Alexander Hamilton (1755 or 1747-1804) noted that the elite are more than happy to have the masses submit to their authority without question as it advances their control: “a fondness for power is implanted in most men, and it is natural to abuse it when acquired” [9]. The rest of this article explores this psychosis of authority and how Libertarianism suffers in popularity as a result.
Between Statistics, Demography, and Monographic Research: GH. Retegan (1916–1998), A(Nother) Sociologist Without A Sociology
Authors: Doboş Corina
Published: August 2020

By exploring the professional trajectory of sociologist Gheorghe (George) Retegan (1916–1998), this article addresses the epistemological and personal reconfigurations of the field of social sciences in post-war Romania, highlighting the complex relations and professional rivalries in the field after the Second World War, and their consequences for social knowledge. My study explores Retegan’s published and unpublished works, archival documents, and an interview that Z. Rostás conducted with Retegan in the 1990s. I analyse three research ventures relevant for understanding Retegan’s professional trajectory and methodological choices: the 1948–1950 family budget research that Retegan coordinated at the Central Institute for Statistics; the 1957–1959 monographic research he coordinated at the Institute for Economic Research; and his “farewell” to sociology and specialization in demography beginning in the 1960s. My article documents Retegan’s remarkable capacity to develop research by way of formulating new questions, methodologies, and techniques, on the basis of the main elements of empirical research he learned during his training in sociology under the supervision of Anton Golopenția. Retegan’s contributions to the field of empirical social research suggest how a context that was generally unfavourable for the development of social sciences (1948–1965) could be used in a creative way for the study of the social world. Epistemologically, the survival and even innovation of empirical research under unfavourable ideological and political conditions made possible the rehabilitation of sociology as a discipline in the much more favourable context of the second half of the 1960s.
Education for (UN)Sustainable Development: Recognizing Anthropocentrism in Romania’s Sustainable Development Strategy
Authors: Martelli Maria
Published: August 2020

The environment is no longer a backdrop, but an agent pressing us to restructure our economic and political systems, down to our livelihoods. This research aims to make a critical overview of the Sustainable Development (SD) model. It looks at how market fundamentalism and anthropocentrism are driving forces in the shaping of its proposed form of education: education for sustainable development (ESD). This “new” educational paradigm aims to support the SD strategies that are globally implemented and “localized” at the nation-state level. The current SD model and the Agenda 2030 operate within a specific framework of the nature/culture divide, one that reiterates human domination. As such, this research aims to analyse the educational values within the idea of sustainable development – one that wishes to “reorient” society but instead ends up emphasizing it in its anthropocentric form. It does so by close reading and analysis of the UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development and Romania’s National Strategies for Sustainable Development, 2008 and 2018. Concluding, it might very well be the case that restructuring schooling – and governing - to bring it up to the realities of climate change requires rethinking our fundamental educational values and the nature/culture divide, as well as making nation-states less servient of markets and less growth-oriented.
Determinants of Bank Performance in Nigeria: Do they Behave Differently with Risk-Adjusted Returns?
Authors: Sanni Mubaraq , Salami Abdulai Agbaje , Uthman Ahmad Bukola
Published: August 2020

The failure of banks in Nigeria has hitherto become a recurring phenomenon. Worried by the syndrome, this paper examines the determinants of bank performance in Nigeria taking into cognizance the duality of financial measures of bank performance. From an analysis of 115 bank-year observations of a sample of 17 Nigerian deposit money banks and macroeconomic data for the period 2012-2018 using Arellano-Bover one-step system GMM estimation approach, differences in the explanatory potential of these factors between the models with risk-neutral and risk-adjusted measures of performance as dependent variables are empirically established. This suggests that there is a higher probability of investors, depositors and other stakeholders being indecisive when analyzing the performance of banks. However, relying on the assumptions of risk-return hypothesis and level of risk embedded in banks’ operations could warrant them opting for determinants of risk-adjusted returns in their decision making. This study is exceptional in the bank performance literature for its long list of measures and drivers of bank performance.
Analysis of Economic Performance in Agriculture Using Econometric Modeling
Authors: Bumbescu Sorina Simona
Published: August 2020

Agriculture is a priority sector of the national economy, so the analysis of the economic performance of agricultural holdings in Romania using modern methods, such as econometric modeling, is of particular importance. In this article is made an analysis of economic performance, expressed by ROA and ROE, for the first 500 farms in Romania (ordered by turnover size), over a period of 5 years, the purpose being to provide an answer to a fundamental research question: Which are the economic indicators/variables that significantly influence the economic performance expressed by ROA and ROE? The results of this study highlight the relevance of the econometric modeling applied for performance analysis as well as the main indicators that significantly influence the economic performance of agricultural holdings expressed by ROA and ROE. The paper brings a significant contribution to make correct decisions aimed at the economic performance of the agricultural sector.
Can we be with Bee on Mars? Evaluating the Impact of a Rocket Flight on the Condition of Honeybees (Apis mellifera)
Authors: Stasiowska Dagmara
Published: August 2020

In paper the issue of a rocket flight impact and overall survivability of such flight by Apis mellifera (western honeybees) specimens is raised. Author claims that it is the key for using them on Mars for pollination in future, as this species is considered as one of the best pollinators, and should be examined before sending first human missions to the Red Planet. Rocket payload ‘BeeO!Logical’ was designed in order to conduct the research, the first of its kind worldwide. Its assumptions are presented along with overall descriptions of the experiments in two sounding rockets. Analysed data included survivability, carbon dioxide concentration values (respiration levels), temperature and humidity. It has been shown that A. mellifera specimens are able to survive the rocket flight. Project development possibilities are described, including widening the scope of the research with bumblebees (Bombus) and implementation of biocybernetic model of bee colony.