bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Design, Dynamic Modeling and Analysis of a Hybrid Power System for a Catamarans Boat in Bangladesh
Authors: Al Mehedi Mohammad Abu Abdullah , Iqbal M. Tariq
Published: February 2021

Bangladesh is a land of rivers, canals, and lakes where water transportation is an essential means of transport. The country use boats as one of the leading resources of a carrier in its widespread inland waterways. Most of the currently used boats use only diesel for fuel. Appropriate use of renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy with diesel generators, could reduce diesel consumption. In this paper, a typical boat energy requirement was calculated to be 42.10 kWh/day. A boat could be driven by a DC motor using electrical power generated using an onboard PV system, battery, and a small generator. The carrying capacity of the vessel is 20passenger for 8hours a day. The designed system consists of a 10.6 kW PV, 1.6kW rated small gas generator, onboard battery storage consists of 16 batteries, each placed 6V, 333 Ah, and a 48 V DC motor rated 5 kW 3000 rpm with a speed controller. The paper includes system design details and sizing using HOMER Pro and dynamic simulation using MATLAB Simulink.
Big Data Analysis Proposal for Manufacturing Firm
Authors: Valdez Alicia , Cortes Griselda , Vazquez Laura , Martinez Adriana , Haces Gerardo
Published: February 2021

The analysis of large volumes of data is an important activity in manufacturing companies, since they allow improving the decision-making process. The data analysis has generated that the services and products are personalized, and how the consumption of the products has evolved, obtaining results that add value to the companies in real time.

In this case study, developed in a large manufacturing company of electronic components as robots and AC motors; a strategy has been proposed to analyze large volumes of data and be able to analyze them to support the decision-making process; among the proposed activities of the strategy are: Analysis of the technological architecture, selection of the business processes to be analyzed, installation and configuration of Hadoop software, ETL activities, and data analysis and visualization of the results. With the proposed strategy, the data of nine production factors of the motor PCI boards were analyzed, which had a greater incidence in the rejection of the components; a solution was made based on the analysis, which has allowed a decrease of 28.2% in the percentage of rejection.
A GIS-based Assessment of the Vulnerability to Potential Pollution of the Alluvial Aquifer of Aousja-Ghar El Melh (North-East of Tunisia) Using the Parametric Method DRASTIC
Authors: Ouerghi Sarra
Published: February 2021

The phreatic aquifer of Aousja-Ghar El Melh (governorate of Bizerta, northeast of Tunisia), has a great economic weight as it is tightly linked to irrigation and domestic consumption. The aquifer area is found mostly in agricultural zones where more and more chemical fertilizers are being used. Such chemical fertilizers, alongside industrial zones discharges appearing for the last 25 years, put at risk ground waters quality. The DRASTIC method has been applied to study the extent to which the aquifer has been affected by generic pollutants. This method hinges on GIS techniques. The result suggests a map with evidence for three degrees of vulnerability: low, moderate, and high. Evidence shows the predominance of moderate vulnerability in most of Aousja-Ghar El Melh aquifer, which occupies an area of 45%. Low and high groundwater vulnerability occupy 28% and 27% of the total surface of the studied area, respectively.
Comparative Analysis of Microwave and Electric Arc as a New Method in Weed Control
Authors: Sahin Hasan
Published: February 2021

The increase in the demand for organic production and the adverse effects of chemicals used in agriculture have brought non-chemical weed control methods to the fore. Among these methods, the most studied ones are microwave and electric arc methods. It has been determined in studies that microwaves and electric current, when applied at the correct power level and for sufficient time, biologically inactivate weeds, all kinds of unwanted plants and seeds. In this study, the mortality rates caused by microwave energy and electric current (arc) methods in some plants applied under laboratory conditions were compared. Studies have shown that the effectiveness of microwave and electric arc methods depends on the selected current, voltage, power level and exposure time. It is thought that the electric arc method is easier and more economical in terms of application in the field than the microwave method. Another purpose of this study is to remind agricultural policy makers and decision makers of the importance of alternative weed control methods and to ensure that they make policies in this direction.
Performance Evaluation of a Smart Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Model
Authors: Istiaque Shah Md. , Khan Asif Iqbal , Hassan Zaber Al , Waheed Sajjad
Published: February 2021

The research work titled “Smart Intrusion Detection System Comprised of Machine Learning and Deep Learning” was published in European Journal for Engineering and Technology Research (EJERS) online journal in the October edition where a smart IDS model was proposed. In this present work, validation of the IDS model is conducted.

KDD Cup'99 intrusion detection dataset was used to build the IDS model. A unique method is incorporated to test the performance of the model. Here, training is conducted by using the KDD'99 dataset. But testing is done through the NSL-KDD dataset. Testing is conducted in three-stage. In the first stage, using generic 41 features the accuracy, sensitivity, and FPR of detecting attack was 95.240%, 93.103%, 1.936% respectively for Random Forest and for MLP it is 87.811%, 90.065%, and 15.168% respectively. In the second stage selective 15 features are used where accuracy, sensitivity, and FPR of detecting attack is 70.808%, 81.992%, 43.971% respectively for Random Forest and for MLP it is 67.637%, 87.660%, 54.266% respectively. In the third stage selective 22 features are used where accuracy, sensitivity, and FPR of detecting attack is 97.001%, 96.643%, 2.272% for Random Forest respectively and for MLP it is 85.442%, 82.350 and 10.472 respectively. Total 3,11,021 record is used for training and 22,544 record is used for testing purpose.

The final accuracy, sensitivity and FPR of the model can be resulted as 95.24%, 70.808%, 96.988% for 41 features, 93.103%, 87.68%, 97.233% for 15 features, 1.936%, 43.97%, 3.36% for 22 features. Therefore, the IDS model is efficient and effective.
Birth Characteristics and Pre-Weaning Lamb Growth of Grazing Sudan Desert Ewes Supplemented in Different Reproductive Stages
Authors: Bushara Omer Mohammed , Babiker Salih Ahmed , Nour Ikhlas Ahmed , Osman Omer Mustafa
Published: February 2021

This work was conducted to study effect of supplementary feeding at different reproductive stages on birth characteristics and pre weaning growth performance of lamb born to desert sheep (Hamari subtype) raised on natural range in West Kordofan State, Sudan. Ninety ewes of similar age and live weight were used in the study. Ewes were divided into three feeding group of 30 animals each. Group A was given concentrate supplement for one month before mating, one month during mating, and one month before lambing; group B was given the supplement for one month during mating and one month before lambing, while group C was left as a control group kept on natural grazing. The concentrate diet consisted of sorghum grains 15 %, groundnut cake 20 %, molasses 15 %, wheat bran 25 %, groundnut hulls 23 %, salt 1 % and 1 % limestone, and was offered at a rate of 500 gm./ewe/day. All animals were allowed to graze on natural range and were watered every 2-3 days. The result indicated that birth weight in general and that of ram lambs was heavier in concentrate supplemented ewes. Although there was no significant difference between supplemented and grazing ewes on pre-weaning growth rate of their lambs yet lambs born to non-supplemented ewes had lower total live weight gain. It is recommended that feed supplementation and range improvement programs are needed as water harvesting and reseeding of range lands to reduce stress of long journies searching for water and forage, to improve productive performance of sheep and pre-weaning growth of their lambs.
Assessment of Genotype × Environment Interaction of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Genotypes by Parametric and Non-Parametric Methods
Authors: Subaşı İlhan , Başalma Dilek
Published: February 2021

Genotype-environment interaction is a significant factor for finding and selecting stable and productive varieties in safflower breeding programs. This study was conducted at three locations over two years (2016-2017) to determine the extent of genotype by environment (GE) interaction in seed and oil yield. 20 safflower lines and cultivars were evaluated in terms of stability in 3 environments. Considering the stability and performance, the most suitable genotypes were determined as Remzibey-05 and Genotype-125 in seed yield, Genotype-8 and Genotype-155 in oil yield.

In terms of stability and performances of genotypes, the environment of Ikizce 2017 (E4) was prominent. Correlation analysis among parametric and nonparametric features was given only for seed yield. The following stability parameters were calculated: the coefficient of variation (CV), regression constant (ai), regression coefficient (bi), mean deviation squares from regression (S2di), coefficient of determination (Ri2), stability variance (σi2), ecovalance value (Wi), stability index (Pi) and as nonparametric stability measures Si(1) and Si(2) values. This analysis indicated that seed yield was significantly positively correlated only with Pi (P<0.01). CV showed a positively significant correlation with ai. S2di and ri2 had a positive association with Ri2, σi2, Wi, Pi, Si(1), Si(2), and between each other.
Management of Okra Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus (OYVMV) Through Selected Insecticides and Light Reflecting Colored Mulches
Authors: Hossain Md. Belal , Jitu Suraiya , Akter Sanjana , Islam Md. Ariful
Published: February 2021

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of light reflecting colored mulches and only one time spraying with selected insecticides to control the insect vector of Okra Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus (OYVMV) whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) at the central farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207. The experiment was carried out in three blocks layouted with RCBD comprising eight treatments viz. T0 (control/no spray), T1 (1 time spray with imitaf), T2 (1 time spray with protect), T3 (1 time spray with tiddo plus), T4 (1 time spray with terbine), T5 (light reflecting silver color mulch), T6 (light reflecting red color mulch) and T7 (light reflecting black color mulch) with three replications. The mulches were used before sowing and insecticides were sprayed at 30 DAS. It was observed that among the light reflecting colored mulches, the lowest disease incidence (11.48%) was recorded in the plots which mulched with red color mulch (T6). Among the insecticides, the lowest disease incidence (30.17%) was recorded in plots that was sprayed with terbine (one time). Yield and yield contributing characters, morphological and physiological features of okra plant that changes due to disease infection which cause damages in okra production and reduce the fruit quality as well as market value was also the part of this study. Yield and yield contributing characters showed significant variance among the selected treatments. In the relationship study, it was noticed that the yield and plant height was showed negative relationship with disease incidence. However, considering all measuring parameters, spraying with terbine (one time) and used red color mulch may be recommended as good management approaches that will give higher okra production and lower disease incidence of Okra Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus (OYVMV).
New Trends: Time in Range and the Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices on Glycemic Control
Authors: De Souza Karyna Lucena Valença , Rassi Marcela Mascarenhas Braga , De Sá Diana Aristótelis Rocha , Bussuan Renata Maksoud , Rodrigues Luciana Correa de Souza , Arbex Alberto K.
Published: February 2021

Time in Range is a new concept in Diabetology, defining the percentage of the length of time in which the patient stays within a predetermined range of blood glucose. Electronic devices, from which the concept of Time in Range derived, help promote a better comprehension of these procedures, and may lead to a decrease in glycemic variability and to a lower risk of complications. It may also ease the control and adjustments in the treatment of diabetes. Therefore, the application of the Time in Range concept could generate a better diabetes control.

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease caused by hyperglycemia due to changes related to insulin production and action. It has high morbidity and mortality and high prevalence and may affect several age groups. Currently, its classification is based on its etiology, with the most common diagnoses being pre-diabetes, type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. It should be investigated early in patients who have risk factors such as obesity and physical inactivity. It is diagnosed by alterations in fasting or random glucose measurement, oral glucose tolerance test and glycated hemoglobin. Its control and monitoring should be based on glycemic stability. Even more mechanisms are being developed to help the patient in the control of blood glucose, avoiding risks of acute and chronic complications, which can be severe and limiting.
Translational Medicine Research in Sub Saharan Africa – Challenges and Prospects
Authors: Ugwu Chidiebube J.
Published: February 2021

Translational medicine (TM) is a branch of medicine and research in which basic science research findings are implemented to solve clinical problems and it involves the generation of research questions from clinical problems - the so-called “bench to bedside and back to bench approach” [1]. Despite the vital importance of TM as would be seen in the course of this paper and the steps that other regions of the world have taken, and plan to take to bolster their already working TM sector, sub-Saharan Africa is yet to fully take the first few steps on the road to TM research [2], [3].

This situation of depending on the research findings from technologically advanced countries presents a lot of challenges as environment and genetics play a very important role in what kind of results are obtained [2]. This causes discrepancies in outcome/ inability to replicate study findings using the study methods and design applied by research that a clinical decision or recommendation was made.

Due to the workload on the health professionals, poor health care system, low interest in research, inadequate training and funding, and other factors that would be highlighted in this paper, the clinician is seldom able to lift his/her eyes from the present emergency to consider what may prove useful in the future. This state of affairs is also compounded by the fact that the fruition of TM research may take many years [4]. Some solutions include more efficient record keeping, more government support, improved research training among others. This paper aims to highlight the challenges of TM in sub Saharan Africa and further offer some practical and culturally adaptable solutions to these challenges.
Lipid Management in the Elderly Population
Authors: Pires Micheli Ito Gimenes , Wrubleski Thaise de Araujo , Marques Gustavo Lenci
Published: February 2021

Considering that deaths from cardiovascular disease have been increasing in proportion to population ageing, prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia in elderly people is essential to avoid such outcome. Some biomarkers, albeit with limitations, have shown effectiveness in predicting cardiovascular events. Among them, blood levels of C-reactive protein, Lipoprotein A and, especially, coronary artery calcium. Dyslipidemia management primarily includes changes in lifestyle, such as physical activity, diet and smoking cessation. However, in elderly, drug therapy may be necessary, with statins being the first line treatment. In addition, therapies with drugs that decrease intestinal cholesterol absorption or increase LDL absorption by the liver, for example, have shown benefit when added to conventional therapy. Therefore, this review aims to contemplate some aspects of dyslipidemia in the elderly population, since appropriate management of such condition can significantly avoid undesirable outcomes.
Management of Diabetes at the End of Life
Authors: Chowdhury Sumon Rahman , Alam Sultana Ruma , Chowdhury Rezaul Haider , Barua Shangkar
Published: February 2021

In terminal illness careful control to avoid long-term complications is not required. Management of diabetes during terminal illness will not only depend on the type of diabetes, but also on prognosis, oral intake and the presence of co-existing disease such as renal and hepatic impairment.

All dietary restrictions relating to diabetes are removed from the early stage of terminal illness. In both T1DM and T2DM, glucose monitoring should be reduced to an acceptable minimum. In the case of a patient treated with insulin, this may be 2–3 times per week and for a patient treated with oral agent’s blood glucose could be monitored 1–2 times per week., only in case of special situation frequent monitoring is advisable. This may include: hypoglycaemia, poor food intake, nausea and vomiting, enteral or parenteral feeding or corticosteroid use. The clear aim is to avoid hypoglycaemia and osmotic symptoms, so the recommendations suggest a target blood glucose range between 10 and 15 mmol/l in the early stage of terminal illness with a more liberal range of 5–20 mmol/l in the later stages.

Subsequently there are no agreed, evidence-based strategies to manage diabetes at the end of life or during terminal illness.

Therefore, in this review I will try to uncover some of the challenges and discuss the available guidelines associated with managing diabetes at the end of life and terminal illness from the available scientific evidence.
Primary Palpebral Tuberculosis: A Case Report
Authors: Redouan Ayoub , Hamdani Hind , El Maaloum Loubna , Allali Bouchra , El Kettani Asmae , El Kerkouri Mehdi
Published: February 2021

Tuberculosis is a frequent disease in Morocco, palpebral localization remains very rare, often poorly managed because of its polymorphism. We report the case of a 6-year-old patient, without any notable antecedents, who presented repeated chalazions. Following frequent recurrences, despite surgical management, the patient benefited from an exeresis biopsy which confirmed the tuberculosis infection. A general check-up was performed to look for secondary localizations of tuberculosis, specifically a pulmonary localization, which was negative. The patient presented a good response to antibacillary treatment. In the light of this clinical case, we recall the importance of an anatomopathological study, which must be systematic before any excision of tissue material in the treatment of a chalazion with atypical localization or notion of recurrence.
The Integration of Computer-Aided Translation Tools in Translator-Training Programs in Saudi Universities: Toward a More Visible State
Authors: A. Al-Rumaih Lama
Published: February 2021

The paper aims to investigate the current state of Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools integration into the translator-training programs of some universities in Saudi Arabia, which are King Saud University (KSU), Princess Nourah University (PNU), Imam Mohammed Ibin Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Prince Sultan University (PSU), and Saudi Electronic University (SEU). The investigation touched upon the sufficiency of this integration and the usability of these tools by the translation students and graduates of these universities in different translation courses and tasks, which contributes to enriching the field of translation technology, due to the scarcity of such studies in the investigated region. The study used a mixed-methods approach to enhance the validity of the data. The results showed that CAT tools have not been integrated effectively yet into the translator-training programs of the universities under study, as not all of them provide CAT courses. While the universities that do, lack some elements which can help to promote the integration of these tools into the programs. As for the usage of these tools, the findings revealed that a significant percentage of the participants do not use CAT tools in their translation tasks, and more than half of them do not use CAT tools in other translation courses. These findings suggest more integration of CAT tools in the universities’ translator-training programs to enhance their outcomes and increase their graduates’ opportunities in the job market.
The Theme of Diaspora in the Novel of Jhumpa Lahiri
Authors: Kumari Ranjeeta
Published: February 2021

The paper on the Indian Diaspora, discussion of multiculturalism in relation to the theme of alienation, identity and multiculturalism in the novel of Jhumpa Lahiri. The term of “Diaspora” is used to refer such people or population to leave their own homeland and settled down to another place which is so far from their own traditional homeland. Jhumpa Lahiri writes about Diaspora and alienation and between the memory of homeland and the new land, the immigrants are in a permanent mental and emotional war between the myth and customs of the old world and; freedom of the new one. In her novel, “The Namesake “(2004), she writes about the generation gap between immigrants, conflict of east-west beliefs nostalgia, cultural displacement loss of identity, alienation and despair.
Long journeys: Healthcare providers’ perspectives about promoting equity and community-based palliative care for rural, remote, and indigenous communities in northern British Columbia.
Authors:   , Thomas Kimberley
Published: February 2021

Inequitable access to palliative care in Canada is a pressing issue. People with life-limiting illnesses in rural and remote northern and Indigenous geographies in British Columbia (BC) face ethically problematic barriers to receiving palliative care. Palliative approaches that are equity-oriented and community-based bring significant improvements to the healthcare system and to people's quality of life. The purpose of this qualitative study was to find ways to promote health equity and community-based palliative care. This research is informed by action-oriented, anti-colonial, and critical Indigenous methodologies. As perspectives of frontline healthcare workers offer transformative insights, palliative care providers working in northern BC were interviewed, and, from their interviews, three main themes emerged. These were (1) Support Primary Palliative Care, (2) earlier and inclusive Integration of Palliative care, and (3) Culturally Safe Palliative Care. The implications of these findings are situated at the intersection of cultural safety, public health, and health promotion.
Supervision the Management of Holding Company Gowa Mandiri in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi Province
Authors: Mosii Sjafrudin , Sumaryana Asep , Akbar Bahrullah , Ningrum Sinta
Published: February 2021

The objective of this research aimed to study and analyze the main problem, the root cause of the problem, the conceptual model of control and designing the action plan for the transformation of the municipally-owned corporations (MOC) at PD Holding Company Gowa Mandiri with research period from 2013 to 2018. This research utilize qualitative analysis using Soft System Thinking (SST) approach and Soft System Methodology (SSM) method. The primary data gathered from the interview and focus group discussion with focal points. I find two main problems in the MOC which is the lack of Good Corporate Governance (GCG) and interventions from the local government. There are also 11 root causes of the main problem. I suggest that MOC need a strengthened regulation on GCG and enhancing the paradigm of the local government to view MOC as a strategic organization so as to improve the policy making process of the MOC.
Incidence of postharvest fungal diseases of apples in integrated fruit production
Authors: Grabowski Marek Franciszek
Published: February 2021

In 2014–2017 an investigation was carried out into the occurrence of fungal storage diseases of five apple varieties (Red Jonaprince, Gala, Golden Delicious, Gloster and Ligol) in the Sandomierz orchard region. The fruit was stored at a CA cold storage room with ULO controlled atmosphere for six months. Occurrence of eight storage diseases was found. The most frequently occurring disease was bull’s eye rot and the losses caused thereby were even 24% of the affected fruit. The cultivars most susceptible to this disease were the Golden Delicious and Ligol apples; the least susceptible were the Gloster ones. The apples were significantly less affected by the fungi that cause brown rot, grey mould rot, blue mould rot and apple scab. Very seldom were the symptoms of calyx end rot, mouldy core and core rot, and anthracnose. Varying severity of infection of the varieties was noted in each season of observation.
Seed priming with selenium improves growth, water relation and antioxidant activity of pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) under drought conditions
Authors: Bayat Hassan , Aminifard Mohammad Hossein
Published: February 2021

Selenium (Se) seed priming is an effective method for enhancing seed performance and improving tolerance of crops to abiotic stresses particularly drought. A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of seed priming of pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) with Se on growth, physiology and antioxidant activity grown under both control and drought stress conditions. Treatments included 6 levels of seed priming with Se (0 (control), 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 4 mg. L–1) and 2 levels of water stress (well-watered and drought conditions). The results showed that supplemental Se at lower concentrations improved growth parameters like total leaf area, root length and total biomass of control and drought-stressed plants. In addition, relative water content and chlorophyll content of the drought-stressed plants increased with the application of Se at lower concentrations. Treatment with Se mitigated adverse effects of drought stress through enhancement of photosynthetic pigments, improvement of water relations, accumulation of soluble sugars and increased antioxidant activity. Seed priming with Se also increased total phenols, flavonoids and free radical scavenging activity of pot marigold plants both under well-watered and water stress conditions. It was found that seed priming with Se at lower concentrations (especially 1.5 mg. L–1) can mitigate the adverse effects of drought stress and improved antioxidant system of pot marigold plants.
Investigation of improving the drought tolerance in persian petunia (Petunia sp.) by exogenous application of salicylic acid and gibberellic acid
Authors: Goldani Morteza , Dolatkhahi Ali , Parsa Mahdi , Vahdati Navid , Rasouli Zahra
Published: February 2021

Plants respond to water deficit through several mechanisms. Among which, plant hormones play an important role in induction to abiotic stress tolerance. To bring this issue closer, an experiment was conducted to examine whether salicylic acid (SA) and gibberellic acid (GA3) exogenous applications through foliar spray could alleviate detrimental effects of water deficit on Persian petunia. Treatments consisted of water stress in three levels: 100% field capacity (F.C.) as control, 50, and 25% F.C linked with different concentrations of GA3 and SA sprayed at four levels (0, 100, 200 and 300 mg L–1). Results showed that the dry and fresh biomass, leaf area, photosynthetic pigments levels, relative water content (RWC) and the total number of flowers were significantly (P≤0.01) reduced in response to water deficit. However, free proline concentration and root-to-shoot ratio significantly increased in stressed plants. Plants subjected to severe water stress (25% F.C.), exhibit about 66% stomatal conductance rate lower than the plants grown at 100% F.C. The results showed that SA-treated plants exhibited reduced negative effect of water stress on most of the qualitative and quantitative attributes compared to control, while GA3 application had little impact on studied traits. Importantly, stomatal conductance and RWC were improved in water-stressed plants treated with SA. Moreover, SA-treated plants produced more flowers at all water deficit levels compared to GA3 sprayed plants. It can be concluded that Persian petunia plants respond to water deficit through adaptive changes at biochemical and morphological levels and that adverse effects of water deficit could be alleviated by exogenous application of SA.
Comparison of nutrient uptake by strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) varieties according to phenological stages
Authors: Erdoğan Bayram Seda , Elmacı Ömer L.
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this study was to determine the amounts of nutrient elements taken up from the soil to the roots, stems and leaves, in five different growing periods and to the fruits in the harvesting period, in two different strawberry cultivars. For this purpose, ten plantations were selected for each cultivar. The roots, stems and leaves were separated and the amounts of nutrient elements taken up by each part was determined according to the development period. In this study, which was conducted over two years, the physico-chemical characteristics of the soils of the plantations from which the samples taken were determined. In both cultivars, the largest amounts of the macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium and of the micronutrient manganese were taken up at all phenological stages by the leaves, followed by the roots and stems. The amounts of potassium that taken up were as follows in the order of most to least: at the beginning and in the harvest period, leaves, stems and roots; in other periods, leaves, roots and stems. For the nutrient elements iron, copper and zinc, this comparison showed variation between parts of the plants according to year, variety and period. In general, statistically significant correlations were found between the nutrient elements taken up at different periods by different parts of the plant of different varieties in both years. Significant differences were shown among the years in the amounts of N, P, K, Ca and Mg taken up by the fruits of the Camarosa variety, and of Fe only by the Festival variety.
The value of the polypill in cardiovascular disease: an Italian multidisciplinary Delphi panel consensus
Authors: Perrone-Filardi Pasquale , Minghetti Paola , Menditto Enrica , Bianchi Stefano , Scaglione Francesco , Trifirò Gianluca , Piccinocchi Gaetano , Corona Tiberio , Gambarelli Giorgia , Izzi Chiara , Misciagna Vincenzo , Putignano Daria , Lopatriello Stefania , Cafiero Davide
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this work was to reach the consensus of a multidisciplinary and multistakeholder Italian panel on the value of polypill in cardiovascular disease, with respect to the clinical, technological, economic and organizational dimension. A three-step modified Delphi method was used to establish consensus. Eleven experts in the area of cardiology, pharmaceutical technology, general practice, hospital pharmacy, pharmacology, and health economics participated in the expert panel. To identify existing evidence concerning the value of polypill in the prevention of patients with cardiovascular disease, a systematic literature review was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses statement guidelines. In the first round, 22 statements were distributed to the panel. Panel members were asked to mark ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ for each statement and provide any comments. The same voting method was again used for the second round. In the first round nine statements met consensus. In the second round, 10 statements reached consensus. Overall, consensus was reached for 19 statements representing five value polypill domains: clinical, technological, economic and organizational. During a final web meeting with all panel members consensus document open points were discussed. Panel members agreed to recognize polypill as effective in reducing cardiovascular events, blood pressure and lipids, cardiovascular risk and the weight of therapy, in therapeutic adherence improvement, in the absence of differences in bioavailability between drugs administered in fixed or free combinations and the better cost-effectiveness profile compared with standard care. This document represents a knowledge framework to inform decision makers of the value of polypill in cardiovascular prevention.
Terytorialny zakres internacjonalizacji polskich przedsiębiorstw: wyniki ankietyzacji
Authors: Daszkiewicz Nelly
Published: February 2021

W liczącej już kilka dekad literaturze dotyczącej internacjonalizacji przedsiębiorstw istnieje wiele nurtów badawczych, których systematyki dokonywano wielokrotnie. Terytorialny zakres internacjonalizacji należy do najstarszych problemów badawczych w dziedzinie procesu internacjonalizacji przedsiębiorstwa. Początkowo był on analizowany jako koncentracja vs. dywersyfikacja (Ayal, Zif, 1978). Obecnie zakres internacjonalizacji jest jednym ze składników większości mierników jej stopnia (Kuivalainen, Sundqvist, Saarenko, 2012). Na ogół małe i średnie przedsiębiorstwa w początkowych etapach procesu internacjonalizacji dokonują ekspansji na bliskie lub sąsiadujące rynki, na których tzw. dystans psychiczny (psychic distance) jest mały (Johanson, Vahlne, 1977). Natomiast przedsiębiorstwa transnarodowe, multinarodowe i globalne częściej funkcjonują na rynkach globalnych (Vahlne, Ivarssonn, 2014; Wach, 2014). Ponadto na zakres internacjonalizacji wpływają też inne czynniki, np. branża, w której działa firma, innowacyjność czy zaawansowanie technologiczne (high-tech/ low-tech) (Daszkiewicz, 2015). Głównymi celami empirycznymi artykułu są: identyfikacja kluczowych czynników determinujących terytorialny zakres internacjonalizacji badanych przedsiębiorstw oraz określenie siły wpływu tych czynników na zakres ich działalności międzynarodowej. Artykuł prezentuje cząstkowe wyniki badań przeprowadzonych na próbie 355 zinternacjonalizowanych przedsiębiorstw. Przebadano je za pomocą kwestionariusza ankiety przy wykorzystaniu wywiadów CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). Ankietyzacja została przeprowadzona w 2015 roku w ramach grantu OPUS realizowanego na Wydziale Ekonomii i Stosunków Międzynarodowych Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Krakowie. Obliczenia zostały wykonane za pomocą programu Statistica® PL v. 10.
Rola i znaczenie planowania rzeczowo-finansowego w przedsiębiorstwie produkcyjnym o szczególnym znaczeniu dla obronności
Authors: Śliwa Renata , Żaba-Nieroda Renata
Published: February 2021

Proces stałego doskonalenia systemu zarządzania przedsiębiorstwem wskazuje na szeroki zakres działań, które należy podjąć, aby osiągnąć poziom konkurencyjności pozwalający zająć silną pozycję na rynku. Duża dynamika otoczenia firm oraz wzrost konkurencyjności na rynku zmuszają kierownictwo do stosowania takich instrumentów zarządzania, które wspomagają sprawny przebieg procesów gospodarczych i przyczyniają się do skutecznego osiągania założonych celów. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie roli planowania rzeczowo-finansowego w przedsiębiorstwie produkcyjnym o szczególnym znaczeniu dla obronności. Plan rzeczowo-finansowy jest dokumentem planistycznym przygotowanym w układzie miesięcznym, umożliwiającym planowanie działań w danym roku. Opracowane w ramach dokumentu działania oraz plany, zarówno strategiczne, jak i operacyjne, korespondują z obowiązującą strategią. Celem tego dokumentu jest przygotowanie kompleksowego planu działania na rok budżetowy. Określone zostają w nim cele operacyjne w poszczególnych obszarach, z uwzględnieniem posiadanych zasobów i kompetencji wpisujących się w ogólną strategię spółki. Dokument w formie budżetu w prosty sposób pozwala na właściwe planowanie i kontrolowanie postępów jego wykonania w danym okresie.
A Comparative Analysis of the Socio-economic Potential of Polish Regions
Authors: Golejewska Anna
Published: February 2021

Socio-economic potential is one of the key determinants of regional development. The aim of the paper was to analyse the socio-economic development of 16 NUTS-2 regions in Poland in three selected years: 2005, 2009 and 2013. To identify the positions of individual regions in the rankings, for comparison purposes, selected methods of multidimensional comparative analysis have been implemented: the method of pattern of development proposed by Hellwig, the method of standardised values and the method of ranks. The variables used in the analysis describe demographic potential, labour market, economic situation of inhabitants and level of economic activity, activity and financial stability of local government and socio-technical potential. The results show high diversity of socio-economic potential among Polish NUTS-2 regions, however the level of social potential does not always correspond to the level of economic development. This is particularly the case of Silesian and the poorest Eastern Poland regions. Positions in rankings of analysed regions showed growing diversity in subsequent years. The only region that in all the analysed years maintained its position was the capital region. The results confirmed significant compatibility of the results obtained using different methods which means that in the analysis of socio-economic potential of Polish regions one of them could be used.
Przeobrażenia struktury handlowej miasta średniej wielkości na przykładzie Nysy
Authors: Mayer Magdalena
Published: February 2021

Artykuł przedstawia przeobrażenia struktury handlu detalicznego w Nysie, mieście średniej wielkości (około 45 tys. mieszkańców), o randze ośrodka powiatowego, w regionie przygranicznym województwa opolskiego. Badania można określić jako wielowymiarowe. Dotyczą aspektu ilościowego (liczba jednostek), przestrzennego (rozmieszczenie usług) oraz czasowego (analiza zmian ilościowych i jakościowych w okresie ostatniego dziesięciolecia). Wzorując się na badaniach M. Palomäkiego (1964) i T. Zipsera (1977, 1979), dokonano analizy macierzy danych, określając zmiany, jakie zachodzą w strukturze usług handlowych w jednym z miast średniej wielkości. Wyniki potwierdzają tendencje ogólnokrajowe: przeobrażenia sieci targowiskowej, słabnącą rolę ulic handlowych (w tym rynku) oraz rosnący potencjał rynku wielkopowierzchniowych obiektów handlowych1 typu dyskonty. Struktura handlu ulega rozproszeniu, a zarazem potęguje skalę wielofunkcyjności (lecz już nie na zasadzie kooperacji kilku jednostek sklepowych obok siebie, ale w jednym budynku).
Poland’s Voivodeships and Poviats and the Geographies of Knowledge: Addressing Uneven Human Resources
Authors: Brunn Stanley D. , Semczuk Marcin , Koszek Rafał , Gołuszka Karolina , Bołoz Gabriela
Published: February 2021

In a postindustrial economic world, information economies are key components in local, regional and national development. These are service economies, built on the production, consumption and dissemination of information, including education, health care, outsourcing, tourism, sustainability and related human welfare services. We explore the geography/knowledge intersections in Poland’s voivodeships and poviats by using the volumes of information or hyperlinks about selected information economies. Google hyperlinks are electronic knowledge data that can be mapped to highlight the areas of most and least information about certain subject categories. While some mapping results are expected, such as Warsaw and Krakow, being prominent, in other regions there are unexpected gaps within eastern, northern and southern Poland, including some places near major metropolitan centers. There is a significant difference between the cities with poviat rights, which stand out in the number of information on items comparing to the poviats that surround them. The majority of poviats in Mazowieckie voivodeship are surprisingly recognized as core areas on the map of knowledge, nevertheless they are considered undeveloped from the economic point of view.
Lokalizacja ośrodków kontroli i zarządzania elementem stabilności gospodarczej ośrodków miejskich w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej
Authors: Raźniak Piotr , Dorocki Sławomir , Winiarczyk-Raźniak Anna , Płaziak Monika , Szymańska Anna Irena
Published: February 2021

W niniejszym opracowa`niu wzięto pod uwagę najważniejsze firmy mające siedzibę zarządu w krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej. Autorzy starają się odpowiedzieć na pytanie, jak zmieni się koncentracja funkcji kontrolno-zarządczych w mieście w momencie głębokiego kryzysu dominującej branży, w danym ośrodku stanowiącym jego bazę ekonomiczną. W tym celu utworzono indeks stabilności, który, w oparciu o wyniki ekonomiczne uzyskiwane przez poszczególne korporacje oraz zróżnicowanie branż, obrazuje stabilność gospodarczą ośrodków miejskich w przypadku globalnych wahań koniunkturalnych. Najbardziej odporne na kryzys okazały się Warszawa, Praga i Budapeszt. Wpływ na lokalizację najodporniejszych na kryzys miast mają odległość od państw UE 15, oddziaływanie polityczne Związku Radzieckiego widoczne w regionie w latach 1945–1990 oraz konflikty zbrojne w krajach byłej Jugosławii. Ponadto badane miasta, mimo niewielkiego wpływu na światową gospodarkę, charakteryzują się dosyć dużymi powiązaniami międzynarodowymi.
Wybrane aspekty wpływu kapitału zagranicznego na gospodarkę Dolnego Śląska – ujęcie przestrzenne
Authors: Brezdeń Paweł
Published: February 2021

Rosnąca złożoność procesów społeczno-gospodarczych sprawia, iż cechą charakterystyczną współczesnych przedsiębiorstw jest pogłębiający się proces ich internacjonalizacji, co oznacza wzrost ich powiązań ekonomicznych i finansowych z zagranicą. Celem tego opracowania jest ukazanie wybranych zagadnień dotyczących działalności gospodarczej podmiotów z kapitałem zagranicznym w województwie dolnośląskim, przedstawienie ich przestrzennego zróżnicowania oraz ocena stopnia wpływu kapitału zagranicznego na regionalną gospodarkę w latach 2008–2012. Zakres przyjętych do analiz zagadnień uzależniony był od dostępności danych, szczególnie na poziomie lokalnym. W artykule zaprezentowano analizy struktury podmiotów z udziałem kapitału zagranicznego wg udziału pracujących, wielkości kapitału zagranicznego na mieszkańca, nakładów inwestycyjnych na mieszkańca, wartości eksportu i importu per capita. Powyższe parametry zaprezentowano w układach lokalnych województwa dolnośląskiego, z określeniem ich przestrzennego zróżnicowania i natężenia. Stały się one następnie podstawą do ujęcia poziomu intraregionalnego zróżnicowania całego obszaru (wg powiatów) pod względem syntetycznego wskaźnika wpływu kapitału zagranicznego na gospodarkę województwa. Omawiane procesy i zagadnienia dotyczące kapitału zagranicznego na obszarze Dolnego Śląska zaprezentowano również w odniesieniu do sytuacji ogólnokrajowej.
Metoda dekompozycji zmian struktury
Authors: Markowska Małgorzata , Sokołowski Andrzej
Published: February 2021

Pojęcie struktury jest na ogół używane w dwojakim znaczeniu. Pierwsze to konfiguracjapunktów w przestrzeni wielowymiarowej, a drugie to ciąg liczb nieujemnych, sumujących się do jedności.Rozpatrujemy strukturę w tym drugim sensie. Struktura jest wówczas pewnym efektem rachunkowym istniejącymtylko w wyniku porównań części z całością i mówimy wówczas o „kształcie”. Wartości elementówstruktury definiują jej „rozmiar”. Do istnienia nietrywialnej struktury potrzeba co najmniej dwóch jej składników.Zmiana rozmiaru nie musi powodować zmiany kształtu, jeżeli zmiany składników następują w tej samejproporcji. Natomiast zmiana kształtu nie może odbyć się bez zmiany rozmiaru. W pracy zaproponowanomiary udziału elementu struktury w jej zmianach przy porównywaniu struktur w dwóch obiektach (lub okresach),zarówno w odniesieniu do rozmiaru, jak i do kształtu. Określają one udział składnika w zmianach, a ichznak wskazuje, czy był to wzrost, czy spadek udziału. Suma modułów wartości miar dla wszystkich składnikówstruktury jest równa jedności. W pracy poddano analizie zmiany sektorowej struktury zatrudnieniaw regionach Republiki Czeskiej w latach 2008–2014.
Validation Evidence using Generalizability Theory for an Objective Structured Clinical Examination
Authors: Peeters Michael J , Cor M. Kenneth , Petite Sarah E , Schroeder Michelle N
Published: February 2021

Objectives: Performance-based assessments, including objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), are essential learning assessments within pharmacy education. Because important educational decisions can follow from performance-based assessment results, pharmacy colleges/schools should demonstrate acceptable rigor in validation of their learning assessments. Though G-Theory has rarely been reported in pharmacy education, it would behoove pharmacy educators to, using G-Theory, produce evidence demonstrating reliability as a part of their OSCE validation process. This investigation demonstrates the use of G-Theory to describes reliability for an OSCE, as well as to show methods for enhancement of the OSCE’s reliability.
Innovation: To evaluate practice-readiness in the semester before final-year rotations, third-year PharmD students took an OSCE. This OSCE included 14 stations over three weeks. Each week had four or five stations; one or two stations were scored by faculty-raters while three stations required students’ written responses. All stations were scored 1-4. For G-Theory analyses, we used G_Strings and then mGENOVA. 
Critical Analysis: Ninety-seven students completed the OSCE; stations were scored independently. First, univariate G-Theory design of students crossed with stations nested in weeks (p x s:w) was used. The total-score g-coefficient (reliability) for this OSCE was 0.72. Variance components for test parameters were identified. Of note, students accounted for only some OSCE score variation. Second, a multivariate G-Theory design of students crossed with stations (p· x s°) was used. This further analysis revealed which week(s) were weakest for the reliability of test-scores from this learning assessment. Moreover, decision-studies showed how reliability could change depending on the number of stations each week. For a g-coefficient >0.80, seven stations per week were needed. Additionally, targets for improvements were identified.
Implications: In test validation, evidence of reliability is vital for the inference of generalization; G-Theory provided this for our OSCE. Results indicated that the reliability of scores was mediocre and could be improved with more stations. Revision of problematic stations could help reliability as well. Within this need for more stations, one practical insight was to administer those stations over multiple weeks/occasions (instead of all stations in one occasion).