bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of vertical gradient of gravity and its significance for volcano monitoring – example from Teide volcano
Authors: Zahorec Pavol , Vajda Peter , Papčo Juraj , Sainz-Maza Aparicio Sergio , Pereda De Pablo Jorge
Published: January 2017

We present a detailed calculation of the topographic contribution to the vertical gradient of gravity (VGG) based on high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) and new developed software (Toposk) for the purpose of predicting the actual VGGs in the field. The calculations presented here were performed for the Central Volcanic Complex (CVC) of Tenerife. We aimed at identifying the most extreme VGGs within the CVC, as well as predicting the VGGs at benchmarks of the former microgravity/deformation network set up to monitor the 2004/5 unrest. We have carried out an observational campaign in June 2016 to verify the predicted VGG values, both the extreme ones and those at the benchmarks. The comparison between the predicted and the in-situ verified VGGs is presented here. We demonstrate the sensitivity of the VGG prediction to the choice of the topo-rock density, which is inherent to the volcanic areas with high variability of rock densities. We illustrate the significance of the use of actual VGG in volcano monitoring microgravimetric surveys on a couple of benchmarks of the CVC network.
Hydromagnetic dynamos at the low Ekman and magnetic Prandtl numbers
Authors: Šimkanin Ján
Published: January 2017

Hydromagnetic dynamos are numerically investigated at low Prandtl, Ekman and magnetic Prandtl numbers using the PARODY dynamo code. In all the investigated cases, the generated magnetic fields are dominantly-dipolar. Convection is small-scale and columnar, while the magnetic field maintains its large-scale structure. In this study the generated magnetic field never becomes weak in the polar regions, neither at large magnetic Prandtl numbers (when the magnetic diffusion is weak), nor at low magnetic Prandtl numbers (when the magnetic diffusion is strong), which is a completely different situation to that observed in previous studies. As magnetic fields never become weak in the polar regions, then the magnetic field is always regenerated in the tangent cylinder. At both values of the magnetic Prandtl number, strong polar magnetic upwellings and weaker equatorial upwellings are observed. An occurrence of polar magnetic upwellings is coupled with a regenaration of magnetic fields inside the tangent cylinder and then with a not weakened intensity of magnetic fields in the polar regions. These new results indicate that inertia and viscosity are probably negligible at low Ekman numbers.
She, You and They – More Actors on the Creativity Research Stage!
Authors: Hoff Eva , Carlsson Ingegerd
Published: February 2017

The commentary confirms and builds on Glăveanu’s critical scrutiny of the current stage of creativity research. The need for more actors, theories, methods and definitions will not be fulfilled until critical reflection concerning what has been done and synthesis between different research attempts are achieved. The authors first expand the creativity stage by discussing what will happen in creativity research attempts if we alternate with a “ she, you and they” perspective? They then present a new definition of creativity. Creativity is seen as a collective, generative, novel way of experiencing reality ending with the idea of a shared product that is evaluated as creative in a relevant context. This definition is in line with the development of a new creativity tool or measurement, the Test for Distributed Creativity in Organizational Groups (DOG). The DOG can be used both for measuring the products of creative groups and investigating their processes.
Commentary on The Psychology of Creativity: A Critical Reading
Authors: Hui Anna N. N.
Published: February 2017

This commentary will take the form of a critical examination into the six research gaps identified by Glăveanu (2014a) in the article The Psychology of Creativity: A Critical Reading by examining carefully whether the proposed criticisms are supported by research evidence and will attempt to focus the discussion on accumulating knowledge of theories in the psychology of education. To consolidate theory construction in the psychology of creativity, researchers should give concise operational definitions that can be examined by reliable and valid measurements with identifiable units of analysis in general or specific participants. Given explicit evidence of this kind, educators can be best informed about how to define, assess, and develop human creativity when applying these theories.
Pedagogical Analysis of Catastrophic Visions of Art
Authors: Kwiatkowska-Tybulewicz Barbara
Published: February 2017

The theory of aesthetic education treats art as an educational space. It is interesting to look at theories of the end of art from a pedagogical perspective. The article presents a few selected items, symptoms of the collapse of art, which have appeared in theories of a crisis of art. Are they relevant to the theory of aesthetic education? Is education “for” and “through” art justified in the face of the end of art? In this article the author presents catastrophic visions of art from the pedagogical perspective.
Motives for participation in the sharing economy – evidence from Lithuania
Authors: Grybaitė Virginija , Stankevičienė Jelena
Published: January 2017

Information and communication technologies enable the emergence of a new phenomenon called the “sharing economy”. An increasing number of articles in the media as well as debates about the positive and negative aspects of the sharing economy show a growing interest in the subject. The paper aims to review the different approaches to the definition of the sharing economy and to present the authors’ views on the concept. The reviewed literature reveals the main drivers for participating in the sharing economy. A survey was conducted to learn more about the motives of Lithuanian people participating in this concept. The survey reveals the following leading factors of using the sharing economy platforms: an easy way to make extra money; supporting individuals and/or small/independent companies; meeting new people and having an interesting experience/doing something most people haven’t tried yet. The survey also reveals that most of the respondents prefer to own things rather than share them. Despite the widespread popularity of the sharing economy platforms in the world, this phenomenon is in its infancy in Lithuania.
Conditions of cooperation between enterprises and business environment institutions using the Podlasie region as an example
Authors: Daniluk Andrzej
Published: January 2017

Cooperation in the field of innovation activities means active participation in joint projects with other companies and business environment institutions. Some of these institutions are involved in cooperation with entrepreneurs to a very limited extent, which makes the help ineffective.

The aim of this article is to define the impact of this kind of cooperation in in the context of innovation development in the Podlasie region. According to the author of this article, the research problem is the low level of cooperation between companies and institutions of the business environment. There are not many publications regarding the identification of the degree of readiness to cooperate by companies in the regional context.

The article uses the method of critical analysis of literature and statistical analysis of data. The results show the degree of interest in taking up cooperation between entities. Aiming to improve the level of cooperation, a more proactive and specific approach of the business environment institutions is recommended.
Consumer participation in the health tourism innovation process
Authors: Szymańska Elżbieta
Published: January 2017

The aim of the study is to compare the level of innovation of companies introducing innovations with consumer participation with that of other innovative providers of health tourism services. The following hypothesis was formulated: Companies benefiting from the participation of consumers in the process of innovation represent a higher level of innovativeness than other innovative providers of health tourism services.

The following methods were used: a comparative analysis, a questionnaire (CAWI and PAPI), a standardized interview, and the ranking method. 461 providers of health tourism services participated in the research.

The value and implications of the paper for the economic sciences contribute to the development of innovation theory. The hypothesis has been positively verified. The research shows a much higher level of innovation in companies cooperating with consumers (patients) than that of other respondents.
Analysis of the effectiveness in the disbursement of the European Regional Development Fund for selected entities in the tourism economy
Authors: Panfiluk Eugenia
Published: January 2017

The aim of the article is to analyse the effectiveness of decision-making in the disbursement of funds from the ERDF for the selected tourism services. In the theoretical part of the article, the model for the assessment of the effectiveness of the ERDF management system was developed. This model is built based on the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method, used to assess the effectiveness of community programmes. In the empirical part of the article, the verification of the model was carried out following the example of the tourism sector of the NUTS 2 region of Podlasie.

The obtained results allow concluding that the developed deadweight assessment model can be used in practice for the evaluation of the efficiency of the ERDF management. The conducted research indicates that the method of Propensity Score Matching (PSM), using the Neyman-Rubin model based on counterfactual studies, allows assessing the decision-making effectiveness in the disbursement of funds from the ERDF. Creating counterfactual situations in the models of evaluation of infrastructural actions serves for the identification of the effect of an independent event. The effect of an independent event measures the negative, unintended consequences of the undertaken decisions. It informs about the loss of alternative possibilities of allocating funds for other purposes.
The models evaluating courier and messenger companies in Poland
Authors: Chodakowska Ewa , Nazarko Joanicjusz
Published: January 2017

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a well-established, popular, and often used method for efficiency evaluation of units from all sector, both commercial and non-profit organisations, of any scale of operations. Network DEA models are a relatively recent approach used to examine the efficiency of decision-making units (DMUs) having an internal structure of sub-processes. The article presents the concept of DEA network models in estimating the efficiency of courier and messenger companies with relations to their business clients. The considerations are supported by an example of data concerning leaders from the sector of couriers and messengers in Poland and one of the biggest and most popular online stores. The results are compared with the traditional DEA approach. In addition, to measure reliability for DEA scores, the jackknife procedure was performed. The author proves the usefulness of network DEA as a research and management tool.
Structure and dynamics of a public bike-sharing system. Case study of the public transport system in Białystok
Authors: Dobrzyńska Ewa , Dobrzyński Maciej
Published: January 2017

The article presents the results of a research project referring to the dynamics of the public bike-sharing system BiKeR (Białystok, Poland) in 2014-2015. Identification of the dynamics of the system permits modifications that lead to the enhancement of the efficiency and help to determine the reasons for the choice of a location for new bicycle stations. The basic methodology used for compiling data were the statistical methods with special emphasis on network analysis and graph theory.

Analysis of the data allowed us to identify the mechanisms of changes in the system affecting its dynamics, especially in the area of network topology changes in conjunction with the location of network nodes (stations). The research and analysis showed the specificity of PBS as a transport network. The PBS network, the process of analysis, the value of network metrics and their distribution differ significantly from other types of transport networks (including municipal). The results improve decision-making processes related to the creation and modification of a PBS network, especially in the field of process support, the choice of station location and the impact of these choices on the networks dynamics (as a prognostic utility).
Assessment of urban transport – a comparative analysis of selected cities by taxonomic methods
Authors: Hajduk Sławomira
Published: January 2017

This paper aims to perform comparative analysis of urban transport in selected global cities and to verify the existence of clusters. It was based on data source from the World Organization Data Urban. It used Indicators proposed in ISO 37120 Sustainable Community Development.

The test procedure exploited taxonomic methods as Ward’s hierarchical analysis and the deagglomerating k-means analysis. The empirical analysis comprises four indicators: (I) high capacity public transport system, (II) light passenger public transport system, (III) annual number of public transport trips and (IV) number of personal automobiles.

Main results are the classification of selected global cities, identification and characterization of trends in the field of urban transport in each group. The empirical analysis confirms a substantial diversity of urban transport in selected cities. These differences arise from their past, geographical location, size, different reactions to the transition process and the different economic structures. The taxonomic analysis of the urban transport in selected cities separated five independent classes typological. This elaboration aims to examine the role of urban transport in city management based on a literature review, databases and reports of the European Union.
Multidimensional assessment of the European Union transport development in the light of implemented normalization methods
Authors: Czech Artur , Lewczuk Jerzy , Bołtromiuk Artur
Published: January 2017

Transport is considered a basis for socio-economic development. It is closely connected with the process of movement of products and humans. The main aim of the paper is to investigate the influence of different order normalization methods in the synthetic measure construction implemented in the assessment of the development of European Union member states in the area of logistic, especially transportation system. Moreover, the article attempts to investigate the influence of such methods on linear ordering in multi-criteria taxonomic approach.

The source of information in the research is the data drawn from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The main method in this study is the order synthetic measure constructed with Weber median in different forms due to implemented normalization methods.

The main result of the carried out analysis indicated that the development level of three main branches of a transportation system correlates with the socio-economic development of particular member states. Furthermore, the assessment process based on the synthetic measure construction can lead to differences in linear ordering due to the implemented normalization methods. The research on the transport development can bring a better understanding of the socio-economic development of particular areas of the European Union. Hence, the results can be helpful to European policy makers for the allocation of support funds.
Ranking of office lease options by multi-criteria methods
Authors: Ginevičius Romualdas , Ginevičius Tomas , Gedvilaitė Dainora , Stasiukynas Andrius
Published: January 2017

Due to the growing scales of business and internationalisation, the issue of the office lease is becoming more and more relevant for companies. They are becoming an inherent part of business, on which the results of the commercial activity depend. Currently existing methodologies for the assessment of the office lease options are imperfect as they lack complexity; they are not associated with the objective of the lease – the improvement of the business results; the methods of the quantitative assessment of lease options are far from perfect. The paper aims at formulating the hierarchical indicator system of commercial real estate facilities (offices) adjusted for the multi-criteria assessment and at calculating the lease options based on this indicator system. To achieve this goal, the following methods have been used: scientific literature analysis and multi-criteria assessment methods.
Identification of production bottlenecks with the use of Plant Simulation software
Authors: Kikolski Mateusz
Published: January 2017

The problem of bottlenecks is a key issue in optimising and increasing the efficiency of manufacturing processes. Detecting and analysing bottlenecks is one of the basic constraints to the contemporary production enterprises. The enterprises should not ignore problems that significantly influence the efficiency of the processes. People responsible for the proper course of production try to devise methods to eliminate bottlenecks and the waiting time at the production line. The possibilities of production lines are limited by the throughput of bottlenecks that disturb the smoothness of the processes. The presented results of the experimental research show the possibilities of a computer simulation as a method for analysing problems connected with limiting the production capacity. A computer-assisted simulation allows for studying issues of various complexities that could be too work-consuming or impossible while using classic analytical methods. The article presents the results of the computer model analysis that involved the functioning of machinery within a chosen technological line of an enterprise from a sanitary sector. The major objective of the paper is to identify the possibility of applying selected simulation tool while analysing production bottlenecks. An additional purpose is to illustrate the subjects of production bottlenecks and creating simulation models. The problem analysis involved the application of the software Tecnomatix Plant Simulation by Siemens. The basic methods of research used in the study were literature studies and computer simulation.
Defence reactions of mature Norway spruce (Picea abies) before and after inoculation of the blue-stain fungus Endoconidiophora polonica in a drought stress experiment
Authors: Netherer Sigrid , Ehn Magdalena , Blackwell Emma , Kirisits Thomas
Published: January 2017

We performed an inoculation experiment using the blue-stain fungusEndoconidiophora polonicaat theRosalia Roofstudy site, which was set up to study drought effects on Norway spruce susceptibility to attacks by the European spruce bark beetleIps typographus. Tree resistance parameters such as resin flow rate and extent of hypersensitive wound reaction in the phloem were investigated prior to and after fungal infection. Sample trees with different drought treatments (trees fully covered or semi-covered by roofs, control trees) were inoculated withE. polonicain July 2014. In order to check for areas of phloem necrosis, the outer bark around the inoculation holes was scratched off 6 weeks later. We recorded the amount of resin exudation within 12 hours overnight in August and September 2013 and 2014. Although wound reaction zones did not differ in size between tree collectives of the various treatments, fully covered trees tended to exhibit larger necrotic areas compared to control trees. The least water supplied trees showed lowest resin flow rates prior to fungal inoculation, but were the only group to show significantly enhanced resin flow five weeks after the evaluation of defence reactions. Our results agree with earlier findings that wounding and few fungal inoculations can increase tree resistance in the medium term given not too severe water stress. Further investigations will clarify how water stress affects the availability of non-structural carbohydrates for secondary metabolism, when depletion of resources eventually occurs, and at which point trees are most susceptible to bark beetle attack.
Review of Lepidoptera with trophic relationships to Picea abies (L.) in the conditions of Czechia
Authors: Modlinger Roman , Liška Jan
Published: January 2017

Trophic relationships of Lepidoptera (Insecta) occurring in the territory of Czechia to the Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) was evaluated on the basis of the excerption and critical evaluation of literature. Each species was classified into the following categories – spruce as the host plant, regular development on spruce, narrow trophic relationship, indirect relationship and episodical occurrence. The particular taxa were also characterized according to their distribution and the form of larval life was specified. The development on spruce was documented in 96 species of Lepidoptera, which represented less than 3% of taxa belonging to this group and being reported from Czechia. Of that, spruce was a common host plant for 67 species, 23 species were polyphagous and might develop on spruce, and 6 species belonged to soil species damaging spruce roots, mainly in forest nurseries. Among the species of Lepidoptera, which regularly develop on spruce in the Czech conditions, 55 species were classified. As narrow specialists with special trophic relationship to spruce, 33 taxa could be considered. There were 15 spruce species with forestry importance, which were able to outbreak their populations regularly or irregularly. Among spruce species it was possible to classify 16 taxa as rare. The provided information on Lepidoptera with trophic relationship to spruce is applicable also for other Central European areas. Besides the species with importance for forest pest management, also rare taxa, which can become endangered by climate change or by forest management, were indicated.
Infection levels of pathogens in the European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) at managed and unmanaged forest locations: a meta-data analysis
Authors: Vanická Hana , Lukášová Karolina , Holuša Jaroslav
Published: January 2017

Forest management greatly affects the population density of the European spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus. In this study, a meta-analysis was used to determine whether infection levels of pathogens of I. typographus differ between managed and unmanaged spruce stands. The analysis used data from 10 publications and a total of 61 locations. The results indicated that infection levels of the most common pathogens (ItEPV, Gregarina typographi, and Mattesia schwenkei) are higher in unmanaged than in managed locations. The only exception is the microsporidium Chytridiopsis typographi, which is more common in managed than in unmanaged locations. Our meta-analysis indicates that pathogen levels are generally higher in unmanaged than in managed locations.
Flight performance of Monochamus sartor and Monochamus sutor, potential vectors of the pine wood nematode
Authors: Putz Jasmin , Vorwagner Eva M. , Hoch Gernot
Published: January 2017

Flight performance of Monochamus sartor and Monochamus sutor, two potential vectors of the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus was evaluated in laboratory flight mill tests. Beetles emerging from logs infested in the laboratory and incubated under outdoor conditions as well as field collected beetles were used. The maximum distance flown by M. sartor in a single flight was 3,136.7 m. Mean distances (per beetle) per flight ranged from 694.6 m in females to 872.5 m in males for M. sartor. In 75% of all individual flights M. sartor flew less than 1 km; only 3.7% flew distances longer than 2 km. The mean cumulative distance travelled by M. sartor beetles throughout their lifespan was 7.5 km. The smaller M. sutor beetles flew faster and longer distances. The maximum distance per flight was 5,556.5 m; mean distances ranged from 1,653.6 m in females to 1178.3 m in males. The number of available laboratory reared beetles was too low for quantification of lifetime flight capacity for M. sutor. The findings are compared to published data from Monochamus galloprovincialis recorded on the same type of flight mill as well as to field data from mark-release-recapture studies. The high flight capacity of Monochamus beetles illustrates the importance of considering dispersal of the vectors when planning control measures against the pine wood nematode.
Extremely low infection levels of pathogens and nematodes in Trypodendron spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Wegensteiner Rudolf , Lukášová Karolina , Vanická Hana , Zimová Soňa , Kacprzyk Magdalena , Holuša Jaroslav
Published: January 2017

The striped ambrosia beetles Trypodendron lineatum and T. domesticum are timber forest pests in the Palearctic region and North America. Because only a few pathogens are known for Trypodendron species, the aim of this work was to determine the spectrum of pathogen species of T. lineatum, T. laeve, and T. domesticum. Trypodendron species were collected in pheromone traps at nine localities in the Czech Republic, five localities in Poland, and one locality in Austria. In total, 2,439 T. lineatum, 171 T. domesticum, and 17 T. laeve beetles were dissected and examined. Infection was found in only two of the 17 specimens of T. laeve and in only two of the 171 specimens of T. domesticum; in all four cases, the parasites were nematodes. Parasitisation of T. lineatum by nematodes was found in T. lineatum at eight localities with a mean (± SE) parasitisation level of 8.1 ± 4.7%. A Chytridiopsis sp. was detected in cells of the midgut epithelium of one T. lineatum specimen, and Gregarina sp. was detected in the midgut lumen of two T. lineatum specimens; no other pathogens were found in T. lineatum. The low infection rates and the tendency for infection by nematodes can be explained by the monogamy of Trypodendron spp. and their feeding on fungi in short galleries that are not connected to the galleries of conspecifics.
Foraging strategy and food preference of Formica polyctena ants in different habitats and possibilities for their use in forest protection
Authors: Véle Adam , Modlinger Roman
Published: January 2017

Food availability is an important factor influencing the lives of ant colonies. Wood ants consume protein-rich and sugary foods. Protein-rich food is comprised primarily of insects, a considerable proportion of which the ants acquire by direct predation. They therefore play an important function in biological protection of forests. The objective of our study was to determine if workers activity is dependent on habitat type, size of the nest, bait size and food type (sugar, protein). We selected 23 nests in a spruce forest and placed food baits of various sizes and types near each nest. The results obtained show that the number of individuals on the baits was substantially higher in clearings than within mature forest. The number of worker ants recorded on the baits was slightly higher for larger nests. Bait size and type had no influence on the number of workers present. Because wood ants do not focus solely on food of a certain size or quality, they can effectively decrease the abundance of forest pests.
Effectiveness of pheromone traps for the European spruce bark beetle: a comparative study of four commercial products and two new models
Authors: Galko Juraj , Nikolov Christo , Kunca Andrej , Vakula Jozef , Gubka Andrej , Zúbrik Milan , Rell Slavomír , Konôpka Bohdan
Published: January 2017

Six types of pheromone traps were tested between 2012 and 2014 in the High Tatra Mountains, northern Slovakia. Traps were baited with lures for attracting the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographusL.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae). Among the tested traps, four types are commercial products; Theysohn (T-trap), Ecotrap (E-trap), Lindgren funnel trap (L-trap), BEKA trap (B-trap) and two are our newly developed models; Funnel trap (P-trap) and Cross trap (K-trap). The traps were set up on ten selected sites and tested during three growing seasons (2012, 2013 and 2014). The newly developed models were compared to the commercially available models for trapping efficiency of target pest, easy to use and impact on non-target insect species. We found that the best commercially available model is the L-trap, however the bottom of L-trap is considered too shallow resulting in an accumulation of rainwater that increases the traps attractiveness for Silphids. In our experiment, the newly developed models; P-trap and K-trap performed better compared to commercially used models. P-trap caught 28% moreI. typographusand K-trap caught 57% more beetles compared to T-trap in 2014. There are additional advantages of the newly developed traps such as easy handling, good rainwater drainage, higher collection container volume, and scale marking within the collection container. The results of this study have encouraged us to patent P-trap and K-trap as utility models.
Experimental Study of Batch Reactor Performance for Ethyl Acetate Saponification
Authors: Al Mesfer Mohammed K.
Published: January 2017

The objective of the current research work is to investigate the performance of batch reactor for saponification of ethyl acetate with sodium hydroxide. Temperature, volume of reaction mixture, rate of agitation, and initial concentration of reactants are the operating conditions considered for analysis. The NaOH concentration decreases from 1.13 × 10−2 mol/L to 0.57 × 10−2 mol/L when reaction temperature increases from 293 K to 313 K after the completion of the reaction. The conversion of NaOH increases with increased reaction temperature under the studied range of reaction temperatures until the stable condition is achieved. Reactant concentration declines with increased volume of reaction mixture from 1.2 L to 1.8 L. Sodium acetate concentration and reaction conversion decrease with increased volume of reaction mixture within the studied range. Concentration of sodium acetate decreases with increased rate of agitation. The conversion of sodium hydroxide declines with increased agitation rate from 70 rpm to 150 rpm. Higher initial reactant concentration leads to decreased reaction conversion. The results obtained may be used to optimize the production of ethanol and sodium acetate using saponification reaction.
Purification, Characterization, Antioxidant and Antitumour Activities of Polysaccharides from Apple Peel Pomace Obtained by Pre-pressing Separation
Authors: Sun Lijun , Sun Jiaojiao , Meng Yonghong , Yang Xingbin , Guo Yurong
Published: January 2017

Purification, characterization, in vitro antioxidant and antitumour activities of polysaccharides from apple peel pomace obtained by pre-pressing separation were investigated. Apple peel polysaccharides (APP) were obtained by water extraction and ethanol precipitation. They were further purified by chromatography of Cellulose DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-150 to obtain three fractions (APP-1, APP-2 and APP-3). Both GC-MS and HPLC analysis showed that galactose and arabinose were two main components in the three fractions with an average molecular weight of 197 kDa, 395 kDa and 303 kDa, respectively. Uronic acids were only presented in APP-2 and APP-3, which were further confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Besides, the results showed that the antioxidant activity measured by ferric-reducing power and scavenging of O2
•−, DPPH• and OH• and the antitumour activity examined by HepG2 cells were connected with the content of uronic acids. These findings provide scientific basis for comprehensive utilization of apple peel pomace.
Impact of Inquiry Approaches to Mathematics Teaching on the Development of Skills to Analyse and Interpret Relationships Between Variables
Authors: Lukáč Stanislav , Sekerák Jozef
Published: January 2017

The development of inquiry skills to analyse and interpret data from tables and graphs, identify, understand and use relationships between variables represents an important goal of mathematics teaching. Our research is currently focused on the development of high school students’ inquiry skills in mathematics teaching and diagnosing the quality level of their acquisition. The first phase of the research was oriented on the development of innovative methodical and learning materials based on inquiry approaches to mathematics teaching. In the paper, we present interactive learning activities implemented in the system Geogebra, which enable students to analyse graphs of functions, formulate and test hypotheses, express relationships between variables and generalize mathematical findings. As a part of our research we conducted a pedagogical experiment in six Slovak high schools focused on application of inquiry approaches to mathematics teaching. The main purpose of the pedagogical experiment was to assess the effectiveness of inquiry-based mathematics teaching in the development of inquiry skills to analyse and interpret relationships between variables. The levels of the development of the inquiry skills were diagnosed using pre-test and post-test. The pre-test was answered by 332 students from 1stor 2ndgrade groups (fifteen and sixteen year old students) of six high schools. The post-test has been given to the same groups after applying innovative teaching methods based on the inquiry approaches to learning. The post-test was answered by 288 students. The basis of quantitative analysis of the test results was a statistical testing of the hypotheses that our innovative teaching method induces a significant improvement in selected inquiry skills.
Advantages and Barriers to the Introduction of E-Learning Environment into Academic Teachers’ Activities in Ukrainian Universities
Authors: Shelomovska Oksana , Sorokina Lyudmyla , Romanyukha Maryna
Published: January 2017

With the development of information society it is becoming particularly needed to construct high-quality system of higher education, aimed at shaping the skills of life-long learning. This is determined by the existing contradictions between continuously increasing volume of information required for people to maintain their competitiveness on the labour market and limited opportunities of traditional educational system to gain knowledge, abilities, skills and other competencies. To resolve this contradiction, educational programs should, above all, be consistent with the principles of multilevel, complementarity, handleability, continuity, integration and flexibility. In our view, significant prospects in relation to these principles and improvement of modern higher educational system are presented by the introduction and development of university e-learning environment. The paper presents barriers to the introduction of e-learning environment in Ukrainian universities, as well as discusses professors’ opinions, received via a sociological survey.
Variant texts according to types of sensory perception
Authors: Pastyřík Milan , Škuta Petr , Takács Ondřej , Oujezdský Aleš
Published: January 2017

The paper deals with a problematic of creating variant texts according to a sensory perception. An idea of transcribing text is based on a theory of adaptive learning, which is thoroughly studied at the Department of Information and Communication Technologies. Researchers in this work combined the adaptive approach together with thinking styles introduced by Libor Činka and created four variants of texts of the chosen topics. Then those texts undergone the verification by the students from high school and university, who read them and evaluated them as well as they answered to a prepared set of testing questions. All received data was compared against the replies from the learning style questionnaires VARK and questionnaire by Šimíčková. The paper discovered some differences between the results of VARK and Šimíčková questionnaire, which proved to be slightly more reliable compared to both the results of test questions and the students’ own opinion. There were also differences between sensory variants of texts. As expected, the kinesthetic variant proved to be the less effective compared to the rest. It seems that university students accepted the rewritten texts better than high school students too.
Green EDM Strategies to Minimize Environmental Impact and Improve Process Efficiency
Authors: Singh Jagdeep , Sharma Rajiv Kumar
Published: February 2017

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) process is established as an important non-conventional machining method because of its capability to machine very difficult-to-machine (DTM) materials like alloys, composites, die steels etc. Despite the numerous advantages, process has some limitations such as this process consumes huge amount of energy, slow material removal rate, hazardous emissions, generation of toxic dielectric and slurry which make this process an unsuitable and hazardous process. Due to these reasons it is also considered harmful for machine operator and environmental conditions. Whereas, due to increased environmental government regulations (ISO 14000 standards), the cost of manufacturing is getting increased. Therefore, it has become necessary to make the machining process very capable and safe so that both the aspects get managed. This motivates the authors to undertake critical literature scrutiny of recent hybrid integrations with EDM process to perform a safe machining of DTM materials. Also, the work performed in making the process green is reviewed. Authors, concluded that despite, the huge advancement happens in EDM hybridization like powder-mixed EDM, dry EDM, tap water EDM, vibration assisted tool or workpiece etc., still advancement is required in process mechanism which provides high machining efficiency and minimal environmental health hazards.
Dystocia in Sheep and Goats: Outcome and Fertility Following Surgical and Non-Surgical Management
Authors: Ismail Zuhair Bani
Published: January 2017

Cesarean section is a life-saving surgical procedure usually undertaken in sheep and goats that fail to deliver vaginally (dystocia). Unfortunately, there are no recent review articles in literature that summarize the results of published case reports and clinical trials concerning indications, surgical approaches and procedures and outcomes following cesarean section in sheep and goats. Therefore, the aim of this article was to compile available data related to dystocia and cesarean section in small ruminants. Fortunately, the incidence of dystocia in small ruminants is considered to be low. It can be caused by either maternal or fetal factors. Maternal-related dystocia is most commonly because of failure of cervical dilation, narrow birth canal and uterine inertia. Those related to fetal causes are usually associated with fetal malposition/presentation, feto-pelvic disproportion/fetal oversize, and fetal malformation. Manual extraction of the fetus may be attempted in most cases, however, early surgical intervention by performing cesarean section ensures satisfactory outcome. Cesarean section is usually performed in lateral recumbency through left paralumbar fossa or left paralumbar fossa oblique celiotomy under local analgesia. The success rates and post-operative complications in sheep and goats are underreported; however, early surgical intervention using aseptic technique usually results in a satisfactory outcome for both the dam and newborn with acceptable prognosis for future breeding soundness.
Influence of Parameterization of Some Physical Processes in Soils on Numerical Meteorological Forecasts of Surface Fields
Authors: Mazur Andrzej , Duniec Grzegorz
Published: January 2017

Physical processes in soil-plant-water system are very complicated. Complex physical processes in soil, in particular interaction between soil-plant-water system have significant influence on processes in Planetary Boundary Layer. Changes of soil state can significantly modify processes in the PBL and meteorological fields. Since numerical models are to determine the forecast of high quality, the physical processes occurring in soil should be properly described and then appropriately introduced into a model. Every process in soil occurs on a smaller scale than original model’s domain, so it should be described via adequate parameterization. Overall, soil parameterizations implemented in current numerical weather prediction (NWP) model(s) were prepared almost 40 years ago, when NWP models worked with very poor resolution mesh. Since nowadays NWP works over domains of high resolution, these “old” schemes parameterization must be adequately revised. In this paper preliminary results of changes of parameterization of soil processes will be presented.
Lakes sensitivityto climatic stress – a sociological assessment
Authors: Lackowska Marta , Nowicka Barbara , Bałandin Marta , Grochowski Mirosław
Published: January 2017

One of the conditions for effective water resources management in protected areas is local decision makers’ knowledge about potential threats caused by climate changes. Our study, conducted in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Tuchola Forest in Poland, analyses the perception of threats by local stakeholders. Their assessments of the sensitivity of four lakes to the extreme weather events are compared with hydrological studies. The survey shows that the lakes’ varying responses to extreme weather conditions is rarely noticed by ordinary observers. Their perception is usually far from the hydrological facts, which indicates a lack of relevant information or a failure in making it widely accessible and understandable. Moreover, it is rather the human impact, not climate change, which is seen as the biggest threat to the lakes. Insufficient environmental knowledge may hinder the effective protection and management of natural resources, due to bad decisions and lack of the local communities’ support for adaptation and mitigation policies.
Personal and Spiritual Development in Contemporary Romania: In Search of Ambivalence
Authors: Simionca Anca
Published: January 2017

This paper is an inquiry into the blooming sector of personal and spiritual development in contemporary Romania. It is based on interviews with providers of such services, on content analysis of blogs and books dedicated to the topic, and on participation in several workshops. The critical literature linking the proliferation of the field of personal and spiritual development with the increasing pervasiveness of neoliberal logic has highlighted some of the features of the subjectivity invoked in these programmes: the sovereignty of the self in relation to its environment, the lack of importance of social ties and solidarity, and the lack of importance of the community. This analysis explores the empirical material in searching for the main points of ambivalence in relation to these desiderates, as well as the mutations that can be identified in the privileged sites of production of individuality that are personal and spiritual development workshops and trainings. 2
New Spirit and New Hero: How Hungarian Startups Redefine the Ideas of Local Capitalism
Authors: Szabó Natasa
Published: January 2017

The present paper investigates how theBridge Budapest, a CSR organization founded by leading Hungarian IT startups, attempts to shape the values of Hungarian society towards capitalism in general, and towards entrepreneurship in particular. In my paper I argue that the central aim of the organization is to facilitate Hungary’s catching up with the core capitalist countries through the transformation of the attitudes and the ideologies surrounding capitalism in the Hungarian context, i.e.the local spirit of capitalism. This consists, on the one hand, of restoring the legitimation of some of the core institutions of capitalism, such as the enterprise and the entrepreneur, and of confronting the risk-taking, innovative and ethical figure of the entrepreneur hero with the provincial figure of the ‘postcommunist cheater’. On the other hand, it also consists of propagating a new management of work that aims to produce self-controlling and self-motivating employees. In the narrative of Bridge Budapest IT companies appear as the perfect moral and economic subjects – the bearers of the new spirit of capitalism – that have the expertise to offer solutions to the problems of Hungarian society, and around which the local capitalism should be built.
I Am Worthy, I Want, and I Can: The Social Implications of Practicing Personal Development
Authors: Trifan Elena
Published: January 2017

This paper addresses the consequences of practicing personal development upon the daily life and interactions of individuals. In this context, I will describe how practitioners are applying the principles and techniques of personal development in order to transform the way individuals are relating to themselves and to others. In parallel, I will analyse how the ideology of personal development is assumed, by negotiation, in connection with the neoliberal project. This article aims to bridge a gap in the literature by showing how practicing personal development can restructure everyday experiences, emphasizing the negotiation of the intrinsic values of personal development techniques and how it (re)configures relationships and social interactions.
The Ambivalent Autonomy of Mobile “Pocăiți” between Vicovu de Sus, Romania and Turin, Italy after 1989
Authors: Rubiolo Cecilia
Published: January 2017

Intra-EU labour migration literature is fairly limited within migration studies and it has seldom considered migrants' embodied experiences and processes of subjectivation as a constitutive element of translocal economic transformations. The present paper focuses on the popular economies enacted by a segment of the migrant working class moving from Vicovu de Sus in Suceava district, Romania to Turin, Italy after 1989 as entangled in the production of “neoliberalism from below” (Gago, 2015). Mobilizing oral histories collected during an ethnographic fieldwork undertaken between 2012 and 2013, I will present some aspects related to the fields ofproductionandreproductionwithin the movements of migrants belonging to a pentecostal community affiliated to theCultul Penticostal – Biserica lui Dumnezeu Apostolică. Pentecostalism is here understood as a performative regime of truth and practices (Foucault, 1987; Marshall, 2009), through which migrant bodies perform processes of subjectivation to actively “inhabit” the borders of the State and Capital. Bukovinean pentecostal discourse, through an entrepreneurial drive, a cultural shift towards material prosperity and a strict gendered division of labour, seems to have fostered the creation of a self-organized translocal community whose economic practices obey/re-enact rather than escape/re-signify the dynamics of exploitation and dispossession proper of Romania's peripheral incorporation into contemporary global regimes of production, accumulation and division of labour.