bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychometric evaluation of the polish students adaptation of the aggression questionnaire
Authors: Krukowski Maciej , Kornafel Danuta , Oziembłowski Maciej
Published: May 2018

The four-factor structure and psychometric properties of the Polish students adaptation of the Buss and Perry (1992)
Aggression Questionnaire were investigated. The exploratory factor analyses of the responses of 604 Polish participants
generally supported the four-factor model. The factors included Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger and
Hostility. The correlations between subscales, internal consistency and stability over time were evaluated and proved
to be satisfactory. Apart from gender differences, 48 prison inmates and 48 students were interviewed to determine the
validity of the Aggression Questionnaire by testing for hypothesized differences between groups. Aggression Questionnaire
showed cross-cultural differences in aggression between various nations.
Use of Sewage Sludge in the Production of Plant Biomass for Energy: Biological and Economic Conditions
Authors: Romanowska-Duda Zdzisława , Grzesik Mieczysław , Pszczółkowski Wiktor , Pszczółkowska Agata , Wysokińska Zofia
Published: May 2018

The goal of this article is a presentation of the legal, biological, and economic conditions of energy production using biomass, especially taking into account the application of sewage sludge certified for natural use in agriculture. Any increase in the production of biomass necessitates the introduction of cheap and highly–efficient plant production technologies that are environmentally– friendly. Use of certified sewage sludge can increase the economic efficiency of energy crops and have a beneficial impact on the environment.
European Union Water Policy: Key Issues and Challenges
Authors: Lipińska Danuta
Published: May 2018

Water resources are among the most valuable resources of the natural environment. The sustainable and integrated management of these resources is the basis of European water policy. Pursuant to the Water Framework Directive, all waters in the European Union should achieve a state considered at least good by the year 2015. Just how this objective can be met continues to be a topic of discussions in some of the Member States. There exist serious problems and delays in performing and implementing the provisions of the Directive in most EU countries. What is more, the state of the water economy in several countries, including Poland, has been criticized by the European Commission. Many challenges stand before European water policy. They require solutions on a global and local level. This article presents current key problems and planned directions for EU water policy development, subjected to analysis and assessment. Note is taken on the newest initiative of the European Commission in the area of water policy, especially the plan for protecting Europe’s water resources—the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources.
Boosting Indonesia’S Creative Industries: Identification of People’S Characteristics and Creative Behaviour
Authors: Setiadi Nugroho J. , Boediprasetya Agoestiana , Wahdiaman
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an empirical model to assess personal characteristics and creative behaviour among creative workers in Indonesia’s creative industries. It is critical for people to do their best to ensure and realise that creativity is one of the most important elements in order to achieve high performance. Although a few previous studies have focused on the understanding of how the myriad of interacting potential creators can foster their performance, the characteristics and behaviour patterns of Indonesia’s creative workers are not well identified yet. Considering this, a new measure has been developed and evaluated with a group of creative workers (N = 220). This study presents data supporting the reliability (internal consistency) and validity (criterion and construction) of this multidimensional instrument. The results of factor analysis indicated a fivefactor solution. These factors demonstrated adequate internal consistency and correlations with the established measures of the Big-Five personality (e.g. the NEO-FFI of Costa & McCrae 1992). It was found that the most important elements determining the characteristics of creative people are enthusiasm, a low depression level, self-discipline, trust, and ideas.
Cultural Quarters as a Means of Enhancing the Creative Capacity of Polish Cities? Some Evidence from Cracow
Authors: Murzyn-Kupisz Monika
Published: May 2018

Culture-oriented activities conducted by diverse actors in selected urban areas may lead to the formation of unique quarters of production and consumption of cultural goods and services which function both as creative hubs and leisure spaces. Such cultural quarters may develop spontaneously or as a result of official designation and major public investment. Referring to the debate on cultural quarters in Western Europe, this article aims to examine the issue of the spatial concentration of cultural and creative activities within a selected large city in Poland. The author analyses recent transformations of two historic quarters in Cracow (Kazimierz and Podgórze) and considers the extent to which both areas can be regarded as successful cultural quarters. She describes their emergence and the changes observed in them in terms of groupings, character and number of creative-sector firms established there, pondering whether their role is limited to a function as centres of commercial cultural entertainment and night-life consumption, or whether they indeed stimulate the development of a creative economy.
Pseudo-Archaic English: the Modern Perception and Interpretation of The Linguistic Past
Authors: Traxel Oliver M.
Published: May 2018

This paper introduces a new project currently in its planning stages.1 It is dedicated to pseudoarchaic English, an area in linguistic studies which has so far hardly received any academic attention. After providing some historical examples a brief selection of some present-day occurrences as well as inspirational sources for these is given. Sample cases of pseudo-archaic English from various linguistic categories are presented in order to illustrate the wide range of its usage. Some remarks on modern perceptions of the linguistic past and their role in creating pseudo-archaic forms are provided and followed by suggestions on what still needs to be done in this field.
Solvability of a linear non-local boundary value problem for nonlinear functional differential equations
Authors: Opluštil Zdeněk
Published: May 2018

New sufficient conditions are established for the solvability as well as unique solvability of a linear non-local boundary value problem for nonlinear functional differential equations.
K-nearest neighbour kernel density estimation, the choice of optimal k
Authors: Orava Jan
Published: May 2018

The k-nearest neighbour kernel density estimationmethod is a special type of the kernel density estimation method with the local choice of the bandwidth. An advantage of this estimator is that smoothing varies according to the number of observations in a particular region. The crucial problem is how to estimate the value of the parameter k. In the paper we discuss the problem of choosing the parameter k in a way that minimizes the value of the asymptotic mean integrated square error (AMISE). We define the class of the modified cosine densities that meet the requirements given by the AMISE. The results are compared in a simulation study.
Curvature of Cr Manifolds
Authors: Bejancu Aurel , Farran Hani Reda
Published: May 2018

We prove the existence and uniqueness of a torsion-free and h-metric linear connection ▽(CR connection) on the horizontal distribution of a CR manifold M. Then we define the CR sectional curvature of M and obtain a characterization of the CR space forms. Also, by using the CR Ricci tensor and the CR scalar curvature we define the CR Einstein gravitational tensor field on M. Thus, we can write down Einstein equations on the horizontal distribution of the 5-dimensional CR manifold involved in the Penrose correspondence. Finally, some CR differential operators are defined on M and two examples are given to illustrate the theory developed in the paper. Most of the results are obtained for CR manifolds that do not satisfy the integrability conditions
On Lattice-Theoretical Construction of Matroids
Authors: Mao Hua
Published: May 2018

This paper builds up a lattice-theoretical construction for all of matroids under isomorphism with the help of Galois isomorphisms among contexts. It discusses the lattice operations defined on this lattice construction with the direct sum between matroids.
Sliding mode approach to torque and pitch control for an wind energy system using FPGA
Authors: Subudhi Bidyadhar , Suresh Ogeti Pedda
Published: May 2018

Wind energy, being a fluctuating resource, requires a tight control management to ensure stability when integrated with the grid system. This has triggered interest towards developing advanced controllers. Hence this paper presents the study of a variable speed wind energy conversion system that uses a Double Fed Induction Generator (DFIG). Above rated wind speed, pitch control has been applied and below the rated speed torque control has been adopted. Generator torque control is able to reduce the effects of the pitch actuator limitations. Sliding mode control is applied for torque and pitch control in WECS and it has been implemented in MATLAB SIMULINK and FPGA to achieve control of active and reactive power exchange between the stator of the DFIG and the grid. Performance parameters like pitch angle, active, reactive power, turbine speed, and DC voltage has been compared by using SMC, Hill Climbing (HC) Algorithm and Perturb and Observe (P&O) Algorithm and performance for these three methods has been simulated and implemented in FPGA. Total Harmonic Distortion for all the performance parameters has been reported. Hardware implementation of developed algorithm was accomplished with the help of Xilinx system generator and Xilinx Tool Kit.
Hand’s poses recognition as a mean of communication within natural user interfaces
Authors: Wojciechowski A.
Published: May 2018

Natural user interface (NUI) is a successor of command line interfaces (CLI) and graphical user interfaces (GUI) so well known to computer users. A new natural approach is based on extensive human behaviors tracking, where hand tracking and gesture recognition seem to play the main roles in communication. The presented paper reviews common approaches to discussed hand features tracking and provides a very effective proposal of the contour based hand’s poses recognition method which can be straightforwardly used for a hand-based natural user interface. Its possible usage varies from medical systems interaction, through games up to impaired people communication support.
Firefly algorithm in optimization of queueing systems
Authors: Kwiecień J. , Filipowicz B.
Published: May 2018

Queueing theory provides methods for analysis of complex service systems in computer systems, communications, transportation networks and manufacturing. It incorporates Markovian systems with exponential service times and a Poisson arrival process. Two queueing systems with losses are also briefly characterized. The article describes firefly algorithm, which is successfully used for optimization of these queueing systems. The results of experiments performed for selected queueing systems have been also presented.
Pilot-scale studies on NOx removal from flue gas via NO ozonation and absorption into NaOH solution
Authors: Jakubiak Maciej P. ,   Kordylewski
Published: May 2018

The paper presents results of experimental studies on removal of NOx from flue gas via NO ozonation and wet scrubbing of products of NO oxidation in NaOH solutions. The experiment was conducted in a pilot plant installation supplied with flue gas from a coal-fired boiler at the flow rate 200 m3/h. The initial mole fraction of NOx,ref in flue gas was approx. 220 ppm, the molar ratio X = O3/NOref varied between 0 and 2.5. Ozone (O3 content 1÷5% in oxygen) was injected into the flue gas channel before the wet scrubber. The effect of the mole ratio X, the NaOH concentration in the absorbent, the liquid-to-gas ratio (L/G) and the initial NOx concentration on the efficiency of NOx removal was examined. Two domains of the molar ratio X were distinguished in which denitrification was governed by different mechanisms: for X ≤ 1.0 oxidation of NO to NO2 predominates with slow absorption of NO2, for X >> 1.0 NO2 undergoes further oxidation to higher oxides being efficiently absorbed in the scrubber. At the stoichiometric conditions (X = 1) the effectiveness of NO oxidation was better than 90%. However, the effectiveness of NOx removal reached only 25%. When ozonation was intensified (X ≥ 2.25) about 95% of NOx was removed from flue gas. The concentration of sodium hydroxide in the aqueous solution and the liquid-to-gas ratio in the absorber had little effect on the effectiveness of NOx removal for X > 2.
Mathematical model for biological cell deformation in a cylindrical pore
Authors: Szwast Maciej , Suchecka Teresa , Piątkiewicz Wojciech
Published: May 2018

Some studies show that cells are able to penetrate through pores that are smaller than cell size. It concerns especially Red Blood Cells but it also may concern different types of biological cells. Such penetration of small pores is a very significant problem in the filtration process, for example in micro- or ultrafiltration. Deformability of cells allows them to go through the porous membrane and contaminate permeate. This paper shows how cells can penetrate small cylindrical holes and tries to assess mechanical stress in a cell during this process. A new mathematical approach to this phenomenon was presented, based on assumptions that were made during the microscopic observation of Red Blood Cell aspiration into a small capillary. The computational model concerns Red Blood Cell geometry. The mathematical model allows to obtain geometrical relation as well as mechanical stress relations.
CFD analysis of mixing intensity in jet stirred reactors
Authors: Gil Iwona , Mocek Piotr
Published: May 2018

The homogeneous stirred reactor designed for kinetic studies of the combustion of hydrocarbons with intensive internal recirculation in high temperature combustion chamber is described. The originality of our reactor lies in its construction which allows to intensively mix fuel and flue gases, measure gas temperature as well as obtain samples which can be used to investigate diffusion flames. The cylindrical construction enables to use the reactor in laboratory cylindrical electrically heated ovens. The CFD analysis of the reactors, the mixing parameters (turbulent Peclet number and mixing level) and the volume average temperature in the reactors were elaborated on the basis of the typical dimensions of classical reactors to kinetics research as well as the own reactor design. The results of the analysis allow to reveal advantages of our construction.
Start-Up, Modelling and Simulation of the Anammox Process in a Membrane Bioreactor
Authors: Cema Grzegorz , Sochacki Adam , Kubiatowicz Jakub , Gutwiński Piotr , Surmacz-Górska Joanna
Published: May 2018

There are certain well-known methods of diminishing concentrations of nitrogen compounds, but they are ineffective in case of nitrogen-rich wastewater with a low content of biodegradable carbon. Partial nitritation followed by anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process appear to be an excellent alternative for traditional nitrification and denitrification. This paper presents the feasibility of successful start-up of Anammox process in a laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR). It was shown that the combination of membrane technology and Anammox process allowed to create a new highly efficient and compact system for nitrogen removal. It was possible to achieve average nitrogen removal efficiency equal to 76.7 ± 8.3%. It was shown that the start-up period of 6 months was needed to obtain high nitrogen removal efficiency. The applied biochemical model of the Anammox process was based on the state-of-the-art Activated Sludge Model No.1 (ASM 1) which was modified for accounting activity of autotrophs (nitrite-oxidising bacteria and nitrateoxidising bacteria) and anammox bacteria. In order to increase the predictive power of the simulation selected parameters of the model were adjusted during model calibration. Readjustment of the model parameters based on the critically evaluated data of the reactor resulted in a satisfactory match between the model predictions and the actual observations.
Comparison of Advanced Signal-Processing Methods for Roller Bearing Faults Detection
Authors: Urbanek Jacek , Barszcz Tomasz , Uhl Tadeusz
Published: May 2018

Wind turbines are nowadays one of the most promising energy sources. Every year, the amount of energy produced from the wind grows steadily. Investors demand turbine manufacturers to produce bigger, more efficient and robust units. These requirements resulted in fast development of condition-monitoring methods. However, significant sizes and varying operational conditions can make diagnostics of the wind turbines very challenging.

The paper shows the case study of a wind turbine that had suffered a serious rolling element bearing (REB) fault. The authors compare several methods for early detection of symptoms of the failure. The paper compares standard methods based on spectral analysis and a number of novel methods based on narrowband envelope analysis, kurtosis and cyclostationarity approach.

The very important problem of proper configuration of the methods is addressed as well. It is well known that every method requires setting of several parameters. In the industrial practice, configuration should be as standard and simple as possible. The paper discusses configuration parameters of investigated methods and their sensitivity to configuration uncertainties
Generation of a Zone Chirp in Uniform Bragg Grating is a Way of Obtaining Double Functionality of a Sensor
Authors: Kisała Piotr
Published: May 2018

This paper presents a method of using a sensor with uniform Bragg grating with appropriately generated zone chirp. The presented method can be used for measuring two physical quantities, namely strain and temperature. By providing the same temperature sensitivity and different sensitivity to strain of two parts of a sensor, and experimental measurement of qualities of the proposed system and its calibration (experimental determination of sensitivity), verification of the results obtained from laboratory tests and the possibility of its practical implementation has been confirmed. The sensor grating was placed in such a way that its half was in the zone of a variable value of axial strain caused by changes of the cross-section of the sample. The other half, however, was in the zone of a constant cross-section of the sample and of constant value of strain, caused by the force stretching the sample. The obtained errors of non-linearity of processing characteristics for measuring strain and temperature of the proposed system were 2.7% and 1.5% respectively, while coefficients of sensitivity to strain and temperature were 0.77 x 10-6 m/e and 4.13 x 10-12 m/K respectively. The maximum differences between the values obtained from the indirect measurement and the set values were 110 μe for strain and 3.8°C for temperature, for a strain of 2500 μe and a temperature of 40°C.
Study on Ballistocardiogram Acquisition in a Moving Wheelchair with Embedded Sensors
Authors: Pinheiro Eduardo , Postolache Octavian , Girão Pedro
Published: May 2018

Embedding cardiac system sensing devices in wheelchairs is both necessary and attractive. Elders, diabetics, or stroke victims are a substantial group needing permanent cardiac monitoring, without restriction of their already limited mobility. A set of sensing devices was embedded in a wheelchair to monitor the user without his awareness and intervention. A dual-wavelength reflection photoplethysmogram (PPG), and a ballistocardiogram (BCG) based on MEMS accelerometers and on electromechanical film sensors are output by the hardware. Tests were conduced on twenty one subjects, for an immobility scenario. Additional recordings were made for helped propulsion over a tiled floor course, with good results in keeping track of acceleration BCG and PPG. A treadmill was also used for tests, providing a smooth floor and constant speed and inclination. The PPG and acceleration BCG could be continuously monitored in all the tests. The developed system proves to be a good solution to monitor cardiac activity of wheelchair users even during motion.
Standard Uncertainty Determination of the Mean for Correlated Data Using Conditional Averaging
Authors: Kowalczyk Adam , Szlachta Anna , Hanus Robert
Published: May 2018

The correlation of data contained in a series of signal sample values makes the estimation of the statistical characteristics describing such a random sample difficult. The positive correlation of data increases the arithmetic mean variance in relation to the series of uncorrelated results. If the normalized autocorrelation function of the positively correlated observations and their variance are known, then the effect of the correlation can be taken into consideration in the estimation process computationally. A significant hindrance to the assessment of the estimation process appears when the autocorrelation function is unknown. This study describes an application of the conditional averaging of the positively correlated data with the Gaussian distribution for the assessment of the correlation of an observation series, and the determination of the standard uncertainty of the arithmetic mean. The method presented here can be particularly useful for high values of correlation (when the value of the normalized autocorrelation function is higher than 0.5), and for the number of data higher than 50. In the paper the results of theoretical research are presented, as well as those of the selected experiments of the processing and analysis of physical signals.
Measurement Procedure of Ring Motion with the Use of Highspeed Camera During Electromagnetic Expansion
Authors: Janiszewski Jacek
Published: May 2018

An optical measurement method of radial displacement of a ring sample during its expansion with velocity of the order 172 m/s and estimation technique of plastic flow stress of a ring material on basis of the obtained experimental data are presented in the work. To measure the ring motion during the expansion process, the Phantom v12 digital high-speed camera was applied, whereas the specialized TEMA Automotive software was used to analyze the obtained movies. Application of the above-mentioned tools and the developed measuring procedure of the ring motion recording allowed to obtain reliable experimental data and calculation results of plastic flow stress of a copper ring with satisfactory accuracy.
Electrochemical micromachining with ultra short voltage pulses
Authors: Zemann Richard , Bleicher Friedrich , Zisser-Pfeifer Reinhard
Published: May 2018

The machining technology of electrochemical micromachining with ultra short voltage pulses (μPECM) is based on the already well-established fundamentals of common electrochemical manufacturing technologies. The enormous advantage of the highest manufacturing precision underlies the fact of the extremely small working gaps achievable through ultra short voltage pulses in nanosecond duration. This describes the main difference with common electrochemical technologies. With the theoretical resolution of 10 nm, this technology enables high precision manufacturing [4].
Molecular analysis of a fragment of gene E1B 19K of canine adenovirus 2 (CAV-2) isolated from dogs with symptoms of cough
Authors: Kalinowski M. , Adaszek Ł. , Miłoszowska P. , Skrzypczak M. , Ziętek-Barszcz A. , Kutrzuba J. , Grądzki Z. , Winiarczyk S.
Published: May 2018

The aim of this study was to perform molecular analysis of canine adenovirus 2 (CAV-2) E1B 19K gene fragment isolated from 20 dogs of various breeds (12 males and 8 females aged 1-9 years), with clinical symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, from the Lubelszczyzna region. Nasal swabs were taken from dogs. DNA of CAV-2 was detected using the PCR method in 16 swabs. All PCR products were sequenced, and the obtained sequences were compared with each other and with the sequence of the E1B 19K gene of the CAV-2 strain from an online database of NCBI GenBank: AC 000003. Based on analysis of the obtained sequences, three polymorphic variants of CAV-2 (No.1-3) with homology of 78 - 100% were distinguished. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the most frequently represented polymorphic variant, No. 1, differed from the sequences of polymorphic variant No. 2 with one substitution. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence of the E1B 19K gene of CAV-2 AC 000003 differed from the analogous sequences of representatives of variant No. 1 with 44 nucleotide and 19 amino acid substitutions. The small number of nucleotide differences in the E1B 19K CAV-2 gene among the examined own isolates, compared with AC 000003, suggest that the infections in dogs were caused by a relatively genetically stable virus which occurs in eastern Poland.
Morphometric measurements of the seminiferous tubules of the testes in 2-year-old and 3-year-old European bison males with or without spermiogenesis
Authors: Czykier E. , Bierła J.B. , Góral K.
Published: May 2018

The area, perimeter and diameter of the seminiferous tubules in the European bison Bison bonasus (L.) were statistically higher in the animals with than in those without spermiogenesis, both among 2-year-old and 3-year-old males (p<0.001; p<0.001; p<0.001).
Effects of antibiotics on acquired immunity in vivo – current state of knowledge
Authors: Pomorska-Mól M. , Pejsak Z.
Published: May 2018

Antibiotics are widely used in the therapy of infections. Besides the respective interactions between antibiotics and pathogens it seems that antibiotics also directly interact with the immune system. Some commonly used antibiotics are currently known to have effects on the innate immune response, as shown byin vitro, ex vivoand alsoin vivoanimal experiments and clinical studies. Most of the experimental papers published to date, as well as most reviews, relate to how antibiotics affect the innate immune response or non-specific monocyte or lymphocyte proliferation. However the effects of antibiotics on the adaptive immune response are still not well characterized. This review of the literature considering differentin vivoexperiments indicate the real importance of interrelations existing between acquired immune responses and antibiotics, however, the mechanism of immunomodulatory effects of antibiotics are still poorly understood. Currently, data on the immunomodulating effects of antibiotics often remain heterogeneous, contradictory or insufficient, but most results published to date revealed the immunosuppressive effect of antibiotics on the antigen- specific immune responsein vivo. In pigs as well as in poultry herds, it is not uncommon practice to add antibiotics to drinking water or feed at the time of vaccination. Information on the effects of such practices on the immune system of animals is restricted and morein vivostudies are needed to investigate the effects of antimicrobial drugs on the immune system, especially in the field conditions.
Unified approach to the impulse response and green function in the circuit and field theory, part I: one–dimensional case
Authors: Šumichrast L’Ubomír
Published: May 2018

In the circuit theory the concept of the impulse response of a linear system due to its excitation by the Dirac delta function ƍ(t) together with the convolution principle is widely used and accepted. The rigorous theory of symbolic functions, sometimes called distributions, where also the delta function belongs, is rather abstract and requires subtle mathematical tools [1], [2], [3], [4]. Nevertheless, the most people intuitively well understand the delta function as a derivative of the (Heaviside) unit step function 1(t) without too much mathematical rigor. The concept of the impulse response of linear systems is here approached in a unified manner and generalized to the time-space phenomena in one dimension (transmission lines), as well as in a subsequent paper [5] to the phenomena in more dimensions (static and dynamic electromagnetic fields).
Bloch impedance analysis for a left handed transmission line
Authors: Sabah Cumali , Urbani Fabio , Uckun Savas
Published: May 2018

In this study, the dispersion relation and the frequency dependence of Bloch impedance in a left handed transmission line (LH-TL) is carried out using the F-matrix formulation and Bloch-Floquet theorem. The artificial LH-TL formed by periodic lumped elements is described and the F-matrix, dispersion relation and the Bloch impedance are formulated according to this description. Numerical results for lossless and lossy LH-TL are presented and discussed.
Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon nitride films prepared by PECVD technology: properties
Authors: Huran Jozef , Valovič Albín , Kučera Michal , Kleinová Angela , Kovačcová Eva , Boháček Pavol , Sekáčová Mária
Published: May 2018

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon nitride films were grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique. The flow rates of SiH4 , CH4 and NH3 gases were 6 sccm, 30 sccm and 8 sccm, respectively. The deposition temperatures were 350, 400 and 450 ◦C. The RBS and ERD results showed that the concentrations of Si, C, N and H are practically the same in the films deposited at substrate temperatures in the range 350-450 ◦C. In photoluminescence spectra we identified two peaks and assigned them to radiative transitions typical for amorphous materials, ie band to band and defect-related ones. The electrical characterization consists of I(V ) measurement in sandwich configuration for voltages up to 100 V. From electrical characterization, it was found that with increased deposition temperature the resistivity of the amorphous SiCN film was reduced.
Pulse doubling in zigzag–connected autotransformer–based 12–pulse ac–dc converter for power quality improvement
Authors: Abdollahi Rohollah
Published: May 2018

This paper presents a pulse doubling technique in a 12-pulse ac-dc converter which supplies direct torque controlled motor drives (DTCIMDs) in order to have better power quality conditions at the point of common coupling. The proposed technique increases the number of rectification pulses without significant changes in the installations and yields in harmonic reduction in both ac and dc sides. The 12-pulse rectified output voltage is accomplished via two paralleled six-pulse acdc converters each of them consisting of three-phase diode bridge rectifiers. An autotransformer is designed to supply the rectifiers. The design procedure of magnetics is in a way such that makes it suitable for retrofit applications where a six-pulse diode bridge rectifier is being utilized. Independent operation of paralleled diode-bridge rectifiers, i.e. dc-ripple re-injection methodology, requires a Zero Sequence Blocking Transformer (ZSBT). Finally, a tapped interphase reactor is connected at the output of ZSBT to double the pulse numbers of output voltage up to 24 pulses. The aforementioned structure improves power quality criteria at ac mains and makes them consistent with the IEEE-519 standard requirements for varying loads. Furthermore, near unity power factor is obtained for a wide range of DTCIMD operation. A comparison is made between 6-pulse, 12-pulse, and proposed converters from view point of power quality indices. Results show that input current total harmonic distortion (THD) is less than 5% for the proposed topology at various loads.
Improving the ohmic properties of contacts to P–GaN by adding p–type dopants into the metallization layer
Authors: Liday Jozef , Vogrinčič Peter , Vincze Andrej , Breza Juraj , Hotový Ivan
Published: May 2018

The work investigates an increase of the density of free charge carriers in the sub-surface region of p-GaN by adding p-type dopants into the Ni-O layer of an Au/Ni-O metallization structure. We have examined electrical properties and concentration depth profiles of contact structures Au/Ni-Mg-O/p-GaN and Au/Ni-Zn-O/p-GaN, thus with magnesium and zinc as p-type dopants. The metallization layers were deposited on p-GaN by DC reactive magnetron sputtering in an atmosphere with a low concentration of oxygen (0.2 at%). The contacts were annealed in N2 . We have found that the structures containing magnesium or zinc exhibit lower values of contact resistivity in comparison with otherwise identical contacts without Mg or Zn dopants. In our opinion, the lower values of contact resistivity of the structures containing of Mg or Zn are caused by an increased density of holes in the sub-surface region of p-GaN due to diffusion of Mg or Zn from the deposited doped contact layers.
Laboratory and industrial synthesis of remifentanil
Authors: Mathia František , Marchalín Štefan , Végh Daniel , Bobošíková Mária , Halinkovičová Michaela
Published: May 2018

The submitted review aims at critical evaluation of known synthetic procedures utilized both for laboratory and industrial production of the synthetic analgesic - remifentanil as to their simplicity, published yield and atom economy.
3-(2-Heteroaryl)-pyrazolotetrazoles – a subunits for losartan-like structures
Authors: Andicsová Anita , Lásiková Angelika , Fronc Marek , Kožíšek Jozef , Végh Daniel
Published: May 2018

A modification of biphenylyltetrazole moiety of Losartan (A) by 3-(2-heteroaryl)-pyrazolotetrazole (B) is described. Ketone semicarbazones react with two moles of phosphorus oxychloride-dimethylformamide with the formation of 3-substituted pyrazol-4-carbaldehydes. The transformations of 3-substituted pyrazole-4- carboxaldehydes to 3-substituted pyrazole-4-nitriles were carried out by reaction of hydroxylamine in DMFA. The prepared cyano pyrazoles were converted to tetrazoles by heating with trimethylsilylazide and dibuthyltinoxide in toluene.
Song Description of Zubovski’s Bush-Cricket, Isophya Zubowskii (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae)
Authors: Iorgu Ionuţ Ştefan , Iorgu Elena Iulia
Published: May 2018

The bush-cricket Isophya zubowskii Bey-Bienko, 1954 was surveyed in the period 2002- 2012 in 11 locations from Romania. The calling song, described hereby for the first time, consists of a long series of syllables, each formed by 85-118 impulses and lasting for 236-319 ms in the populations near Iaşi, while the individuals from three other populations in Southern Romania produce shorter syllables, consisting of 74-105 impulses and, lasting for 182-251 ms. Sound frequency ranges in the interval 10-40 kHz, with highest peak at about 18-26 kHz. Based on the description of its calling song, we conclude that Isophya zubowskii belongs to the Isophya kraussii species group.
Drivers’ Age, Gender, Driving Experience, and Aggressiveness as Predictors of Aggressive Driving Behaviour
Authors: Perepjolkina Viktorija , Reņģe Viesturs
Published: May 2018

Recent years have seen a growing interest in the problem of aggressive driving. In the present
study two demographic variables (gender and age), two non-psychological driving-experience
related variables (annual mileage and legal driving experience in years) and aggressiveness as
a personality trait (including behavioural and affective components) as psychological variable
of individual differences were examined as potential predictors of aggressive driving. The aim
of the study was to find out the best predictors of aggressive driving behaviour. The study was
based on an online survey, and 228 vehicle drivers in Latvia participated in it. The questionnaire
included eight-item Aggressive Driving Scale (Bone & Mowen, 2006), short Latvian version
of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; Buss & Perry, 1992), and questions gaining
demographic and driving experience information. Gender, age and annual mileage predicted
aggressive driving: being male, young and with higher annual driving exposure were associated
with higher scores on aggressive driving. Dispositional aggressiveness due to anger component
was a significant predictor of aggressive diving score. Physical aggression and hostility were
unrelated to aggressive driving. Altogether, the predictors explained a total of 28% of the
variance in aggressive driving behaviour. Findings show that dispositional aggressiveness,
especially the anger component, as well as male gender, young age and higher annual mileage
has a predictive validity in relation to aggressive driving. There is a need to extend the scope of
potential dispositional predictors pertinent to driving aggression.
Systematics and faunistics of Grapholitini, 2: Ethelgoda Heinrich, Ofatulena Heinrich, Cyanocydia gen. n., and Metacydia gen. n.
Authors: Razowski Józef , Becker Vitor O.
Published: May 2018

. Neotropical members of four genera of Grapholitini are treated: Ethelgoda HEINRICH, Ofatulena HEINRICH, Cyanocydia gen. n., and Metacydia gen. n. Five species are described as new: Ethelgoda escarcegae sp. n., E. anfracta sp. n., E. stynophra sp. n., Ofatulenalathetica sp. n., and Metacydia polyseta sp. n.
Splanchnic Circulation in Small for Date Newborns
Authors: Paulusova E , Stillova L , Haskova K , Matasova K
Published: May 2018

Hypotrophic newborn is a newborn with birth weight below the 5th percentile weight of corresponding gestational age. Hypotrophic infants have higher morbidity and mortality in comparison with eutrophic neonates. A higher incidence of hypoglycemia, polycythemia, hyperbilirubinemia, thrombocytopenia, perinatal asphyxia and caesarean section occurs typically in hypotrophic newborns. Both, intrauterine hemodynamic dysbalance and centralization of circulation due to hypotrophy cause decreased blood flow to the splanchnic circulation after the birth. There was observed a lower increase in blood flow through the coeliac artery and superior mesenteric artery in comparison with eutrophic newborns during the first postnatal week. These facts are likely to be associated with a higher frequency of abdominal problems and necrotizing enterocolitis.
Adsorption of nitrate from aqueous solution onto modified cassava (Manihot esculenta) straw / Adsorpcja azotanów z roztworu wodnego na zmodyfikowanej słomie manioku Manihot esculenta
Authors: Li Wang , Mo Weiming , Kang Caiyan , Zhang Minjun , Meng Mianwu , Chen Menglin
Published: May 2018

The performance of a new anion exchanger prepared from raw cassava straw (RCS), for the removal of nitrate from aqueous solutions was evaluated in this study. The cassava straw was modified by epichlorohydrin in the presence of pyridine. The influencing factors, adsorption kinetics, and thermodynamics model of nitrate adsorption onto the modified cassava straw (MCS) were studied. The results showed that the zeta potentials of RCS and MCS were -20.5 mV and +37.3 mV, nitrogen contents (N %) of RCS and MCS were 0.43 and 4.96%, respectively. The best nitrate removal results was reached at 0.2 g of adsorbent dosage and pH range of 6.0÷12.0. The modified cassava straw adsorbed nitrate(V) quickly, reaching equilibrium within 30 minutes. The kinetics of nitrate adsorption at different initial concentrations (25, 50 and 75 mg/dm3) all fit a second order reaction. The adsorption rates were controlled by both membrane diffusion and intra-particle diffusion. The adsorption data fit the Freundlich adsorption isotherm and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity was 2.14, 2.00 and 1.81 mmol/dm3 at 293, 303, and 313 K, respectively.
Investigation of committed radiation dose rate and relationships between alkaline metals concentrations in mushroom Xerocomus badius / Badanie wchłoniętej, skutecznej dawki promieniowania i zależności pomiędzy stężeniami metali alkalicznych w owocnikach Xerocomus badius
Authors: Dołhańczuk-Śródka Agnieszka , Ziembik Zbigniew , Kříž Jan , Hyšplerova Lidmila , Wacławek Maria
Published: May 2018

The fruiting bodies of fungi sprout from mycelium are capable of accumulating significant amounts of trace elements, both metals and metalloids. Content of these elements in fruiting bodies may exceed their concentration in the substrate where fungi develop. Among the elements the radioactive nuclides are also present. In this work health risk caused by increased radioactivity dose absorbed with Xerocomus badius bay bolete consumption was estimated. In analysis concentrations of radioactive isotopes 137Cs and 40K were taken into consideration. It was found that moderate ingestion of bay bolete does not create health risk due to increased radioactive substances intake. The amount of consumed mushrooms that could deliver the dose exceeding the safe one, is rather improbable in real life. Possible relationships between radioactive isotopes concentrations and concentrations of common alkali metals were investigated using methods designed for compositional data analysis. No clear relationships between 137Cs, Ca, K and Mg concentrations in samples of bay bolete were found and significant influence of outlying data points on statistical inference was noticed.
Glutamine as a Feed Supplement for Piglets: a Review / Glutamina jako dodatek do paszy dla prosiąt: przegląd
Authors: Hanczakowska Ewa , Niwińska Barbara
Published: May 2018

Weaning is a crucial moment in a piglet’s life. It is characterized by a generally low nutrient intake and adverse changes in the small intestinal mucosa. Proper feeding is therefore necessary to ensure normal development of the gastrointestinal tract. One substance that could provide intestinal epithelial cells with necessary energy is the amino acid glutamine. It improves epithelium structure and accelerates the growth of intestinal villi in which nutrients are absorbed, thus improving feed utilization and growth performance in piglets. The effect of glutamine on intestinal microflora also improves animal health. In addition to liver and kidneys, small intestine is the main site of glutamine metabolism, which leads to the synthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides and of the important antioxidant glutathione. Glutamine is also a precursor for the synthesis of proline and arginine, the components of body proteins. Glutamine downregulates the expression of genes responsible for oxidative stress and immune activation, and increases the expression of genes that are necessary for cell growth and removal of oxidants. Due to these properties, glutamine is considered an essential amino acid in diets for weaned piglets.
Analysis of the Possibility of Improving the Indicators of Pork Quality Through Selection with Particular Consideration of Intramuscular Fat (MF) Content / Analiza możliwości poprawy wskaźników jakości wieprzowiny na drodze selekcji ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem zawartości tłuszczu śródmięśniowego (IMF)
Authors: Tyra Mirosław , Żak Grzegorz
Published: May 2018

The aim of the study was to estimate coefficients of heritability for intramuscular fat (IMF) content and other fattening, slaughter and meat quality traits of the pig breeds raised in Poland. In addition, genetic correlations were estimated between IMF content and a group of fattening, slaughter and meat quality traits, which enables this parameter to be included in the BLUP estimation of breeding value. The experiment used Polish Landrace (PL), Polish Large White (PLW), Puławska, Hampshire, Duroc, Pietrain and line 990 animals. A total of 4430 gilts of these breeds, tested at Pig Performance Testing Stations (SKURTCh), were investigated. Heritability of IMF was at intermediate level for the two most common breeds raised in Poland (h2 = .318 for PLW, h2 = .291 for PL). In the group of meat quality traits, high heritability was noted for meat colour lightness (L*) measured by Minolta (from h2 = .453 to h2 = .572). No relationships were found between IMF level and indicators of fattening performance. The highest value observed in this group of traits concerned the genetic relationship with daily feed intake (rG = .227) for the entire group of animals. For the PLW and PL breeds, these relationships were with feed conversion (kg/kg gain) (rG = .151 and rG = .167, respectively). One of the higher relationships observed were genetic correlations with water holding capacity (above rG = -.3) and, for the PLW and PL breeds, with meat redness (a*), which amounted to rG = .155 and rG = .143, respectively.
Effect of Inulin and Garlic Supplementation in Pig Diets / Efektywność dodatku inuliny i czosnku w żywieniu tuczników
Authors: Grela Eugeniusz R. , Pietrzak Krzysztof , Sobolewska Sandra , Witkowski Piotr
Published: May 2018

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of supplementing inulin and inulin with garlic extract to pig diets on performance, carcass traits, blood metabolic profile and fatty acid composition of longissimus muscle. The experiment was carried out on 48 crossbred [(PL × PLW) × Duroc] fattening pigs with an initial body weight of 30.0 ± 0.5 kg, which were allocated to 3 groups: I (control), II (3% inulin) and III (3% inulin + 500 ml garlic extract added to 1000 l of drinking water). The pigs whose diets were supplemented with inulin or inulin and garlic achieved significantly (P≤0.05) higher daily weight gains compared to control. Supplemental inulin and water extract of garlic significantly (P≤0.05) lowered cholesterol content in blood and longissimus muscle. The highest level of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids was established in the longissimus muscle from pigs in group III.
Long-term organic fertilization effect on chernozem structure
Authors: Słowińska-Jurkiewicz A. , Bryk M. , Medvedev V.V.
Published: May 2018

The objective of the study was to examine the structure of typical Ukrainian chernozem developed on loess, which (I) had been fertilized by standard crop rotation since 1912 with farm yard manure at the rate of 16 t ha-1 and (II) had not been fertilized with farm yard manure by sugar beet monoculture since 1929. After harvest of winter wheat and sugar beet, the samples of undisturbed structure were taken from 5 layers of both profiles: 0-8, 10-18, 20-28, 30-38, and 40-48 cm. The morphological analysis of the structure of the investigated chernozem revealed that the most visible differences between the soil structures of the two pedons occurred in their superficial layers. The 0-18 cm layer of the soil in the experiment I had an aggregate structure, whereas analogous layer of the soil in experiment II was much more compacted. Below about 30 cm from the ground level both pedons had very similar structure. For the soil in the experiment I an appropriate crop rotation and regular supplies of organic matter allowed for preservation of a favourable structure even in the upper layers - in contrast to the soil in the experiment II.
Vertical distribution of dry mass in cereals straw and its loss during harvesting
Authors: Zając T. , Oleksy A. , Stokłosa A. , Klimek-Kopyra A. , Macuda J.
Published: May 2018

The study aimed at evaluating the distribution of mass in the straw of cereal species and also at assessing the straw yield and its losses resulting from the amount of the stubble left in the field. It was found empirically that the wheat culms are composed of five internodes, and in barley, triticale and oats of six. The highest straw mass per 1 cm was found in the second internode in both forms of wheat and winter triticale, whereas barley and oats gathered the highest weight in the first internode. In the southern part of Silesia species and forms of cereals differed in the straw yield, which can be arranged as follows, from the highest: winter wheat > spring wheat, winter triticale, winter barley, and oats > spring barley. Due to the specific distribution of dry matter in each of internodes of both wheat forms - winter and spring, they loose less stubble mass (22 and 24%, respectively), comparing to other cereals, especially spring barley, which loose 31% yield of straw in the stubble of 15 cm height.