bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photography as a machine organism: The cyberneticization of the photographic and techne as ethics
Authors: Martinez Mark
Published: April 2016

This article proposes a cybernetic photographic theory that takes seriously the philosophical claim that cameras, images and human beings exist as evolving systems of machines-organisms. It provides an epistemological challenge to the modernist problematic of representation –
namely, the emergence of human consciousness outside and above nature, and a rationalist distinction between an active, visual-reasoning subject and a passive object. I utilize the (non)philosophy of Francois Lauruelle in order to foreground and deepen the understanding of the ethical thought
in cybernetics. My purpose is to build upon ethical philosophy that, as Gilbert Simondon contended, would ‘save the technical object’. There is some urgency to this task as, in saving machines from their own histories and statuses as non-human, representational things in the world,
we may begin an ethico-political programme that evaluates the complementary creative processes of human and machine – in a word, our shared Art – in order to save ourselves. It is perhaps the case that any recuperation of cybernetic and photographic theory today be poised not to
reckon with our ‘digital’ moment but rather with our Anthropocene era defined by human’s extinction level powers of destruction.
Modified Biaxial Accelerometer Framework in G-sensing Mode
Authors: Roháč Jan , Šipoš Martin , Ďaďo Stanislav
Published: April 2016

This paper deals with an acceleration measuring unit, which uses two biaxial accelerometers, and compares its performance with a typical triaxial framework. In cases of small aircrafts, UAVs, robots, or terrestrial vehicle navigation units utilizing sensors manufactured by a MEMS technology are preferred due to their cost-effectiveness. In order to suppress imperfections of the measuring system (noise, drift, nonlinearities, small sensitivity) a solution based on the difference configuration of accelerometers is proposed.
How to run a sports camp – legally speaking
Authors: Monk Steven , Deutsch Joe
Published: April 2016

Camps are a great way to keep kids active throughout the summer and to make money for the program sponsoring them. Planning is needed for a sports camp to be safe for both the camp personnel and the athletes, and to minimize legal negligence.  Having a risk management plan in place is important to insure that everyone is aware of the risks of participating. Background checks on camp personnel help ensure the camp leaders and coaches do not have a criminal background.  It is important to inspect the facilities/equipment to make sure they are safe to use.  Athletic trainers help with injuries that may occur with participation.  Supervisors make sure that everyone is accounted for and camp rules help the campers behave in an appropriate manner.  When planning activities, it is important to look at the skill level of the athletes. If all of these areas are covered, camps should be legally protected if an issue were to arise.
Inferray
Authors: Subercaze Julien , Gravier Christophe , Chevalier Jules , Laforest Frederique
Published: April 2016

The advent of semantic data on the Web requires efficient reasoning systems to infer RDF and OWL data. The linked nature and the huge volume of data entail efficiency and scalability challenges when designing productive inference systems. This paper presents Inferray, an implementation of RDFS, ρdf, and RDFS-Plus inference with improved performance over existing solutions. The main features of Inferray are 1) a storage layout based on vertical partitioning that guarantees sequential access and efficient sort-merge join inference; 2) efficient sorting of pairs of 64-bit integers using ad-hoc optimizations on MSD radix and a custom counting sort; 3) a dedicated temporary storage to perform efficient graph closure computation. Our measurements on synthetic and real-world datasets show improvements over competitors on RDFS-Plus, and up to several orders of magnitude for transitivity closure.
I/O efficient ECC graph decomposition via graph reduction
Authors: Yuan Long , Qin Lu , Lin Xuemin , Chang Lijun , Zhang Wenjie
Published: April 2016

The problem of computing
k
-edge connected components (
k
-ECCs) of a graph
G
for a specific
k
is a fundamental graph problem and has been investigated recently. In this paper, we study the problemof ECC decomposition, which computes the
k
-ECCs of a graph
G
for all
k
values. ECC decomposition can be widely applied in a variety of applications such as graph-topology analysis, community detection, Steiner component search, and graph visualization. A straightforward solution for ECC decomposition is to apply the existing
k
-ECC computation algorithm to compute the
k
-ECCs for all
k
values. However, this solution is not applicable to large graphs for two challenging reasons. First, all existing
k
-ECC computation algorithms are highly memory intensive due to the complex data structures used in the algorithms. Second, the number of possible
k
values can be very large, resulting in a high computational cost when each
k
value is independently considered. In this paper, we address the above challenges, and study I/O efficient ECC decomposition via graph reduction. We introduce two elegant graph reduction operators which aim to reduce the size of the graph loaded in memory while preserving the connectivity information of a certain set of edges to be computed for a specific
k
. We also propose three novel I/O efficient algorithms, Bottom-Up, Top-Down, and Hybrid, that explore the
k
values in different orders to reduce the redundant computations between different
k
values. We analyze the I/O and memory costs for all proposed algorithms. In our experiments, we evaluate our algorithms using seven real large datasets with various graph properties, one of which contains 1.95 billion edges. The experimental results show that our proposed algorithms are scalable and efficient.
Interkulturelle Bibliotheksarbeit aktuell
Authors: Barckow Anne
Published: April 2016

Interkulturelle Dienstleistungen gehören zu den etablierten Angeboten vieler Bibliotheken. Doch durch die Diskussion über die Integration von Flüchtlingen und den Beitrag, den Bibliotheken dazu leisten können, stehen sie stärker im Fokus der Aktivitäten als noch vor wenigen Monaten. Der Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die Rahmenbedingungen und zeigt am konkreten Beispiel der Bücherhallen Hamburg die aktuellen Entwicklungen und das Umdenken auf, von dem nicht nur die Flüchtlinge profitieren.
Kooperation auf Augenhöhe
Authors: Marci-Boehncke Gudrun
Published: April 2016

Zur Realisierung gelingender Zusammenarbeit zwischen Schulen und Schulbibliotheken bedarf es neben fachlicher Professionalität des Personals, einer pädagogischen und digital-medialen Kompetenz auch persönlicher Führungsqualitäten. Erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit mit der Schuladministration kann nur durch kooperatives und führungsstarkes Management auf beiden Seiten gewährleistet werden. Die Situation des „Offenen Ganztags“ in Deutschland darf sich bei Schulbibliotheken nicht wiederholen. Aus internationaler Erfahrung sollten Konsequenzen für die Kooperation von Lehrkräften und Bibliothekaren in Deutschland gezogen werden. Das „Dortmunder Literaturpädagogik-Zertifikat“ könnte zur Ausbildung von Lehrkräften ggf. ein erster Schritt in diese Richtung sein.
Narrative Zeitkonzeptionen in volkssprachlichen Texten des Frühmittelalters:
Authors: Schwarzbach-Dobson Michael
Published: April 2016

The article describes different conceptions of time in vernacular texts from the Early Middle Ages (Old High German, Old Saxon and Old English texts). Contrary to older research, this study does not primarily focus on discrepancies between the Christian and Germanic content in these texts, but rather it draws heavily on new approaches of research with regard to myth: the contingent structure of time is conveyed in mythical ways of thinking and transferred into narratives. The ›Merseburg Incantations‹, the ›Wessobrunn Prayer‹ and ›Muspilli‹, but also the Old English ›Wanderer‹ devise their own models of mythical time comprehension which alternate between opposing poles, namely beginning and end, life cycle and universal time, and mythical and eschatological time.
Textreihe und Gattungsstrukturen.
Authors: Mohr Jan
Published: April 2016

Hugo’s of Montfort texts handed down in an author-commissioned manuscript are characterised by tensions between euphoric and dysphoric notions of the world which were recently described as part of a poetological concept. Complementary, this article aims at the interactions of the single texts arranged in the codex. In focusing on a sequence of songs related to the Tagelied tradition, it is additionally a contribution to the genre-theoretical debate. In this respect, a media-historical aspect shows to be relevant: Since the codex presupposes reading skills, the position of its texts in literary tradition is shaped and altered not only diachronically but also by its textual surroundings.
Reduced bacterial adhesion on titanium surfaces micro-structured by ultra-short pulsed laser ablation
Authors: Doll Katharina , Fadeeva Elena , Stumpp Nico S. , Grade Sebastian , Chichkov Boris N. , Stiesch Meike
Published: April 2016

Implant-associated infections still pose serious problems in modern medicine. The development of fabrication processes to generate functional surfaces, which inhibit bacterial attachment, is of major importance. Sharklet™-like as well as grooves and grid micro-structures having similar dimensions were fabricated on the common implant material titanium by ultra-short pulsed laser ablation. Investigations on the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus for up to 24 h revealed similarly reduced bacterial surface coverage on all micro-structures investigated compared to smooth titanium surfaces. This study is a prove-of-principle and could serve as basis for further investigations towards a structure-based biofilm-inhibiting implant.
Models and Algorithms of Information Retrieval in a Multilingual Environment on the Basis of Thematic and Dynamic Text Corpora
Authors: Mamchich Aleksey A.
Published: April 2016

Models and algorithms of information retrieval in the global and local computer networks on the basis of thematic and dynamic text corpora are proposed in this article. The developed algorithms provide the effectiveness of documents information retrieval and notable for universality, i. e., for the independence from topics. Information system adjustment to a particular data domain can be fully automated, it adds up to the creation of a respective thematic text corpus and an actualization of dictionaries of the knowledge database.
A New Approach for Acoustic Field Interpolation
Authors: Chyrka Iu. D.
Published: April 2016

The present paper describes the basic performance of the 18 microphone acoustic camera manufactured by Brüel & Kjær for acoustic field reconstruction. The new approach for acoustic field interpolation is proposed and investigated.
English Vocabulary Acquisition Through Songs in Chinese Kindergarten Students
Authors: Davis Glenn M. , Fan Wenfang
Published: April 2016

This paper reports an empirical study that examined the widespread practice of using songs in language teaching for young learners. The study may represent the first methodologically rigorous assessment of vocabulary acquisition through songs as used in language teaching. Over a seven-week period including fifteen 40-minute classes, three groups of students from two private kindergartens in Beijing were taught five short English phrases of 4-8 words through each of three conditions (songs, choral repetition, control) in a within-subject repeated measures design. Vocabulary acquisition was measured by the number of meaningful morphemes produced by the students in a picture description task administered before and after the teaching period. Results indicated significant acquisition for items learned through songs and choral repetition, but not for control items. The implication is that songs may indeed contain ünportant pedagogical value.
Patterns of Peer Review in an EFL Writing Course in China
Authors: Yu Ding
Published: April 2016

Peer review is widely used in writing courses for both practical and pedagogical reasons, but little has been published on the characteristics of Chinese EFL learners’ review patterns. This study aimed to explore the types of peer comments, their distribution, and related factors in a Chinese context. It collected and analyzed in NVivo and SPSS 829 peer reviews, survey data, and students’ writing and reading scores. Results show that more than half of the comments focused on language, one third on social talk, and about ten percent on content and organization. Multiple regression results show that content score, organization score, good attitude, procrastination, and assignment type were related to the distribution and the length of comments, but many other influencing factors are to be revealed in future research.
Policy Autonomy, Coordination or Harmonization in the Persistently Heterogeneous European Union?
Authors: Kouba Luděk , Mádr Michal , Nerudová Danuše , Rozmahel Petr
Published: April 2016

Within the context of the continuing integration process in Europe, this paper addresses the question of whether policies in the EU should head towards autonomy, coordination or harmonization. Taking the path dependence effect into account, it is the authors’ opinion that Europe has gone too far in its integration process to be able to continue with policies being fully under the competences of individual member countries. However, the habitual question still arises: does fiscal policy need to be harmonized to a level comparable to monetary policy as these two policies, necessarily, complement each other? This paper argues that it does not. There are three main arguments discussed. Firstly, the authors build on the theory of fiscal federalism. Secondly, there are significantly different regimes of welfare states and extents of social policies among European countries, which strongly determine the character of public finance. And thirdly, the tax systems across Europe are also highly divergent, with many features of continuing tax competition.
Photovoltaics: solar energy resources and the possibility of their use
Authors: Rodziewicz Tadeusz , Zaremba Aleksander , Wacławek Maria
Published: April 2016

In this paper possibilities and limits of use of solar energy (like the best efficiencies of PV cells, world records and ‘notable exceptions’) were shown. Also some new ideas and concepts in photovoltaics (like new photovoltaic power plants or energy storage) were presented. Additionally authors try to predict development of solar power industry.
Effect of composting plant material with copolyester on quality of organic matter
Authors: Kopeć Michał , Twarowska-Schmidt Krystyna , Gondek Krzysztof
Published: April 2016

The problem of incorporating plastics into the environment will be aggravating, both regarding its scale and kind of these materials. Investigations were carried out using aliphatic-aromatic copolyester poly (succinate-co-glutarate-co-adipate-co-terephthalate 1,4-butylene) with addition of fatty acid dimers. The work aimed to determine the effect of composting the copolyester with plant biomass on changes of fractional composition of humus substances and their stability. Copolyester was supplemented to the biomass in the form of a nonwoven fabric in two doses. It constituted 8 and 16% of the dry mass of the composted substrates. The composting process was run within two ranges of ambient temperature 25-30°C and 40-45°C. After the completion of this process, the degree of material maturing was assessed using manometric methods and the carbon content was analysed in the individual organic matter fractions. On the basis of cumulated respiratory activity AT4 a lack of composted material activity was revealed in the higher temperatures of the process. However, in the objects where copolyester was transformed in the lower temperatures this activity was considerably diversified. Adding copolyester to the composted biomass led to a diversification of the Cha
: Cfa
ratio. The values of Cha
: Cfa
ratio most approximating 1.5, ie the value regarded as optimal, were registered in the object, where copolyester supplement constituted 16% and the plant biomass was maintained within the 40-45°C temperature range.
Clinopyroxene phenocrysts from the Księginki nephelinite
(SW Poland)
Authors: Goleń Marcin , Puziewicz Jacek , Matusiak-Małek Magdalena , Ntaflos Theodoros
Published: April 2016

The Eocene nephelinite from Księginki quarry (SW Poland) contains five types of clinopyroxene
phenocrysts varying by texture and chemical composition. Type I phenocrysts
are formed of Mg-rich (mg# = 0.93–0.88) homogenous cores, patchy mantle and zoned
rims. Abundant type II is less magnesian (mg# = 0.65–0.88) and consists of spongy or
spongy-patchy core surrounded by zoned rims, whilst in type III (mg# = 0.69–0.84), the
cores are massive but patchy. The mg# of cores of type IV phenocrysts is slightly lower
than that of type I (0.79–0.89), but its cores are either massive or patchy. Type V is very
scarce and consist of relatively Mg-poor (mg# = 0.75–0.77) core enveloped by nonpatchy,
sometimes zoned mantle and zoned outer rim. Chemical composition of type
I and type IV cores suggests that they are xenocrysts introduced into the nephelinite
from disintegrated peridotite and clinopyroxenitic xenoliths, respectively. Type V is also
of xenocrystic nature, but its source rock was significantly more evolved than mantlederived
ones. Types II and III are possibly cognates from the host nephelinite or a melt
related to the nephelinite. All the types of phenocrysts suffered from disequilibrium
with the nephelinitic (or proto-nephelinitic) melt or dissolution during adiabatic uplift.
Linear variation in chemical composition of phenocrysts of Księginki nephelinite suggests
its evolution because of fractional crystallisation, without significant influence of
other differentiation processes.
Anti-predator adaptations in a great scallop (Pecten maximus) –
a palaeontological perspective
Authors: Brom Krzysztof Roman , Szopa Krzysztof , Krzykawski Tomasz , Brachaniec Tomasz , Salamon Mariusz Andrzej
Published: April 2016

Shelly fauna was exposed to increased pressure exerted by shell-crushing durophagous
predators during the so-called Mesozoic Marine Revolution that was initiated in the
Triassic. As a result of evolutionary ‘arms race’, prey animals such as bivalves, developed
many adaptations to reduce predation pressure (e.g. they changed lifestyle and shell
morphology in order to increase their mechanical strength). For instance, it was suggested
that Pectinidae had acquired the ability to actively swim to avoid predator attack
during the early Mesozoic. However, pectinids are also know to have a specific shell
microstructure that may effectively protect them against predators. For instance, we
highlight that the shells of some recent pectinid species (e.g. Pecten maximus) that
display cross-lamellar structures in the middle part playing a significant role in the energy
dissipation, improve the mechanical strength. In contrast, the outer layers of these
bivalves are highly porous, which allow them to swim more efficiently by reducing the
shell weight. Pectinids are thus perfect examples of animals optimising their skeletons
for several functions. We suggest that such an optimisation of their skeletons for multiple
functions likely occurred as a results of increased predation pressure during the
so-called Mesozoic Marine Revolution.
The Characteristics and Generating Mechanism of Large Precipitates in Ti-Containing H13 Tool Steel
Authors: Xie You , Cheng Guoguang , Chen Lie , Zhang Yandong , Yan Qingzhong
Published: April 2016

The characteristics of large precipitates in H13 tool steel with 0.015wt% Ti were studied. The result shows that three types of phases larger than 1 μm exist in the as-cast ingot, that is, (Ti, V) (C, N) type phase, (V, Mo, Cr)C type phase and sulfide. (Ti, V) (C, N) type phase could be further classified as the homogeneous Ti-rich one and the Ti-V-rich one in which Ti/V ratio gradually changes. (V, Mo, Cr)C type phase contains the V-rich one and the Mo-Cr-rich one. The compositional characteristics in all of them have little relation with the cutting position or cooling rate. The precipitating process could be well described through calculation by Thermo-Calc software. During solidification, the primary phase (Ti, V)(C, N) first starts to precipitate in the form of Ti-rich carbonitride. With the development of solidification, the ratio of Ti decreases and that of V increases. Then the primary phase Ti-V-rich (Ti, V)(C, N) and V-rich (V, Mo, Cr)C appears successively. Mo-Cr-rich (V, Mo, Cr)C phase does not precipitate until the solidification process reaches to the end. Sulfide precipitates before (V, Mo, Cr)C type phase and it could act as the nucleus of (V, Mo, Cr)C.
Is academic performance an indicator for physical fitness?
Authors: Chow Ronald , Midroni Cooper , Hollenberg Drew , Cumner Stuart
Published: April 2016

Many studies have investigated whether elevated levels of physical activity and fitness improve academic performance in children, but only a few have examined whether it is physical fitness which varies with academic performance. The purpose of this study was to examine if academic performance is indeed an indicator for physical fitness. For this study, middle school students were recruited for the necessary values and information. The data acquired for academic performance were based off of a public honour roll list distributed within the school community and physical fitness was evaluated via mile-run time, resting, post-active blood pressure and heart rate. There were no differences in proportion across the academic cohorts for any measurements of physical fitness. There was no conclusion such as “students with higher academic performance are less physically fit”; all academic cohorts had relatively similar levels of physical fitness. This may be due to mandatory physical and health education classes, which all students attend; the physical fitness levels are similar due to similar training.
Energetics of Poisson–Kac Stochastic Processes Possessing Finite Propagation Velocity
Authors: Brasiello Antonio , Giona Massimiliano , Crescitelli Silvestro
Published: April 2016

A local fluctuation–dissipation theorem for the power delivered by a stochastic forcing is derived for Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes driven by smooth, i. e. almost everywhere (a. e.)-differentiable stochastic perturbations (Poisson–Kac processes). An analytic expression for the probability density function of the fluctuational power is obtained in the large time limit. As these processes converge, in the Kac limit, toward classical Langevin equations driven by Wiener processes, a coarse-grained analysis of the statistical properties of the fluctuational work is developed.
Retirement privileges of civil servants in the Second Polish Republic
Authors: Jarosz-Nojszewska Anna
Published: April 2016

During the times of the Second Polish Republic the civil servants, teachers, the military, postal and railway workers were not covered by the universal social insurance, because before the social insurance act came into force, they were covered by pension systems guaranteeing more advantageous benefits. Persons working in state administration had a privileged position compared to the employees in general, both in terms of the scope and level of the benefits and their entire coverage by the State. The level of the pensions depended on the years of service and after 10 years of service amounted to 40% and was increasing every year by 2.4% or 3% up to 100%. The civil servants acquired the right to the pension already after 10 years and as of 1934 after 15 years of civil or military service. In special cases they were entitled to pension after 5 years already.
Cryotherapy for Lichen Striatus in an Adult – a Case Report
Authors: Stojanović Slobodan , Jovanović Marina , Vučković Nada
Published: April 2016

Lichen striatus (linear lichenoid dermatosis) is an uncommon, self-limited, inflammatory, linear skin condition of unknown origin. The causes of linear distribution are unknown, though the pattern of lichen striatus (LS) mostly follows the lines of Blaschko (BL). The condition most commonly occurs in children between 5 and 15 years of age, usually after the first year of life.

We report a 27-year-old, otherwise healthy flight attendant with LS whose diagnosis was based on: the history of sudden appearance and rapid linear spread of lesions; clinical presentation of small pink, coalescing scaly papules without umbilication or Wickham’s striae, linear distribution following one BL down a lower limb to the ankle, with a band broadening into plaque on the left buttock; histology showed some hyperkeratosis, lichenoid dermatitis similar to lichen planus, but with the presence of inflammatory infiltrate in the papillary dermis and also deeper in the perifollicular region. The inflammatory infiltrate consisted mainly of limphocytes, with some melanophages and histiocytes.

There is no standard treatment for LS, and it is given for cosmetic or psychological reasons only, as we have done in our patient due to slight pruritus and occupational reasons. With regard to her occupational demands, in order to achieve satisfying results, she was successfully treated with cryotherapy, which she tolerated well, without any side effects. Cryotherapy was performed twice, with a two-week interval. Full resolution was achieved twelve weeks after cryotherapy.

In conclusion, we present an adult female who developed lichen striatus suddenly three months after delivery and was successfully treated with cryotherapy.
A short synthesis of pyridines from deprotonated α-aminonitriles by an alkylation/RCM sequence
Authors: Weber Carina , Nebe Marco M. , Kaluza Lukas P.V. , Opatz Till
Published: April 2016

α-Aminonitriles can serve as versatile key precursors for the synthesis of nitrogen containing heterocycles. After unsuccessful trials involving the [1,2]-Stevens rearrangement of nitrile-stabilized ammonium ylides, we herein report a simple three-step synthesis of substituted pyridines based on an alkylation/ring-closing metathesis/aromatization sequence.
EIFS Mesh Coating Improvements
Authors: Newton Mark J. , Smith Eric
Published: April 2016

Woven glass fabric mesh is one of the critical components that make up exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS) assemblies. The mesh has many performance and use requirements. One of the aspects of the mesh that allows these requirements to be met is the coating applied to the mesh. Water-based polymer coatings can be developed that balance the wide variety of EIFS performance requirements, including environmental stability, shelf stability, processability, fire resistance, antiblocking, cuttability, and conformability. These parameters are all critical to the function, quality, and longevity of the EIFS assembly. Because EIFS are tested and listed in accordance with model building code evaluation services with approved components, the use of non-tested and non-approved components can lead to quality issues and loss of warranty coverage. These sorts of issues ultimately can hurt the perception of EIFS in the exterior cladding marketplace. The importance of EIFS manufacturers knowing where all the components of their system come from is obvious for these reasons.
Applicability of Fluid-Applied Air and Water-Resistive Barriers in Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems for Use in Other Cladding Systems
Authors: Wissink Katherine S. , Bashaw Laura K. , Nelson Peter E.
Published: April 2016

The exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) industry was the first to introduce fluid-applied air and water-resistive barriers in the 1990s. Fluid-applied air and water-resistive barrier membranes in EIFS have a successful track record of more than a decade. However, this track record is not necessarily transferrable when these products are used in other cladding systems. This paper provides a brief history of the development and use of fluid-applied air and water-resistive barriers in EIFS, identifies key differences between EIFS cladding and other cladding systems and the required performance characteristics of the air and water-resistive barrier membranes, and presents results from testing of commonly used fluid-applied air and water-resistive barriers (both membranes used in EIFS and those developed for use in other cladding systems) to evaluate these performance characteristics.
Ambiguous Law
Authors: Shi Elizabeth
Published: April 2016

This article argues that the current provisions which govern job security clauses in collective agreements are ambiguous and problematic. Specifically, the ‘permitted matters’ law is unclear and inconsistently interpreted. Cases which concern almost identical job security clauses have received different treatments. The requirement to consider ‘the interests of employees and employers’ when arbitrating workplace determinations is also ambiguous. It is unclear whether employees’ job security is an interest that should be taken into account, and if so, how much weight should be placed on this consideration. This article argues that the law should be amended to address these ambiguities and to ensure more predictable and fairer outcomes. In contrast with the current provisions, the abolished rules ‘prohibited content’ were clearer and less ambiguous.
The Efficacy (and Otherwise) of the 'New' Sport Anti-Corruption Legislation in Australia
Authors: Thorpe David
Published: April 2016

Against a background of several serious local and international match-fixing scandals, this paper considers the efficacy of the ‘Cheating at Gambling’ provisions introduced recently within Australian jurisdictions for the purpose of combating corruption in sport, and compares the usefulness of these provisions with the general offence of fraud, the ‘traditional’ means by which the criminal law dealt with sports corruption. While the ‘Cheating at Gambling’ provisions are an arguable advance on previous statutory approaches in prosecuting and deterring sports corruption, this paper suggests that shortfalls remain, in particular whether the new provisions are able to deal adequately with the use of ‘inside knowledge’ and the ‘soft’ corruption of ‘tanking’, practices that have, over a considerable period of time, been tolerated if not accepted by some sports.
MANAGEMENT OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Epidemiology, quality of life and complications of primary adrenal insufficiency: a review
Authors: Bensing Sophie , Hulting Anna-Lena , Husebye Eystein S , Kämpe Olle , Løvås Kristian
Published: April 2016

In this article, we review published studies covering epidemiology, natural course and mortality in primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) or Addison’s disease. Autoimmune PAI is a rare disease with a prevalence of 100–220 per million inhabitants. It occurs as part of an autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome in more than half of the cases. The patients experience impaired quality of life, reduced parity and increased risk of preterm delivery. Following a conventional glucocorticoid replacement regimen leads to a reduction in bone mineral density and an increase in the prevalence of fractures. Registry studies indicate increased mortality, especially evident in patients diagnosed with PAI at a young age and in patients with the rare disease autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type-1. Most notably, unnecessary deaths still occur because of adrenal crises. All these data imply the need to improve the therapy and care of patients with PAI.
Prevalencia estimada de toxocariosis humana en la Región Lima
Authors: Blanco Yrma Espinoza , Vildózola Gonzáles Herman , Jiménez Ramírez Susana , Roldán Gonzales William , Huapaya Herreros Pedro , Villar Huamán Cristhian , Rojas Atúncar Catherine
Published: April 2016

Objetivo: Estimar la frecuencia de toxocariosis en la Región Lima. Métodos: Durante el año 2013, se realizó una encuesta serológica no aleatorizada mediante la técnica de Elisa en pobladores de cuatro provincias de la Región Lima (Cajatambo, Canta, Huaral y Yauyos). Las muestras fueron obtenidas por personal de la DIRESA Lima, del Laboratorio de Referencia Regional en Salud Pública y procesadas en el Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Daniel A. Carrión” de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. Resultados: Se recolectaron 442 muestras de suero, de las cuales 142 (32,1%) fueron positivas a toxocara. El 54% de participantes fue de sexo femenino, 31% tenía entre 31 y 59 años, 45% manifestó tener un perro o un gato en su hogar. No hubo diferencias significativas entre los resultados de serología y las edades y sexos ni tenencia de canes o gatos en la población estudiada. Conclusiones: La toxocariosis es frecuente en la población de la Región Lima, por lo que es necesario realizar estudios representativos para determinar la prevalencia de esta infección.
Tuberculosis en receptores de trasplante renal: experiencia en una unidad de trasplante renal de Perú
Authors: Méndez Chacon Pedro , Guzman Cuba Nancy , Vidalon Fernandez Armando
Published: April 2016

Introducción. El trasplante de órganos conlleva riesgo de contraer tuberculosis (TB) a resultas de la necesaria inmunosupresión concurrente. La literatura señala una incidencia de 0,35% a 15%. En nuestro medio, carecemos de datos al respecto. Objetivos. Explorar la epidemiología, cuadro clínico y pronóstico de la TB en receptores de trasplante renal en área endémica. Igualmente, efectuar el análisis de casos multidrogorresistentes (MDR). Diseño. Estudio retrospectivo. Institución. Departamento de Nefrología, Hospital Edgardo Rebagliati Martins, EsSalud, Lima, Perú. Material. Historias clínicas de casos de trasplante renal comprendidos en el período 1999-2014. Intervenciones. Se revisó en 619 casos de trasplante renal la instalación de tuberculosis, así como se efectuó el análisis de casos multidrogorresistentes. Principales medidas de resultados. Instalación de tuberculosis y casos multidrogorresistentes. Resultados. La TB se instaló en 22 pacientes (3,5%), incidencia mayor que la obtenida en la población general del país (96/100 000/anual). La fiebre (57%) y la tos crónica (28%) fueron los síntomas más comunes. La TB extrapulmonar (50%) predominó sobre la pulmonar (40%) y la diseminada (10%). La ocurrencia de TB fue mayoritariamente después del año (72%). Siete de los casos (28%) cursaron con creatinina mayor de 2 mg% al momento del diagnóstico y tres de ellos retornaron a diálisis. Hubo cuatro casos de TB MDR. Conclusiones. El diagnóstico temprano en base a la sospecha clínica de TB y el tratamiento oportuno mejora el pronóstico en esta población.
Enfisema subcutáneo no infeccioso en mano: reporte de un caso
Authors: Tejada Llacsa Paul Jesús , Cruz Pioquinto Wagner
Published: April 2016

El enfisema subcutáneo de causa no infecciosa se presenta raras veces. Debido a la importancia de discernir este cuadro de uno de causa infecciosa presentamos el presente caso. El paciente acudió al hospital por presentar aumento de volumen en mano izquierda después de sufrir una cortadura en el quinto dedo con una barra de metal. Los análisis de sangre estuvieron dentro de rangos normales. Una radiografía mostró signos de enfisema subcutáneo. Se inició terapia antibiótica empírica. El enfisema remitió luego de 36 horas. Este caso es de interés debido a que es importante considerar cuadros de causa no infecciosa en el diagnóstico diferencial de enfisema subcutáneo de mano.
Modificaciones biofísicas durante el Fenómeno El Niño y su correlación con la epidemia de encefalitis viral en Talara, Perú 1997-1998
Authors: Briceño Aliaga Mónica
Published: April 2016

El Fenómeno El Niño se presenta cada 4 a 7 años; forma parte de un evento natural océano atmosférico conocido como ENSO (Oscilation southern-El Niño). En condiciones normales, en el lado oeste del Océano Pacifico existe una temperatura del mar de 29°C y un sistema de baja presión atmosférica en Darwin- Australia; mientras que en el lado este hay un sistema de alta presión en Papeete-Tahití y a nivel de las costas del Perú y Ecuador, donde la temperatura del mar es de 19 a 23°C. Las aguas frías del este del Pacifico condicionan en la atmósfera zonas de alta presión y las aguas cálidas zonas de baja presión; la diferencia de presiones produce que los vientos alisios viajen de este a oeste, arrastrando aguas superficiales y produciendo un fenómeno de afloramiento, por el cual, las aguas más frías del fondo del mar salen a nivel superficial. Las aguas profundas son ricas en sales y micronutrientes para la formación de fitoplancton, base de la cadena alimenticia de los peces. El fitoplancton vive en las capas superiores iluminadas; es importante en los procesos de interacción océano-atmosférica, modula el calor por la producción del dimetil sulfuro (DMS); influye en la química del océano al usar el dióxido de carbono disuelto en el agua para producir azúcares y oxígeno. Utiliza nutrientes inorgánicos como nitrógeno, fósforo, silicio, hierro para sintetizar moléculas complejas como proteínas.
The Causal Model for the Multivariant Analysis and Forecast of Economic Development
Authors: Vasylenko Yuriy V.
Published: April 2016

A long-term causal simulation model (macro from micro) for the multivariant analysis and forecast of economic development was developed. The adequacy of the model increased by modelling not only the final products but also intermediate consumption. Shadow economy was included. The model intentionally omits all the hypotheses (monetarists’, Keynesian, theory of equilibrium) which strictly predetermine economy behaviour. The model makes it possible to analyze the influence of prices, under- or overproduction, bank loans on each product, the rates of taxes etc. on the development of all economy and of each manufacturer. Furthermore, this model can help in developing recommendations for the National Bank, government, each manufacturer, importer and exporter. This model has been developed for the Ukrainian economy whose peculiarities were duly accounted for. However, the model can be easily adjusted to study any other country’s economy.
The Investment Policy of Deposit Guarantee Funds under Conditions of Limited Domestic Securities Markets
Authors: Žilinskas Raimundas , Gaižauskas Lionius
Published: April 2016

Deposit guarantee (insurance) schemes accumulate funds on the basis of guarantee (insurance) contributions. Funds are invested into particular financial instruments in order to increase them. These funds have to be used to pay pay-outs to depositors in the case of the failure of insured members. Therefore, investments must be safe, liquid, and properly diversified. This is especially important to carry out properly for deposit guarantee (insurance) schemes of countries whose domestic securities market is limited. This paper presents an analysis on investment structure of deposit guarantee (insurance) schemes of European countries under conditions of limited domestic securities markets, identifying weak points, and providing conclusions on their improvement. Based on the experience of the Lithuanian Deposit Guarantee Scheme, the structure of investments is examined, pointing to the principal problems and weaknesses of investments under conditions of a limited domestic securities market. The key factors for the investment policy are derived as a result of this analysis.
Liquidity Management by Effective Debt Collection: a Statistical Analysis in a Small Industrial Enterprise
Authors: Sokołowska Ewelina , Wiśniewski Jerzy
Published: April 2016

The financial viability of small companies depends on their ability to meet sales demands and collect receivables from the sales of goods and provision of services. The efficiency of debt recovery plays the fundamental role in determining the liquidity of a small business. Shortages of cash in the company are rarely subsidised not from external sources but most often from the owner’s own funds that such shortages are made up, including the amounts previously accumulated as a result of the so-called excess liquidity.The main purpose of the article is the hypothesis that application of statistical analysis in liquidity management can be a useful tool in effective debt collection in an enterprise.We looked at the monthly or short-term liquidity of a small business and its impact on the defined performance metrics of debt collection. The analytical tool is a dynamic econometric model that describes the impact of the efficiency of recovery for liquidity in small business.
Social and Economic Consequences of the Recent Minimum Wage Rise in Lithuania
Authors: Karpuškienė Vita
Published: April 2016

The government of Lithuania actively increases the minimum wage in 2012–2014: in-one-and-a-half year period it increased by 22 percent – from 246 EUR (850 LTL) to 300 EUR (1035 LTL). It is promised to increase the minimum wage in 2015 as well. The amplification of the competitiveness of the economy is one of the main conditions of economic development. This is emphasized by economists, Lithuanian government, and European Commission. The core issues of the competitiveness of Lithuania are the energy sector and the labour market. Such statement is provided by the European Commission in the 2014 report on Industry competitiveness. Therefore, the aim of this article is to evaluate the economic and social consequences of the increased minimum wage and their impact on the competitiveness of the labour force. In the first part of the article, changes of the minimum wage and their economic and social consequences are analysed. In the rest part of the article, the impact of these consequences on the competitiveness is evaluated.
Impact of Sovereign Credit Risk on the Lithuanian Interest Rate on Loans
Authors: Kregždė Arvydas , Murauskas Gediminas
Published: April 2016

The paper deals with banks’ interest rates on loans for non-financial corporations and households in Lithuania. It focuses on the influence of the sovereign credit risk on interest rates for loans. The paper presents an analysis of long-run and short-run relationship between interest rates on loans and the financial market indicators EURIBOR and CDS spread. The application of the cointegration technique has revealed that a change in the CDS spread by 100 basis points has an impact on changes in interest rates on loans by 42 basis points in the long run. No evident relationship between CDS spread and interest rates on loans in a short run has been detected. This shows that market conditions do not play a pivotal role for the banks in setting the interest rates on loans in a short run. Some communalities in interest rates on loans in the Baltic states have been established. The main finding is that the sovereign credit risk of Lithuania, expressed as a CDS spread, has a substantial impact on interest rates in the retail credit market of Lithuania in a long run.
Financial Stability, Fiscal Sustainability and Changes in Debt Structure after an Economic Downturn
Authors: Rutkauskas Virgilijus
Published: April 2016

In this paper, the author finds links among changes in private and public debt during economic downturn and discusses their financial stability and fiscal sustainability consequences. Financial deepening in years before the economic downturn resulted in the growth of indebtedness among agents within economy that sustained afterwards. The European Union has not become less indebted during and after the economic meltdown, but the structure of debt holders has changed. The growth of private debt in the upturn phase resulted in a qualitatively new level of economy. However, in order to sustain the same level after the economic downturn, the public sector was forced to increase its debt. As a result, interactions among financial stability and fiscal sustainability have become more pronounced as monetary financial institutions experienced deleveraging from the private sector and an increase of leverage from the public sector. Thus, the financial stability and fiscal sustainability nexus is analysed by employing flow-of-funds data that show balanced interlinkages among real and financial flows. Recent discussions on sovereign debt instability and suggestions to diminish public debt whatever it costs lack an appropriate answer who will replace it as the flow-of-funds in economy is always in balance.
Analysis of the Development of the Unemployment Rate in Lithuania: Application of the SVAR Model
Authors: Reichenbachas Tomas
Published: April 2016

The paper analyses the dynamics of unemployment in Lithuania, using a structural vector autoregressive model (sVAR) with long-term restrictions proposed by Fabiani et al. (2001). In accordance with it, the unemployment rate is predetermined by economic shocks, some of them with long-term effects (structural) and some with short-term ones (cyclical). The greater part of changes in unemployment in the period of 2002 to 2014 were predetermined by cyclical shocks (of productivity and labour supply and demand). The cyclical unemployment, peaked in the years 2010 to 2011, amounted to ca. 6%. On the other hand, structural unemployment is slow to change, in the years of the economic boom (2006 to 2007) it amounted to ca. 8% (at the time, the cyclical unemployment was negative and the economy encountered overheating, while in 2014 structural unemployment was slightly higher and amounted to ca. 11%).
II Pillar Pension Funds: How the Selection of Fund Influences the Size of the Old-age Pension
Authors: Rabikauskaitė Viktorija , Novickytė Lina
Published: April 2016

The government, in order to achieve the welfare of the citizens in the retirement age to keep pace with the working people, carried out the various pension systems transformations. The working people’s welfare is growing due to the economic progress, so there is a theory of economics, which examines the existing income redistribution in time. It should be noted that in order to ensure the financial well-being in old age it is necessary to efficiently allocate the scarce resources. In Lithuania, the existing three pillar pension system allows each employee to contribute to their own financial well-being in the future. This article aims to assess the second pillar pension fund performance and how fund differences affect the amount of old age pension. The analysis made it possible to determine the correlation between the return generated by the fund and the number of participants in the fund; the spreadsheet is provided, which allows estimating the influence of the choice of different funds on the size of the retirement pension. It was found that fund return and the number of participants in the fund have a negative correlation. This shows that the part of households who raise money in fund with the lowest return will be much poorer, and the corresponding result is a smaller pension. It may be noted that the accumulation of different pension fund reserves have a significant impact on the future pension size (this difference can be as high as 230%).
Impact of the Board on Management of Lithuanian State Owned Enterprises
Authors: Jurkonis Liudas , Aničas Ignas
Published: April 2016

The article concentrates on the main challenge tackled by the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) reform initiated by the 15th government of the Republic of Lithuania – an attempt to improve the corporate governance practices and management efficiency of Lithuanian SOEs. According to the insights offered by the new public management (NPM) paradigm, resource dependency theory (RDT) and principal-agent theory (PAT), the present research seeks to identify a quantifiable relationship between the composition of the board (which is one of the core aspects of the Lithuanian SOE reform) and return on equity (ROE) in Lithuanian SOEs (which is selected to be the key variable defining management efficiency). Based on key relationships among the selected parameters of the board (e.g., size, political independency, gender diversity, other) and SOE management efficiency identified, this paper offers practical public policy recommendations in the field of SOE management efficiency.