bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preliminary probe of quality indicators and quality specification in total testing process in 5753 laboratories in China
Authors: Fei Yang , Kang Fengfeng , Wang Wei , Zhao Haijian , He Falin , Zhong Kun , Wang Zhiguo , Chen Wenxiang
Published: January 2016

The aim of the study was to promote the establishment and implementation of quality indicators (QIs) in clinical laboratories, catch up with the state of art, and provide preliminary quality specifications for established QIs.

Clinical laboratories from different provinces in China were included in this QIs survey in 2015. All participants were asked to collect data related to QIs and complete QIs questionnaires. Defect percentages and sigma values were calculated for each QI. The 25th percentile, median, and the 75th percentile of defect percentages and TATs were calculated as optimum, desirable and minimum quality specifications. While 25th, median, and 75th of sigma values were calculated as minimum, desirable and optimum quality specifications, respectively.

Five thousand seven hundred and fifty-three clinical laboratories from 28 provinces in China participated in this survey. Median defect percentages of pre-examination QIs varied largely from 0.01% (incorrect sample container) to 0.57% (blood culture contamination) with sigma values varied from 4.0σ to 5.1σ. Median defect percentages of examination phase QIs were all really high. The most common problem in examination phase was test uncovered by inter-laboratory comparison (86.67%). Defect percentages of critical values notification and timely critical values notification were all 0.00% (6.0σ). While the median of defect percentages of incorrect laboratory reports was only 0.01% (5.4σ).

Improvements are needed in all phases of total testing process (TTP) in laboratories in China, especially in examination phase. More attention should be paid when microbiology specimens are collected and results are reported. Quality specifications can provide directions for laboratories to make effort for.
Design, synthesis and anti-mycobacterial evaluation of some new N-phenylpyrazine-2-carboxamides
Authors: Zitko Jan , Servusová-Vaňásková Barbora , Paterová Pavla , Navrátilová Lucie , Trejtnar František , Kuneš Jiří , Doležal Martin
Published: January 2016

N-Phenylpyrazine-2-carboxamides (anilides of pyrazinoic acids with simple substituents in various positions) were previously shown to possess significant biological activities in vitro, markedly anti-mycobacterial and photosynthesis-inhibiting activity. Based on structure-activity relationships (SAR) extracted from previously published series, 25 new anilides of non-substituted pyrazinoic acid (POA), 5-CH
From the Editor
Authors: Meyers Fabienne
Published: January 2016

New Year, New Team, New Plan, & New Goals for IUPAC—despite all of the new, we must open 2016 with the hope of shifting away from the tumultuous transitions of the past few years. In several ways, the new year will be special. A few features in this issue of
The cloning, expression and purification of recombinant human neuritin from Escherichia coli and the partial analysis of its neurobiological activity
Authors: Li Yuanyuan , Tang Juan , Zhang Yunhua , Wang Haiyan , Yuan Wumei , Yu Na , Luo Xing , Xu Xiaoling , Huang Jin , Yang Lei
Published: January 2016

Neuritin (Nrn1) is a neurotrophic factor that plays various roles in neural development and synaptic plasticity. In this study, the NRN1 gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and then recombinant neuritin protein was purified so that its neurobiological activity could be evaluated. The protein, which was obtained at a concentration of 0.45 mg/ml and > 90% purity, had the predicted molecular weight of 30 kDa, as determined via sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Western blot analysis confirmed that an anti-neuritin antibody could recognize the fusion protein. Subsequent functional analyses revealed that recombinant neuritin promoted neurite outgrowth in embryonic chicken dorsal root ganglia and PC12 cells. These results suggest that recombinant neuritin protein could be a valuable tool for inducing neurite regeneration, for instance in cases of spinal cord injury or neurological diseases.
The Relationship between Property Rights and Economic Growth: an Analysis of OECD and EU Countries
Authors: Haydaroğlu Ceyhun
Published: January 2016

In recent years, institutions and institutional structure have become some of the most popular concepts analyzed by economics theory. New growth theories have especially focused on the effects of institutions and institutional structure on a macro level. Property rights are one of the most important elements of this institutional structure. The relationship between property rights and economic growth have drawn the attention of many researchers and policymakers in recent years. The aim of this study, covering the period 2007–2014, is to examine the relationship between property rights and economic growth with the help of PARDL in OECD and EU countries. According to the result of a bounds test, there is cointegration between the variables. The long- and short-term relationships between series were determined and the results taken from the analysis show that there is a positive effect on economic growth in those countries.
Defining and Managing the Historic Urban Landscape: Reflections on the English Experience and Some Stories from Liverpool
Authors: Sykes Olivier , Ludwig Carol
Published: January 2016

The period since the 1960s has been characterised by growing societal concern with urban heritage protection and the development of legislative, fiscal and urban planning instruments that seek to ensure the protection and enhancement of historic buildings and environments. International organisations such as UNESCO and European level documents such as the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) have stressed the cultural and economic value of the ‘wise management of natural and cultural heritage’. Since the 1970s many cities have sought to redefine and regenerate themselves through a revalorisation of their past and the protection and enhancement of their historic urban landscapes. Urban heritage has thus often come to be seen as a component of the territorial capital of places, and often had a symbiotic relationship with the objective of urban regeneration. However, urban heritage is not a static concept and ideas about what constitutes heritage, the value of different historic urban environments, and the contribution they can make to city development and regeneration continue to evolve. This paper reflects on this evolution in the context of the English planning system and illustrates some key trends and issues surrounding urban heritage through a consideration of recent and ongoing heritage related planning episodes in the northern English city of Liverpool.
A Discursive Narrative on Planning for Urban Heritage Conservation in Contemporary World Heritage Cities in Portugal
Authors: Cidre Elisabete M. P.
Published: January 2016

This article analyses the structure of heritage conservation in the national context of Portugal. It assesses the political context in which planning operates, and the place of conservation and heritage planning within the planning system. By exploring how heritage conservation discourses developed within the national planning framework it is possible to understand the emergence of conservation practices and to consider recommendations for improved efficiency. The World Heritage cities in Portugal inform this research, as its designation should stand for best historic practices, internationally recognized and thus also compliant to an internationally coherent approach towards conservation policies. The narrative unveils a regulatory legislative framework exposed in general considerations rhetorically formulated as policy, usually setting out objectives and requirements, but saying ‘very little about the methodologies to be followed in the preparation of the plans’ (Rosa Pires 2001, p. 185). The resulting overlapping and sometimes conflicting competences, aims and objectives, all at play in the management of the historic city, thus call for concerted strategies underpinned by appropriate organizational and institutional structures and consistent policy making, where inclusive participation of all key stakeholders involved is critical.
Planning Practices for the Protection of Cultural Heritage: Lessons Learnt from the Greek UNESCO Sites
Authors: Papageorgiou Marilena
Published: January 2016

As in all countries worldwide, in Greece too, sites selected to become part of the UNESCO’s world heritage are representative samples of the country’s monumental heritage and therefore constitute exemplars of planning adopted for their spatial protection.

By the case study conducted in the Greek UNESCO sites, it was revealed that, despite the fact that most of the monuments are subjects of multiple zoning, little is accomplished for their spatial protection. This is either because zoning and planning launched by the Ministry for the Environment is absent or taking too long to get approved or because zoning deriving from the Ministry of Culture is void of spatial regulations. This means that on the one hand the Ministry for the Environment should proceed at a faster pace to the elaboration of Local Spatial Plans that are necessary especially in the case of monuments in rural settings, while on the other hand the Ministry of Culture should immediately proceed to the revision of Protection Zones A and B, so they fall into the guidelines of the new Law 3028 and they acquire spatial restrictions and regulations; a condition that can only be achieved with the collaboration among Spatial Planners and Archaeologists and among competent bodies.
Explaining the Prevalence of the Informal Economy in the Baltics: an Institutional Asymmetry Perspective
Authors: Williams Colin C. , Horodnic Ioana A.
Published: January 2016

Reporting a 2013 Eurobarometer survey of participation in the informal economy across eight Baltic countries, this paper tentatively explains the informal economy from an institutional perspective as associated with the asymmetry between the codified laws and regulations of the formal institutions (state morality) and the norms, values and beliefs of citizens (civic morality). Identifying that this non-alignment of civic morality with the formal rules is more acute when there is greater poverty and inequality, less effective redistribution and lower levels of state intervention in the labour market and welfare, the implications for theorising and tackling the informal economy are then discussed.
Product Portfolio Management: An Important Business Strategy
Authors: Doorasamy Mishelle
Published: January 2016

The aim of this article is to provide reader with a comprehensive insight on the theories, empirical findings and models of Product Portfolio Management (PPM) during new product development. This article will allow for an in-depth theoretical approach on PPM and demonstrate to managers the importance of adopting PPM as business strategy during decision making. The objective of this paper is to present a literature review of models, theories, approaches and findings on the relationship between Product Portfolio Management and new product development. Relevant statistical trends, historical developments, published opinion of major writers in this field will be presented to provide concrete evidence of the problem being discussed.
Dynamic Hazards In Critical Infrastructure Of State
Authors: Ostrowska Teresa , Krupa Tadeusz , Wiśniewski Michał
Published: January 2016

The authors are interested in some aspects of a development project entitled “The methodology of risk assessment for the purposes of crisis management system RP (ID 193751)”. The project funded by the National Research and Development Centre under the Competition 3/2012 (security and defense). As part of the project the following items were reviewed and analyzed: materials related to the Government Security Centre, already completed and available products of the project ID 193751, and literature relating to, among other things, crisis management, critical infrastructure, business continuity, security, and threats. The basic emphasis of the article is focused on the resource-critical infrastructure interpretation of the state, whereby the state is perceived as a complex administrative structure in which, on the basis of external and internal interactions of resources, the risk of threats measurement is done.
The Gompertz Function And Its Applications In Management
Authors: Rządkowski Grzegorz , Głażewska Iwona , Sawińska Katarzyna
Published: January 2016

In the present paper, we investigate the Gompertz function, which is commonly used, mostly as diffusion model, in economics and management. Our approach is based on indicating in a given time series, presumably with a Gompertz trend, some characteristic points corresponding to zeroes of successive derivatives of this function. This allows us to predict the saturation level of a phenomenon under investigation, by using only the early values of the time series. We also give an example of applications of this method.
Developing And Validating A Measure Of Monitoring And Evaluation For The South Africa Skills Development Context
Authors: Tshilongamulenzhe Maelekanyo Christopher
Published: January 2016

As nations around the world grapple with the deepening challenge of skills crunch, policies, strategies and interventions are being devised to develop and retain a competitive workforce. South Africa is not spared from the global talent war, and the persistence of skills shortages across most economic sectors makes the country vulnerable economically and socially. Legislative instruments and strategies were formulated and implemented to ameliorate the situation, but scientific evidence suggests a looming crisis due to poor monitoring and evaluation systems regarding the success of these instruments and strategies. This study develops and validates a monitoring and evaluation (ME) scale for the South African skills development context. A quantitative nonexperimental cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from 557 participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software (version 23.0). The findings show that the ME scale is scientifically valid and reliable and can be used with confidence in the South African skills development context. The findings provide scope for a validation study on an independent sample, and an evaluation of structural invariance of the ME scale across sample subgroups.
Maternal obesity is associated with a low serum progesterone level in early pregnancy
Authors: Goh Jia Ying , He Song , Allen John Carson , Malhotra Rahul , Tan Thiam Chye
Published: January 2016

Background:

Progesterone is an important biomarker of early pregnancy failure. However, literature is limited regarding factors that influence progesterone levels in early pregnancy. Maternal obesity has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriages.

Materials and methods:

We investigated the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and serum progesterone level in first trimester singleton pregnancies for 194 women at a tertiary maternity hospital in Singapore, from January 2012 to February 2014. Maternal characteristics and study outcomes were retrieved from clinical records.

Results:

Multivariate analysis demonstrated an inverse relationship between first trimester maternal BMI category and serum progesterone level (p=0.012). Obesity (maternal BMI ≥30 kg/m2), relative to normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9 kg/m2), conferred an increased risk for serum progesterone <35 nmol/L (adjusted OR: 9.14; 95% CI: 2.12 – 39.5; p=0.003). The overall miscarriage rate in our study population was 13.9%.

Conclusions:

This study indicates that maternal obesity is associated with low first trimester serum progesterone. Pre-pregnancy weight optimization may be beneficial in regulation of serum progesterone level and maintenance of healthy pregnancy.
Ethical decision making during disasters1
Authors: Kalajtzidis Ján
Published: January 2016

Neither in theory nor in practice does there exist a single model of decision making. It is very difficult to identify a model, or models, which would be most useful during and after a disaster. Within the disaster timeframe (a difficult and complex situation), specific moral dilemmas arise. All the decision making theories tend to be associated with different assumptions about human nature, the quality of the decisions made and the manner in which they are made. Different assumptions may result in different tools being used and subsequently different consequences. The paper will provide a general introduction to the ethical decision making model, and will suggest two ways in which decisions in ethics might be made. The paper will try to deepen the discussion, and suggest answers to questions such as which type of ethical decision making is better in a specific situation such as a disaster? Is there any need to use a different decision making model (from an ethical point of view) in a disaster than in another event? Nonetheless, the article does not provide explicit solutions to these questions, since providing them would require further investigation than is the aim of this paper.
Antiepileptic drugs as a new therapeutic concept for the prevention of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Recent advances
Authors: Sendrowski Krzysztof , Sobaniec Wojciech
Published: January 2016

Introduction.Excessive accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides in the brain results initially in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and finally in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Evidences from experimental and clinical studies show that pathological hyperexcitability of hippocampal neurons is a very early functional impairment observed in progressive memory dysfunctions. Therefore, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) whose mechanism of action is aimed at inhibition of such neuronal hyperexcitability, seems to be an rationale choice for MCI and AD treatment.

Aim.To provide data from experimental and clinical studies on: 1. The unfavorable impact of neuronal hyperexcitability, mainly within the hippocampus, on cognitive processes. 2. Efficacy of AEDs against such abnormally elevated neuronal activity for the prevention of progressive cognitive impairment.

Methods.A literature review of publications published within the last fifteen years, was conducted using the PubMed database.

Review.The authors describe Aβ-induced hyperexcitability of hippocampal nerve cells as the cause of cognitive deficits, the connection of such activity with an increased risk of seizures and epilepsy in patients with MCI/AD, and finally the efficacy of AEDs: valproic acid (VPA), phenytoin (PHT), topiramate (TPM), lamotrigine (LTG), ethosuximide (ESM) and levetiracetam (LEV) in the prevention of cognitive impairment in experimental models and patients with MCI/AD.

Conclusions.The majority of the studied AEDs improve cognitive dysfunction in various experimental models of Aβ-induced brain pathology with accompanied neuronal hyperexcitability. The promising results achieved for LEV in animal models of cognitive impairment were also confirmed in patients with MCI/AD. LEV was well-tolerated and it’s beneficial antidementive effect was confirmed by memory tests and fMRI examination. In conclusion, the use of AEDs could be a novel therapeutic concept for preventing cognitive impairment in patients with Aβ-associated brain pathology.
Epidemiology and long-term Turku outcome of childhood-onset epilepsy and mortality. Personal experiences. Part I
Authors: Sillanpää Matti
Published: January 2016

Introduction.Epidemiological studies on epilepsy were long based, with few exceptions, on hospital and institution patients with a subsequent bias toward more difficult cases and the reported prevalence and incidence rates were often obviously too low. Few data are available on the temporal changes in the incidence of epilepsy.

Aim.To study the prevalence and incidence in an unselected child population including all the children living either in the society or in the institution, temporal changes in the incidence and mortality through five decades.

Methods.The most important personal data were reviewed and compared with the relevant data of other investigators.

Results and discussion.The prevalence of epilepsy in our study was 3.2/1000, quite obviously true for the contemporary methodology and well comparable with 3.4–4.2/1000 of other relevant studies published about two decades later and using a more advanced methodology. Similarly, the incidence of 35/100 000, ascertained in two Finnish studies, was comparable with the relevant contemporary literature data. Another study of ours shows that, probably associated with the people “coming from the shadows” and an improved diagnostic methodology, the incidence of childhood epilepsy has increased and is now 60–70/100 000. However, the incidence of childhood epilepsy shows an obvious decreasing trend in the first two decades of the 2000s.

Conclusions.The incidence of childhood epilepsy, in all probability true for the contemporary methodology, was lower than it is now, but it now again shows a decreasing trend.
CropSyst model for wheat irrigation water management with fresh and poor quality water
Authors: Ouda Samiha A. , Noreldin Tahany , Mounzer Oussama H. , Abdelhamid Magdi T.
Published: January 2016

CropSyst model can be used as irrigation water management tool to increase wheat productivity with poor quality water. The objective of this study was to calibrate CropSyst model for wheat irrigated with fresh and agricultural drainage water. To do so, three field experiments were conducted during three successive seasons in Nubaria Agricultural Research Station, Egypt representing the newly reclaimed calcareous soils. In the first season the treatments were 100% crop evapotranspiration (ETc) of fresh water (FW) and 100%ETcof agricultural drainage water (DW), while in the second and the third seasons, the treatments were 100%ETcofFW, 100%ETcofDW, 120%ETcofDWand 130%ETcofDW. From these results one can concluded that deducting 5% of the applied water to all treatments reduced yield by 3, 5 and 7% in the first, second and third growing season, respectively as a result of heat stress existed in the 2ndand 3rdseasons during reproductive phase. Furthermore, deducting 5% of the applied water from all treatments in the vegetative phase only resulted in lower yield losses. Thus, using CropSyst model could guide us to when we could reduce the applied irrigation water to wheat to avoid high yield losses.
Agreeing with subjects in number: The rare split of Amuzgo verbal inflection
Authors: Palancar Enrique L. , Feist Timothy
Published: January 2016

Verbs in San Pedro Amuzgo, an Oto-Manguean language of Mexico, often have two different stems in the paradigm, one used with singular subjects and the other with plural subjects. This split motivated by number is typologically interesting due to its rarity, since number splits are commonly along the S/O vs. A distinction, not the S/A vs. O distinction. Apart from at stem level, the split is also manifested in the incompletive of an inflectional class of verbs. At stem level the plural stem is derived in a variety of unproductive ways, making the relation between singular and plural stems, synchronically, one of suppletion. In this article, we study the distribution and the morphological properties of this split in depth, using a sample of almost 600 fully inflected verbs from a large database compiled by native linguist Fermín Tapia and now publicly accessible on the Surrey Morphology Group’s website. We also place it in a typological context, relating it to other systems we have observed.
When evidentials are not evidentials: The case of the Ecuadorian Siona reportative
Authors: Bruil Martine
Published: January 2016

The Ecuadorian Siona reportative is prima facie an evidential
Substrate temperature effect on the nanoscale multilayer ZnS/Ag/ZnS for heat mirror application
Authors: Kavei Ghassem , Nikbin Saeed
Published: January 2016

Nanoscale multilayers of ZnS/Ag/ZnS were deposited on Corning glass substrates at different substrate temperatures. The depositions were carried out in high vacuum using electron beam deposition technique at 20, 60, 100 and 150 °C, respectively. The optical and electrical performance of each single layer and the accomplished ZnS/Ag/ZnS multilayer system were characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis, XRD and finally AFM. Based on these analyses and associated theories, such as the characteristic matrix theory, the optimized multilayer system was speculated and tested. Crystallographic structures of the films were studied by X-ray diffraction. In addition to X-ray diffraction, morphological characterizations were carried out by AFM in order to observe the deposited particle size, packing and roughness of the films. The optimum performance was achieved at the substrate temperature of 60 °C.
Selected Economic Aspects Of Adopting A Local Spatial Development Plan Exemplified By The Commune Of Tomice In Malopolskie Province
Authors: Gawroński Krzysztof , Prus Barbara
Published: January 2016

The object of this article is to analyze and asses the legal and economic consequences arising from the adoption (or change) of a local spatial development plan. The paper also presents, based on the example of the rural commune of Tomice in the Malopolska Province of Poland, how to estimate income to the commune budget from the collected planning fees. The analyses are based on planning studies, including the local spatial development plan from 2004, and the study of conditions and directions of spatial development from 2012. The council of Tomice Commune adopted the local spatial plan due to the increasing demand for residential areas. According to the plan, over 930 acres of land have been allocated for investment purposes, which is approx. 22.4% of the total area of 4,155 ha. The local plan was developed for all the six cadastral units of the commune, with one hundred percent surface coverage. The physiographic conditions and the location of Tomice Commune encourage the settlement of the urban population (from Wadowice or Krakow), which entails the need for housing investment areas. In 2012, the Tomice Commune adopted a change in the study of conditions and directions of spatial development. The proposed re-zoning of the area is in line with the policy of transitioning from an agricultural character towards the sustainable and multifunctional development of the commune. It is worth noting that the provisions of the plan of 2004 take into account the collection of a one-time fee for the sale of real estate whose value has increased as a result of the adoption of the plan. The amount of this fee for investment areas was set at the level of 30% of the increase in value, in accordance with the provisions of the Polish Act on Spatial Planning and Management. Due to the fact that the currently valid local plan has been in effect for 10 years, it can be assumed that the commune will proceed to make some changes to it. The article estimates the potentially generated income, assuming that changes in the study passed in 2012 with regards to designating land for investment purposes constitute an indication of provisions in the future local plan.
The Impact Of Changing Determinations Of A Local Spatial Development Plan On The Cadastral Value Of Real Estate
Authors: Szmatloch Karolina
Published: January 2016

This paper concerns changes of the cadastral value of real estate connected with changes in the land use determinations of the local spatial development plan in a given area over the analyzed period of time.

The research has revealed a variable course of the determinations of adopted local plans over the years, which would indicate the need to re-appraise the cadastral value of real estates, as well as recharge the tax ad valorem. To demonstrate the effects of the identified changes in spatial development plans in accordance with the assumptions of mass appraisal, the cadastral value of sample real estates located in the area of research was determined. The real estates were covered by a change of intended use resulting from adopting the Local Spatial Development Plan for the City of Krakow. The conducted research confirmed a significant change in the cadastral value of real estates subjected to evaluation.

In addition, the characteristics of the knowledge base on real estates on the local market of the City of Krakow have been researched, and the valid legal acts regarding the connection of information contained in the local spatial development plan with the method of determining the cadastral value of a real estate have been analyzed.
Multi-Criteria Assessment Of Public Space From The Social Perspective
Authors: Palicki Sławomir
Published: January 2016

This article raises the issue of assessing assets of urban public space, as a specific example of revitalizing the urban fabric. This subject is so important in that it actually defines the contemporary perception and use of the city, visualizing the forms of human functioning in common urban space which are frequently not directly verbalized and originate rather from a custom or local habit, encourages interaction, but also determines constraints in social accessibility, divides people and stirs conflicts.

The main purpose of the study is to show the possibilities of assessing revitalization projects concerning various types of public space by means of multi-criteria comparison and the relative evaluation of the available action scenarios. The paper offers a thesis that it is possible to carry out effective assessment of public space, which can be applied when making decisions regarding socially desirable directions of revitalization.
Fees For Advertisements In The Right-Of-Ways Of Public Roads Incurred By A Given Bank Brand In Poland
Authors: Płuciennik Monika , Hełdak Maria , Werner Ewelina
Published: January 2016

This article aims to present the diversity in the rates of fees for advertisements on selected bank buildings located in the right-of-way, as well as the manner of calculating them. The research covered fees, incurred by a selected bank brand, for advertisements placed on all outlets of the bank in the area of the entire country in terms of the location of the buildings, means of establishing fees, rate of the basic fee, as well as costs incurred by the bank for placing advertisements in the right-of-way according to the state at the end of 2014.

Currently, one can distinguish a few means of right-of-way occupation for which fees are collected, including: for the purpose of carrying out construction works, locating technical infrastructure equipment or buildings unrelated to the needs of road or traffic management, and for placing advertisements (outdoor advertising). The basic rate of payments for occupying the right-of-way by advertising results directly from the ordinances regarding roads passed by local government units or thematic regulation pertaining to national roads. The maximum basic rate is specified by law.

This paper makes it possible to determine the scale of financial burdens incurred by a bank resulting from marking the outlets, as well as the differences in determining and calculating fees for signboards occupying the areas of right-of-ways among the many local road authorities.
Rhetoric Tradition and Democracy: Isocrates’ Role in Ancient Greek Political Idea. Start Point of Western Political Philosophy
Authors: Shokri Mehdi
Published: January 2016

Political participation and the public education that have always been deployed to support the incipient progress of the civic life are revived in the modern political discourses. It has been believed that the age of pre-Socrates was the age of the Sophists whose acrid fallacy works occupied the political sphere, a malaise in government. However, speaking non-traditionally in the modern pedagogical system, there were some pre-Socratic thinkers and political philosophers/orators who’s works are the backbone of modern discourse on this matter. It will be examined whether any part of the classical rhetoric apparatus can be recovered and put to a good practice in the modern education and modern political participation. This point will be illustrated, furthermore, in this paper by alleging the importance of rhetoric, its role in Ancient Greek Democracy, and its influence on the modern concepts of power and democracy, as a continual element in a historical-political life. The further consideration is whether there was any democratic Polis existed in Ancient Athens and then, if there was, what characteristics it consisted of. Moreover, whether such concept can or should be considered in modern political discourses. In this sense, the liberal, non-dogmatic strain of the sophistry of Isocrates tradition urges us to indicate that the findings of this educational principles are, if not necessary, but adjutant complementary metes to our modern political knowledge of the states. In the end, it is inquired to see comparatively that how the tradition of rhetorical art and the concept of power in the Ancient Greek society have pertained to the modern democratic elements and whether we are able to empower this influential element in modern states.
The Effect Of Thermal Insulation Of An Apartment Building On The Thermo-Hydraulic Stability Of Its Heating System
Authors: Kurčová Mária
Published: January 2016

The contribution aims to investigate the effect of the decreased thermal losses of an apartment building due to the thermal insulation of opaque external building constructions and the replacement of transparent constructions. It emphasizes the effect of the thermal characteristics of external constructions on the functionality of the existing heating system in the building and the related requirements for the renovation of the heating system in order to ensure the hydraulic stability of the system and the thermal comfort of the inhabitants.
Optimization Of Conformal Cartographic Projections For The Slovak Republic According To Chebyshev’s Theorem
Authors: Szatmári Daniel
Published: January 2016

Disadvantages of the currently used Křovák’s map projection in the Slovak Republic, such as large scale distortion, became evident after the division of Czechoslovakia. The aim of this paper is to show the results of the optimization of cartographic projections using Chebyshev’s theorem for conformal projections and its application to the territory of the Slovak Republic. The calculus used, the scale distortions achieved and their comparison with the scale distortions of currently used map projections will be demonstrated.
Modeling The Deployment Of A Fire Station And Firehouse In Selected Areas Of The Slovak Republic – The Districts Of Povazska Bystrica And Puchov
Authors: Jurdik Juraj
Published: January 2016

There is a lot of legislative and theoretical knowledge about the deployment of fire stations and firehouses. Their placement in the Slovak Republic is, for the most part historical. Most of the dispatches from the fire stations and firehouses in the districts of Povazska Bystrica and Puchov are no longer than 2 hours. Evaluating the areas according to different methodologies provides similar results. It is necessary to involve voluntary and/or semiprofessional fire units in the rural or distant areas of the districts of Povazska Bystrica and Puchov.
Limitations of Cox Proportional Hazards Analysis in Mortality Prediction of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Babińska Magdalena , Chudek Jerzy , Chełmecka Elżbieta , Janik Małgorzata , Klimek Katarzyna , Owczarek Aleksander
Published: January 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of incorrect assessment of mortality risk factors in a group of patients affected by acute coronary syndrome, due to the lack of hazard proportionality in the Cox regression model. One hundred and fifty consecutive patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and no age limit were enrolled. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed. The proportional hazard assumptions were verified using Schoenfeld residuals, χ2 test and rank correlation coefficient t between residuals and time. In the total group of 150 patients, 33 (22.0%) deaths from any cause were registered in the follow-up time period of 64 months. The non-survivors were significantly older and had increased prevalence of diabetes and erythrocyturia, longer history of coronary artery disease, higher concentrations of serum creatinine, cystatin C, uric acid, glucose, C-reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine and B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and lower concentrations of serum sodium. No significant differences in echocardiography parameters were observed between groups. The following factors were risk of death factors and fulfilled the proportional hazard assumption in the univariable model: smoking, occurrence of diabetes and anaemia, duration of coronary artery disease, and abnormal serum concentrations of uric acid, sodium, homocysteine, cystatin C and NT-proBNP, while in the multivariable model, the risk of death factors were: smoking and elevated concentrations of homocysteine and NT-proBNP. The study has demonstrated that violation of the proportional hazard assumption in the Cox regression model may lead to creating a false model that does not include only time-independent predictive factors.
Classification of Patients Treated for Infertility Using the IVF Method
Authors: Malinowski Paweł , Milewski Robert , Ziniewicz Piotr , Milewska Anna Justyna , Czerniecki Jan , Więsak Teresa , Morgan Allen , Surowik Dariusz , Wołczyński Sławomir
Published: January 2016

One of the most effective methods of infertility treatment is in vitro fertilization (IVF). Effectiveness of the treatment, as well as classification of the data obtained from it, is still an ongoing issue. Classifiers obtained so far are powerful, but even the best ones do not exhibit equal quality concerning possible treatment outcome predictions. Usually, lack of pregnancy is predicted far too often. This creates a constant need for further exploration of this issue. Careful use of different classification methods can, however, help to achieve that goal.
The Hilbert Transform in Analysis of Uterine Contraction Activity
Authors: Borowska Marta , Brzozowska Ewelina , Oczeretko Edward
Published: January 2016

Prevention and early diagnosis of forthcoming preterm labor is of vital importance in preventing child mortality. To date, our understanding of the coordination of uterine contractions is incomplete. Among the many methods of recording uterine contractility, electrohysterography (EHG) – the recording of changes in electrical potential associated with contraction of the uterine muscle, seems to be the most important from a diagnostic point of view. There is some controversy regarding whether EHG may identify patients with a high risk of preterm delivery. There is a need to check various digital signal processing techniques to describe the recorded signals. The study of synchronization of multivariate signals is important from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. Application of the Hilbert transformation seems very promising.
Perspectives of Simplified Graphical Domain-Specific Languages as Communication Tools in Developing Mobile Systems for Reporting Life-Threatening Situations
Authors: Żyła Kamil
Published: January 2016

Reporting systems, based on mobile technologies and feedback from regular citizens, are constantly gaining popularity, especially when it comes to environmental and cultural heritage protection. Reporting life-threatening situations, such as sudden natural disasters or traffic accidents, constitutes the same class of problems and could be aided by IT systems of similar architecture. Emergency services also could benefit from such kinds of solutions, e.g., by getting an accurate location of the place where help is needed as well as fast exchange of information. Designing and developing systems for reporting life-threatening situations is not a trivial task, requiring tight cooperation among software developers and experts of different domains, who most likely would have trouble with industrially recognized languages and notations. Thus, the question is whether using simplified graphical domain-specific languages (SGDSLs) could help in creating a common communication platform. In order to answer that question, short workshops were conducted at the University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic and in Lublin, Poland. They involved people trained during their studies to work in administration and emergency services, among others, as policy makers, medicine specialists, environmentalists, or managers. All participants received brief training in graphical modeling languages in the context of modeling mobile applications and were asked to voluntarily fill in an anonymous survey in order to check their knowledge about and attitude toward the presented technologies. Most respondents claimed that SGDSLs oriented on defining a flow of actions might be valuable as tools for creating a common communication platform.
A Study of Telemedical Applications Based on User Experience
Authors: Rybka Joanna , Plechawska-Wójcik Małgorzata , Tokarek Tomasz
Published: January 2016

The popularity of telemedical applications has been increasing noticeably in recent years. Easy access to a variety of software products makes contemporary users concentrate not only on functionalities but also on the design of the Graphical User Interface (GUI) – its usefulness, ease of use, and intuitiveness. The objective of this study was to evaluate the GUI quality of selected telemedical applications dedicated to depressed patients and doctors providing medical care for this group of patients. Another aim of the paper was to propose and check assessment criteria applied to the evaluation experiment. To achieve this objective, the case study was based on two methods: expert analysis and cognitive walkthrough. The expert analysis study was conducted on three groups of users: user experience specialists, patients, and clinicians. Although the expert analysis method is usually dedicated to GUI design specialists, in this study, we also applied it to patient and physician groups. The results showed that there were no statistical differences between assessments carried out by those three groups of users. Applied testing criteria were revised with Nielsen’s heuristics. The proposed criteria helped to uncover many usability problems in several different areas during user tests. Further studies might be performed in order to strengthen accuracy and for completion of the proposed expert analysis evaluation criteria. However, our results show that the criteria we used seem to be robust enough to apply to both expert and end-user evaluations. Furthermore, multiple evaluation based on two different methods presented with better results, allowing not only problem identification but also verification.
The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D): Is It Suitable for Use with Older Adults?
Authors: Górkiewicz Maciej , Chmiel Izabela
Published: January 2016

With the aim of verifying the suitability of the CES-D scale for use in long-term care institutions for older adults, the CES-D questionnaire was used to collect patient-reported assessments, and two well-known psychometric instruments – the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Barthel Index of Abilities of Daily Living – were used to collect nurse-reported assessments, based on observations of patients’ behaviours. With regard to possible frequent cases of cognitive impairment and/or insufficient motivation to give sensible responses to CES-D questions, the patient-reported responses were collected from patients during one-on-one sessions with a nurse. The reliability, concurrent validity, and the trustworthiness of the obtained data were supported with proper values of the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, 0.70 < alpha < 0.85, with significant correlation between CES-D and HADS-Depression, R = 0.50, p < 0.001, and with significant correlation between scores of particular CES-D items vs. final CES-D evaluations of depression, proved by significance p < 0.001 for 18 of 20 CES-D items. These findings supported the effectiveness of the one-on-one session methodology in questionnaire surveys for older adults. The postulation that cases of self-reported depression included somewhat different information about the patient than nurse-reported depression concerning the same patient was supported with the evidence that, in spite of the significant correlation between the Barthel Index and HADS-Depression, R = −0.17, p = 0.016, and in spite of the significant correlation between CES-D and HADS-Depression, the correlation between the Barthel Index and CES-D, equal to R = −0.08 was insignificant at p = 0.244. The findings of this study, considered jointly, support the valuableness of the CES-D scale for use in one-on-one surveys for older adults.
Analysis And Design Of ADPCM System
Authors: Martikáň Anton , Czán Andrej , Šajgalík Michal , Drbúl Mário , Czánová Tatiana
Published: January 2016

In this paper, roughness characteristics as Ra and Rz are observed and their changes regarding to different tool rotation speed without feed, using carbide tool in process of hard machining. By experiments it is shown that, with higher tool revolutions and cutting speed, turning with helical cutting edge yields higher surface quality. Furthermore, during experiments it was proved that it is possible to use carbide tools in hard machining. Results of this paper show that rotational turning has a high potential to become an efficient alternative to hard turning, especially when it comes to large scale production of simple shaped parts.
New Distribution Data For The Cerambycidae And Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea) Collected During The Mediterranean Expeditions [Results Of The “Dakhla” (2012) And “Merzouga” (2013) Expeditions In Morocco]
Authors: Maican Sanda , Serafim Rodica
Published: January 2016

This paper presents the results of the study on the Cerambycidae and Chrysomelidae material collected during the “Dakhla” (2012) and “Merzouga” (2013) scientific expeditions, organized by “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History (Bucharest, Romania) in Morocco. A total of 18 species belonging to 13 genera and 5 subfamilies were recorded. In addition, the general distribution and data about the biology of some species are given. From the strictly Mediterranean species, entered in the collections of “Grigore Antipa” Museum, we mention: Derolus mauritanicus (Buquet), Neoplocaederus caroli (Leprieur), Agapanthia annularis (Olivier), A. irrorata (Fabricius), Macrolenes dentipes (Olivier), Chrysolina viridana chloris (Lucas), C. bankii (Fabricius), Labidostomis hordei (Fabricius), L. taxicornis (Fabricius), Lachnaia paradoxa (Olivier), L. puncticollis Chevrolat, Tituboea sexmaculata (Fabricius) and Cryptocephalus rugicollis Olivier. Lachnaia octomaculata (Pic) is an endemic species in North-Africa (Algeria, Morocco).
Vibrations And Deformations Of Moderately Thick Plates In Stochastic Finite Element Method
Authors: Grzywiński Maksym , Pokorska Iwona , Poński Mariusz
Published: January 2016

The paper deals with some chosen aspects of stochastic dynamical analysis of moderately thick plates. The discretization of the governing equations is described by the finite element method. The main aim of the study is to provide the generalized stochastic perturbation technique based on classical Taylor expansion with a single random variable.
Application Of More Complex Rheological Models In Continuum Mechanics
Authors: Minárová Mária , Sumec Jozef
Published: January 2016

The paper deals with mathematical modeling of the structural materials representing their rheological properties. The materials are modeled by more complex models (enhancement of Voigt and Maxwell models). The constitutive equations are derived; the relationships within the creep and relaxation process are developed. The rheological behavior of the materials is introduced.