bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Linguistic precariat: Judith Butler’s ‘rethinking vulnerability and resistance’ as a useful perspective for applied linguistics
Authors: Samata Susan
Published: November 2017

In the twenty years since the publication of Judith Butler’sExcitable Speech, more so sinceGender Trouble(1990), political and cultural landscapes have changed considerably. One general aspect of this change has been a move away from binary oppositions and discrete categories, and towards recognition of multiplicity and plasticity across many areas, including Butler’s central focus of gender, but also perceptions of race, nationality, and language. Butler’s recent publication, ‘Rethinking vulnerability and resistance’ (2016), may also have significance for the field of Applied Linguistics. It is not only the intentional act, for example of promising (Austin 1962) or incitement (Butler 1997), but any utterance has elements of performativity in that it situates a speaker vis-à-vis their surroundings. In any situation that crosses some socio-linguistic boundary, be it across languages, dialects, or markers of class, a delicate calculus of identification and subjectivity is in play. There are echoes here of Bourdieu’s (1991) notion of the types of personal capital, and of Claire Kramsch’ observation that language indexes social relations; ‘Any harmony or disharmony … is registered on this most sensitive of Richter scales.’ (Kramsch 1998: 77) (Italics in original). This paper will discuss the possible application, to language-centred issues facing second generation migrants and others, of Judith Butler’s theory of vulnerability in resistance (Butler 2016). In this theory, vulnerability is framed not as aprima facieneed for protection, but as the very ground for resistance.
How Should One Evaluate the Soviet Revolution?
Authors: Hösle Vittorio
Published: November 2017

The essay begins by discussing different ways of evaluating and making sense of the Soviet Revolution from Crane Brinton to Hannah Arendt. In a second part, it analyses the social, political and intellectual background of tsarist Russia that made the revolution possible. After a survey of the main changes that occurred in the Soviet Union, it appraises its ends, the means used for achieving them, and the unintended side-effects. The Marxist philosophy of history is interpreted as an ideological tool of modernization attractive to societies to which the liberal form of modernization was precluded.
Legitimacy without Liberalism: A Defense of Max Weber’s Standard of Political Legitimacy
Authors: Greene Amanda R.
Published: November 2017

In this paper I defend Max Weber's concept of political legitimacy as a standard for the moral evaluation of states. On this view, a state is legitimate when its subjects regard it as having a valid claim to exercise power and authority. Weber’s analysis of legitimacy is often assumed to be merely descriptive, but I argue that Weberian legitimacy has moral significance because it indicates that political stability has been secured on the basis of civic alignment. Stability on this basis enables all the goods of peaceful cooperation with minimal state violence and intimidation, thereby guarding against alienation and tyranny. Furthermore, I argue, since Weberian legitimacy is empirically measurable in terms that avoid controversial value judgments, its adoption would bridge a longstanding divide between philosophers and social scientists
The Secularization Theory—Not Disconfirmed, Yet Rarely Tested
Authors: Meulemann Heiner
Published: November 2017

Tendencies of secularization-religiosity decreases in Western societies since 1950-have been found abundantly in comparative survey research. They are taken as starting point to examine what the theory of secularization predicts and which predictions have been confirmed. It is shown that the three canonical theories of the change of religiosity-secularization, individualization, and market theory-are identical in their structure und can be integrated as the secularization theory. The secularization theory has been tested in cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, and by macro and multi-level analyses-that is, cross-classfied in four forms. Neglecting cross-sectional macro analyses, there are only 11 publications within the three remaining forms. They confirm a negative effect of social differentiation throughout und a negative effect of cultural pluralization often. Yet they often fail to control for important micro impacts upon religiosity, such as denomination or parenthood. In sum, they show that the secularization theory is by no means disconfirmed, yet rarely tested.
Paths to Modernity and the Secularization Issue
Authors: Schwinn Thomas
Published: November 2017

In the lively debate of the last two decades about the validity of the ‘secularization thesis’, the comparison between Europe and the USA plays a central role. The high level of religiosity beyond the Atlantic has put under pressure the assumption of the loss of importance of religion in modernity, which had been prevalent for a long time. In this debate, the connection between the differentiation theory and sociology of religion, which has already been discussed by the classics of the discipline, has attracted too little attention. This article takes up this desideratum and proposes, following Max Weber, a theory of differentiation which is able to cover the variety of religious processes. This proposed analysis will be made concrete with reference to the different paths to modernity of Europe and the USA and the related importance of religion.
The Demands of Democratic Ownership
Authors: Thomas Alan
Published: November 2017

This paper considers an argument that justice as fairness requires liberal socialism as opposed to a property-owning democracy. It analyses the arguments for departing from Rawls’s principled agnosticism over the choice between liberal market socialism and property owning democracy. It questions the extension of Rawls’s fair value guarantee for the political liberties to all liberty and suggests an alternative interpretation of the kind of predistributive egalitarianism represented by a property-owning democracy.
Strong sequences and partition relations
Authors: Jureczko Joanna
Published: November 2017

The first result in partition relations topic belongs to Ramsey (1930). Since that this topic has been still explored. Probably the most famous partition theorem is Erdös-Rado theorem (1956). On the other hand in 60’s of the last century Efimov introduced strong sequences method, which was used for proving some famous theorems in dyadic spaces. The aim of this paper is to generalize theorem on strong sequences and to show that it is equivalent to generalized version of well-known Erdös-Rado theorem. It will be also shown that this equivalence holds for singulars. Some applications and conclusions will be presented too.
The Effectiveness of Public Subsidies for Private Innovations. An Experimental Approach
Authors: Brüggemann Julia , Proeger Till
Published: November 2017

The effects of public subsidies in supporting innovative activity are subject to long-standing debates. Since empirical findings remain largely inconclusive, this study adds to this debate with counterfactual evidence from a laboratory experiment. In a creative real effort task simulating the innovation process, two distinct means of allocating subsidies are compared to a benchmark treatment without subsidies to identify their effects in fostering innovativeness. Furthermore, subjects’ cooperative behavior in relation to subsidies is investigated. Overall, subsidies lead to a substantial crowding-out of private investment. While the individual revenues increase due to the subsidy, the innovative activity fails to increase and less sophisticated innovations are realized. Consequently, subsidies have no or negative effects on overall welfare, depending on the subsidy specifics. However, subsidies do not influence cooperative behavior. These findings imply that the additional costs of subsidies for innovations might not be warranted by gains from additional innovations and increased welfare.
Cities as command and control centres of the world economy: An empirical analysis, 2006–2015
Authors: Csomós György
Published: November 2017

As a result of their rapid economic growth, several powerful corporate giants have emerged in developing countries, especially in China, operating not only in the traditional manufacturing sector, but also in high-tech industries and finance. Major cities in developing countries have gradually become important command and control centres of the global economy, and have also become powerful enough to be in the same tier as major cities of developed countries around the world. In this paper, I examine the position of cities as command and control centres on the basis of the power of their headquartered corporations. The result shows that until 2012, New York, London, Tokyo, and Paris; i.e. the global cities, were the leading command and control centres. However, the gap between these global cities and Beijing gradually closed, and by 2015, the Chinese capital outranked all the global cities. The outstanding performance of Beijing-based corporations that operate in financial, energy, and construction services sectors is the driving force behind Beijing’s increasing global power. In addition, the leading position of the global cities as command and control centres has been threatened by the San Francisco-San Jose metropolitan region, a newly emerging economic hub in the United States.
Performing rurality. But who?
Authors: Dymitrow Mirek , Brauer Rene
Published: November 2017

Reflective inquiries to better understand ‘the rural’ have tried to embed rural research within the notion of performativity. Performativity assumes that the capacity of language is not simply to communicate but also to consummate action, whereupon citational uses of concepts produce a series of material effects. Of late, this philosophical shift has also implicated geographers as active agents in producing, reproducing and performing rurality. This paper provides a critical evaluation of what this new insistence really means for the production of geographical knowledge. Using framework analysis as a method, the paper scrutinizes several reportedly influential papers on the topic of rural performativity. Our findings reveal that, while indeed reflexive on issues of academic integrity, methodology and ethics, performances of rurality are continuedly placed ‘out there’ amongst ‘rural people’, i.e. in a priori defined and often stereotypically understood contexts, either by way of ‘spatial delimitation’ or ‘activity delimitation’. Effectively, such testimonies provide a truncated state of fidelity, where performance- oriented reflexivity is seconded by contradictory empirics of uneven value and with few commonalities. We conclude that by turning towards performativity as an allegedly more helpful way of obtaining rural coherence, we at the same time overlook our own role in keeping ‘rural theory’ alive.
Selected converter topologies for interfacing energy storages with power grid
Authors: Domino A. , Zymmer K. , Parchomiuk M.
Published: November 2017

The paper presents different solutions applicable in power converter systems for connecting power grids with energy storage systems such as superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), supercapacitor energy storage (SES) or chemical batteries. Those systems are characterized by bidirectional current flow between energy storage and power grid. Two-level converters (AC-DC and DC-AC converters) dedicated for low power energy storage compatible with 3×400 V-type power grids are proposed. High power systems are connected with 3×6 kV-type power grids via transformers that adjust voltage to the particular energy storage or directly, based on multilevel power converters (AC-DC and DC-AC) or dual active bridge (DAB) systems. Solutions ensuring power grid compatibility with several energy storage systems of the same electrical parameters as well as of different voltage-current characteristics are also proposed. Selected simulation results illustrating operation of two system topologies of 200 kW power for two-level converter and neutral point clamped (NPC) three-level converter are presented.
Predictive and look-up table control methods of a three-level AC-DC converter under distorted grid voltage
Authors: Falkowski P. , Kulikowski K. , Grodzki R.
Published: November 2017

Power electronic three-level AC-DC converters connecting a utility grid with DC supplies are widely used in renewable energy sources. For such distributed systems, the quality of energy is very important. Hence, control algorithms of an AC-DC converter have to provide not only a sinusoidal shape of grid current, but also stable operation during transient states in the grid, e.g. voltage dips or voltage unbalance. This paper deals with the problem of robustness of AC-DC control methods under disturbed grid voltage. Three modern predictive control algorithms are presented and investigated under grid voltage distortions. Experimental results from a laboratory test setup illustrating properties of the described methods are shown.
A family of high-power multilevel switched capacitor-based resonant DC-DC converters – operational parameters and novel concepts of topologies
Authors: Stala R. , Piróg S. , Penczek A. , Kawa A. , Waradzyn Z. , Mondzik A. , Skała A.
Published: November 2017

This paper presents the concept of topologies and investigation results of switched-capacitor voltage multipliers designed for application in high power systems. The analyzed family of multilevel converters includes established topologies as well as novel concepts. The application of thyristors as well as the invention of novel concepts of multiplier topologies and appropriate control make it possible to achieve high efficiency, high voltage gain, reliable and simple DC-DC converters for high power systems. Based on analytical models of the SCVMs, the paper presents a discussion of the selection of components and the efficiency of the converters as a function of converted power as well as the voltage range on the input and the output side. The results are supported by computer simulations and demonstrative experimental tests.
Motivation and Satisfaction of Employees in the Workplace
Authors: Rožman Maja , Treven Sonja , Čančer Vesna
Published: November 2017

Background: The aging of the European population is a demographic trend reflected in the ever-growing number of older employees. This paper introduces the importance of motivation and satisfaction in the workplace among age diverse employees in Slovenian companies.

Objectives: The goal is to investigate the differences between the motivation and satisfaction of employees from different age groups in the workplace.

Methods/Approach: The paper is based on research including a survey of two age groups of employees in Slovenia. We employed the Mann-Whitney U test to verify differences in the motivation and satisfaction in the workplace between the two groups.

Results: Older employees are more motivated by flexibility in the workplace; autonomy at work; good interpersonal relationships in the workplace; the possibility of working at their own pace; respect among employees; equal treatment of employees regardless of their age. They are more satisfied with interpersonal relationships in the company; their work; working hours and the distribution of work obligations; and facilitation of the self-regulation of the speed of work performed.

Conclusions: Motivation and satisfaction change as individuals age. Using this information, managers and employers can apply appropriate measures to contribute to employees’ well-being and better workplace performance, better working relationships with colleagues, higher productivity, and greater creativity.
Presence of Banks on Social Networks in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Mabić Mirela , Gašpar Dražena , Lucović Damir
Published: November 2017

Background:Social networks allow real-time interaction that enhances a bank’s ability to respond to customers in a timely, intuitive and personalized manner. By using social networks, banks can improve the understanding of their clients and bank’s products they need. Also, banks can enhance relations with clients and strengthen their brand through raising client loyalty.

Objectives:The paper explores and analyses the current presence of banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina on social networks.

Methods/Approach:The paper studies the presence of 24 banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina on social networks and analyses the basic characteristics of profiles/pages of the banks on the most popular social networks.

Results:A half of the banks have their profiles/pages on different social networks (mostly on Facebook and YouTube). They use the profiles/pages mainly for content marketing, i.e. for presenting their business operations. Unfortunately, banks do not encourage interaction with clients, except through likes.

Conclusions:The analysis does not show that banks have a systematized and planned appearance on social networks. There is a plenty of room for improvement, and it is necessary primarily to address the interaction between clients and banks through social networks.
Process-Based Information Systems Development: Taking Advantage of a Component-Based Infrastructure
Authors: Pereira José Luís , e Sá Jorge Oliveira
Published: November 2017

Background: Owing to the highly competitive business environment in which contemporary organizations have to operate, a quick and effective way of developing and maintaining information systems is of utmost importance to their success. Obviously, the computerized information systems that support the everyday operations and management of organizations play a critical role in their competitiveness. For that reason, nowadays, more than ever, information systems have to be quickly developed, rapidly reconfigured, and easily maintained.

Objectives: We aim to define a technological infrastructure, accompanied by a set of methodological development requirements, which might help to fulfil those needs.

Methods/Approach: In this work, we followed a Design Science Research (DSR) approach.

Results: We propose a specific IT infrastructure, inspired by the concept of a business process and using the functionalities provided by collaborative and workflow technologies, which allows the development of distributed IT solutions, Process-Based Information Systems (PBIS), in a component-based fashion. In the context of PBIS, we also propose a set of development requirements.

Conclusions: We claim that Process-Based Information Systems allow organizations to evolve quickly and smoothly in face of changing business requirements, facilitating the integration of existing and future IT artefacts, while simplifying the overall development and maintenance effort of information systems.
Emperors and vassals
Authors: Jakobsson Sverrir
Published: November 2017

In 1196 three messengers were sent by the Byzantine emperor Alexios III to the monarchs of Norway, Denmark and Sweden, to request military assistance. In this article, an attempt is made to place this request in a historical context, to determine what the intentions of the emperor were and how the three kings of Norway, Denmark and Sweden would have interpreted it on their part. The mission is examined in the context of the journeys of Scandinavian dignitaries to Constantinople in the twelfth century. An important feature in all these descriptions is the continued presence of Scandinavian soldiers in the service of the Emperor, the Varangian Guard. The Varangians are portrayed as countrymen and natural allies of the new arrivals. It is argued that, although medieval Byzantium did not have a formal institution such as vassalage, the emperor certainly regarded the Scandinavian monarchs as his oath-bound “liegemen”, and that the mission of 1196 a part of that established Byzantine trend.
Katechanas – ein lange verkannter mittelbyzantinischer Bei- bzw. Familienname
Authors: Seibt Werner
Published: November 2017

The surname of a Nikolaos πρωτοσπαθάριος καὶ πριμικήριος τῶν συνηγόρων resp. πρωτοσπαθάριος, θεσμογράφος καὶ πριμικήριος τῶν συνηγόρων on his lead seals from the time between 1040 and 1110 had been interpreted in the past with mistakes (Karichala, Katichael). Now we know three exemplars of each type and are able to correct to Κατιχανᾶς / Κατηχανᾶς. One more seal mentions an Ioannes Katechanas as β. κληρικός for a time between 1050 and 1110.The surname Katechanas is not documented elsewhere but has probably a Greek origin.
Application of κ free light chains in cerebrospinal fluid as a biomarker in multiple sclerosis diagnosis: development of a diagnosis algorithm
Authors: Valencia-Vera Estefania , Martinez-Escribano Garcia-Ripoll Ana , Enguix Alfredo , Abalos-Garcia Carmen , Segovia-Cuevas Maria Jesus
Published: November 2017

Background:

The determination of κ free light chains (KFLC) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by nephelometry is a feasible alternative to immunoglobulin G oligoclonal bands (OCB) in the evaluation of intrathecal synthesis of immunoglobulin in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of KFLC and its inclusion in a procedure algorithm along with OCB interpretation.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study, which included 123 patients with a CSF OCB request, was carried out. Isoelectric focusing followed by immunofixation was used to detect OCB, and nephelometry was used to analyze KFLC. The KFLC index was calculated using CSF/serum quotient of KFLC and albumin. The KFLC index was compared with MS diagnosis to find the optimal cutoff. It was obtained from the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the Youden method.

Results:

The CSF KFLC median was 1.66 mg/L in the MS group, whereas in other central nervous system diseases, KFLC showed generally no or only moderate increase in CSF (median 0.10 mg/L). KFLC index showed a significant difference between groups. ROC analysis for CSF KFLC concentration, and KFLC indexes were 91.88% and 93.94%, respectively. The best cutoff for the KFLC index was 2.91 for MS diagnosis (sensitivity: 83.78%; specificity: 85.88%). The proposed algorithm showed high sensitivity (89.19%) and specificity (84.71%).

Conclusions:

KFLC determination is rapid and automatized, but it has no higher sensitivity and specificity than OCB in MS diagnosis. Nevertheless, when used in screening, it could reduce the number of manual OCB tests.
Impact of Different Irrigation Managements on Soil Water Consumption, Grain Yield, Seed Protein, Phosphorus and Potassium of Winter Wheat
Authors: Shahrajabian M.H. , Soleymani A. , Ogbaji P.O. , Xue X.
Published: November 2017

To evaluate soil water consumption, changes in quantity and quality of winter wheat seed and forage under different irrigation treatments, an experiment was conducted in Beijing, China, in the 2012-2013. Irrigation treatments were (I1): irrigation before sowing, (I2): irrigation before sowing + before freezing; (I3): irrigation before sowing + before freezing + irrigation in the beginning of erecting stage + irrigation at flowering stage; (I4): irrigation before sowing + irrigation before freezing + irrigation at the booting stage + irrigation at flowering stage. The laid out of experiment was randomized complete block design, repeated six times. The effect of irrigation on total biological yield, grain yield and harvest index is significant. The highest mean soil water consumption in Oct., Nov., Dec., Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr. and May was obtained for lysimeter 10 (I2), lysimeter 10 (I2), lysimeter 6 (I2), lysimeter 10 (I2), lysimeter 10 (I2), lysimeter 10 (I2), lysimeter 11 (I3), and lysimeter 10 (I2), respectively. The results from the study indicate that irrigation winter wheat throughout the booting stage and flowering stage increased grain yield, harvest index, potassium percentage, ash percentage of forage wheat at flowering stage, seed and forage protein percentage. Evapotranspiration trends increased steadily, especially in last three months, in which the lysimeter fields were covered by winter wheat completely.
Organic Matter, Protein Percentage, Yield, Competition and Economics of Oat-Soybean and Oat-Groundnut Intercropping Systems in Northern China
Authors: Yong Y. , Hu Y. , Shahrajabian M.H. , Ren C. , Guo L. , Wang C. , Zeng Z.
Published: November 2017

Intercropping is one of the most important and sustaibale cropping practice in agro-ecosystems. The study was conducted under field conditions in the arid Horqine sandy land in Baicheng District, Jilin Province, Northern China in 2011. A randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Treatments comprised different mono cropping and intercropping patterns, TO: sole cropping of oat, TOS-O: oat in the intercropping of oat and soybean, TOG-O: oat in the intercropping of oat and groundnut, TS: sole cropping of soybean, TOS-S: soybean in intercropping of oat and soybean, TG: sole cropping of groundnut, TOG-G: groundnut in the intercropping of oat and groundnut. In intercropping patterns, oat in oat-groundnut had obtained the highest dry matter in all stages. The highest value of protein percentage and organic matter in heading stage, grain filling stage, and grain dough stage was achieved in groundnut in oatgroundnut intercropping. The maximum value of protein percentage and organic matter in booting stage and ripening stage was related to soybean in oat-soybean intercropping. The results of this study clearly indicate that intercropping oat and groundnut affects the growth rate of the individual species in mixtures as well as the dry matter yield and nitrogen accumulation. The highest seed yield was obtained for mono-cropping of soybean, followed by mono-cropping of groundnut and oat. Oat seed yield intercropping of oat and groundnut, and intercropping of oat and soybean were 1208.00 kg/ha, and 832.3 kg/ha, respectively. The highest grain yield was obtained when soybean was grown together with oat, where the higher yield of intercrop is due to the better usage of nutrient, water and light. LER in all intercropping patterns were higher than 1. LER in intercropping of soybean and oat, and intercropping of groundnut and oat were 1.41, and 1.30, respectively. With these LER values, 29.07% and 23.07% of land were, respectively, saved in intercropping of soybean and oat, and intercropping of groundnut and oat, respectively, which could be used for other agricultural purposes. In both intercropping of soybean and oat, and intercropping of groundnut and oat, CI were less than 1, which means that both these two intercropping patterns have positive effects.
Foliar Application of Sodium Molybdate Enhanced Nitrogen Uptake and Translocation in Soybean Plants by Improving Nodulation Process Under Salt Stress
Authors: Farhangi-Abriz S. , Faegi-Analou R. , Nikpour-Rashidabad N.
Published: November 2017

Soil salinity with different harmful effects on plant growth and productivity is one of the main reasons in diminishing biological nitrogen fixation and nitrogen assimilation in legume plants. Molybdate has a key role on nitrogen metabolism of plants and can be has a beneficial effect on it. Thus, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of sodium molybdate spraying (0.2 and 0.4% solutions in water) on nodulation, nitrogen uptake and translocation in soybean plants under different levels of salt stress (0, 5 and 10 dS m−1 NaCl, respectively). Salinity reduced the nodulation, root and shoot growth and special flavonoids content in roots, which are have a key role in nodulation includes, daidzein, genistein, coumestrol and glycitein, also diminished nitrogenase, glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), glutamine oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT) and nitrate reductase (NR) activities in nodes, nitrogen content of nodes, roots and leaves, nitrogen uptake and translocation by soybean plants. Under salt stress and nonsaline condition, sodium molybdate treatments improved the nodulation by increasing flavonoids content of roots, also these treatments enhanced the plant growth and nitrogenase, GS, GDH, GOGAT and NR activities of nodes. Furthermore, nitrogen content of nodes, roots and leaves, nitrogen uptake and translocation by soybean plants improved by sodium molybdate applications. Both of the sodium molybdate doses, exposed the similar effects on improving nodulation and nitrogen metabolism of soybean.
Trend data for administration of medications in patients with acute cerebrovascular accidents and its sequelae
Authors: Levytska Oksana , Hromovyk Bohdan , Yavorska Nataliya
Published: November 2017

The trends in drug utilization in patients with acute cerebrovascular accidents (ACVA) and its sequelae were investigated in the Neurological Department of Lviv Regional Hospital, Ukraine, in 2007 and 2015. From the 10 anatomical groups of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system, in 2007, 181 medications were prescribed for treatment of ACVA and concomitant diseases, compared to 198 medications in 2015. The medications of Group C (Cardiovascular system) were of the maximal proportion in both analyzed periods (28.1% in 2007 and 29.8% in 2015). Moreover, the largest proportion of the prescribed medications of the 3rd level groups of the ATC classification system were of group В01А - “Antithrombotic agents” (7.2% in 2007 and 6.6% in 2015). Furthermore, three medications (Magnesium sulfate, L-lysini aescinas and Potassium chloride) were prescribed for 50% and more patients in both analyzed periods, while the prescriptions of other medications were characterized by high variability. АТС/DDD analysis also revealed the tendency toward an increase in prescription and drug utilization of the main medication groups, and that these were used for nonspecific and specific therapy for ACVA, as well as for secondary prevention (antihypertensives, anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents and statins). Totally, the drug utilization of these medication groups was 38.5% in 2007 and 58.0%, respectively, in 2015, compared to the overall number of DDDs. The results of our study suggest the existence of a positive tendency in prescriptions, and of compliance with the current principles of treatment, in patients with ACVA, in Ukraine.
Autophagy in the pancreatic islets after the administration of cladribine in accordance to two different modes of therapy
Authors: Jasinski Ludwik , Lis-Sochocka Marta , Chylinska-Wrzos Patrycja , Wawryk-Gawda Ewelina , Jodlowska-Jedrych Barbara
Published: November 2017

The treatment of neoplastic and neurodegenerative diseases is still difficult. This because the cytostatic drugs have adverse effects on healthy organs. Among the drugs that have been investigated in the therapy of cancers and multiple sclerosis are the purine analogues. The aim of our study was the evaluation of the effect of cladribine on the process of autophagy in the healthy pancreas via two dosage models. The experiment was conducted on female Wistar rats which were placed within the experimental and control groups of two dosage models: model (A) - cladribine being administered in a daily dose of 0.1 mg/kg by weight for 7 days, and model (B) - cladribine being administered in a daily dose of 0.07 mg/kg by weight in 3 cycles of 6 days with 5 weeks break. A-bis and B-bis groups were included within, respectively, groups A and B. Here, decapitation occurred after 4 weeks break in drug administration. In our work, autophagy was investigated via the expression of the LC3B protein (Light Chain 3B protein). The comparison of the results of many independent trials was built upon the use of the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test. Significance was set at p < 0.005. In our results, average LC3B expression was observed in 100% of all cells in the group A, 70% in group B and 60% in group B-bis. We not observed average LC3B expression in the other groups. Moreover, a poor reaction was observed in 55% of all cells in group A-bis. We noted significant relationships between control group and group A, between the control group and group B, and between group A-bis and groups B and B-bis. These results demonstrate that cladribine has led to the induction of autophagy in the pancreatic islet cells.
Annotating Speaker Stance in Discourse: The Brexit Blog Corpus
Authors: Simaki Vasiliki , Paradis Carita , Skeppstedt Maria , Sahlgren Magnus , Kucher Kostiantyn , Kerren Andreas
Published: November 2017

The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of identifying speaker stance in discourse, provide an analytical resource for it and an evaluation of the level of agreement across speakers. We also explore to what extent language users agree about what kind of stances are expressed in natural language use or whether their interpretations diverge. In order to perform this task, a comprehensive cognitive-functional framework of ten stance categories was developed based on previous work on speaker stance in the literature. A corpus of opinionated texts was compiled, the Brexit Blog Corpus (BBC). An analytical protocol and interface (Active Learning and Visual Analytics) for the annotations was set up and the data were independently annotated by two annotators. The annotation procedure, the annotation agreements and the co-occurrence of more than one stance in the utterances are described and discussed. The careful, analytical annotation process has returned satisfactory inter- and intra-annotation agreement scores, resulting in a gold standard corpus, the final version of the BBC.
Simplified Generalized Gauss–Newton Method for Nonlinear Ill-Posed Operator Equations in Hilbert Scales
Authors: Mahale Pallavi , Dadsena Pradeep Kumar
Published: November 2017

In this paper, we study the simplified generalized Gauss–Newton method in a Hilbert scale setting to get an approximate solution of the ill-posed operator equation of the form

F
⁢

(
x
)

=
y

{F(x)=y}

where

F
:

D
⁢

(
F
)

⊆
X
→
Y

{F:D(F)\subseteq X\to Y}

is a nonlinear operator between Hilbert spaces X and Y. Under suitable nonlinearly conditions on F, we obtain an order optimal error estimate under the Morozov type stopping rule.
The Chern character of the Verlinde bundle over
ℳ¯
g,n
Authors: Marian Alina , Oprea Dragos , Pandharipande Rahul , Pixton Aaron , Zvonkine Dimitri
Published: November 2017

We prove an explicit formula for the total Chern character of the Verlinde bundle of conformal blocks over

ℳ
¯

g
,
n

\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}

in terms of tautological classes. The Chern characters of the Verlinde bundles define a semisimple CohFT (the ranks, given by the Verlinde formula, determine a semisimple fusion algebra). According to Teleman’s classification of semisimple CohFTs, there exists an element of Givental’s group
transforming the fusion algebra into the CohFT. We determine the element using the first Chern class of the Verlinde bundle on the interior

ℳ

g
,
n

{\mathcal{M}}_{g,n}

and the projective flatness of the Hitchin connection.
Mechanochemically synthesized LiAlOx catalyst for aqueous aldol condensation of furfural with acetone
Authors: Stepanova L. N. , Mironenko R. M. , Belskaya O. B. , Likholobov V. A.
Published: November 2017

In the present study, the mechanochemical method is proposed for synthesis of LiAl-layered double hydroxides (LDHs). This method is eco-friendly and allows obtaining LiAl-LDH under relatively mild conditions (centripetal acceleration of milling bodies 300 m s-2) and in a short period of time (15 minutes). The structures of as-prepared LiAl-LDH, LiAl-mixed oxide (calcined LDH) and “activated” LiAl-LDH obtained after rehydration of the corresponding mixed oxide were confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The basicity of LiAlOx was measured by temperature-programmed desorption of CO2 and double isotherm technique. According to data obtained, LiAl-mixed oxide has a significant higher carbon dioxide adsorption capacity compared to MgAlmixed oxides prepared by conventional co-precipitation method. This indicates a large amount of basic surface sites with different strength (strong, medium and weak) for Li-containing systems. The formation of “activated” LiAl-LDH having Bronsted basic sites (OH groups in the interlayer space) provides an increased catalytic activity of LiAlOx in the reaction of aqueous-phase aldol condensation between furfural and acetone.
Factors Influencing Teamwork in Health Care
Authors: Mijal Michał , Winter Małgorzata
Published: November 2017

The purpose of this paper is to analyse different views on interpersonal relations and team composition among managers and medical professionals with respect to the transition of professional roles in healthcare in Poland. To achieve that goal, a description based on a quantitative and qualitative questionnaire was conducted. Since the questionnaire covered various areas of health care, only its small fraction was used for the analysis. The main result is that most of the medical professionals and medical managers consider technology to be the single most important external factor influencing the team work efficiency and team composition in health care, and the managers consider skillset as the crucial factor determining whether a person would be a good team member. Based on the literature on professional roles in health care and their evolution in recent years, one can assume that constant development and lifelong learning would play a significant role in the healthcare systems reform. The findings are an important contribution to the discussion of the healthcare reform and its possible directions in future years as well a reference point for policy makers.
Promoting a Teacher Education Research-Oriented Curriculum for Initial Teacher Training in English as a Foreign Language
Authors: Ceia Carlos
Published: November 2017

Research-oriented programs related to pre-service teacher education are practically non-existent in many countries. Since in Portugal we now have a stable legal system for initial teacher training, how can we help these countries to respond to their teacher training needs and accomplish these same standards? How can we create an international program at MA level that could serve such an objective? What are the research priorities for teachers in primary and secondary education? I will claim for a new general research policy using small-scale research projects in foreign language teaching (FLT), which illustrated a turning point in advanced research in foreign languages teacher training. Presently, researchers no longer narrow their inquiries into linguistic questions or school and student-centered actions. Instead, they focus on a range of issues such as teacher-centered actions, beliefs and policies, and aspects of FLT such as literacy education, special educational needs or methods for teaching gifted students. Despite a lack of funding at all levels, many research projects in teacher education have been undertaken, and new areas have been explored, such as didactic transposition, literary and information literacies, intercultural learning, corpora in FLT, new information and communication technologies in FLT, interlingual inferencing, national standards for foreign language education, FLT for specific purposes, digital narratives in education, CLIL, assessment, and language learning behaviors. This small sample of the many areas covered proves that advanced research in teacher education can also be very useful to promote the growing interest in further internationalization in other sciences (beyond human and social areas) traditionally linked to politics, business and industry (computing, chemistry, biology, medicine, etc.), something that can only be attained by focusing on multilingualism, multi-literacy and lifelong learning.
Illustrating the Intercultural in Portuguese Secondary School Foreign Language (FL) Classrooms
Authors: Ulisses Carla , Hurst Nic
Published: November 2017

This article reports on a small-scale action research project developed in the context of the practicum of a Teacher Education Masters course at the Faculty of Letters, the University of Porto. The project was focussed on the importance of visual stimuli in the foreign language teaching classroom (English and Spanish), within the context of an intercultural approach. Different strategies, activities and materials were employed with the general aim of helping the learners to develop their critical cultural awareness. The learners played a central role, participating actively, by bringing into the classroom their own knowledge of the world. Simultaneously, the role of the teacher was not without importance in this action research project, presenting herself as an example of a cultural mediator.
Enhancing disciplinary literacies: languages of schooling and whole-school language projects in Spain
Authors: Pavón Víctor , Pérez America
Published: November 2017

European language policy focusing on the development of the languages of schooling is opening new paths to best fit the necessities of students, whether in bilingual or monolingual communities. Bilingual education is no longer an exclusive entity, but is increasingly becoming mainstreamed. In doing so, it can promote the consolidation of linguistic competence in all languages in the curriculum. Thus, in parallel with proposals whose aim is primarily to improve the use of disciplinary literacies in the foreign language used as the vehicle of instruction, there are programmes which seek to strengthen the foreign language, the mother tongue, and perhaps a second foreign language, through the use of subject-specific literacies (pluriliteracies) in all the languages. An example of this strategy can be found in some regions of Spain, with the decision to promote the academic language in distinct areas and in different languages through implementation of whole-school language projects. This article describes the forces and mechanisms underlying the proposal, its characteristics and practical application, and ultimately addresses the relevance of the scheme as a valuable tool to surpass the traditional objectives of bilingual education programmes and to enhance the attainment of pluriliteracies in the curriculum.
The relationship between soil properties, enzyme activity and land use
Authors: Błońska Ewa , Lasota Jarosław , Zwydak Maciej
Published: November 2017

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of different types of land use (forest, tillage and pasture) on soil properties, especially enzyme activity. Our investigation was carried out on 53 research plots with 11 plots in broadleaved forest stands, 12 plots in mixed broadleaved stands, 10 plots in mixed coniferous stands, 9 plots on tillage and 11 plots on pasture. The soil samples were collected from a depth of 0–15 cm after removing the organic horizon. Contents of organic carbon and nitrogen, pH and soil texture were investigated. Furthermore, dehydrogenase and urease activity were determined. Significant differences in the enzyme activity between forest and agricultural soils were observed, thus demonstrating that enzyme activity is influenced by the organic matter content of the soil. The highest enzyme activity was recorded in the forest soil within broadleaved stands, whilst the lowest activity was found in tillage soil, because tillage soil contained significantly less organic matter. High enzymatic activity of pasture soils is the combined result of vegetation type and the lack of plowing.
Evaluation of forestry companies with differing administrative and production costs
Authors: Wysocka-Fijorek Emilia
Published: November 2017

This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on the improvement of private forest management in Poland. It examines characteristics of various types of forestry companies encompassing either completely private forests or a mixture of private and state-owned forests. Different possibilities for operating private and state-owned forestry companies were examined.

The assessment of forestry companies was carried out for three categories based on forest inventory data and economic information. Each of the categories contained three different types of forestry companies classified as follows: I – companies managing private forests only, II – companies managing both private and state-owned forests (e.g. those managed by a state-run forest district), II – the same as in II but assuming minimal costs. The different types of forestry companies were then subjected to a more detailed analysis with respect to the following factors: A – only their own administrative costs, B – administrative costs and overheads assumed to be the same as in the State Forests, C – overheads assumed to be the same as in the State Forests but administrative costs are calculated as in A. For each of the scenarios, income, costs and revenues were calculated. The different types of forestry companies established above also allowed for an assessment of the used data and their collection.

In conclusion, incomes of the forestry companies were generally low due to forest stands being managed by companies. Only in scenario A, which assumes very low management costs, did each of the company types gain revenues. This means that the main direction for the development of forestry companies should be to maintain low management costs.
An Albian demise of the carbonate platform in the Manín Unit (Western Carpathians, Slovakia)
Authors: Fekete Kamil , Soták Ján , Boorová Daniela , Lintnerová Otília , Michalík Jozef , Grabowski Jacek
Published: November 2017

The production of platform carbonates of the Manín Unit (Manín Straits, Central Western Carpathians) belonging to the Podhorie and Manín formations and formed by remains of rudists and benthic foraminifers (Urgonian-type carbonates), was previously assumed to terminate during the Aptian. First, we show that these deposits were primarily formed on the upper slope (Podhorie Formation) and in a fore-reef environment (Manín Formation). Second, biostratigraphic data indicate that the shallow-water production persisted up to the Albian, just as it did in another succession of the Manín Unit. The Podhorie Fm contains colomiellids (Colomiella recta, C. mexicana) and calcareous dinoflagellates (Calcisphaerula innominata) that indicate the Albian age. It also contains planktonic foraminifers (Ticinella roberti, Ticinella cf. primula, Ticinella cf. madecassiana, Ticinella cf. praeticinensis) of the Albian Ticinella primula Zone. The Podhorie Formation passes upwards into peri-reefal facies of the Manín Fm where we designate the Malý Manín Member on the basis of rudists shell fragments and redeposited orbitolinids. Microfacies associations share similarities with the Urgonian-type microfacies from Mediterranean Tethys and allow us to restrict the growth and the demise of the carbonate platform. δ13C and δ18O isotopes change over a broad range of both formations: δ13C is in the range +1.03 to +4.20 ‰ V-PDB and δ18O is in the range −0.14 to −5.55 ‰ V-PDB. Although a close correlation between δ13C and δ18O indicates diagenetic overprint, a long-term increase of δ13C can indicate a gradual increase in the aragonite production and/or increasing effects of oceanic water masses in the course of the Albian, prior to the final platform drowning. Carbonate platform evolution was connected with submarine slumps and debris flows leading to redeposition and accumulation of carbonate lithoclasts and bioclastic debris on the slope. Our study confirms that the growth of carbonate platforms in the Central Western Carpathians was stopped and the platform collapsed during the Albian, in contrast to the westernmost Tethys. A hardground formed during the Late Albian is overlain by Albian - Cenomanian marls of the Butkov Formation with calcisphaerulid limestones characterized by planktonic foraminifers of the Parathalmanninella appenninica Zone and calcareous dinoflagellates of the Innominata Acme Zone.