bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does citizenship education matter?: Young people’s citizenship activity in countries with different citizenship education experience
Authors: Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz Beata , Zalewska Anna M. , Karakatsani Despina
Published: January 2018

In this article we investigate the relationship between different educational systems and the citizenship activity of young people. We refer to a three-dimensional citizenship model developed by Zalewska and Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz: passive (patriotism and national activity); semi-active (loyalty and civic virtues); and active (political, social personal and action for change). A total of 1719 18-year-old students who almost completed their citizenship education at all levels of schooling, from fourteen European countries, were evaluated using the Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire. The results show that citizenship education is most effective when delivered as a separate subject at two levels of the educational system. However, the above does not apply to two types of citizenship behaviour: (1) personal activity, which flourishes when citizenship education is integrated with other subjects and is delivered at two levels of education; and (2) political activity, which is highest when citizenship education is integrated with other subjects and taught at one level only. The analysed models of citizenship education seem to promote different types of citizenship behaviour. Integration of citizenship education with other subjects enhances the willingness to participate in political life. Teaching citizenship using a mixed intensive model (integrated and as a school subject) is associated with higher levels of personal activity, whereas limiting it a school subject contributes to patriotism.
Reviews Film
Authors: Kristian George , Kristian George , McCaw Megan May , Hamilton Rachel , Hartmann Frederik , Heaton Mark P. , Wright Jonathan
Published: January 2018

The Age of Shadows (2016) South Korea Director Jee-woon Kim Runtime 140 minutes

Backpack Full of Cash (2016) USA Director Sarah Mondale Runtime 90 minutes

Coming of Age with Kids

Kids (1995) USA Director Larry Clark Runtime 91 minutes

A Missed Objectivity: The Control of Narrative and Women in Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton (2016) USA Director F. Gary Gray Runtime 167 minutes

The Founder (2016) USA Director John Lee Hancock Runtime 115 minutes

Suicide Squad (2016) USA Director David Ayer Runtime 137 minutes

America and Media in Flux: Todd Haynes’s Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988) USA Director Todd Haynes Runtime 43 minutes
What is home? An art-based workshop to explore the physical, relational and wellbeing properties of Home
Authors: Vallejos Elvira Perez , Baker Charley , McGarry Julie , Joyes Emma , Carletti Laura , Bartel Heike , Jacobs Rachel , Gale-Feeny Alice , Higginbottom Roy
Published: January 2018

This feasibility study was framed under the notion of creative practices as mutual recovery – the idea that shared creativity, collective experience and mutual benefit can promote resilience in mental health and well-being. The study evaluated the impact of an art-based workshop designed to examine participant’s notions of home. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the textual data derived from three focus groups. The findings indicate that art-based workshops that incorporate principles of mindfulness can be used to raise awareness of mental health and well-being issues associated with challenging or inadequate notions of home. These workshops provide a forum for reflection and community in which these problematic notions can be meaningfully articulated and communicated and solutions discussed. This type of creative practice supports the notion of mutual recovery health, helps build resilience among residential workforce and thus helps them to better deal with existing problems.
Community media and broadcast journalism in Austria: Legal and funding provisions as indicators for the perception of the media’s societal roles
Authors: Seethaler Josef , Beaufort Maren
Published: January 2018

Starting with considerations on the ongoing transformation of broadcast journalism borne by technological, economic and societal changes, the study aims at clarifying the role of Austrian community media in relation to the public and commercial sector. Setting out from the assumption that legal documents codify social change, and hence are barometers for collectively recognized conceptions and norms and of the changes they undergo, all Austrian legal texts and funding guidelines concerning broadcasting were subject to a comparative analysis with respect to their underlying perceptions of the societal role of broadcast media. The analysis has shown that there is no longer a broadcast journalism as such, but rather that several images of the role of broadcast journalism and conceptions of its function exist side by side. Different conceptions of democracy are perceptible as the basis of their legitimacy and they reflect the change from a traditional representative model to a participatory conception, such as is especially widespread among younger generations. Alternative forms of broadcast journalism, as practiced by community media, are thus acquiring greater significance: forms that no longer treat media communication as one-directional, but rather as fundamentally participative offerings – in order to encourage and empower people to become aware of and responsible for their social environment.
Community radio and governance: Leadership, relationship and organizational identity
Authors: O’ Brien Anne
Published: January 2018

This study examines the challenges of good governance for community radio stations. It does this by exploring how volunteers, managers and members of the Boards of Directors at four community radio stations in Ireland view governance issues. The article finds that there are three key requirements for effective governance in the context of non-profit community radio stations. First, participants described the importance of the Board’s leadership role in acquiring expertise in specific, necessary areas, such as finance, human resources and compliance. The Board was also seen to require a capacity to generate positive relationships between the station and its constituent communities. Second, participants outlined a number of practices that proved useful in achieving positive internal relationships between the Board, the volunteers and management. Third, participants described how a collectively shared ethos of community radio was useful in overcoming potential divisions by generating a shared sense of the organization for its members. The findings highlight the need for further research and analysis of the organizational uniqueness and consequent governance requirements of community media.
All the lonely people, where do they all belong: Community radio and social connection
Authors: Order Simon
Published: January 2018

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) asserts that community radio should promote a culturally diverse society by representing those sections of the community much less visible in the mainstream media. This echoes the Australian Federal Government’s vision of social inclusion/cohesion in a society in which all Australians are valued and are able to participate fully. There are those, however, who are marginalised by mainstream culture and can find themselves alienated as a result of, for example, their language, religion, ethincity, sexuality or niche interests. Societal participation for those groups can be challenging and may mean some members feel a sense of isolation and lonliness. The incidence of loneliness in Australia is growing. The personal and social consequences of loneliness are significant for those affected but also for policy-makers. Community broadcasting is uniquely positioned to provide opportunities for volunteering, community participation, and sociability for niche community groups, all of which contribute towards countering the effects of loneliness. In this regard, community radio can be described as rhizomatic. It has the potential to generate social capital for the participants and the listeners via its many community entrance points and social pathways. Community radio is often a two-way street with content producers and consumers occupying the same position, thus blurring the line between the traditional professional broadcaster and the passive listener. The generated niche communities of interest expand away from a station towards the audience, and simultaneously, into the community station from the listeners. Overall, this article argues that community broadcasting in Australia should be valued as a medium that can reduce social isolation and enrich community cohesion.
Задача с операторами Сайго для вырождающегося внутри области гиперболического уравнения
Authors: Репин Олег Александрович , Repin Oleg Aleksandrovich
Published: January 2018

Рассматривается вырождающееся гиперболическое уравнение
$$
|y|^{m} u_{xx}-u_{yy}+a |y|^{\frac{m}{2}-1} u_{x}=0.
$$
В области, ограниченной характеристиками этого уравнения, исследована нелокальная задача,
краевое условие которой содержит линейную комбинацию обобщенных операторов дробного интегро-дифференцирования с гипергеометрической функцией Гаусса в ядре.
Единственность решения нелокальной задачи доказана с помощью метода Трикоми,
а вопрос о существовании решения эквивалентно сведен к разрешимости сингулярного интегрального уравнения с ядром Коши.
К 60-летию профессора Александра Владимировича Манжирова
Authors: Радаев Юрий Николаевич , Radayev Yuri Nikolaevich , Радченко Владимир Павлович , Radchenko Vladimir Pavlovich
Published: January 2018

24 мая 2017 г. исполнилось 60 лет доктору физико-математических наук, профессору, иностранному члену Национальной академии наук Республики Армения Александру Владимировичу Манжирову.
В настоящей библиографической заметке приводятся биографические сведения об этом крупном ученом, который хорошо известен в России и за рубежом.
Представлены сведения о его вкладе в развитие механики и прикладной математики.
Assessment of Possible Application of Geochemistry to Distinguish Limnic and Paralic Coal-Bearing Parts of the Carboniferous in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin
Authors: Kokowska-Pawłowska Magdalena , Krzeszowska Ewa
Published: January 2018

The paper presents the results of geochemical analyses of samples from the Poruba Beds of the paralic series and from the Zaleskie Beds of the limnic series Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB). The contents of the following trace elements and oxides were evaluated using spectrometric method: Cr, Th, U, V, AL2O3, MgO, K2O, P2O5. The following indicators, most commonly used in chemostratigraphy and in the identification of the marine and non-marine sediments ratios, were analyzed: U, Th, Th/U, K2O, Th/K2O, P2O5, Al2O3, P2O5/ Al2O3, V, Cr, V/Cr, and (K2O/Al2O3) / (MgO/Al2O3). The research showed that those ratios may be used to identify sedimentary environments and geochemical correlations of the sedimentary rock sequences in the USCB. Geochemical ratios discussed in the paper allowed distinguishing two populations of samples representing paralic and limnic series.
Rock Failure Analysis Based on a Coupled Elastoplastic-Logarithmic Damage Model
Authors: Abdia M. , Molladavoodi H. , Salarirad H.
Published: January 2018

The rock materials surrounding the underground excavations typically demonstrate nonlinear mechanical response and irreversible behavior in particular under high in-situ stress states. The dominant causes of irreversible behavior are plastic flow and damage process. The plastic flow is controlled by the presence of local shear stresses which cause the frictional sliding. During this process, the net number of bonds remains unchanged practically. The overall macroscopic consequence of plastic flow is that the elastic properties (e.g. the stiffness of the material) are insensitive to this type of irreversible change. The main cause of irreversible changes in quasi-brittle materials such as rock is the damage process occurring within the material. From a microscopic viewpoint, damage initiates with the nucleation and growth of microcracks. When the microcracks length reaches a critical value, the coalescence of them occurs and finally, the localized meso-cracks appear. The macroscopic and phenomenological consequence of damage process is stiffness degradation, dilatation and softening response. In this paper, a coupled elastoplastic-logarithmic damage model was used to simulate the irreversible deformations and stiffness degradation of rock materials under loading. In this model, damage evolution & plastic flow rules were formulated in the framework of irreversible thermodynamics principles. To take into account the stiffness degradation and softening on post-peak region, logarithmic damage variable was implemented. Also, a plastic model with Drucker-Prager yield function was used to model plastic strains. Then, an algorithm was proposed to calculate the numerical steps based on the proposed coupled plastic and damage constitutive model. The developed model has been programmed in VC++ environment. Then, it was used as a separate and new constitutive model in DEM code (UDEC). Finally, the experimental Oolitic limestone rock behavior was simulated based on the developed model. The irreversible strains, softening and stiffness degradation were reproduced in the numerical results. Furthermore, the confinement pressure dependency of rock behavior was simulated in according to experimental observations.
Multivariate Linear Regression and CART Regression Analysis of TBM Performance at Abu Hamour Phase-I Tunnel
Authors: Jakubowski J. , Stypulkowski J.B. , Bernardeau F.G.
Published: January 2018

The first phase of the Abu Hamour drainage and storm tunnel was completed in early 2017. The 9.5 km long, 3.7 m diameter tunnel was excavated with two Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnel Boring Machines from Herrenknecht. TBM operation processes were monitored and recorded by Data Acquisition and Evaluation System. The authors coupled collected TBM drive data with available information on rock mass properties, cleansed, completed with secondary variables and aggregated by weeks and shifts. Correlations and descriptive statistics charts were examined. Multivariate Linear Regression and CART regression tree models linking TBM penetration rate (PR), penetration per revolution (PPR) and field penetration index (FPI) with TBM operational and geotechnical characteristics were performed for the conditions of the weak/soft rock of Doha. Both regression methods are interpretable and the data were screened with different computational approaches allowing enriched insight. The primary goal of the analysis was to investigate empirical relations between multiple explanatory and responding variables, to search for best subsets of explanatory variables and to evaluate the strength of linear and non-linear relations. For each of the penetration indices, a predictive model coupling both regression methods was built and validated. The resultant models appeared to be stronger than constituent ones and indicated an opportunity for more accurate and robust TBM performance predictions.
Acoustics of Orthodox Churches in Poland
Authors: Małecki Paweł , Wiciak Jerzy , Nowak Damian
Published: January 2018

An Orthodox church as a building expresses the Eastern Orthodox spirituality - all the details and general aspects have a deep and philosophical meaning. The architecture, being an illustration of the character of the Orthodox Church liturgy, has become a natural component of the cultural landscape of Poland and Eastern Europe. Acoustic research into Orthodox churches has so far been marginalized. Up to now, only a few churches of this type have been studied. The article is a review of the acoustic environment of churches in Poland. Churches, differing in terms of size, architectural style and other quantities, were chosen and acoustic measurements were made. The results of the measurements have been analyzed and collated. In particular, a detailed analysis and comparison was made for reverberation time as a function of frequency, due to the largest differences in this parameter between the rooms.
Identification of Harmonic Musical Intervals: The Effect of Pitch Register and Tone Duration
Authors: Rogala Tomira , Miskiewicz Andrzej , Rogowski Piotr
Published: January 2018

An experiment was conducted to explore the effect of the pitch strength of pure tones constituting a dyad on the accuracy of musical interval identification. Pitch strength was controlled by presenting the intervals in different frequency regions and varying their duration. The intervals were organized into 18 blocks made up by a combination of three octaves: the second (65.4-130.8 Hz), the fourth (261.6- 523.3 Hz), and the sixth octave (1047-2093 Hz), and six tone durations, ranging 50-2000 ms in the second octave, and 10-500 ms in the two higher ones. The results indicate that interval identification improves with increasing pitch strength of the interval’s component tones. The identification scores were much lower in the second octave than in the two higher ones and in all octaves identification worsened as the interval’s duration was shortened. The intervals were most often confused with intervals of similar size rather than with their inversions and intervals of similar sonic character. This finding suggests that the main cue for the identification of harmonic intervals is the pitch distance between two tones. However, in the low pitch range, when the tone pitches are less salient, the impression of consonance may become a helpful, although not very effective cue.
A Fast Method of Feature Extraction for Lowering Vehicle Pass-By Noise Based on Nonnegative Tucker3 Decomposition
Authors: Wang Haijun , Cheng Guo , Deng Guoyong , Li Xueping , Li Honggeng , Huang Yuanyi
Published: January 2018

Usually, the judgement of one type fault of vehicle pass-by noise is difficult for engineers, especially when some significant features are disturbed by other interference noise, such as the squealing noise is almost simultaneous with the whistle in the exhaust system. In order to cope with this problem, a new method, with the antinoise ability of the algorithm on the condition by which the features are entangled, is developed to extract clear features for the fault analysis. In the proposed method, the nonnegative Tucker3 decomposition (NTD) with fast updating algorithm, signed as NTD_FUP, can find out the natural frequency of the parts/components from the exhaust system. Not only does the NTD_FUP extract clear features from the confused noise, but also it is superior to the traditional methods in practice. Then, an aluminium-foil alloy material, which is used for the heat shield for its lower noise radiation, replaces the aluminium alloy alone. Extensive experiments show that the sound pressure level of the vehicle pass-by noise is reduced 0.9 dB(A) by the improved heat shield, which is also considered as a more lightweight design for the exhaust system of an automobile.
Numerical Prediction of the Tonal Airborne Noise for a NACA 0012 Aerofoil at Moderate Reynolds Number Using a Transitional URANS Approach
Authors: De Gennaro Michele , Kühnelt Helmut , Zanon Alessandro
Published: January 2018

Tonal airborne noise of aerofoils appears in a limited range of moderate Reynolds numbers and angles of attack. In these specific conditions, the aerofoil is characterised by a large region of laminar flow over the aerodynamic surface, typically resulting in two-dimensional laminar instabilities in the boundary layer, generating one or more acoustic tones. The numerical simulation of such phenomenon requires, beside an accurate prediction of the unsteady flow field, a proper modelling of the laminar to turbulent transition of the boundary layer, which generally imposes the use of highly CPU demanding approaches such as large eddy simulation (LES) or direct numerical simulation (DNS). This paper aims at presenting the results of numerical experiments for evaluating the capability of capturing the tonal airborne noise by using an advanced, yet low computationally demanding, unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) turbulence model augmented with a transitional model to account for the laminar to turbulent transition. This approach, coupled with the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic analogy, is adopted for predicting the far-field acoustic sound pressure of a NACA 0012 aerofoil with Reynolds number ranging from 0.39 · 106 to 1.09 · 106. The results show a main tone located approximately at 1.6-1.8 kHz for a Reynolds number equal to 0.62 · 106, increasing to 2.4 kHz at Reynolds number equal to 0.85 · 106 and 3.4 kHz at 1.09 · 106, while no main tones are observed at 0.39 · 106. The computed spectra confirm that the acoustic emission of the aerofoil is dominated by tonal structures and that the frequency of the main tone depends on the Reynolds number consistently with the ladder-like tonal structure suggested by Paterson et al. Moreover, in specific conditions, the acoustic spectra exhibit a multi-tonal structure visible in narrowband spectra, in line with the findings of Arbey and Bataille. The presented results demonstrate the capability of the numerical model of predicting the physics of the tonal airborne noise generation.
An Influence of the Wall Acoustic Impedance on the Room Acoustics. The Exact Solution
Authors: Branski Adam , Kocan-Krawczyk Anna , Predka Edyta
Published: January 2018

The Fourier method is applied to the description of the room acoustics field with the combination of uniform impedance boundary conditions imposed on some walls. These acoustic boundary conditions are expressed by absorption coefficient values In this problem, the Fourier method is derived as the combination of three one-dimensional Sturm-Liouville (S-L) problems with Robin-Robin boundary conditions at the first and second dimension and Robin-Neumann ones at the third dimension. The Fourier method requires an evaluation of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Helmholtz equation, via the solution of the eigenvalue equation, in all directions. The graphic-analytical method is adopted to solve it It is assumed that the acoustic force constitutes a monopole source and finally the forced acoustic field is calculated. As a novelty, it is demonstrated that the Fourier method provides a useful and efficient approach for a room acoustics with different values of wall impedances. Theoretical considerations are illustrated for rectangular cross-section of the room with particular ratio. Results obtained in the paper will be a point of reference to the numerical calculations.
Vorstandsbezüge – eine ökonomische Bewertung
Authors: Bontrup Heinz-J.
Published: January 2018

Die Höhe der Vorstandsgehälter von Kapitalgesellschaften wird in Deutschland von vielen kritisiert. Ist diese Kritik aber berechtigt und lässt sie sich wirtschaftswissenschaftlich fundieren? Dies will der Aufsatz nicht nur auf Basis von betriebs- und personalwirtschaftlichem Wissen, sondern auch durch das Hinzuziehen der klassischen (arbeitswerttheoretischen) und neoklassischen (grenzproduktivitätstheoretischen) Volkswirtschaftslehre aufzeigen. Auch werden als besondere Begründungsversuche die vielfältigen verhaltens- und anreizbasierten sowie sozio-ökonomischen Theorieansätze zur Bestimmung von Vorstandsbezügen einer kritischen Bewertung unterzogen. Allen Theorien ist hier eine nur ungenügende Praxistauglichkeit gemein. Genauso wie in arbeitsteiligen Unternehmen der individuelle Beitrag eines ‚normalen‘ abhängig Beschäftigten zur Wertschöpfung nicht bestimmbar ist, so gilt dies auch für die individuelle Arbeit von Vorständen. Daher haben die Tarifparteien für die Praxis allgemeine (durchschnittliche) anforderungs- und leistungsorientierte Bewertungsmaßstäbe zur Entgelteinstufung von „normalen“ Beschäftigten entwickelt. Diese in der wirtschaftlichen Realität bewährte Methode könnte auch zur Bestimmung von Vorstandsgehältern zum Einsatz kommen. Alternativ ist auch eine Bewertungsmethode auf Basis der wirtschaftlichen Gesamtsituation eines Unternehmens denkbar. Hier müsste dann aber eine holistische wertschöpfungs- und stakeholderbasierte Bestimmung von Vorstandsvergütungen stattfinden.
Messages of Architectural Objects
Authors: Petrušonis Vytautas
Published: January 2018

The article aims at revealing the role of architecture in programming ethically significant content in the observer’s consciousness. The concepts of intext and metatext are very helpful in this situation. The knowledge about semantization levels, different types of metalanguage that work in the programming of mind, about the role of metalogic information that is adjusting attitudes is crucial. Original criterion system and certain instruments of such evaluation analysis were created using theoretical methods: abstraction, analogy, generalization, reasoning, synthesis. Moreover, methods of phenomenology and semantic analysis were applied.
Taxonomic reassessment of the Indo-Pacific Scytosiphonaceae (Phaeophyceae): Hydroclathrus rapanuii sp. nov. and Chnoospora minima from Easter Island, with proposal of Dactylosiphon gen. nov. and Pseudochnoospora gen. nov.
Authors: Santiañez Wilfred John E. , Macaya Erasmo C. , Lee Kyung Min , Cho Ga Youn , Boo Sung Min , Kogame Kazuhiro
Published: January 2018

A new and putatively endemic species of Hydroclathrus, Hydroclathrus rapanuii, is described from the geographically isolated Easter Island in the southeastern Pacific based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic data. It is distinguished from other Hydroclathrus by thalli of unevenly furrowed thin membranes, and angular, block-like plurangial sori. Our phylogenetic analyses indicated that H. rapanuii is closely related to the generitype Hydroclathrus clathratus. We also report on the morphology and phylogeny of Chnoospora minima from Easter I. and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, noting the previously unreported presence of hollow portions in its medulla. Although not collected from Easter I., we herein propose the recognition of two new genera, Dactylosiphon gen. nov. and Pseudochnoospora gen. nov., based on our three-gene phylogeny and their known morphologies and anatomies. Dactylosiphon is based on the three species currently assigned to Colpomenia (C. bullosa, C. durvillei, and C. wynnei) that are genetically and morphologically (i.e. thalli with erect and finger-like tubes arising from a common saccate base) distinct from other members of Colpomenia. The monotypic genus Pseudochnoospora is represented by the decumbent, branching, and inter-adhesive species currently known as Chnoospora implexa. With the above proposals, we further increase the genus-level diversity of Scytosiphonaceae in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
Contribution to the knowledge of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi of Gomel region (Belarus)
Authors: Tsurykau Andrei
Published: January 2018

Records of 21 species of lichen-forming and lichenicolous fungi new to Gomel region, the south-eastern Belarus are presented. Of these, six species (Bacidia fraxinea, Briancoppinsia cytospora, Calicium parvum, Chaenothecopsis savonica, Enchylium bachmanianum and Intralichen christiansenii) are new to Belarus, seven species (Carbonicola anthracophila, Chaenotheca hispidula, Cornutispora lichenicola, Lichenochora obscuroides, Lichenoconium xanthoriae, Pyrenochaeta xanthoriae and Tremella hypogymniae) have been previously known from one locality in the country. The occurrence of Ochrolechia microstictoides is confirmed with certainty for Belarus. Ochrolechia parella is excluded from the list of lichens of Gomel region as erroneously identified.
Diversity of green algae in Kamanos raised bog (NW Lithuania) with the aspect of long-term changes in desmids
Authors: Koreivienė Judita , Kasperovičienė Jūratė
Published: January 2018

In Kamanos raised bog, the green algae community was represented by 160 taxa distributed into eight Chlorophyceae orders. The diversity of desmids (93 taxa) that are an essential algal component of raised bogs was most relevant. Chlorococcales comprised 30 taxa and Ulotrichales – 15 taxa. Representatives from the rest green algae groups were scarce. Higher variety of habitats in Lake Kamanos and the pools supported more diverse flora of green algae (151 taxa) compared to black hollows (61 taxa). Actinotaenium cucurbita was the single species found in all studied water bodies of Kamanos raised bog. Characium ornitocephalum, Asterococcus superbus, Cosmarium amoenum, Micrasterias truncata, Spondylosium pulchellum, Netrium digitus were found in the lake and all pools, whereas Cosmoastrum scabrum, Tetmemorus laevis – in all hollows. In the current study, the composition of desmid taxa recorded in Kamanos raised bog in two research periods was compared. The first reports on desmids were published by Vilkaitis (1937, 1940). He found 129 Desmidiales (18 genera) and 10 Zygnematales species (4 genera). Fifty five species identified by V. Vilkaitis were found repeatedly during the current investigation. In 2005, 42 species were newly recoded in Kamanos raised bog, and of these, 17 taxa were new to desmid flora of Lithuania. A numerous rare species recorded by Vilkaitis (1937) were not observed repeatedly probably due to long-term changes that had occurred in the peat bog and not enough comprehensive study that represented only part of Kamanos wetland. Some new rare desmid species (e.g. Micrasterias jenneri, Cosmarium cymatonotophorum, Desmidium cylindricum, Actinotaenium cucurbitinum, Xanthidium bifidum) have recently been found at Kamanos sites.
New woody alien plant species recorded in Lithuania
Authors: Gudžinskas Zigmantas , Petrulaitis Lukas , Žalneravičius Egidijus
Published: January 2018

Many woody plant species that originate from various regions of the world have been introduced in other regions or continents and are used in ornamental gardening, silviculture, erosion control, for fruit sources or other purposes. Woody plants selected for introduction usually originate from regions with similar climate conditions; therefore, after certain time lag they start to spread outside places of cultivation, become naturalized or even invasive. In addition to 77 woody alien plant species reported in Lithuania, ten new species were recorded and analysed in this paper. Information on the native and anthropogenic ranges, first record in Lithuania, size of populations, habitats, reproduction and naturalization of Aralia elata, Berberis thunbergii, Caragana frutex, Celastrus orbiculatus, Cornus alba, Cytisus austriacus, Hydrangea arborescens, Pinus strobus, Rhus typhina and Thuja occidentalis is presented. All these species have been introduced intentionally and are used mainly in ornamental gardening. Three of the reported species, Berberis thunbergii, Hydrangea arborescens and Thuja occidentalis, currently are casual species. Remaining seven species were recognized as naturalized in Lithuania, and five of these, i.e. Aralia elata, Celastrus orbiculatus, Cornus alba, Pinus strobus and Rhus typhina as well as Berberis thunbergii, which currently is treated as a casual, have very high or high probability of getting invasive. Constant survey of potential habitats, detection of new escaped alien plants, particularly of trees and shrubs, is the best way to reveal potentially dangerous species and make timely decisions for their control or eradication, if necessary.
An Internationally Competitive Economy: a Comparison of Poland and the Visegrad Group Countries in the Post‑Accession Period
Authors: Molendowski Edward
Published: January 2018

This article presents the results of an analysis comparing the competitive position of Poland and other countries of the Visegrad Group (V4) in the post‑accession period (2004–2015). The assumption is that among the V4 countries, Poland has joined those countries where the diverse effects of EU membership are clearly visible. In the study, analysis was applied to secondary data pertaining to pillars of economic competitiveness, as determined by the ‘Global Competitiveness Reports’ prepared by the World Economic Forum. The article ends with a list of vital conclusions based on the presented analysis.
Monetary Policy Transmission and the Labour Market in the Non‑eurozone Visegrad Group Countries in 2000–2014. Evidence from a SVAR Analysis
Authors: Włodarczyk Przemysław
Published: January 2018

This paper is aimed at filling the gap in existing economic research by delivering new evidence on the money‑labour nexus in the emerging markets of the non‑eurozone Visegrad group countries (i.e. Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland). Analyses are based on the Strucutral VAR (SVAR) models of the monetary transmission mechanism, estimated using monthly data from the 2000:1–2014:2 period. In order to obtain impulse responses, the short‑run restrictions set, based on the monetary transmission theory, is imposed. Two different identification schemes are considered.The results confirm that there exists a nexus between monetary policy, employment, and unemployment. According to the obtained estimates monetary policy shocks invoked lagged, hump‑shaped reactions of output, employment and unemployment in each of the analysed countries.
Developing Social Accounting Matrix for Macedonia: a challenge ahead
Authors: Kjosev Sasho , Novkovska Blagica
Published: January 2018

The Social Accounting Matrix (SAM), together with the SESAME approach, proved highly useful in providing the basis for in-depth analyses of all the socio-economic flows in the developed economies. The aim of this paper, after initial explanation of the theoretical foundations of these methods for the development analysis, is to contribute to raising the awareness of the urgent necessity for developing and implementing these methodological approaches in the Republic of Macedonia. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the current situation related to the readiness of the national statistical system to provide all the necessary statistical data and logistical support for a more efficient preparation and implementation of these methodological approaches in the national economy. The paper analyses in detail the data describing particularly important aspects of the position of workers on the labour market aimed to be used as a basis for the SESAME approach. A comparative analysis with reference to the EU countries has been performed. The paper concludes by presenting practical recommendations which should, in our opinion, lead to preparation and implementation of the SAM and its extension (SESAME) in the Republic of Macedonia. The named should be used for the successful decision-making process related to creation and implementation of efficient macroeconomic and development policies in the country.
The impact of cluster networking on business performance of Croatian wood cluster members
Authors: Bakarić Ivana Rašić
Published: January 2018

This paper investigates the link between cluster membership and performance of clustered companies. The object of the study is the Croatian Wood Cluster (CWC). The paper presents the results of a survey of 34 members of the Croatian Wood Cluster operating in wood and furniture industries. The survey was conducted in order to identify and analyse perceptions and attitudes of CWC members towards CWC objectives, activities and performance; the cooperation strength among cluster members and that with the players outside the cluster; the effects of clustering on the operational performance of the clustered SMEs; business and economic setting in Croatia, barriers for the work of the CWC and the relevancy of government policy measures. The empirical results indicate that the economic performance of the clustered companies is significantly predicted by the cooperation with public institutions, financial institutions and professional associations (such as the Agency for Investments and Competitiveness) provided by the CWC and by the access to cluster resources such as horizontal cooperation, fairs, exhibitions etc. Additionally, an access to credit, customers and competitors shows a significant positive effect on finance-based performance of the clustered companies. On the other hand, cooperation among cluster members and cooperation with scientific, high education and research institutions show no significant relationship with the company performance.
E-commerce Analysis in selected European Union Countries: Position of Croatia
Authors: Kurnoga Nataša , Slišković Ana
Published: January 2018

Computer and mobile technology, Internet use and e-commerce have grown enormously in recent years. The main aim of this paper was to analyse the e-commerce of Croatia, the European Union (EU) countries and the post-transition EU countries. Due to technological progress, the paper among other things, analyses the trend of online purchase at the Croatian and the EU level. The analysis revealed the presence of a linear trend. Furthermore, hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analyses were used to classify the countries, first at the EU level and then at the level of the post-transition EU countries. Two variables, the Internet use expressed as a percentage of individuals with the last Internet use in the last 12 months and the Internet purchases expressed as a percentage of individuals with the last online purchase in the last 12 months were used to classify those countries. According to Ward’s method with squared Euclidean distances and dendrogram, the countries were classified into three clusters, which were then used as the basis for the k-means method. Finally, the cluster analysis resulted in the following three clusters: most developed, developed and less developed. Croatia was classified in the less developed cluster at the level of the EU countries, while at the level of the post-transition EU countries it was classified in the developed cluster.
Relative dynamical degrees of correspondences over a field of arbitrary characteristic
Authors: Truong Tuyen Trung
Published: January 2018

Let

𝕂

{\mathbb{K}}

be an algebraically closed field of arbitrary characteristic, X and Y irreducible possibly singular algebraic varieties over

𝕂

{\mathbb{K}}

. Let

f
:
X
⊢
X

{f:X\vdash X}

and

g
:
Y
⊢
Y

{g:Y\vdash Y}

be dominant correspondences, and

π
:

X
⇢
Y

{\pi:X\dashrightarrow Y}

a dominant rational map which semi-conjugate f and g, i.e. so that

π
∘
f

=

g
∘
π

{\pi\circ f=g\circ\pi}

. We define relative dynamical degrees

λ
p

(
f
|
π
)

≥
1

{\lambda_{p}(f|\pi)\geq 1}

for any

p
=

0
,
…
,

dim
⁡

(
X
)

-

dim
⁡

(
Y
)

{p=0,\dots,\dim(X)-\dim(Y)}

. These degrees measure the relative growth of positive algebraic cycles, satisfy a product formula when Y is smooth and g is a multiple of a rational map, and are birational invariants. More generally, a weaker product formula is proven for more general semi-conjugacies, and for any generically finite semi-conjugacy

(
φ
,
ψ
)

{(\varphi,\psi)}

from

π
2

:

(

X
2

,

f
2

)

→

(

Y
2

,

g
2

)

{\pi_{2}:(X_{2},f_{2})\rightarrow(Y_{2},g_{2})}

to

π
1

:

(

X
1

,

f
1

)

→

(

Y
1

,

g
1

)

{\pi_{1}:(X_{1},f_{1})\rightarrow(Y_{1},g_{1})}

we have

λ
p

(

f
1

|

π
1

)

≥

λ
p

(

f
2

|

π
2

)

{\lambda_{p}(f_{1}|\pi_{1})\geq\lambda_{p}(f_{2}|\pi_{2})}

for all p. Many of our results are new even when

𝕂
=
ℂ

{\mathbb{K}=\mathbb{C}}

. Self-correspondences are abundant, even on varieties having not many self rational maps, hence these results can be applied in many situations. In the last section of the paper, we will discuss recent new applications of this to algebraic dynamics, in particular to pullback on l-adic cohomology groups in positive characteristics.
A Robust Identification of the Protein Standard Bands in Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis Gel Images
Authors: Serackis Artūras , Matuzevičius Dalius , Navakauskas Dalius , Šabanovič Eldar , Katkevičius Andrius , Plonis Darius
Published: January 2018

The aim of the investigation presented in this paper was to develop a software-based assistant for the protein analysis workflow. The prior characterization of the unknown protein in two-dimensional electrophoresis gel images is performed according to the molecular weight and isoelectric point of each protein spot estimated from the gel image before further sequence analysis by mass spectrometry. The paper presents a method for automatic and robust identification of the protein standard band in a two-dimensional gel image. In addition, the method introduces the identification of the positions of the markers, prepared by using pre-selected proteins with known molecular mass. The robustness of the method was achieved by using special validation rules in the proposed original algorithms. In addition, a self-organizing map-based decision support algorithm is proposed, which takes Gabor coefficients as image features and searches for the differences in preselected vertical image bars. The experimental investigation proved the good performance of the new algorithms included into the proposed method. The detection of the protein standard markers works without modification of algorithm parameters on two-dimensional gel images obtained by using different staining and destaining procedures, which results in different average levels of intensity in the images.
Design, Simulation & Concept Verification of 4 × 4, 8 × 8 MIMO With ZF, MMSE and BF Detection Schemes
Authors: Kumar Arun , Vardhan Piyush
Published: January 2018

A conventional MIMO system is designed consisting of 4 antenna elements at both the receiver and transmitter ends. Different kinds of signal detection techniques, namely, zero forcing (ZF), minimum mean square error (MMSE) and beamforming (BF), are used at the receiver end for signal detection. The performance of the system is analyzed by calculating BER vs SNR for each of the above techniques separately. The present work has been thoroughly analyzed and implemented using MATLAB. On the basis of the results obtained, it is summarized that as the values of SNR increase, BER decreases for ZF and MMSE and it almost vanishes to zero even for low SNR values if BF is used. Although ZF and MMSE are suitable for designing a conventional MIMO system with 4 antenna elements, it becomes too difficult for a large number of antenna elements due to its complexity of calculating the inverse of a (N×N) matrix. Based on the results analyzed so far, it is concluded that beamforming (BF) is a suitable technique for designing a system that has a large number of antenna elements at the base station. A further improved system with enhanced performance regarding lower BER for even smaller values of SNR is designed in the present study, consisting of 8 antennas at the base station. The results obtained are enthusiasm-provoking and encouraging for further studies to develop a concept for next-generation wireless communication systems with an optimum design.
Computationally Efficient Chaotic Spreading Sequence Selection for Asynchronous DS-CDMA
Authors: Litviņenko Anna , Āboltiņš Artūrs
Published: January 2018

The choice of the spreading sequence for asynchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) systems plays a crucial role for the mitigation of multiple-access interference. Considering the rich dynamics of chaotic sequences, their use for spreading allows overcoming the limitations of the classical spreading sequences. However, to ensure low cross-correlation between the sequences, careful selection must be performed. This paper presents a novel exhaustive search algorithm, which allows finding sets of chaotic spreading sequences of required length with a particularly low mutual cross-correlation. The efficiency of the search is verified by simulations, which show a significant advantage compared to non-selected chaotic sequences. Moreover, the impact of sequence length on the efficiency of the selection is studied.
Morphological and physiological responses of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) to drought stress and dust pollution
Authors: Karami Leila , Ghaderi Nasser , Javadi Taimoor
Published: January 2018

Dust pollution can negatively affect plant productivity in hot, dry areas with high insolation during summer. To understand the effect of water-deficit and its interaction with dust pollution on vegetative and physiological changes in grapevine ʻBidaneh Sefidʼ, two-year-old plants were subjected to drought stress (-0.1 and -1 MPa) and dust treatment in a greenhouse during 2013 and 2014. The results showed that dust had a significant negative effect on the number of leaves, shoot length, root and shoot dry weights, and total dry weight under both drought and well-irrigated conditions. Dust, when applied in combination with drought, caused severe growth reduction. Leaf relative water content (RWC) and membrane stability index (MSI) were reduced under dust and drought stress, while soluble carbohydrate, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2concentrations increased. Furthermore, dust application resulted in characteristics similar to those induced by water-deficit stress and intensified vegetative and physiological changes when applied together. Dust and drought treatments increased peroxidases and ascorbate peroxidase activities when compared to the control. The results indicate that dust has an adverse effect on the growth and physiology of grapevine and plays a negative role in the response of grapevine to drought stress.
Terrestrial laser scanning in monitoring of anthropogenic objects
Authors: Zaczek-Peplinska Janina , Kowalska Maria
Published: January 2018

The registered xyz coordinates in the form of a point cloud captured by terrestrial laser scanner and the intensity values (I) assigned to them make it possible to perform geometric and spectral analyses. Comparison of point clouds registered in different time periods requires conversion of the data to a common coordinate system and proper data selection is necessary. Factors like point distribution dependant on the distance between the scanner and the surveyed surface, angle of incidence, tasked scan’s density and intensity value have to be taken into consideration. A prerequisite for running a correct analysis of the obtained point clouds registered during periodic measurements using a laser scanner is the ability to determine the quality and accuracy of the analysed data. The article presents a concept of spectral data adjustment based on geometric analysis of a surface as well as examples of geometric analyses integrating geometric and physical data in one cloud of points: cloud point coordinates, recorded intensity values, and thermal images of an object. The experiments described here show multiple possibilities of usage of terrestrial laser scanning data and display the necessity of using multi-aspect and multi-source analyses in anthropogenic object monitoring. The article presents examples of multisource data analyses with regard to Intensity value correction due to the beam’s incidence angle. The measurements were performed using a Leica Nova MS50 scanning total station, Z+F Imager 5010 scanner and the integrated Z+F T-Cam thermal camera.