bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Key methodological issues in the research on household wealth
Authors: Wroński Marcin
Published: February 2020

The interest of economists and policy makers in collecting data on house-hold wealth has been growing over the last decade (from the beginning of financial crisis in 2008). It has two fundamental reasons: wealth accumulation and growing inequalities as well as formulation of better public policies. The aim of the article is to discuss key methodological issues in the research on household wealth, to present solutions devel-oped by the OECD expert committee applied in the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) and to identify areas that require further consideration. Since 2010 signifi-cant progress has been achieved in the measurement of private wealth. Further research on the adequate representation of the richest households in the research sample and concepts of wealth broader than private wealth should be encouraged.
The use of meta-analysis in research on corporate cash holdings speed of adjustment
Authors: Mirota Fryderyk
Published: February 2020

In empirical research significant diversity of corporate cash holdings speed of adjustment (SOA) estimates can be observed. It is possible that some of the results are affected by publication selection bias. Articles whose results are clearly in line with economic theories may be preferred by authors and reviewers and, consequently, conclusions from this area can be published more frequently. The aim of this article is to verify whether there is a publication selection bias with respect to studies related to corporate cash holdings adjustments and to investigate the sources of heterogeneity in cash holdings SOA estimates. The statistical method used in the study was meta-analysis, which allows a combined analysis of the results from independent research. Meta-analysis enables to verify the occurrence of the publication selection bias and to explain the heterogeneity of the results presented in articles. The study was based on data collected asa result of a review of the literature published between 2003 and 2017. On the basis of information on 402 estimates from 58 different studies it has been shown that the publication selection bias does not occur. The Bayesian Model Averaging was used for modelling. It was identified that the characteristics associated with the data set used in the study, model specification and the estimation method significantly affect the hetero-geneity of corporate cash holdings SOA estimates. This diversity is determined, among others, by the choice of estimation method, length of the period covered by the analysis and characteristics of the market environment of the concerned entities.
Proposition of a measure of company’s investment attractiveness
Authors: Lisek Sławomir , Luty Lidia
Published: February 2020

The main purpose of the article is to present a measure of the company’s attractiveness, useful for investors. The study applies a synthetic measure using the indicators of classical financial analysis and the tools of Multidimensional Comparative Analysis. Its construction was based on elements of fundamental analysis. It was modeled on the Taxonomic Measure of Investment Attractiveness (TMIA) by Tarczyński. The utility of the measure was verified for building the ranking of companies from the IT indus-try, taking into account their income potential for investors.The analysis shows that the presented index properly reflects the ranking of companies in terms of their attractiveness for investors. As a simplified measure, it requires less data and it is less labor-intensive than the classic TMIA. In addition, it is not sensitive enough to the extreme and unusual elements to lead the user to erroneous conclusions.IT joint-stock companies are in good condition and can be considered attractive for investors.
Regional diversification of investment potential of local government units
Authors: Wyszkowska Dorota , Wyszkowska Dorota
Published: February 2020

Local government units (LGUs) in Poland are responsible for the implementation of a wide range of public tasks, which should be carried out in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity at lower management levels. This requires LGUs to incur not only current expenditure for the implementation of various tasks, but also investment expenditure —to provide wider access to infrastructure elementsfor local development. The opportunities for finding funds for development activities (identified with investment) are called investment potential in the subject literature.The aim of the paper is to present spetial differences in investment potential of LGUs in Polanddetermined by operating surplus. In the first part, it presents theoretical issues regarding the investment potential of local government units and the measurement meth-ods. The second one is devoted to the analysis of empirical data for the period 2007—2016 provided by Statistics Poland and Ministry of Finance.According to the study, the level of investment potential diversification both in absolute values and per capita is high, although it has decreased in recent years. The greatest variation is observed among gminas. It is worth noting that investment potential hasa fundamental impact on the volume of investment expenditure incurred by local government, which is confirmed by the results of correlation analysis.
Trade at the Polish-Ukrainian borderland—selected economic aspects
Authors: Wosiek Małgorzata , Kata Ryszard
Published: February 2020

The purpose of the study is to characterize and assess the influence of selected economic factors on the value of purchases made by Ukrainian citizens in Poland at the border (so-called unregistered turnover on customs declarations). The ex-change rate andlabour migration as well as the impact of political disorders that occurred at the end of 2013 in Ukraine were analysed in detail. The analysis covered the period 2009—2017. Data were derived from the questionnaires of the Statistical Office in Rzeszów, Local Data Bank of Statistics Poland, State Statistics Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. The analysis of correlation and regression were used as the basic research tools. The results of the study show that political events affected cross-border trade indirectly through, inter alia, the exchange rate, which limited the expenses made by Ukrainian citizens in Poland. However, this impact was not strong enough to reverse the upward trend in cross-border shopping. The analyses did not provide statistically significant indications of a cause-and-effect relationship between labour migration flows of Ukrainian citizens to Poland and cross-border trade.
The impact of generation on the risk of road accidents
Authors: Jackowska Beata , Wycinka Ewa
Published: February 2020

The paper deals with the widespread perception, popular since 2017, that millennials are the worst drivers. In motor insurance, it is commonly known that age and gender are significant determinants of accidents’ risk. Nowadays, millennials are the youngest drivers. Thus, the question arises whether, apart from the age, generation isa risk factor. The aim of this paper is to verify whether generation influences the level of the road accidents rate in Poland besides age and gender of drivers. Due to the downward trend of this rate, the relative risk of road accidents was analysed among licensed drivers in Poland in the years 2006—2017. For the analysis data of the Polish National Police, Polish Road Safety Observatory, Statistics Poland, Social Diagnosis as well as Public Opinion Research Centre were used. The percentage of licensed drivers was estimated for age and gender groups as well as the percentage of millennials in these groups, according to the generation theory. The results of the empirical study for age groups of both perpetrators of the accidents and drivers involved in accidents do not confirm the hypothesis about the impact of the generation on the risk of a road accident.
Quality of data on trade in goods between European Union member states
Authors: Markowicz Iwona , Baran Paweł
Published: February 2020

The objective of presented analysis is to assess quality of data on foreign trade within the Union. Data from Eurostat’s COMEXT database was used. The differences between declared export quantities of foods from a given country and data on imports from this country to other member states gathered by Eurostat have been analyzed. These differences partly result from the adopted statistical thresholds and reflect the quality of the collected data. The authors have compared EU member states based on convergence of data on dispatches and arrivals of goods from each country. Using data discrepancy measures member states were ranked with regard to statistical data quality, which is an innovation in foreign trade research.
The inclusion of happiness in multidimensional studies of the quality of life
Authors: Gierańczyk Wiesława , Leszczyńska Marzena
Published: February 2020

The objective of the article is to present the complexity and diversity of methodical approaches to study the quality of life, including the category of happiness. An attempt was made to quantify the subjective quality of life based on Polish research, among others, Social Cohesion Research (BSS, conducted since 2011), European Survey of Living Conditions (EU-SILC, since 2005) and Social Diagnosis (DS, from 2000) and international research, among others Gross National Happiness (GNH, from 1972), European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS, since 2003), European Social Survey (ESS, since 2002) and Measurement of National Welfare, implemented by the Office for Nation-al Statistics in Great Britain (ONS, from 2010). The analyzes carried out show that the researchers did not accept one valid definition of happiness; there is also no one way to measure it. Common approaches to studying the problems of happiness include the conviction that the quality of life and the sense of happiness of citizens are the same priority as measurable economic problems.
Investigating TESOL Teachers' Awareness of Critical Pedagogy at Higher Education Institutions in Oman: Implications for Critical Professional Development
Authors: Al Riyami Thuraya , Al Issa Ali
Published: February 2020

Critical Pedagogy (CP) has been proposed as an alternative pedagogy capable of meeting
the complex demands of teaching English within a particular sociopolitical context. Despite the fact that CP has been present in education since the 1960s, much of the research on CP has been conducted recently in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) contexts. There is a growing but as yet small amount of research that addresses the usage of CP in TESOL contexts, to which this study hopes to make a useful
contribution. Therefore, this study investigates the extent to which TESOL teachers from
four higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman are aware of CP. In order to achieve this, a questionnaire is administered to 178 English Language Teachers. The main findings reveal a widespread lack of awareness of the concept of CP among TESOL teachers. Nonetheless, minorities of teachers are aware of CP and implement it in a limited
fashion in their classes. On the other hand, there are teachers who, whilst being aware of CP, do not implement it. The implications of these findings are discussed.
On the Relationships among EFL Learners Willingness to Communicate, Communication
Apprehension, Self-Perceived Competence and Emotional Intelligence
Authors: Mehrpoor Saeed , Soleimani Neda
Published: February 2020

This study focused on the relationships among language learners' communication-related
variables including willingness to start a communication (WTC), self-perceived communication competence (SPCC), communication apprehension (CA) and different subcomponents of emotional intelligence (EI). To this end a battery of questionnaires
(WTC=20 items, Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA=24), SelfPerceived Communication Competence (SPCC =12), Emotional quotient inventory (EQI=133)) were distributed among 340 randomly selected Iranian EFL learners in Yasuj, Iran. Correlation and regression analyses showed that EFL student' EI dimensions were correlated with their WTC, SPCC, and CA. All five EI dimensions were found to be positively and significantly correlated with WTC (at p<0.01). On the contrary, the correlation among EI constructs and CA were all negatively significant. Moreover, EFL learners' EI dimensions could significantly predict their WTC and other communication related variables. Findings of the study would have implications for both practicing and prospective teachers.
Politeness and Pietas as Annexed to the Virtue of Justice
Authors: Mooney T. Brian , Roy Damini ,   Polish Academy of Sciences
Published: February 2020

“Politeness” appears to be connected to a quite disparate set of related concepts, including but not limited to, “manners,” “etiquette,” “agreeableness,” “respect” and even “piety.” While in the East politeness considered as an important social virtue is present (and even central) in the theoretical and practical expressions of the Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist traditions, (indeed politeness has been viewed in these traditions as central to proper education) it has not featured prominently in philosophical discussion in the West. American presidents Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington all devoted discussion to politeness within the broader ambit of manners and etiquette, as too did Erasmus, Edmund Burke and Ralph Waldo Emerson but on the whole sustained philosophical engagement with the topic has been lacking in the West. The richest source for philosophical investigation is perhaps afforded by the centrality of the concept of respect in Immanuel Kant.However in this paper we will instead draw on the writings of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas to defend the centrality of “politeness” as an important and valuable moral virtue. Starting with an analysis of the broader Aristotelian arguments on the virtues associated with “agreeableness,” namely, friendliness, truthfulness and wit I will argue that “politeness” should be thought of as an important moral virtue attached to social intercourse (and by extension the vice of impoliteness). I then move to identify an even broader and more important account of politeness, drawing on the work of Aquinas, as intimately connected to the notion of pietas (piety) as a fundamental part of the virtue of justice.
The Problem of the External World in René Descartes, Edmund Husserl, Immanuel Kant and the Evil Genius
Authors: Allinson Robert Elliott ,   Polish Academy of Sciences
Published: February 2020

The need to prove the existence of the external world has been a subject that has concerned the rationalist philosophers, particularly Descartes and the empiricist philosophers such as John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume. Taking the epoché as the key mark of the phenomenologist—the suspension of the question of the existence of the external world—the issue of the external world should not come under the domain of the phenomenologist. Ironically, however, I would like to suggest that it could be argued that the founder of the phenomenological school of thought, Edmund Husserl, also did not avoid the question of the existence of the external world. What I would like to suggest further is that Immanuel Kant grants himself illicit access to the external world and thus illustrates that the question of the external world is vital to the argument structure of the first Critique.
The Art of Shipwrecking
Authors: Kollár Dávid , Kollár József ,   Polish Academy of Sciences
Published: February 2020

We argue that the epistemological, ontological, locality and social structure of the world have undergone radical changes over the last decades. The greatest riddle of the information age is whether we can domesticate the “unstable chaos” to “productive anarchy.” We argue that this results in the appreciation of the creative use of the “we do not know that we know” type of knowledge that we conceptualize as exaptive resilience. We briefly clarify the difference between exaptation and adaptation, and we compare the concept of adaptive resilience with that of exaptive resilience. Our results will show that the effectiveness of complex systems in the information age depends on the capacity of adaptive and exaptive resilience.
Teaching Business Ethics with Experiments
Authors: Uhl Matthias , Lütge Christoph ,   Neilson Journals Publishing
Published: February 2020

Teaching experiments are valuable when it comes to sensitizing students for business ethics that addresses the behavior of agents in modern societies. Many students are coined by the often predominantly individualistic ethical reasoning that they are accustomed to from their living environments. In our classes, we confront them with the volatility of their own ethical behavior by the use of experiments that ideally work with real incentives. We believe experiments to be a powerful tool not only to illustrate theoretical concepts, but also to make students experience the compulsion of economic incentives first-hand. This may lead to the insight that one is more prone to the contingencies of the situation than expected. Experiments may make students question their own behavior and re-evaluate the implementability of their moral ideals - as consumers, citizens and managers.
Assessing the Impact of the Giving Voice to Values Program in Accounting Ethics Education
Authors: Shawver Tara J. , Miller William F. ,   Neilson Journals Publishing
Published: February 2020

This paper assesses the impact of the Giving Voice to Values (GVV) program. The GVV program takes a very different approach to ethics education and shifts the focus from the traditional why actions are unethical to how one can effectively resolve ethical conflict. The GVV program encourages reflection on potential actions and reactions through practice with voicing one’s values. We chose to implement this program in an advanced financial accounting course and encouraged our students to voice their values through scripted role-plays. After implementing this program and empirically assessing the impact of the ethics intervention, we find that students are more likely to speak up and confront unethical actions by voicing their values to internal management, the CFO, and company hotlines after completing the module. While not a primary focus of the study, the intervention also appears to have increased the students’ ability to recognize and increase their sensitivity to ethical issues.
Teaching Business Ethics
Authors: Hunt David M. , Radford Scott K. ,   Neilson Journals Publishing
Published: February 2020

This study examines ethics-related learning outcomes that emerged from an experience-based project in a personal selling and sales management course. Using qualitative research methods, we classified students’ experiences according to domains of ethical issues associated with personal selling and according to conceptualizations of learning identified in the education literature. Patterns we observed in our data suggest that the experience-based project encouraged learners to employ higher-order thinking about business ethics. Higher order problem-solving about ethical issues helps ensure that lessons students learn about ethical decision making carry forward to their professional careers. Based on our findings, we recommend ways instructors can formulate ethics-related learning objectives, develop learning assessments that measure ethics-related learning outcomes, and design teaching and learning activities that help ensure students learn ethical concepts in a way that will carry forward to their careers.
The potential factors affecting the perception of aesthetic smile among adult patients attending Dental clinics of Jazan University
Authors: Shaabi Fawzia , Al-Makramani Bandar , Al-Sanabani Fuad , Abdo Alraawi , Al Ahmari , Al Moaleem
Published: February 2020

Introduction: Aesthetic smile is an important part for every patient since it plays a vital role in his personality, selfconfidence and self-esteem. Aim: To assess the relationship between the potential factors affecting the perception of aesthetic smile among adult patients, to evaluate the patient's satisfaction toward their smile and to find the most common factors for their dissatisfaction caused by smile. Materials and methods: A 100 males and 100 females were evaluated for the presence or absence of aesthetic smile. The clinical examination was included categories related to personal aesthetic factors of the smile. A questioner designed by Goldstein to measure the patient's self-perception and satisfaction of their smiles was used. The data were pooled for analysis, statistical significance was set to p-value ˃ 0.05. Results: There was a significant differences in the parallel interpupillary line and coincided of dental midlines alone and with facial midlines in the aesthetic and non-aesthetic choices, also between the symmetry of maxillary central and lateralicisors, and canines with their axial inclinations choices (p< 0.05). Some group of questions showed significant differences among female and male subjects while, the male subjects Some questions were near to the statistical significant differences, while others showed no significace between males and females choices. Conclusion: Dental and facial factors showed highly significant relationship with aesthetic smile. So, it should be observed by a dental specialist to provide a proper treatment plan with respect to the potential factors of the aesthetics to help for self-satisfaction measurement.
The Roles of Textual Features, Background Knowledge, and Disciplinary Expertise in Reading a Calculus Textbook
Authors: Wiesner Emilie , Weinberg Aaron , Fulmer Ellie Fitts , Barr John
Published: February 2020

Textbooks are a standard component of undergraduate mathematics courses, but research shows that students often do not view textbooks as productive resources to support learning. This article seeks to understand the factors affecting how individuals engage in reading a calculus textbook excerpt and what they learn from reading. To better understand the separate roles of background knowledge and other reading practices, we compare 2 readers: a 2nd-semester calculus student and a nonmathematics STEM professor. We employ the concepts ofsense makingand theimplied readerto analyze each reader’s experience and a disciplinary literacy perspective to explain the similarities and differences we find between the 2 readers. We propose the concept ofdidactical disciplinary literacy—an adaptation of disciplinary literacy applied to didactical texts—to describe the ways that the professor drew on his identity as a teacher to shape his reading practices.
Interaction between dielectric particles enhances the Q-factor
Authors: Bulgakov E. , Pichugin K. , Sadreev A.
Published: February 2020

We study behavior of resonant modes with a distance between two identical dielectric cylinders and disks. We reveal two basic scenarios of evolution of resonances with the distance between the cylinders. For larger distances and respectively weaker interaction of particles the resonances are bound around the Mie resonances and evolve by spiral way. For shorter distances and respectively stronger interaction the resonances bypass the Mie resonances. Both scenarios demonstrate considerable enhancement of the Q factor  compared to the case of isolated particle.
Greenhouse gas emissions from riparian zone cropland in a tributary bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China
Authors: Wang XiaoXiao , Huang Ping , Ma Maohua , Shan Kun , Wen Zhaofei , Wu Shengjun
Published: February 2020

Background

A huge reservoir was formed by the Three Gorges Dam in China, which also formed a riparian zone along the bank of the reservoir. In the period of low water-level, the riparian zone in tributary bays of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) was always unordered cultivated, owing to its gentle slope and high soil fertility. This land-use practice creates high potential of generating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with periodic water level fluctuation.

Methods

To evaluate potential GHG emissions from the soil-air interface, the static opaque chamber method was adopted to evaluate the effect of elevations (180 m, 175 m, 170 m and 165 m) and land use types (dry lands, paddy fields and grass fields) from April to September in 2015 and 2016.

Results

The results showed that carbon dioxide (CO2) was the main contributor of GHG emission in riparian zone most likely because of high organic carbon from residues. Furthermore, high soil water content in paddy fields resulted in significantly higher methane (CH4) flux than that in dry lands and grass fields. Compared to grass fields, anthropogenic activities in croplands were attributed with a decrease of soil total carbon and GHG emissions. However, inundation duration of different elevations was found to have no significant effect on CH4 and CO2 emissions in the riparian zone, and the mean nitrous oxide (N2O) flux from dry lands at an elevation of 165 m was significantly higher than that of other elevations likely because of tillage and manure application. The high N2O fluxes produced from tillage and fertilizer suggested that, in order to potentially mitigate GHG emissions from the riparian zone, more attention must be paid to the farming practices in dry lands at low elevations (below 165 m) in the riparian zone. Understanding factors that contribute to GHG emissions will help guide ecological restoration of riparian zones in the TGR.
Sythesis of Nano Zerovalent Iron Supported Sawdust (NZVI/SD) and Its Application for Removal of Arsenic (III) from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Choudhury Tasrina R. , Bhowmik Snahasish , Rahman M. S. , Nath Mithun R. , Jahan F. N. , Begum B. A. , Nurnabi Mohammad
Published: February 2020

Sawdust supported nano-zerovalent (NZVI/SD) iron was synthesized by treating sawdust with ferrous sulphate followed by reduction with NaBH4. The NZVI/SD was characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR and Chemical method. Adsorption of As (III) by NZVI/SD was investigated and the maximum uptake of As (III) was found at pH value of 7.74 and equilibrium time of 3 hrs. The adsorption isotherm modelling revealed that the equilibrium adsorption data were better fitted with the Langmuir isotherm model compared with the Freundlich Isotherm model. This study revealed that the maximum As (III) ions adsorption capacity was found to be 12.66 mg/g for using NZVI/SD adsorbent. However, the kinetics data were tested by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models; and it was observed that the adsorption data could be well fitted with pseudo-second-order kinetics for As (III) adsorption onto NZVI/SD depending on both adsorbate concentration and adsorption sites. The result of this study suggested that NZVI/SD could be developed as a prominent environment-friendly adsorbent for the removal of As (III) ions from aqueous systems.
Bio Efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis Isolates against Diamond Back Moth (Plutella xylostella L.) on Cauliflower Plant in Tamil Nadu, India
Authors: Thilagavathi S. S. , Prasad G. , Ramalakshmi A.
Published: February 2020

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gram positive entomopathogenic bacteria being an eco-friendly biopesticide. In present study the potential of B. thuringiensis isolates was studied for the biological control of Diamond back moth (DBM). Fifteen Bt isolates were obtained from the Department of Agricultural Microbiology, TNAU Tamil Nadu. This mainly isolated from the cultivated lands Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), Brinjal (Solanum melongena) and Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). All the 15 isolates were identified as B. thuringiensis based on the crystalline structure. Four different types of crystalline forms were observed, in which the isolates CC, CB1, BC, TD, BD were produces cuboidal shape crystals. Then, the isolates were characterized based on presence of lepidopteron specific cry gene. Among the 15 B. thuringiensis isolates seven of them were found to be positive for lepidopteron specific cry genes include cry 1 & cry 2. Four Bt isolates were exhibited presences of both cry 1 and cry 2 genes. The selected 4 isolates further screened for protein profiling by SDS Page. Molecular weights of the protein ranging from 65 to 130 kDa. Toxicity of this four B. thuringiensis isolates were evaluated by bioassay using third instar larvae of the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) and isolate (CC) recorded maximum mortality of 95.33% comparable to standard strain HD1 98.31%. In quantitative bioassay, the LC50 for third instar larvae of Plutella xylostella was found to be least range 197.09 ppm with fiducial limits of 110.28 - 352.21 ppm respectively. Different concentration of the toxic protein (100, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 2000) will reduce the leaf damage and larval growth was (54-8% and 58-25%) observed. This achieved effective control of DBM in cauliflower plant.
Alleviation of Salt Stress on Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria strains Bacillus halotolerans MSR-H4 and Lelliottia amnigena MSR-M49
Authors: El-Akhdar Ibrahim , Elsakhawy Tamer , Abo-Koura Hanaa A.
Published: February 2020

The plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) application could reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers and increase the sustainability of crop production. Halophilic bacteria that have PGPR characteristics can be used in different environmental stresses. Two different strains isolated, purified, characterized as a PGPRs and phylogenetic identification using 16sRNA which was revealed to be closest matched at 99% with Bacillus halotolerans and Lelliottia amnigena. The isolates possessed plant growth promoting properties as exopolysaccharides (EPS) and indole acetic acid (IAA) production, Bacillus halotolerans had the ability to fix elemental nitrogen and the two strains have the ability to P-solubilization. Furthermore, the strains were evaluated in alleviation of different levels of salt stress on wheat plant at two experiments (Pots and a Field). Strains under study conditions significantly increased the plant height, straw dry weight (DW g plant-1), spike number, 1000 grain DW recorded 31.550 g with Lelliottia amnigena MSR-M49 compared to un-inoculated and other strain in field,  grain yield recorded 2.77 (ton fed-1) with Lelliottia amnigena  as well as N% and protein content in grains recorded 1.213% and 6.916 respectively with  inoculation with Lelliottia amnigena,  also, spikes length, inoculated wheat show reduction in both proline accumulation in shoots and roots especially with Lelliottia amnigena recorded 2.79 (mg g-1DW), inoculation significantly increased K+ in root-shoot, K+/Na+ in root-shoot and reduced Na+ in root-shoot compared with control. This confirmed that this consortium could provide growers with a sustainable approach to reduce salt effect on wheat production.
Survey at Earl's Bu, Orphir, Orkney 1989-91: geophysical work on a Late Norse Estate Complex
Authors: Batey Colleen , Johnson Paul
Published: February 2020

The various campaigns of geophysical survey at The Earl's Bu and its environs have added to the body of information known about the site (the early 12th-century seat of Earl Haakon Paulsson, with a round church, a large hall, a Late Norse midden and an earlier horizontal mill), confirming both considerable disturbance and potential structural traces. A separate print publication (Batey 2003), to which this particular SAIR is an adjunct, reviews the interventions made at the site up to the late 1930s.In some cases, the surveys have raised more questions than they have answered, particularly about some putative burnt mounds (or stone-dense midden spreads or similar anomalies). The geophysical survey has also indicated a number of features which may represent early excavation trenches. While it is often impossible to be definitive in the interpretation of geophysical anomalies, especially in Scottish contexts where geological conditions can be unhelpful in the application of archaeological geophysical survey, interpretation must be an informed process. In the case of the environs of the Earl's Bu, if it were not for the excavations that were being run concurrently with the surveys, and the excellent and rapidly-published research of others working in the Northern Isles, that interpretative process would have been far more difficult. The report concludes that more excavation of geophysical anomalies is required; the next logical stage is to excavate prior to the laying-out of the site for comprehension by the visiting public.
Excavation of an Iron Age burial mound, Loch Borralie, Durness, Sutherland
Authors: MacGregor Gavin , Roberts Julie , Cox Adrian , Donnelly Michael , Evans Caitlin , Arthur John
Published: February 2020

As part of the Historic Scotland Human Remains Call Off Contract, Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) undertook an archaeological evaluation of the find spot of a human skull from a cairn at Loch Borralie, Sutherland (NGR NC 3790 6761). Excavation recovered the remains of two burials beneath the cairn and established that the cairn was multi-phased. One individual was an adult male (Skeleton 1), while the other was immature and of undeterminable sex (Skeleton 2). Both individuals showed signs of ill health, and dogs and/or rats appear to have gnawed their bones. A ring-headed pin was recovered close to Skeleton 1 during the excavation. A radiocarbon date was obtained from the left humerus of Skeleton 1 of 40 cal BC - cal AD210 at 2 sigma (OxA-10253). Excavation revealed that the cairn, broadly sub-rectangular in form, had a maximum height of 1.2m and was composed of large, sub-angular and sub-rounded rocks (including quartz and quartzite) and occasional rounded cobbles within yellow-orange sand. One inhumation, Skeleton 2, lay within an irregular grave, cut through the red brown sand that was sealed by the cairn and into the natural gravel sand below. The other inhumation, Skeleton 1, was sealed by the red brown sand and had been placed on a low primary cairn of stone and earth, the full extent and depth of which remains unknown. The tradition of extended inhumations within sub-rectangular cairns is a recognised funerary practice in the north of Britain during the first millennium AD. Many of these burials are generally considered to be Pictish in date, but Loch Borralie indicates that the tradition commenced in the Iron Age. There is increasing evidence for the variety of ways in which human remains were treated after death in the Iron Age, including cremations in re-used cists, single inhumations in graves and cists, multiple inhumations and the incorporation of human remains in 'domestic' contexts. The results of the excavation of the burial mound at Loch Borralie provide a useful addition to the range of mortuary and funerary rites which were practised during the Iron Age in Scotland.
Conservation and change on Edinburgh's defences:archaeological investigation and building recording of the Flodden Wall, Grassmarket 1998-2001
Authors: Lawson John , Reed David , Wallace Colin , Millar Jonathan , Middleton Mike
Published: February 2020

This report presents the results of a historic building survey and archaeological watching brief undertaken between 1998 and 2001 during restoration work (undertaken as part of the Scottish Dance Base development) on the Flodden Wall running between Edinburgh's Grassmarket and Johnston Terrace. The Flodden Wall is the name given to the 16th-century extension of the capital's town defences, traditionally seen as having been constructed in the months following the defeat at Flodden in 1513. Prior to this project the extent and condition of this particular stretch of the Flodden Wall (the north-western boundary of the Grassmarket and a Scheduled Ancient Monument) was not fully understood. This project has shown that here the Flodden Wall and surrounding area had undergone three major phases of construction and redevelopment, from its origins in the early 16th century to the formation of a drying green (Granny's Green) to the west of the Wall in the late 19th century. In particular the results have demonstrated that the surviving southern section of the Wall here was largely rebuilt during the third quarter of the 18th century, when a complex of buildings was constructed along Kings Stables Road abutting the Wall's western face.
Thainstone Business Park, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
Authors: Murray Hillary , Murray Charles , Ballin Torben , Heald Andrew , Hunter Fraser
Published: February 2020

Report on the excavation of a roundhouse and related structures dated by 14C to the first-second century AD. Internal details and building repairs allow some assessment of the structure of the building. The site also provides a well-dated context for a Guido class 13 glass bead, a type more common in isolated finds.
Quartz technology in Scottish prehistory
Authors: Ballin Torben
Published: February 2020

The project Quartz Technology in Scottish Prehistory was initiated in the year 2000, and over the following five years a large number of quartz assemblages were examined from all parts of Scotland, and from all prehistoric periods. The general aim of the project was to shed light on quartz variability, that is, to define how quartz assemblages in different periods and areas of the Scottish quartz province (the north, north-west and Highland regions of Scotland) differ. Subsequently it was attempted to explain the observed variability, focusing on factors such as chronology, territoriality, access to lithic resources, technology and activity patterns. In the larger framework, the present paper forms part of international efforts to increase awareness of archaeological quartz as an important resource. It is hoped that the research put forward in this paper may prove useful to quartz researchers in other parts of the world.
Artefactual, environmental and archaeological evidence from the Holyrood Parliament Site excavations
Authors: Cox Adrian , Hall Derek , Photos-Jones Effie , Murdoch Robin , Franklin Julie , Ballin Torben , Holmes Nicholas , Gallagher Dennis , Carter Stephen , Holden Tim , Hastie Mhairi , Smith Catherine , Cerron-Carrasco Ruby
Published: February 2020

A summary of these specialist reports (Parts 1 and 2) was published in 2008 in the monograph on the Holyrood Parliament Site Project: Scotland's Parliament Site and the Canongate: Archaeology and History by the Holyrood Archaeology Project Team, Chapter 3.9 & 3.10 (HAPT 2008). Except for sections 3.9 and 3.10, Chapter 3 in that monograph has been repeated here as Part 3, in order to provide the archaeological context for the artefactual and environmental evidence alongside the specialist reports.
Lockerbie AcademyNeolithic and Early Historic timber halls, a Bronze Age cemetery, an undated enclosure and a post-medieval corn-drying kiln in south-west Scotland
Authors: Kirby Magnus , Anderson Sue , Hastie Mhairi , Jackson Adam , Johnson Melanie , McBride R , McLaren D , Northover P , Sheridan Alison , Thoms J , Warren Graeme , Whitelaw L , Clarke K , Evenden C , O'Neil M
Published: February 2020

Trial trenching carried out by CFA Archaeology Ltd in 2006 to the north of Lockerbie Academy identified four areas of archaeological significance covering a timescale from early Neolithic to post-medieval periods. The earliest site identified was the remains of a Neolithic timber hall, which was situated on top of the flat plateau towards the northwest end of the site (Area A). Pottery recovered from the Neolithic structure was of the Carinated Bowl ceramic tradition.At the summit of the rounded knoll in the centre of the area (Area D) a Bronze Age phase consisting of a cremation and inhumation cemetery enclosed by a possible ring-cairn was identified. The Bronze Age cemetery included a Collared Urn and a copper alloy dagger of Butterwick type.At the base of the rounded knoll, the remains of an Early Historic timber hall were identified (Area C). This Anglian timber hall reoccupied the site of a post-built structure, which was interpreted as a timber hall, possibly belonging to an earlier British tradition. Radiocarbon dates taken from the primary fill of two of the post-holes of the earlier structure gave dates which are broadly contemporary with the dates obtained for the Anglian hall, suggesting that the post-built structure immediately preceded it.A corn-drying kiln was identified cut into the same knoll as the Bronze Age cemetery (Area D) and has been dated to the late medieval or early post-medieval period.A segmented ditched enclosure was located towards the north-east end of the site (Area B), but the poor survival of this feature combined with a lack of finds and palaeobotanical evidence means that it remains undated and poorly understood.
Bleaching
Authors: Taylor Dennis R. , Toro‐Vazquez Jorge F. , Charó‐Alonso Miriam A.
Published: February 2020

The bleaching process with activated clays in the edible‐oil industry is a combination of catalytic action (i.e. peroxide destruction) and equilibrium adsorption (i.e. pigment removal). However, the removal of particular noncolored constituents during bleaching is necessary also if high‐quality oil is to be produced. Four key aspects are addressed: (i) the use of adsorptive purification agents (activated carbon, bleaching earth, and silica hydrogel), (ii) the adsorptive removal of targeted constituents, (iii) practical means and methods to achieve optimal bleaching efficiency and efficacy, and (iv) approaches for dealing with spent adsorbents, including utilization/disposal, and best methods to recover retained oils. The future trends on bleaching for the oil industry point out to develop more cost‐efficient process designed for processing a wide range of different oils, reduce the by‐products, and considering larger bleaching facilities to take advantage of scale economies. Additionally, in accordance with the consumer trend to consume healthier and natural foods, there is a need to develop innovative bleaching processes that enhance the presence of several native oil/fat components.
Corn Oil and Distillers Corn Oil
Authors: Moreau Robert A. , Hums Megan E.
Published: February 2020

Corn oil is a popular vegetable oil in the United States and in many other countries. Because of its pleasant nutty flavor, its good stability, and its popularity for making margarines, corn oil has long been considered a premium vegetable oil. Among all of the vegetable oils, corn oil ranks tenth in terms of annual production, and it represents about 2% of the vegetable oil produced worldwide. The chemical composition of corn oil is distinguished by its high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (an average value of 60–75% linoleic acid), and among the commodity vegetable oils corn oil has the highest levels of unsaponifiables (>2%), the highest levels of phytosterols (>1%), and the highest levels of Γ‐tocopherol (about 0.10%). Distillers corn oil (DCO) is a coproduct of corn ethanol production and has become a popular and affordable biodiesel feedstock in the United States. DCO shares many properties with conventional corn oil, but it has higher levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, which make it a valuable poultry feed ingredient. It is also more stable than conventional corn oil and has much higher levels of free fatty acids than most other vegetable oils.
Fat Crystal Networks
Authors: Co Edmund D. , Marangoni Alejandro G.
Published: February 2020

This article examines the conceptual framework of the crystal network of fat materials in the context of its many hierarchical levels, from the molecular/nanostructural (10−9 m) level all the way to the submillimeter (10−6 m) length scale. Included in this article is a discussion on thermal properties of triacylglycerols, phase behavior, crystallization thermodynamics, crystallization into single crystals (crystalline nanoplatelets), aggregation of single crystals, rheology, and derivations of material properties based on the microstructure. Introductory concepts are provided, and for more detailed scholarship, readers are referred to an ample list of specialist texts and papers on the subject.
Lecithins
Authors: Szuhaj Bernard F. , Yeo JuDong , Shahidi Fereidoon
Published: February 2020

Lecithin is a natural material with multifunctional properties. Original material was isolated from egg yolk, and it is found in significant quantities in brain and nervous tissue. Actually, lecithin is a normal constituent in all cell membranes. The main source today is found in soybeans and is commercially available in many colors, viscosities, and functionalities. This article gives a detailed description of the nature and composition of lecithin and its manufacture and uses in food as well as nonfood applications.

Lecithin has been an amphoteric surfactant for centuries but was not commercialized until soy processing started in the 1930s. It has many food applications and is also used in pharmaceutical preparations and natural food products. Lecithin has some unique properties in industrial applications, ranging from paints to fuel additives. The most prevalent use today is in chocolate and margarine manufacture and in nutritional beverages and supplements.
Structural Effects on Absorption, Metabolism, and Health Effects of Lipids
Authors: Shahidi Fereidoon , Oh Won Young , Garnier Andrew , Christophe Armand B.
Published: February 2020

The structure of fatty acid‐containing lipid classes is defined as the grouping or positioning of fatty acids on the alcohol backbone. Alcohol backbones considered are glycerol, phytosterols/‐stanols, and sucrose. Health‐related nutritional effects of food lipids depend on the fatty acids they contain (not covered here), on the alcohol backbone, on the number of fatty acids esterified on the alcohol backbone if applicable (triacylglycerols vs. diacylglycerols vs. monoacylglycerols), and on the position the fatty acids occupy. The specificity of the lipases that are present in the intestinal tract are a major determinant of the digestion products that will be formed. Different digestion products will react differently in the intestinal lumen and after absorption will be metabolized differently in the intestinal cells. Specificity of lipases in combination with different handling of different fat digestion products is at the basis of structure‐related effects of food lipids. The position of fatty acids in triacylglycerols (inner or outer) can have an effect on digestibility (for saturated fatty acids), route of transport (for medium‐chain fatty acids), conversion in higher unsaturated fatty acids (for parent essential fatty acids), chylomicronemia, cholesterolemia, and atherogenicity. The well‐known cholesterolemic and atherogenic effects of different fatty acids are more pronounced when these fatty acids are esterified at the inner position of triglycerides. Partial glycerides have nutritional effects different from triglycerides with the same fatty acid composition. The nature of the alcohol backbone of food fats is also extremely important for their health‐related nutritional effects. Phytosterol/‐stanol esters, for instance, have cholesterol‐lowering effects, and sucrose polyesters cannot be absorbed from the intestinal tract.
Vegetable Oils
Authors: Oswell Natalie J. , Gunstone Frank D. , Pegg Ronald B.
Published: February 2020

This article provides an overview of the major and minor vegetable oils, focusing particularly on their fatty acid and triacylglycerol composition, as well as their production levels. Information on the important minor components of vegetable oils, types of vegetable oils, the need to modify natural oils, and the ways in which this can be achieved are discussed. Finally, there is a brief account of current production statistics of the major vegetable oils and their trade.