bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediment and fish tissues from Lake Chaohu, central eastern China
Authors: Yang Suwen , Fu Qiang , Teng Man , Yang Jing
Published: May 2015

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) levels in environmental media have increased over the last 20-25 years in the world. In aquatic environments PBDEs were found to be accumulated along food chain and Endocrine disruptors toxicity. In this study PBDEs were investigated in sediment and fish tissues from Lake Chaohu in central eastern China. There were 10 PBDEs congeners detected out of all 41 PBDEs. BDE-47 was of the highest with 5.17 ng/g in sediment and 58.47 ng/g in fish. PBDEs were evenly distributed across the surface sediment in the whole lake. It implied that the main source of PBDEs may not be an inflow river like Nanfei. Tissue distribution patterns of PBDEs in four fish species were in the order of BDE-47 > BDE-99 > BDE-100 > BDE-66 > BDE-138 > BDE-183 > BDE-154 > BDE-153. Octa- and deca-BDEs were below the detection limit. The concentrations of all PBDE congeners were higher in gills, livers, and kidneys than those in muscles and adipose tissue. Furthermore, PBDEs in different tissues had some different distribution patterns with fish size. Those discrepancies appeared to be correlated with the PBDEs pollution fluxes varying with the change of the year and their metabolism divergences in fish tissues.
Pervaporative desulfurization of gasoline – separation of thiophene/n-heptane mixture / Perwaporacyjne odsiarczanie benzyny – separacja mieszanin tiofen/n-heptan
Authors: Rychlewska Katarzyna , Konieczny Krystyna , Bodzek Michał
Published: May 2015

This paper presents the recent advances in pervaporative reduction of sulfur content in gasoline. Methods of preliminary selection of membrane active layer material are presented. Interactions between gasoline components (typical hydrocarbon and sulfur species) and membranes are showed. Influence of pervaporation process parameters i.e. feed temperature, downstream pressure and feed flow rate on the separation efficiency is discussed. Investigations of the influence of sulfur concentration in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline on membrane performance have been conducted. A series of PV tests was carried out to investigate the separation properties of the commercial composite membrane with an active layer made of poly(dimethylsiloxane) and to determine the efficiency of organic sulphur compound (thiophene) removal from model thiophene/n-heptane mixture depending on its concentration.
Human health risk assessment of uranium in drinking water sampled from drilled wells located in rural areas of the Lower Silesian region (Poland) / Ocena ryzyka zdrowotnego związanego z obecnością uranu w wodzie przeznaczonej do spożycia pobieranej z wierconych studni zlokalizowanych na obszarach wiejskich Dolnego Śląska (Polska)
Authors: Garboś Sławomir , Święcicka Dorota
Published: May 2015

Uranium concentrations in groundwater taken from private drilled wells have been never determined in Poland, implying a lack of available data to quantify the human exposure to U through drinking water consumption, especially in rural areas influenced by mining activities. The main aim of the study was the assessment of human health risk related to the consumption of well waters containing U, collected from selected rural areas of the Lower Silesian region (Poland). The random daytime (RDT) sampling method was applied to the collection of well waters from three control study areas (CSA): Mniszków (CSA-A), Stara Kamienica/M. Kamienica/Kopaniec (CSA-B) and Kletno (CSA-C). The analyses of RDT samples were performed by validated method based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Uranium concentration ranges in well waters and the estimated geometric means for individual control study areas were: 0.005-1.03 μg/L and 0.052 μg/L (CSA-A), 0.027-10.6 μg/L and 0.40 μg/L (CSA-B), and 0.006-27.1 μg/L and 0.38 μg/L (CSA-C). The average and individual chronic daily intakes (CDI) of U by drinking water pathway (adults/children) were in the ranges of: 0.0017-0.013/0.0052-0.040 μg · kg-1 · day-1 and 0.0002-0.90/0.0005-2.71 μg · kg-1 · day-1. The average %TDI and ranges of individual %TDI (adults/children) were: 0.17%/0.52% and 0.02-3.4%/0.05-10.3% (CSA-A), 1.3%/4.0% and 0.09-35%/0.27-106% (CSA-B), and 1.3%/3.8% and 0.02-90%/0.06-271% (CSA-C). The estimated average CDI values of U through well water are significantly lower than the TDI (1 μg · kg-1 · day-1), while for individual CDI values the contribution to the TDI can reach even 90% (adults) and 271% (children), indicating essential human health risk for children consuming well water from private drilled wells located in CSA-B and CSA-C (5.3% of total number of samples collected).
Influence of sludge-ash composts on some properties of reclaimed land / Wpływ kompostów osadowo-popiołowych na niektóre właściwości rekultywowanego gruntu
Authors: Baran Stanisław , Wójcikowska-Kapusta Anna , Żukowska Grażyna , Bik-Małodzińska Marta , Wesołowska-Dobruk Sylwia
Published: May 2015

The study was conducted in the area of the impact of sulfur mine in Jeziórko. The aim of the study was to assess changes in pH, cation exchange capacity and content of available phosphorus, potassium and magnesium after 6 years of conducting remediation. In the experiment (plots with an area of 15 m2) degraded soil was rehabilitating by post-floating lime and compost from sewage sludge, sewage sludge and ash from combined heat and power (CHP). Composts at a dose of dry matter 180 t · ha-1 (6%), were determined in accordance with Minister of the Environment Regulation from 2001, applied the following options: control (only native soil limed), compost from municipal sewage sludge, sewage sludge compost (80%) and ash (20%), compost from sewage sludge (70%) and ash (30%). The reclaimed plots were sown with mixture of rehabilitation grass. Single de-acidification, land fertilization and a further 6-year extensive (without fertilization) use had a different influence on the properties of the native soilless substratum. Irrespective of the reclamation manner, after six years land use in the upper layers, observed increase in the average content of available phosphorus, available potassium content does not changed significantly but recorded a tenfold decrease in the content of available magnesium.
On a new subclass of bi-univalent functions satisfying subordinate conditions
Authors: Altınkaya Şahsene , Yalçın Sibel
Published: May 2015

In the present investigation, we find estimates on the coefficients |a2| and |a3| for functions in the function class SΣ (λ,φ) . The results presented in this paper improve or generalize the recent work of Magesh and Yamini
On the maximal exponent of the prime power divisor of integers
Authors: Kátai Imre , Phong Bui Minh
Published: May 2015

The largest exponent of the prime powers function is investigated on the set of numbers of form one plus squares of primes.
All maximal idempotent submonoids of HypG(2)
Authors: Wongpinit Weerapong , Leeratanavalee Sorasak
Published: May 2015

The purpose of this paper is to determine all maximal idempotent submonoids and some maximal compatible idempotent submonoids of the monoid of all generalized hypersubstitutions of type τ = (2).
Development and evaluation of a virtual patient-based exam in occupational medicine
Authors: Hege Inga , Schröpfer Iris , Radon Katja
Published: May 2015

Occupational medicine (OM), especially the ability to recognize potentially workplace-related diseases or accidents, is important for medical students to learn. The assessment in OM at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University is implemented as a paper-based, multiple-choice question exam that does not assess the students’ ability to remember occupational aspects in clinical contexts. Therefore, the aim of this study was to create and evaluate an online exam based on 19 virtual patients to assess the aspects of OM in an interdisciplinary setting. Thirty-nine medical students participated in the exam with an average score of 65%. The score for freetext questions assessing OM aspects was low (39%). The study showed that the implementation of an interdisciplinary VP-based exam is feasible. The integration of such an interdisciplinary exam would be feasible, for example, as an open-book assessment.
The impact of an embodied theory of meaning on the epistemology of semiotics
Authors: Klinkenberg Jean-Marie
Published: May 2015

Cognitive semiotics has an experiential basis: its thesis is that the origin of meaning – a problem that classical semiotics usually glosses over – lies in the sense system. This paper will outline the mechanisms that make possible such meaning construction, but its main focus will be the impact of the cognitive perspective on the epistemology of semiotics. It implies a process of naturalization of the humanities and the social sciences. This naturalization has triggered harsh criticism: its arguments are supposed to be circular; these are secretly founded on a postulate of innateness; it is at the service of an individualistic ideology in tune with a neoliberal society…. The paper will examine these pieces of criticism, which lead us to oppose and challenge both neural autonomism and the culturalist autonomism inherent in classical European semiotics. The conclusion is a plea for a continuum between nature and culture.
Synthesis, Purification, and Quantification of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters After trans-Esterification of Large Batches of Tobacco Seed Oil
Authors: Ashraf-Khorassani Mehdi , Coleman William Monroe , Dube Michael Francis , Isaac Giorgis , Taylor Larry Thomas
Published: May 2015

The goal of the study was to quantify fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE’s) produced from two large batches of tobacco seed oil after trans-esterification by heating in ethanol with sulfuric acid catalyst. Purification of the combined ethyl ester reaction products by removing as much of the color and odor from the final product as possible was achieved via conventional column chromatography with amorphous silica and tandem elution of first hexane and then ethyl alcohol as the mobile phase. Gas chromatography was used to quantify specific FAEE’s in the purified material. Recovery of pure FAEE's in batch #1 was near 87%; while, recovery of FAEE’s in batch #2 was greater than 89% with mass yields greater than 400 g of ethyl esters per esterification trial. The FAEE’s possessed no detectable aroma and only a slight yellow color after this chromatographic treatment. Supercritical fluid chromatography with a mobile phase of methanol/acetonitrile modified carbon dioxide and an octadecyl bonded silica stationary phase were used to characterize the purity of each batch of fatty acid ethyl ester product. No free fatty acids nor glycerolrelated impurities were detected in the purified transesterified product.This is the first report describing the optimized trans-esterification of tobacco seed oil on a relatively large scale coupled with subsequent purification and isolation of the resultant ethyl esters. [Beitr. Tabakforsch. Int. 26 (2015) 205-213]
An Improved Theoretical Model of Cigarette Smoke Filtration across Mono-Segment Cellulose Acetate Filters
Authors: Wen Du , Jianhui Wen , Bing Peng , Xiaobin Zhang , Fuwei Xie , Huimin Liu , Kejun Zhong
Published: May 2015

An improved theoretical model was presented to predict the filtration efficiency of cigarette filters. Filtration equations of single fibers considering the interference of neighboring fibers were applied in the model. Cellulose acetate fibers in cigarette filters were approximated as cylinders. The fiber size was adjusted by its size projected on the flow field. The solid fraction of fibers in cigarette filters was recalculated using the size of the virtual cylinders. The varying flow velocity during smoking was taken into account when calculating the filtration efficiency. The effective hydrodynamic particle diameter of cigarette smoke was estimated to be 0.44 μm by the difference of filtration efficiencies under ISO and Health Canada Intense (HCI) smoking regimes. Filtration contributions due to diffusion, interception and inertial impaction were 62%, 32% and 6%, respectively, at a flow velocity of 0.38 m/s for particles of 0.44 μm diameter. The effect of inertial impaction was insignificant but not negligible under ISO smoking regime. The measured and predicted efficiencies of two cigarette samples were compared and satisfactory agreement was obtained. [Beitr. Tabakforsch. Int. 26 (2015) 232-240]
Similar foliage area but contrasting foliage biomass between young beech and spruce stands / Porovnateľná plocha avšak kontrastná biomasa asimilačných orgánov medzi mladými porastmi buka a smreka
Authors: Konôpka Bohdan , Pajtík Jozef
Published: May 2015

The study focuses on two young stands of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) of the same age (12-yearold) with similar sized trees grown at near identical sites. After performing a destructive sampling technique which included all tree compartments except fine roots; allometric equations were constructed for all tree components. Diameter at stem base (do) was utilized as an independent variable for the equations. The models expressed not only biomass of woody parts (branches, stem and coarse roots) and foliage but also foliage area and specific leaf area (SLA). Results indicate that the basic morphological properties of foliage vary in both species along the vertical crown profile. In spruce, contrasting values of needle area and SLA were recorded among needle sets (based on year of establishment). On a tree level, both spruce and beech had similar foliage areas however, beech had a larger biomass comprising of woody parts while spruce biomass was dominated by foliage. Therefore the leaf mass ratio (LMR) defined as the ratio between foliage biomass and total tree biomass, as well as leaf area ratio (LAR) defined as the ratio between leaf area and total tree biomass were much larger in spruce than in beech species. On a stand level, spruce manifested a higher value (18.64 m2.m−2) of leaf area index (LAI) than beech (12.77 m2.m−2). Moreover, while the biomass of foliage was 4.6 times higher in spruce than in beech, total biomass of woody parts were similar in both stands. These contrasts indicate very different growth strategies and biomass allocations between beech and spruce at the young growth stages
Abiotické poškození smrkových porostů ve střední Evropě: příkladová studie sněhových polomů z let 2005–2011 v Moravskoslezských Beskydech / Abiotic damage of spruce stands in central Europe: case study of snow damage from the period 2005–2011 in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids
Authors: Křístek Štěpán , Holuša Jaroslav
Published: May 2015

In the case study from the basin of the Šance reservoir in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids, we examined the differences in the extent of damage in individual winter seasons and differences in the quantity of snow in individual situations. The intensity of damage to predominantly spruce stands was evaluated as the ratio of the number of individual trees damaged in the particular season to the total number of trees in the study plots. The quantity of snow was measured using quantitative parameters of snow cover. The objective of this paper was to describe model scenarios characterised by the expected intensity of stand damage corresponding to the course of winter expressed in quantitative parameters of snow cover on the base of similar/dissimilar situations. Individual winter seasons were thoroughly described in the results. The output is the description of three model scenarios with different intensities of stand damage that differ in the measured values of snow quantity
Ekonomická doba obmýtní / Economic rotation period
Authors: Pulkrab Karel , Sloup Miroslav , Sloup Roman
Published: May 2015

The article presents selected results of the project of the Czech National Agency for Agricultural Research, “Differentiation of intensities and management practices in relation to forest biodiversity and economic sustainability of forestry” executed at the Department of Forest Economy and Forestry Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Agriculture in Prague. The results included the quantification of forest rotation periods derived from total mean increment, total mean value increment, and annual gross profit of forest production. Significant differences between the rotation period currently recommended and the rotation period relevant to economic optimum (maximum) were observed. The better the forest site (site quality class), the bigger is the difference
Differences in evaluation of three different approaches in home range sizes of red deer Cervus elaphus in Western Carpathians / Rozdiely vo vyhodnotení veľkosti domovských okrskov jeleňa lesného Cervus elaphus v Západných Karpatoch tromi rôznymi prístupmi
Authors: Adam Alfadil Mohammed Abdelrahman , Kropil Rudolf , Pichler Viliam
Published: May 2015

The aim of this study was to evaluate differences using three different approaches in home range sizes of selected male individuals of red deer (Cervus elaphus). This study was conducted in the Kremnica Mountains (the Western Carpathians) located in central Slovakia. The study included data from three individuals, collared and tracked by using the VHF (Very High Frequency) telemetry. The data were evaluated within three different seasons (winter, summer and rut). For the measuring of home range sizes three methods were used: Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP), Kernel Home Range (KHR) and Local Convex Hull (LoCoH). The seasonal effect on home range size was analyzed by using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) two and three main effects. The study showed differences in home range sizes and core areas in red deer population. The migrant individual had a lager home range size with used methods. The differences occurred between total seasonal home ranges, but statistically not significant. The home range created by Local Convex Hull was significantly smaller than the home range created by Kernel Home Range.
Porovnání vlivu příměsi na růstové veličiny, strukturu a stabilitu porostu borovice lesní (Pinus sylvestris L.) na antropogenních půdách sokolovského regionu / Influence of admixed tree species on growth, structure and stability of Scots pine stands on anthropogenic soils of the Sokolov region
Authors: Dragoun Lukáš , Stolariková Radka , Merganič Ján , Šálek Lubomír , Krykorková Jitka
Published: May 2015

The reclamation of landscape disturbed by mining is a topical issue in the Czech Republic and elsewhere. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the afforestation by Scots pine mixed with beech and lime trees on anthropogenic soils was advantageous in terms of timber production capacity and stability of forest stands, and whether it improved structural functionality of the forest ecosystem. The study was performed in the 40 year-old stand at Antonín dump near the town of Sokolov (Czech Republic) on a clay substrate. Basic stand variables and multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) of tree variables were used to compare different mixtures and monocultures. The comparison of pine monocultures with the mixed parts of the stand showed that the admixture of beech in the stands increased their stability, while the production was higher in the parts with an admixture of lime trees. Due to neglected stand tending, stability of all parts of the stand was reduced. Although lime generally appears as the most advantageous admixed tree species, further research is needed to prove the conclusions.
An attempt to use the fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill. in forest protection against the bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) in the field
Authors: Grodzki Wojciech , Kosibowicz Mieczysław
Published: May 2015

In 2011-2013, trials on the use of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana against bark beetle (Ips typographus) populations were carried out under open field conditions in Norway spruce stands suffering from an outbreak in the Beskid Żywiecki Mts. in Poland. Modified pheromone traps were deployed to capture and thereafter release fungus-infected bark beetles to the forest environment. Infested spruce trees felled next to the traps remained unaffected by the transmission of the fungus to insect populations. Direct spraying or dusting of lying trap logs and suspended caged rearing bolts did not have any effect on spruce infestation by I. typographus, its reproduction success and development or natural enemies inside the bark.

A very small effect on mortality rates of target as well as non-target insects overwintering in the dusted litter was observed. Treated stands, unlike control stands, were indirectly affected by the treatment, evidenced by the reduction of tree mortality due to bark beetle infestation.

At present, no recommendations concerning the potential use of the fungus in forest protection can be given. However such an environmentally friendly approach represents a promising future prospect.
The station of the hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata L. ssp. trifoliata) in the forests of the Wyszków Forest District
Authors: Ciosek Marek , Krechowski Janusz , Piórek Katarzyna , Roman Sikorski
Published: May 2015

This paper presents the results of studies carried out on Ptelea trifoliata populations in the Wyszków Forest District in 1998 and 2013. P. trifoliata is a native species of North America (United States of America, northern part of Canada) and has a wide ecological range. However, it prefers fertile, wet soils and moderate light. In Europe, it is planted for its decorative value and is mainly found in synanthropic habitats (parks, graveyards, roadsides, fortifications) in Poland. The station of P. trifoliata is situated in the oak-hornbeam forest, Tilio-Carpinetum typicum, with a significant fraction of the stand consisting of Pinus sylvestris. Hop trees occur mainly along forest section lines and are rarely found inside the sections. In the last 15 years, an increase in the number and size of P. trifoliata clusters has been observed. The species spreads along forest section lines, which form a convenient migration route by creating favourable conditions for the germination and growth of seedlings (good access to light, fragments of bare soil). The presence of new individuals far from the pre-existing clusters indicates that the generative way of propagation dominates. Biometric measures indicate significant differences in length and width of whole leaves as well as leaflets, with leaves and leaflets of vegetative specimens significantly larger than generative ones.

As a consequence of the high rate of P. trifoliata expansion along forest section lines and occurrence of single specimens inside the forest sections, we assume this species to be potentially invasive.
Increase of natural regeneration area of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) in the Kaszuby Lake District during the decade 2002–2012
Authors: Szydlarski Marcin , Modrzyński Jerzy
Published: May 2015

The Kaszuby Lake District is located beyond the natural range of Norway spruce, however its share in local forest stands is considerable (14.8%) and its vitality and growth are here not less than within the natural range. The study presents the results of stock-taking of natural regeneration of Norway spruce in this region in year 2002 and 2012 and the relevant silvicultural recommendations. The stock of spruce natural regeneration was taken using the electronic database of the Regional Headquarters of State Forests in Gdańsk. The regeneration was put into following categories: seedlings (height below 0.5 m), lower advanced growth (height above 0.5 m and DBH below 7 cm), higher advanced growth (height above 3 m and DBH above 7 cm) and undergrowth (with dominating self sown spruce). In total 20 834 ha of Norway spruce natural regenerations were listed in year 2002 and 26 016 ha in year 2012 (increase by 24.9%). Most of them occur in fresh sites suited for mixed deciduous forests (LMśw) - in years 2002 and 2012 respectively 52.5% and 50.1%, and fresh sites suited for mixed coniferous forests (BMśw) - in years 2002 and 2012 respectively 30.4% and 32%.

The increase of natural regeneration of Norway spruce in this period was connected with the 23.6% decrease in volume of spruce stands in age of above 40 years.

Majority of spontaneously arriving spruce regenerations turn to the undergrowth, because of unfavorable light conditions under canopy and much to high density of seedlings and advanced growth. Good quality advanced growth on suited forest sites should be uncovered by thinning cuttings and consequently included into the future multispecies stands, with Norway spruce share up to 30%.
Aspects of using wood biomass for energy production
Authors: Gołos Piotr , Kaliszewski Adam
Published: May 2015

This article presents the most important aspects relevant to forest-derived biomass utilization for the purposes of energy production by professional energy providers. The issues discussed here are divided into four groups: environmental, social, economic and technological aspects of biomass utilization in energy production. The environmental part focuses on the effects of intensive use of leftovers from timber harvest on forest ecosystems as well as the problem of ash utilization. Economic and social problems include the costs of energy production from timber, consequences of intensified fuel wood demand for the state of the timber and paper industry as well as the impact on the labor market. The technology section of the article covers questions related to the harvest and transport of forest-derived biomass.

We conclude that, before regarding it as an energy source, wood should be mainly used for the production of timber due to the necessity and difficulty of considering all of the above-mentioned diverse aspects of energy production. Wood should be used for the production of energy only after its usage as timber products and their recycling.
“Lilies in the Mires”: Contesting Eurocentric Paradigms and Rhetoric of Civilization in Scolastique Mukasonga’s War Narratives
Authors: Oko Ajah Richard
Published: May 2015

The Rwandan writer, Scholastique Mukasonga chronicles her eye-witness account of Rwandan civil war and genocide; her two novels are part of literary attempts to historicize ethnic collective trauma and memory, but they end up traumatizing national history itself and deconstructing Eurocentric representations. Her works are popularly read as autobiographies and could be mapped under trauma studies. However, this study intends to read these works as autoethnographical texts which this hyphenated writer uses to dismantle conventional boundaries of linguistic morpho-syntax of French, to deconstruct European historical constructions and to contest Eurocentric epistemologies that gave rise to the literary cartography of the Other world. This Eurocentrism produces markers of post/colonial idioms such as “civilized/primitive” and “modern/traditional” as means of justifying the essence of empires. Mukasonga’s account opens our eyes to Rwandan indigenous art, science, medicine and society; therefore, it contests the ontology of European civilization. Although her novels are predominantly written in French, Mukasonga uses her native dialect of Kinyarwanda to unveil age-long Rwandan [African] civilization, thus forcing her European readership to see the “lilies in the mires”.
The Word – an Extensive Topography
Authors: Dinu Adrian Lucian , Dinu Claudia Elena
Published: May 2015

This article intends to analyse crossings between words and the Word. To this purpose, we will present linguistic and spiritual connotations of the terms belonging to the semantic field of the verb “to communicate” and of the idea of communication. We will also deepen the pneumatologic curative issue of the Word. The final section of the article will draw on the description of the extensive references in the relation between words and the Word.
Performance of a Catalytic Gas–Solid Fluidized Bed Reactor in the Presence of Interparticle Forces
Authors: Shabanian Jaber , Chaouki Jamal
Published: May 2015

The influence of interparticle forces (IPFs) on the hydrodynamics of a gas–solid fluidized bed was experimentally investigated with the help of a polymer coating approach. The results showed that the presence of IPFs in the bed can considerably change the hydrodynamic parameters. The tendency of the fluidizing gas passing through the bed in the emulsion phase increased with IPFs in the bubbling regime. The performance of a fluidized bed reactor was then studied through simulation of a reactive catalytic system using three different hydrodynamic models: (a) a simple two-phase flow model, (b) a dynamic two-phase flow model, and (c) a dynamic two-phase flow model, integrating the effects of superficial gas velocity and IPFs. The simple two-phase flow model was found to underestimate the reactor performance for catalytic reaction most likely due to the oversimplified assumptions involved in this model. Also, the simulation results showed that modification of the bed hydrodynamics due to IPFs resulted in a better performance for a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. This suggests that the hydrodynamic models should take into account the effects of superficial gas velocity and variation in the ratio of the magnitude of IPFs/hydrodynamic forces, due to any operational reason, to yield a more reliable evaluation of the performance of the fluidized bed reactor.
The Experience of Nursing Students Who Make Mistakes in Clinical
Authors: Zieber Mark Pijl , Williams Beverley
Published: May 2015

The experience of nursing students who make mistakes during clinical practice is poorly understood. The literature identifies clinical practice mistakes as a significant issue in nursing practice and education but there is very little research on the topic. This study used a grounded theory approach to explore the experience of undergraduate nursing students who had made at least one mistake in their clinical practice. What emerged is a theory that illuminates the process of how students move through the positive and negative elements of the mistake experience the core variable that emerged from the study was “living through the mistake experience.” The mistake experience was clearly a traumatic process for nursing students and students reported feeling unprepared and lacking the capability to manage the mistake experience. A number of recommendations for nursing education are proposed.
Influence of Salt Stress on Growth and Frost Resistance of Three Winter Cereals
Authors: Matuszak-Slamani Renata , Brzóstowicz Aleksander
Published: May 2015

This paper presents results of a study on the influence of 0-150 mmol NaCl dm-3 Hoagland solution on growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis and frost resistance of seedlings of three winter cereals: wheat - cv. Almari, rye - cv. Amilo, and triticale - cv. Tornado. Sodium chloride at 25 mmol dm-3 caused better growth of wheat shoots and roots, both of fresh and dry matter. Higher concentrations of NaCl in the medium decreased the biomass of the tested seedlings. The influence of NaCl on the chlorophyll content in the seedlings varied. The conductometry method showed that the resistance of the cell walls of wheat and rye to low temperature decreased in the presence of NaCl in the growth medium. Luminescence has shown that seedlings that grew in NaCl-containing medium indicated an impediment of electron flow at a lower temperature than the control plants.
Dielectric Spectroscopy of Grape Juice at Microwave Frequencies
Authors: Vijay Ravika , Jain Ritu , Sharma Krishna S.
Published: May 2015

The complex permittivity of fresh juice of two cultivars of grapes, Sultania (green grapes) and Black Monukka (black grapes) was measured in terms of the dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor over the frequency range from 1 to 50 GHz and at temperatures ranging from 30 to 60°C, by using the PNA network analyzer model E8364C and open ended coaxial probe 85070E. The Cole-Cole plots and dielectric constant vs. (angular frequency) dielectric loss factor and dielectric constant vs. dielectric loss factor/(angular frequency) regression lines at different temperatures were used in Debye approximation to predict relaxation frequency of molecules for the two cultivars of grapes in the low frequency and high frequency limits, respectively. It was observed that the acidic character of green grapes is responsible for the large amplitude vibrational peaks in dielectric loss factor - frequency curves, in the high frequency region at higher temperatures. On the other hand, excess of sugar in black grapes suppresses the activity of water molecules, thereby suppressing the vibrational peaks at higher frequencies. Different relaxation frequencies found for the two cultivars of grapes suggest that they have different molecular structure.
Geometrical and Friction Properties of Perennial Grasses and Their Weeds in View of an Electro-Separation Method
Authors: Kovalyshyn Stepan J. , Dadak Viktor O. , Sokolyk Vitalij V. , Grundas Stanisław , Stasiak Mateusz , Tys Jerzy
Published: May 2015

Many seed mixtures of herbs are difficult to separate. This is confirmed by studies determining the basic geometrical and friction properties of the seeds of perennial grasses and seeds of their weeds. The results show that in most cases the value of their geometrical parameters (length, thickness, and width) and friction properties (friction coefficients for different external surfaces of internal friction coefficients) are substantially similar and differ slightly among each other. This is the evidence that these properties are impractical to use in the process of separation as signs of divisibility. In the paper, a method for electro-separation of seed mixtures of herbs based on the use of complex physical, mechanical properties and electrical components in the separation are presented. The electric field that acts as an additional working body allows considering the surface conditions and biological status of seed mixtures of particles and significantly expands the functionality of the separators. Confirmation of the effectiveness of the proposed method for separation can be seen in the example of purification of red clover and sorrel seeds. By imposition of an electric field on an inclined moving separating plane, we can completely separate weed seeds from the main crop. The results confirm the effectiveness of the electro-separating method.
Environmental Attitudes and Household Electricity Use among Budapest Residents
Authors: Dúll Andrea , Janky Béla
Published: May 2015

This paper addresses the question of whether the evidence on positive relationship between environmental attitudes and household energy consumption in advanced post-industrial societies can be extended to emerging economies. In this study, we focused on electricity use and utilized multivariate regression to test the above hypothesis on a sample of residents of Óbuda (Budapest) in February 2011. The analysis suggests that the findings on the positive environmental attitude-behaviour relationship in advanced post-industrial societies can be extended to some (relatively affluent) communities in post-socialist societies. Our data also showed that the effects of housing type and demography are much larger compared to the effects of the attitudes. We emphasize that our findings do not provide evidence against the hypothesis on the interaction between the effects of societal culture and individual attitudes on pro-environmental behaviour.
Trends and Challenges for Social Enterprises in Romania
Authors: Lambru Mihaela , Petrescu Claudia
Published: May 2015

Over the last years, the interest for the potential of social economy organisations to support and produce economic and social development has increased substantially. Against the background of this increased interest in the area, the interest for the research of this economic sector having specific characteristics and grouping various organisations under the same identity has also increased. Starting from recent research, the main purpose of this article is to describe the landscape of social economy actors and the key elements in the evolution of the social enterprises in Romania. In the first part, we present structured information about the status quo of social economy entities such as they appear by analyzing the data collected at national level by the National Institute of Statistics and by analyzing the juridical and institutional framework of each type of organization. The analysis mainly focuses on three types of organisations – cooperatives, NGOs with an economic activity and mutual organisations. In the second part, the authors identify and analyze several key policy fields enabling the development of social economy actors. The last part of the review is dedicated to a discussion concerning the development of a specific policy framework to support the social enterprises in Romania.
‘But You Looked Smart’: Participant Observations of HIV Testing and Counseling for Young Adults
Authors: Johnson Malynnda A.
Published: May 2015

In recent years, a consistent increase of new HIV infections in young adult populations has been reported. One argument is that this population does not receive adequate information or support to promote healthy behavior choices. The current study provides direct evaluation of services and communication about prevention provided to young adults by trained counselors to identify critical issues that could illuminate ongoing barriers. Six clinic sites surrounding a large Midwest university were evaluated. Through participant observations and interviews, this analysis demonstrates that while the rapid HIV test has increased the opportunity for counseling to take place, numerous areas of concern still exist including access to testing, the use of judgmental language, as well as the presence of both halo and horn effect.
An Elementary Theory of Social Structure
Authors: Emanuelson Pamela
Published: May 2015

This paper gives an overview of the Elementary Theory, a theory which infers interests from conditions of social structure and uses that information to predict interaction outcomes. It also reviews how the theory models social structure and the seven conditions of structure (i.e. exclusion, inclusion, null, inclusion-null, inclusion-exclusion, hierarchy/mobility and ordering) known to affect one type of human activity, the exercise of power. This paper ends up with a brief presentation of the recent theoretical developments of the Elementary Theory.
Exploring the Communist Higher Education System. Contributions towards a Theoretical Framework
Authors: Florian Bogdan
Published: May 2015

‘The combination of education with industrial production’ made the top 10 list of measures which have to be implemented in countries where the proletariat will raise as the ruling class, according to Marx’s Communist Manifesto. It is ranked at the end of the list of necessary steps to achieve a new social order, however it endured and, in a slightly modified form it even exists today in higher education reform strategies.

To which extent has this ideological prescription been followed and inspired political measures? This paper aims at proposing a few steps in creating a theoretical framework for analysis of the role of higher education in the communist system. I will use an institutionalist approach to explore where higher education can be placed, in the larger context of the communist system. I will try and adapt to this topic the system paradigm proposed by János Kornai and explore higher education as a component of the larger communist system. Was it the universities’ mission to produce an able workforce for the industrial development? Was there another scientific or ideological mission equally important? How well did the communist central planning system perform in matching industrial demand and educational production? These are some key questions to which this exploration aims at finding a framework for answering.
Slabičné Rozhrania V Modeloch Trojčlenných Konsonantických Skupín V Slovenčine
Authors: Sabol Ján , Ivančová Lena
Published: May 2015

The paper analyzes the criteria for the determination of the syllabic boundary in consonant clusters in the intersonantic position of three-syllable words (material base is standard Slovak), while the applicability and „weight” of individual criteria for the determination of syllable boundaries, as well as their „cooperative” and „contradicting” character, are manifested. The interpretative procedure is realized on the abstract level of phonic units, on which three groups of nonsonants (resonant, noise occlusives and noise fricatives) are determined. As a result, a limited number of model combinations of examined consonant (nonsonant) clusters has arisen. This kind of analysis proceeds from a closer interconnection between differentiated levels of individual and universal in phonic units according to J. Sabol’s synthetic phonological theory.
Searching for standard French: The construction and mining of the Recueil historique des grammaires du français
Authors: Poplack Shana , Jarmasz Lidia-Gabriela , Dion Nathalie , Rosen Nicole
Published: May 2015

This paper describes a massive project to characterize “Standard French” by constructing and mining theRecueil historique des grammaires du français(RHGF), a corpus of grammars whose prescriptive dictates we interpret as representing the evolution of the standard over five centuries. Its originality lies in the possibility it affords to ascertain the existence of prior variability, date it, and determine the conditions under which grammarians accept or condemn variant uses. Systematic meta-analyses of the RHGF reveal that grammarians rarely acknowledge the existence of alternate ways of expressing the same thing. Instead, they adopt three major strategies to establish form-function symmetry. All involve partitioning competing variants across distinct social, semantic or linguistic contexts, despite pervasive disagreement over which variant to associate with which. This effectively factors out variability. In contrast, systematic analysis of actual languageuse, as instantiated in the spontaneous speech of 323 speakers of Quebec French over an apparent-time period of a century and a half, reveals robust variability, regularly conditioned by contextual elements which have never been acknowledged by grammarians. This conditioning has remained largely stable since at least the mid-nineteenth century. Taken together, these results indicate that the “rules” for variant selection promulgated by grammarians do not inform the spoken language, nor do grammars take account of the variable rules structuring spontaneous speech. As a result, grammar and usage are evolving independently.
Some more on the history of present-tense -s, do and zero: West Oxfordshire, 1837
Authors: Wright Laura
Published: May 2015

This paper analyses the present indicative third-person singular markers in a diary kept by a servant from West Oxfordshire in 1837. There are three present-tense markers present in the diary: periphrastic auxiliary verb do, -s, and zero. However, all affirmative declarative do forms are found to be emphatic, so I deduce that periphrastic do was not present. Zero occurs at the surprisingly high rate of 21%. I examine the possibility that zero was the result of hypercorrection (perhaps due to misapplied schooling, or perhaps due to dialect contact as the diarist left West Oxfordshire and took up employment in London), but this is rejected because -s and zero patterns in the same way as in other southern data, based on an analysis of pronoun v. NP subjects, auxiliary v. full-verb have, non-categorical NPPR, and non-categorical Early Modern subjunctive zero. Presumably, these regular patternings would not be present were the zeroes due to an over-applied rule. I hypothesise that as periphrastic do and older -th became abandoned, an empty morpheme slot emerged, which later became filled with generalised -s. It is this temporarily empty morpheme slot, I suggest, which accounts for the 21% zeroes.
Multilevel Jacobi and Gauss–Seidel type iteration methods for solving ill-posed integral equations
Authors: Luo Xingjun , Hu Wenyu , Xiong Lingjuan , Li Fanchun
Published: May 2015

In this paper, multilevel Jacobi and Gauss–Seidel type iteration methods with compression technique are developed for solving ill-posed integral equations by making use of the multiscale structure of the matrix representation of the integral operator. The methods are based on the combination of Tikhonov regularization and multiscale Galerkin methods, and lead to fast solutions of discrete regularization methods for the equations. Choice for an a posteriori regularization parameter is proposed. An optimal convergence order for the method with the choices of parameters is established. Numerical experiments are given to illustrate the efficiency of the method.
Nonlinear FE simulations of structural behavior parameters of reinforced concrete beam with epoxy-bonded FRP
Authors: Sasmal Saptarshi , Kalidoss S.
Published: May 2015

In the present study, investigations on fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) plated-reinforced concrete (RC) beam are carried out. Numerical investigations are performed by using a nonlinear finite element analysis by incorporating cracking and crushing of concrete. The numerical models developed in the present study are validated with the results obtained from the experiment under monotonic load using the servo-hydraulic actuator in displacement control mode. Further, the validated numerical models are used to evaluate the influence of different parameters. It is found from the investigations that increase in the elastic modulus of adhesive layer and CFRP laminate increases the interfacial stresses whereas increase in laminate modulus decreases the displacement and reinforcement strain of the beam. It is also observed that increase in the adhesive layer can largely reduce the interfacial stresses, whereas increase in laminate thickness increases it. However, increase in laminate thickness decreases the displacement and reinforcement strain of the beam significantly. It is mention worthy that increase in laminate length reduces the interfacial stresses, whereas CFRP width change does not affect the interfacial stresses. The study will be useful for the design and practicing engineers for arriving at the FRP-based strengthening schemes for RC structures judiciously.
Koroze slitin zirkonia v prostøedí vyšších koncentrací lithia/ Corrosion of zirconium alloys in the environments with elevated concentration of lithium
Authors: Krausová A. , Macák J. , Sajdl P. , Vénos O.
Published: May 2015

Série dlouhodobých in-situ experimentů byla zaměřena na studium negativního vlivu lithných iontů na dva typy slitiny zirkonia s niobem Zr1Nb. Chování slitin bylo sledováno pomocí in-situ aplikovaných elektrochemických metod v experimentální vysokotlaké - vysokoteplotní smyčce (280 °C, 8 MPa), umožňující cirkulaci média. Experimenty byly prováděny jak v prostředí, které simuluje běžné složení chladiva reaktoru typu VVER, tak v prostředí o vyšších koncentracích lithia (70 a 200 mg l-1 Li+ ve formě LiOH). V obou typech expozičního prostředí bylo cílem sledovat přenosové parametry oxidické vrstvy, změny v korozní rychlosti, difúzních parametrech a polovodivém charakteru oxidu. Z výsledků vyplynulo, že v prostředí vyšších koncentrací lithia dochází v době expozice 200 hodin ke zvyšování korozní rychlosti. Lithné ionty taktéž významně ovlivňují hustotu dopantů tedy polovodivé chování oxidické vrstvy zirkonia.