bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bertrand Russell and the Socialism That Wasn't
Authors: Bricmont Jean , Baillargeon Normand
Published: July 2017

Russell was both a liberal and a socialist, a combination perfectly comprehensible in his time, but almost unthinkable today. As a liberal, he opposed concentrations of power in all its military, governmental, and religious manifestations. But as a socialist, he equally opposed the concentrations of power stemming from the private ownership of the means of production, which therefore had to be put under social control.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
Revolution from North to South
Authors: Amin Samir
Published: July 2017

The liberation struggles of peoples in the global South have been and still are closely linked with the challenge to capitalism. Indeed, the conflicts between capitalism and socialism and between North and South are inseparable. No socialism is imaginable outside of universalism, which implies the equality of peoples.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
Co dziś znaczy zwierzać się. Rozważania pragmatycznojęzykowe
Authors: Dąbkowska Anna
Published: July 2017

Przedmiotem artykułu jest zbadanie kontekstów ilustrujących podawane przez słowniki współczesnego języka polskiego oraz przez autorów prac z zakresu semantyki znaczenie czasownika zwierzać się. Celem – ustalenie, czy wszystkie spotykane współcześnie wypowiedzi, o których kompetentny komunikacyjnie Polak mógłby powiedzieć On / ona zwierza się, zawierają wszystkie cechy definicyjne tego czasownika.
Kolokacje w tekstach prawnych – czyn zabroniony
Authors: Gębka-Wolak Małgorzata
Published: July 2017

Opracowanie kontynuuje problematykę identyfikacji i opisu kolokacji specyficznych dla tekstów prawnych, zaprezentowaną w zamieszczonym w tym tomie artykule Kolokacje w tekstach prawnych – problemy proceduralne. Ma na celu zarysowanie zasad przeprowadzania jakościowej analizy ciągów, które w wyniku zastosowania zautomatyzowanej procedury zostały uznane za kolokacje tzw. potwierdzone. Ilustracją prowadzonych rozważań jest opis właściwości kolokacji czyn zabroniony.
Kolokacje w tekstach prawnych – wykonanie orzeczenia
Authors: Moroz Andrzej
Published: July 2017

Prezentowany tekst stanowi egzemplifikację zautomatyzowanych procedur identyfikacyjnych omó- wionych w zamieszczonym w niniejszym tomie artykule Kolokacje w tekstach prawnych – problemy proceduralne. Zasadniczym jego celem jest scharakteryzowanie jakościowych procedur analizy kolokacji, stanowiących kolejny etap statystycznego opracowania takiego zbioru wyrażeń. Podstawą obserwacji będą właściwości dwustronnej kolokacji wykonanie orzeczenia.
Geneza i sposoby aktualizacji zwrotu grać na x fortepianach w tekstach prasy emigracyjnej (do końca lat 80. XX wieku)
Authors: Ignatowicz-Skowrońska Jolanta
Published: July 2017

W artykule obiektem rozważań są związki frazeologiczne z komponentem fortepian, nierejestrowane w większości słowników językowych dawnej i współczesnej polszczyzny. Celem rozważań jest weryfikacja kilku kwestii: czasu pojawienia się związków w polszczyźnie, ich autorstwa oraz pierwotnego znaczenia.
Polska a chorwacka grzeczność językowa – uwarunkowania kulturowe różnic i podobieństw
Authors: Rypel Agnieszka , Wełna Aleksandra
Published: July 2017

Celem artykułu jest ukazanie czynników socjokulturowych, które wpłynęły na zróżnicowanie aktualnych modeli grzeczności w języku chorwackim i języku polskim. Analizie poddane zostały zachowania werbalne i korespondujące z nimi zachowania niewerbalne, a także ocena tych zachowań przez chorwackich użytkowników języka. Jako materiał egzemplifikacyjny posłużyły powitania, pożegnania oraz formy adresatywne w rejestrze oficjalnym i nieoficjalnym.
Kolokacje w tekstach prawnych – problemy proceduralne
Authors: Gębka-Wolak Małgorzata , Moroz Andrzej
Published: July 2017

Artykuł wpisuje się w krąg badań, których celem jest przedstawienie ograniczeń w budowaniu konstrukcji składniowych w tekstach prawnych. Za jeden z przejawów tych ograniczeń uznaje się swoistą łączliwość leksykalną, opisywaną za pomocą pojęcia kolokacji. Kolokacją nazywa się wyrażenie składające się z komponentów, których współwystępowanie jest motywowane leksykalnymi ograniczeniami ich łączliwości. Celem poniższego opracowania jest objaśnienie wstępnej, częś- ciowo zautomatyzowanej procedury rozpoznawania kolokacji w podkorpusie tekstów prawnych z dziedziny prawa karnego.
Bespoke Language Teaching (BLT): A proposal for a theoretical framework. The case of EFL/ELF for Italians
Authors: Santipolo Matteo
Published: July 2017

This paper deals with the problems of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) and as a lingua franca (ELF) in the Italian educational system and, in particular, with introducing language variation in the English class. After briefly illustrating how English teaching has changed in the last few decades, an outline is drawn of what happens in the Italian school system today from child care to university as far as English teaching is concerned. The second part of the contribution focuses on the increasing variability of English as a world language, both within and outside the native speakers’ domain. The second part also deals with the issues that the complex nature of variation in English has raised when teaching it, and underlines how such issues have recently, although only partially, been acknowledged by the Italian Ministry of Education. The final section, illustrates a proposal for implementing the teaching of English variation in Italian schools, based on the concepts of utility and usability which have given birth to a student-tailored approach called Bespoke Language Teaching.
Plurilingual reading practices in a global context: Circulation of books and linguistic inequalities
Authors: Rivière Marie
Published: July 2017

Media consumption is commonly seen as a major way of appropriating languages and cultures. Availability and accessibility of material are essential conditions for developing plurilingual cultural practices. Transnational circulation of cultural goods has reached a particular intensity in today’s world but is still marked by deep language inequalities. Combining sociolinguistic, language education, cultural sociology, and multiliteracy approaches, this study examines how plurilingual readers access books in their different languages. This qualitative analysis is based on 24 in-depth interviews with both migrant and non-migrant adults living in Western Europe. The findings indicate that printed and digital books in dominant languages circulate more easily, and through more visible and formal channels than books in dominated languages. In addition, the local and online book supply in dominant languages is generally cheaper and more varied, thus being more attractive. However, a wider range of means of access to books, and the active participation of the readers themselves in the circulation of cultural goods enable book-reading practices in less disseminated languages. Pedagogical recommendations for language teachers to encourage autonomous cultural practices among learners according to global evolutions and local specificities are provided.
Contamination of pine and birch wood dust with microscopic fungi and determination of its sterol contents
Authors: Stuper-Szablewska Kinga , Rogoziński Tomasz , Perkowski Juliusz
Published: July 2017

Wood compounds, especially sterols, are connected with the level of contamination with microscopic fungi. Within this study, tests were conducted on wood dust samples collected at various work stations in a pine and birch timber conversion plant. Their contamination with mycobiota was measured as the concentration of ergosterol (ERG) by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Another aim of this study was to assess the effect of contamination with microscopic fungi on the sterol contents in wood dusts. Analyses were conducted on five sterols: desmosterol, cholesterol, lanosterol, stigmasterol, and β-sitosterol using UPLC and their presence was confirmed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results of chemical analyses showed the greatest contamination with mycobiota in birch wood dust. We also observed varied contents of individual sterols depending on the wood dust type. Their highest concentration was detected in birch dust. The discriminant analysis covering all tested compounds as predictors showed complete separation of all tested wood dust types. The greatest discriminatory power was found for stigmasterol, desmosterol, and ergosterol.
A new, simplified model for the estimation of polyphenol oxidation potentials based on the number of OH groups
Authors: Novak Jovanović Ivana , Miličević Ante
Published: July 2017

We present a new and simpler regression model for the estimation of the first oxidation potentials (Ep1) of flavonoids based on the number of phenolic, alcoholic, and carboxylic OH groups. In the regression we included the Ep1of 12 polyphenols (mostly flavonols and catechins) that were measured in our laboratory at pH 3. The model yielded r=0.986 and SE=0.040. Later successive inclusions of previously reported Epvalues into the regression model, 7 at pH 3, the model (N=19) yielded r=0.980, SE=0.046 and 19 at pH 7 the model (N=38), yielded r=0.985, SE=0.044.
Cumulative Industrial Noise Impact on the Environment
Authors: Wszołek Tadeusz
Published: July 2017

The paper presents basic legal conditions, applicable to the calculation of cumulative noise levels in the environment with indication mainly on lack of detailed regulations both in formal and methodological approach for evaluating those levels. The paper is focused on methodological approach with the emphasison analysis of existing case studies in the industry. The main subject of the analysis is the cumulation of industrial noise sources: newly designed and existing ones, together with a proposal of accumulate other types of the noise. Evaluation of cumulative noise levels for new (designed) objects is realised by computational methods, and for existing objects, by measurements or by combination of measurement and computational methods. It is assumed that the cumulative level is an energetic sum of the rating levels for all installations and it will not exceed the limit value in a given place. For the cumulation of different noise sources, the weighting for criterion values of these sources will be applied in aggregation.
Automatic Genre Classification Using Fractional Fourier Transform Based Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient and Timbral Features
Authors: Bhalke Daulappa Guranna , Rajesh Betsy , Bormane Dattatraya Shankar
Published: July 2017

This paper presents the Automatic Genre Classification of Indian Tamil Music and Western Music using Timbral and Fractional Fourier Transform (FrFT) based Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) features. The classifier model for the proposed system has been built using K-NN (K-Nearest Neighbours) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). In this work, the performance of various features extracted from music excerpts has been analysed, to identify the appropriate feature descriptors for the two major genres of Indian Tamil music, namely Classical music (Carnatic based devotional hymn compositions) & Folk music and for western genres of Rock and Classical music from the GTZAN dataset. The results for Tamil music have shown that the feature combination of Spectral Roll off, Spectral Flux, Spectral Skewness and Spectral Kurtosis, combined with Fractional MFCC features, outperforms all other feature combinations, to yield a higher classification accuracy of 96.05%, as compared to the accuracy of 84.21% with conventional MFCC. It has also been observed that the FrFT based MFCC effieciently classifies the two western genres of Rock and Classical music from the GTZAN dataset with a higher classification accuracy of 96.25% as compared to the classification accuracy of 80% with MFCC.
Music Performers Classification by Using Multifractal Features: A Case Study
Authors: Reljin Natasa , Pokrajac David
Published: July 2017

In this paper, we investigated the possibility to classify different performers playing the same melodies at the same manner being subjectively quite similar and very difficult to distinguish even for musically skilled persons. For resolving this problem we propose the use of multifractal (MF) analysis, which is proven as an efficient method for describing and quantifying complex natural structures, phenomena or signals. We found experimentally that parameters associated to some characteristic points within the MF spectrum can be used as music descriptors, thus permitting accurate discrimination of music performers. Our approach is tested on the dataset containing the same songs performed by music group ABBA and by actors in the movie Mamma Mia. As a classifier we used the support vector machines and the classification performance was evaluated by using the four-fold cross-validation. The results of proposed method were compared with those obtained using mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) as descriptors. For the considered two-class problem, the overall accuracy and F-measure higher than 98% are obtained with the MF descriptors, which was considerably better than by using the MFCC descriptors when the best results were less than 77%.
Impulsive Sound Detection Directly in Sigma-Delta Domain
Authors: Miranda Igor D. dos S. , Lima Antonio C. de C.
Published: July 2017

Recent implementations of Sigma-Delta (ΣΔ) converters have achieved low cost, low power consumption, and high integration while maintaining resolution as high as in Nyquist-rate converters. However, its usage implies demodulating the source signal delivered from ΣΔ modulation to Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM) on a pre-processing stage. This work proposes an algorithm based on Discrete Cosine Transform for impulsive signal detection to be applied directly on a modulated ΣΔ bitstream, targeting to reduce computational cost in acoustic event detection applications such as gunshot recognition systems. From pre-recorded impulsive sounds in ΣΔ format, it has been shown that the new method presents a similar error rate in comparison with traditional energy-based approaches in PCM, meanwhile, it reduces significantly the number of operations per unit time.
Calibration and Laboratory Testing of Computer Measuring System 8AE-PD Dedicated for Analysis of Acoustic Emission Signals Generated by Partial Discharges Within Oil Power Transformers
Authors: Witos Franciszek , Szerszeń Grzegorz , Opilski Zbigniew , Setkiewicz Maciej , Olszewska Aneta , Duda Dominik , Maźniewski Krzysztof , Szadkowski Marek
Published: July 2017

In the paper, there are presented a general description of the constructed measuring system 8AE-PD, the results of calibration of this system by the Hsu-Nielsen method as well as the testing of the measuring system during recording signals generated by Hsu-Nielsen sources in a steel plate and a modeled partial discharge (PD) source. There is also presented the methodology of investigations by the calibrated acoustic emission method. The results of analyses of PD signals coming from the modeled sources are given. In particular, there are described the properties of acoustic emission (AE) signals generated by the PDs as well as the dependencies of the peak-to-peak voltage Umm, the RMS voltage Urms and the descriptors of acronyms ADP and ADC on the apparent charge Q introduced by the modeled PD source. There are determined the limit values of the apparent charge Q introduced by the modeled PD source for which the recorded signal is identified as originating from the PDS.
A Note on Transcendental Power Series Mapping the Set of Rational Numbers into Itself
Authors: Marques Diego , Silva Elaine
Published: July 2017

In this note, we prove that there is no transcendental entire function f(z) ∈ ℚ[[z]] such that f(ℚ) ⊆ ℚ and den f(p/q) = F(q), for all sufficiently large q, where F(z) ∈ ℤ[z].
An approximation theorem for solutions of degenerate semilinear elliptic equations
Authors: Cavalheiro Albo Carlos
Published: July 2017

The main result establishes that a weak solution of degenerate semilinear elliptic equations can be approximated by a sequence of solutions for non-degenerate semilinear elliptic equations.
A Posteriori Modelling-Discretization Error Estimate for Elliptic Problems withL∞-Coefficients
Authors: Weymuth Monika , Sauter Stefan , Repin Sergey
Published: July 2017

We consider elliptic problems with complicated, discontinuous diffusion tensorA0{A_{0}}. One of the standard approaches to numerically treat such problems is to simplify the coefficient by some approximation, sayAε{A_{\varepsilon}}, and to use standard finite elements. In [19] a combined modelling-discretization strategy has been proposed which estimates the discretization and modelling errors by a posteriori estimates of functional type. This strategy allows to balance these two errors in a problem adapted way. However, the estimate of the modelling error was derived under the assumption that the differenceA0-Aε{A_{0}-A_{\varepsilon}}becomes small with respect to theL∞{L^{\infty}}-norm. This implies in particular that interfaces/discontinuities separating the smooth parts ofA0{A_{0}}have to be matched exactly by the coefficientAε{A_{\varepsilon}}. Therefore the efficient application of that theory to problems with complicated or curved interfaces is limited. In this paper, we will present a refined theory, where the differenceA0-Aε{A_{0}-A_{\varepsilon}}is measured in theLq{L^{q}}-norm for some appropriateq∈]2,∞[{q\in{]2,\infty[}}and, hence, the geometric resolution condition is significantly relaxed.
Euler characteristic on noncommutative polyballs
Authors: Popescu Gelu
Published: July 2017

In this paper we introduce
and study the Euler characteristic (denoted by χ) associated with algebraic modules generated by arbitrary elements of certain noncommutative polyballs. We provide several asymptotic formulas for χ and prove some of its basic properties. We show that the Euler characteristic is a complete unitary invariant for the finite rank Beurling type invariant subspaces of the tensor product of full Fock spaces

F
2

F^{2}

(

H

n
1

H_{n_{1}}

)

⊗

\otimes

⋯

\cdots

⊗

\otimes

F
2

F^{2}

(

H

n
k

H_{n_{k}}

), and prove that its range coincides with the interval
[0,

∞

\infty

).
We obtain an analogue of Arveson’s version of the Gauss–Bonnet–Chern Theorem from Riemannian geometry, which connects the curvature to the Euler characteristic. In particular, we prove that if

ℳ

{{\mathcal{M}}}

is an invariant subspace of

F
2

F^{2}

(

H

n
1

H_{n_{1}}

)

⊗

\otimes

⋯

\cdots

⊗

\otimes

F
2

F^{2}

(

H

n
k

H_{n_{k}}

),

n
i

n_{i}

≥

\geq

2, which is graded (generated by multi-homogeneous polynomials), then the curvature and the Euler characteristic of the orthocomplement of

ℳ

{{\mathcal{M}}}

coincide.
Socio-economic and environmental determinants of children’s health in a big city (the case study of Lviv city, Ukraine)
Authors: Petrovska Myroslava , Pantyley Viktoriya , Strilets Iryna , Petrovskyi Svyatoslav
Published: July 2017

With the current economic and political instability in Ukraine, children's health is most certainly the best indicator of socioeconomic development within the country and its different regions. This article analyses the socio-economic and environmental determinants of a child’s health in a big city (using the example of Lviv, a city in Ukraine). The demographic indicators of the child population of the city of Lviv and the reasons for mortality were traced; the structure of children’s diseases was analyzed; the factors affecting children’s health potential (such as local budget expenditures on health care, the level of average nominal wages, the ecological situation in the region) were studied. Published and non-published statistical data from the Main Statistical Department of Lviv Region, Lviv City Council were used. Specific consumer behavior among randomly selected Lviv households with children aged between 0-14 years was studied by using a special survey. Research results show the links between socio-economic and ecological factors (local budget expenditures on health care, the level of average nominal wages, the ecological indices in the region), and child mortality. The limited capacity of parents to satisfy the basic needs of households and complete lack, or limitation, of time that parents spend with their children undoubtedly influences the potential of children’s health in a destructive way.
Changes to the structure of the hydrographic network within the Silesia-Cracow area of zinc and lead exploitation
Authors: Pradela Alicja , Zygmuniak Andrzej
Published: July 2017

The traditions related to mining activities in the Silesia-Cracow area go back to the 11th century when lead, silver, and iron ores were exploited from open pit mines. For centuries, the growth in ore exploitation was an incentive for the development of other industries (hard coal mining, steelmaking). This, in consequence, resulted in progressive urbanization. The areas analyzed are of highly transformed character, mainly because of mining activities. These changes are especially seen in relation to the aquatic environment since this component is exposed to heavy modifications due to the mining processes. Hence the study was carried out in order to determine the quantitative changes in the surface hydrographic network. It was found, that of the 62 main watercourses (existing during the whole analyzed period) 25 changed only slightly in terms of their length, 20 shortened by a few hundred meters and 17 lengthened. In the case of the aggregated length of the tributaries, the value increased for the 41 main watercourses, for 10 of them it was constant and was reduced slightly for a further 11. The areas where the length of the watercourses increased and the drainage density grew were found to be as well those where the total area of wetlands decreased. The element of the hydrographic network which was affected by the most changes was the water bodies. During the analyzed period of over 200 years, their number increased from 154 to 1413.
Synthesis and characteristics of novel azo-based diblock copolymers and their self-assembly behavior via solvents and thermal annealing
Authors: Zenati Athmen , Han Yang-Kyoo
Published: July 2017

A series of azo-based diblock copolymers (DBCs) with various compositions were successfully synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in anisole with PCAEMA-CTA (macro-CTA), DOPAM (new acrylamide monomer) and AIBN (initiator). Kinetic studies on diblock copolymerization manifested a controlled/living manner with good molecular weight control. Structures and properties of monomers and DBCs were determined by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Liquid crystalline (LC) phases and morphological properties were investigated using optical polarizing microscope (OPM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Experimental results demonstrated that the prepared PCAEMA-CTA and DBCs possessed low polydispersity index (≤1.37). All DBCs revealed sharp endothermic transition peaks corresponding to the smectic-to-nematic phase. DBCs with high azo contents showed batonnet textures of the smectic phase whereas DBCs of low azo segments displayed threaded textures of the nematic phase. DBC with 49 wt% of azo side-chains generated a lamellar compared to DBCs with low azo block (≤41 wt%) or non-azo block (≤38 wt%) which produced hexagonal-type nanostructures. In addition, all DBCs exhibited reversible trans-cis photoisomerization behavior under UV irradiation and dark storage at different intervals of time.
Forecasting Randomly Distributed Zero-Inflated Time Series
Authors: Doszyń Mariusz
Published: July 2017

The main aim of the article is to propose a forecasting procedure that could be useful in the case of randomly distributed zero-inflated time series. Many economic time series are randomly distributed, so it is not possible to estimate any kind of statistical or econometric models such as, for example, count data regression models. This is why in the article a new forecasting procedure based on the stochastic simulation is proposed. Before it is used, the randomness of the times series should be considered. The hypothesis stating the randomness of the times series with regard to both sales sequences or sales levels is verified. Moreover, in the article the ex post forecast error that could be computed also for a zero-inflated time series is proposed. All of the above mentioned parts were invented by the author. In the empirical example, the described procedure was applied to forecast the sales of products in a company located in the vicinity of Szczecin (Poland), so real data were analysed. The accuracy of the forecast was verified as well.
Factors Influencing the Choice and Quality Assessment of Hotel Facilities in Poland
Authors: Ozimek Irena , Szlachciuk Julita , Kulykovets Olena , Przeździecka-Czyżewska Natalia
Published: July 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of selected factors on the choice of hotel facilities by customers. Particular attention was focused on the perception of the quality of services by consumers. The field research, the results of which are presented in the article, was conducted on a nationwide sample of 1,000 persons aged from 15 to 70 according to the author’s questionnaire.
Wettability modification of heat-treated wood (HTW) via cold atmospheric-pressure nitrogen plasma jet (APPJ)
Authors: Nguyen Tat Thang , Ji Xiaodi , Van Nguyen Thi Hai , Guo Minghui
Published: July 2017

The modification of heat-treated wood (HTW) wettability by cold atmospheric-pressure nitrogen plasma jet (APPJ) for several treatment durations has been investigated. The effects of the modification were assessed by measurement of the advancing contact angle (ACA) of water along with determination of surface free energy. Additionally, the morphology and chemical changes of the HTW surface were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and FTIR spectroscopy. As expected, the measurements demonstrated that the ACA decreased proportionally with treatment time of APPJ. The optimal treatment time was 20 s. Clear etching traces are visible on the SEM images of HTW surfaces. The roughness of HTW increased after plasma treatment. FTIR spectra demonstrate that OH, C=O, and COOH groups are formed on the HTW surfaces. All these modifications are beneficial for the HTW wettability, which leads to better bonding strength of HTW.
Human U3 protein 14a plays an anti-apoptotic role in cancer cells
Authors: Ma Teng , Lu Chenxi , Guo Yafei , Zhang Chunfeng , Du Xiaojuan
Published: July 2017

Human U three protein 14a (hUTP14a) binds p53 and promotes p53 degradation. Here, we report that hUTP14a plays an anti-apoptotic role in tumor cells through a p53-independent pathway. Knockdown of hUTP14a activated the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis and sensitized tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drug-induced apoptosis. In addition, the protein level of hUTP14a decreased upon chemotherapeutic drug- or irradiation-induced apoptosis. Importantly, the decrease of hUTP14a during induced apoptosis was not blocked by pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-FMK, indicating that the down-regulation of hUTP14a is an upstream event in apoptosis. Furthermore, ectopically expressed hUTP14a protected tumor cells from chemotherapeutic drug-induced apoptosis. In summary, our data showed that hUTP14a protected tumor cells from chemotherapeutic drug-induced apoptosis and thus might possess a potential as a target for anti-tumor therapy.
Pilot Testing of It Skills of Preschool and Elementary Education Students by the It Fitness Test
Authors: Adamkovičová Martina , Burgerová Jana , Kochová Hedviga , Piskura Vladimír
Published: July 2017

The present paper reports on the testing of digital skills of students of the Faculty of Education, Univerity of Presov within their undergraduate training with the aim to estimate the level of digital skills in five defined domains. The IT Fitness test 2015 consisting of 25 items was used as the measure of the target skills. The sample comprised 532 students in bachelor and master study programs. The paper provides an interpretation of the selected research findings (mean total scores, mean scores for the given domains, discrimination power of items and domains). The results of digital skills testing point at the overall overestimation of Digital Natives Skills. With respect to the challenges brought by the educational practice itself by means of the implementation of digital technologies into pre-primary and primary education, it is necessary to modify the curricula of math- and iT-oriented subjects and include further activities allowing for the development of the lacking “Digital Skills”, since these are needed not only for students′ own study but also due to increasing demands related to the use of digital technologies in primary and pre-primary education.
Transformation of legal language – Early Byzantine legal discourse
Authors: Husa Jaakko
Published: July 2017

This article examines the complicated legal-cultural process in which Roman law became Byzantine law and Roman legal discourse altered into Byzantine legal discourse. Roman law’s transformation into Early Byzantine law is analysed from the point of view of legal language which mutated from Latin to Greek. The approach is legal cultural and legal linguistic and focuses on the overall shape and general patterns. The goal is to highlight how legal-cultural transformation was incremental, language-bound and that there was no radical or sudden culmination point. Moreover, the analysis answers generally to the question of why sixth-century Byzantine legislative Greek contained frequent Latin loans, expressions, phrases and distortions. The discussion concentrates on the Novellae as an integral part of the process of legal cultural and linguistic change from Roman to Byzantine. Instead of going into detailed linguistic analysis, this article underlines generally the contextuality of law and the importance of legal culture
Compiling terminology in EU directives and national transplant regulations. Case study: Sweden and Poland
Authors: Hadryan Milena
Published: July 2017

This paper discusses the problem of translating into Polish and Swedish medical terms and definitions contained in the EU directives on human cells, tissues and organs for transplant. The author briefly discusses the issue of translating medical terms and of creating concept definitions. The translated terms and definitions are then compared with their equivalents in national regulations. Transplantology is a relatively new and dynamically developing field of medicine, hence its terminology poses a challenge to translators. The results of work done by EU translators and terminologists are verified in the course of implementing the directives into the national law. The author focuses on the Swedish methods of team work within the National Tissue Project and highlights the positive effects of this work.
Mineral Composition of Selected Serbian Propolis Samples
Authors: Tosic Snezana , Stojanovic Gordana , Mitic Snezana , Pavlovic Aleksandra , Alagic Sladjana
Published: July 2017

The aim of this work was to determine the content of 22 macro- and microelements in ten raw Serbian propolis samples which differ in geographical and botanical origin as well as in polluted agent contents by atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES). The macroelements were more common and present Ca content was the highest while Na content the lowest. Among the studied essential trace elements Fe was the most common element. The levels of toxic elements (Pb, Cd, As and Hg) were also analyzed, since they were possible environmental contaminants that could be transferred into propolis products for human consumption. As and Hg were not detected in any of the analyzed samples but a high level of Pb (2.0-9.7 mg/kg) was detected and only selected portions of raw propolis could be used to produce natural medicines and dietary supplements for humans. Obtained results were statistically analyzed, and the examined samples showed a wide range of element content.
Proteomic Analysis of Pollen and Blossom Honey from Rape Seed Brassica Napus L.
Authors: Borutinskaitė Veronika , Treigytė Gražina , Matuzevičius Dalius , Zaikova Ilona , Čeksterytė Violeta , Navakauskas Dalius , Kurtinaitienė Bogumila , Navakauskienė Rūta
Published: July 2017

In the study, honey from oilseed rape Brassica napus L., and both hand-collected (winter rape Visby and Cult) and bee-collected pollen of oilseed rape were analyzed for their proteome content, in order to see if any plant proteins were present to allow the proteo-typing of the oilseed rape honey. Proteins were fractionated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE), stained by Coomassie blue and then analyzed by mass spectrometry. All identified proteins were divided into few groups due to their biological function. In 2DE gels with separated proteins from blossom honey, only bee (Apis mellifera) main proteins (Major royal jelly protein 1-5 and Glucosidase) were found. So we analyzed all proteins using gel-free based analysis with the SYNAPT G2 high definition mass spectrometry. We identified proteins that were present in both oilseed rape pollen and honey (Bna, Polygalacturonase, Non-specific lipid-transfer protein, GAPDH and others). We believe that these proteins are important for the nutritional value of plant pollen-enriched honey and further research is required on honey and honeybee pollen protein.
Application of HPLC-DAD Technique for Determination of Phenolic Compounds in Bee Pollen Loads
Authors: Waś Ewa , Szczęsna Teresa , Rybak-Chmielewska Helena , Teper Dariusz , Jaśkiewicz Katarzyna
Published: July 2017

A method was elaborated to determine phenolic compounds (vanillin, caffeic, p-coumaric and salicylic acids, and flavonoids: rutin, hesperetin, quercetin, pinocembrin, apigenin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, chrysin, and acacetin) in bee pollen loads using highperformance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Phenolic compounds from bee pollen were isolated on Cleanert C18-SPE columns (500 mg/6 mL, Agela Technologies). Polyphenols were identified by comparing the retention times and spectra of compounds found in pollen load samples with the ones of the standard mixture. Quantitative analysis was conducted using the external standard method. In addition, basic validation parameters for the method were determined. For the identified compounds (except for the salicylic acid), satisfactory (≥0.997) linear correlations were obtained. The elaborated method showed high repeatability and inter-laboratory reproducibility. Variability coeffcients of the majority of phenolic compounds did not exceed 10% in conditions of repeatability and inter-laboratory reproducibility, and for the total polyphenolic content they were 1.7 and 5.1%, respectively. The pollen load samples (n = 15) differed in qualitative and quantitative composition of the phenolic compounds. In all the samples, we identified the p-coumaric and salicylic acids and flavonoids rutin, hesperetin, and apigenin nevertheless, these compounds’ contents significantly differed among individual samples. The total phenolic content in the tested samples of pollen loads ranged from 0.653 to 5.966 mg/100 g (on average 2.737 mg/100 g).
Combinatorial therapy of exercise-preconditioning and nanocurcumin formulation supplementation improves cardiac adaptation under hypobaric hypoxia
Authors: Nehra Sarita , Bhardwaj Varun , Bansal Anju , Saraswat Deepika
Published: July 2017

Background:

Chronic hypobaric hypoxia (cHH) mediated cardiac insufficiencies are associated with pathological damage. Sustained redox stress and work load are major causative agents of cardiac insufficiencies under cHH. Despite the advancements made in pharmacological (anti-oxidants, vasodilators) and non-pharmacological therapeutics (acclimatization strategies and schedules), only partial success has been achieved in improving cardiac acclimatization to cHH. This necessitates the need for potent combinatorial therapies to improve cardiac acclimatization at high altitudes. We hypothesize that a combinatorial therapy comprising preconditioning to mild aerobic treadmill exercise and supplementation with nanocurcumin formulation (NCF) consisting of nanocurcumin (NC) and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) might improve cardiac adaptation at high altitudes.

Methods:

Adult Sprague-Dawley rats pre-conditioned to treadmill exercise and supplemented with NCF were exposed to cHH (7620 m altitude corresponding to pO2~8% at 28±2°C, relative humidity 55%±1%) for 3 weeks. The rat hearts were analyzed for changes in markers of oxidative stress (free radical leakage, lipid peroxidation, manganese-superoxide dismutase [MnSOD] activity), cardiac injury (circulating cardiac troponin I [TnI] and T [cTnT], myocardial creatine kinase [CK-MB]), metabolic damage (lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] and acetyl-coenzyme A levels, lactate and pyruvate levels) and bio-energetic insufficiency (ATP, p-AMPKα).

Results:

Significant modulations (p≤0.05) in cardiac redox status, metabolic damage, cardiac injury and bio-energetics were observed in rats receiving both NCF supplementation and treadmill exercise-preconditioning compared with rats receiving only one of the treatments.

Conclusions:

The combinatorial therapeutic strategy showed a tremendous improvement in cardiac acclimatization to cHH compared to either exercise-preconditioning or NCF supplementation alone which was evident from the effective modulation in redox, metabolic, contractile and bio-energetic homeostasis.
Discovery and Annotation of Plant Endogenous Target Mimicry Sequences from Public Transcriptome Libraries: A Case Study of Prunus persica
Authors: Karakülah Gökhan
Published: July 2017

Novel transcript discovery through RNA sequencing has substantially improved our understanding of the transcriptome dynamics of biological systems. Endogenous target mimicry (eTM) transcripts, a novel class of regulatory molecules, bind to their target microRNAs (miRNAs) by base pairing and block their biological activity. The objective of this study was to provide a computational analysis framework for the prediction of putative eTM sequences in plants, and as an example, to discover previously un-annotated eTMs inPrunus persica(peach) transcriptome. Therefore, two public peach transcriptome libraries downloaded from Sequence Read Archive (SRA) and a previously published set of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were investigated with multi-step analysis pipeline, and 44 putative eTMs were found. Additionally, an eTM-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network module associated with peach fruit organ development was built via integration of the miRNA target information and predicted eTM-miRNA interactions. My findings suggest that one of the most widely expressed miRNA families among diverse plant species, miR156, might be potentially sponged by seven putative eTMs. Besides, the study indicates eTMs potentially play roles in the regulation of development processes in peach fruit via targeting specific miRNAs. In conclusion, by following the step-by step instructions provided in this study, novel eTMs can be identified and annotated effectively in public plant transcriptome libraries.
A Novel Scene-Based Video Watermarking Scheme for Copyright Protection
Authors: Shukla Dolley , Sharma Manisha
Published: July 2017

Many illegal copies of original digital videos are being made, as they can be replicated perfectly through the Internet. Thus, it is extremely necessary to protect the copyrights of the owner and prevent illegal copying. This paper presents a novel approach to digital video watermarking for copyright protection using two different algorithms, whereby successive estimation of a statistical measure was used to detect scene boundaries and watermark was embedded in the detected scenes with discrete wavelet transform. Haar wavelet was used for decomposition. For embedding, the approaches used were (i) the detailed subband (LH subband) and (ii) the approximate subband (LL subband) of the cover video. Imperceptibility, robustness, and channel capacity were measured using both algorithms. The system was tested for robustness in the presence of 15 different attacks of five different categories, and, under multiple attacks, ensured that a wide spectrum of attack analysis has been done. The performance metrics measured included mean square error, peak signal-to-noise ratio, structural similarity index, normalized correlation, and bit error rate. The experimental results demonstrated the better visual imperceptibility and improved performance in terms of normalized correlation and bit error rate with embedding using the LL subband. Comparative analysis with existing schemes proved the improved robustness, better imperceptibility, and reduced computational time of both the proposed schemes.
Methylation differences reveal heterogeneity in preterm pathophysiology: results from bipartite network analyses
Authors: Bhavnani Suresh K. , Dang Bryant , Kilaru Varun , Caro Maria , Visweswaran Shyam , Saade George , Smith Alicia K. , Menon Ramkumar
Published: July 2017

Background:

Recent studies have shown that epigenetic differences can increase the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB). However, little is known about heterogeneity underlying such epigenetic differences, which could lead to hypotheses for biological pathways in specific patient subgroups, and corresponding targeted interventions critical for precision medicine. Using bipartite network analysis of fetal DNA methylation data we demonstrate a novel method for classification of PTB.

Methods:

The data consisted of DNA methylation across the genome (HumanMethylation450 BeadChip) in cord blood from 50 African-American subjects consisting of 22 cases of early spontaneous PTB (24–34 weeks of gestation) and 28 controls (>39 weeks of gestation). These data were analyzed using a combination of (1) a supervised method to select the top 10 significant methylation sites, (2) unsupervised “subject-variable” bipartite networks to visualize and quantitatively analyze how those 10 methylation sites co-occurred across all the subjects, and across only the cases with the goal of analyzing subgroups and their underlying pathways, and (3) a simple linear regression to test whether there was an association between the total methylation in the cases, and gestational age.

Results:

The bipartite network analysis of all subjects and significant methylation sites revealed statistically significant clustering consisting of an inverse symmetrical relationship in the methylation profiles between a case-enriched subgroup and a control-enriched subgroup: the former was predominantly hypermethylated across seven methylation sites, and hypomethylated across three methylation sites, whereas the latter was predominantly hypomethylated across the above seven methylation sites and hypermethylated across the three methylation sites. Furthermore, the analysis of only cases revealed one subgroup that was predominantly hypomethylated across seven methylation sites, and another subgroup that was hypomethylated across all methylation sites suggesting the presence of heterogeneity in PTB pathophysiology. Finally, the analysis found a strong inverse linear relationship between total methylation and gestational age suggesting that methylation differences could be used as predictive markers for gestational length.

Conclusions:

The results demonstrate that unsupervised bipartite networks helped to identify a complex but comprehensible data-driven hypotheses related to patient subgroups and inferences about their underlying pathways, and therefore were an effective complement to supervised approaches currently used.
Molecular identification of Candidatus Phytoplasma spp. associated with Sophora yellow stunt in Iran
Authors: Allahverdi Touhid , Rahimian Heshmatollah , Rastgou Mina
Published: July 2017

In the spring of 2012, sophora (Sophora alopecuroides L.) plants showing symptoms of leaf yellowing, little leaves and stunting were observed in Firooz-kuh (Tehran province), Sari (Mazandaran province) and Urmia (West Azerbaijan province) in Iran. Symptomatic plants from the three locations were subjected to nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify 16SrRNA using primer pair P1/P7 followed by primer pair R16F2n/R16R2. The amplicons were purified, sequenced and the nucleotide sequences were analyzed by virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The phytoplasmas associated with the yellows disease were identified as members of the 16SrIX group (Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium) and the 16SrXII group (Candidatus Phytoplasma solani). The two phytoplasmas were placed in 16SrIX-C and 16SrXII-A subgroups, respectively, in constructed phylogenetic trees. This is the first report on sophora yellows associated with Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium.
Symbiotic association between golden berry (Physalis peruviana) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in heavy metal-contaminated soil
Authors: Hristozkova Marieta , Geneva Maria , Stancheva Ira , Iliev Ivan , Azcón-Aguilar Concepción
Published: July 2017

Physalis peruvianais one of the most promising tropical fruit plants because of its rapid growth, high yield, and nutritional quality. This study was designed to investigate plant development under heavy metal contamination (Cd, Pb) and responsiveness to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization byRhizophagus clarumandClaroideoglomus claroideum. The antioxidant capacity, total lipid content and fatty acid profile in fruits, accumulation of Cd and Pb in different plant parts, plant dry biomass, and mycorrhizal colonization were determined. As a result of inoculation, a considerable reduction in Cd and Pb in the fruits was observed, compared with non-inoculated plants. The fruit number and dry weight increased in plants associated withC. claroideum.These plants also showed higher acid phosphatase activity, root protein accumulation and glomalin production. The type of antioxidant defense was AMF strain-dependent. Antioxidant activity and H2O2neutralization were enzymatic rather than non-enzymatic processes in the fruits ofC. claroideumplants compared with those forming an association withR. clarum. Mycorrhizal establishment changed the composition and concentration of fruits’ fatty acids. The ratio of unsaturated fatty acids was increased. With respect to the accumulation of bioactive compounds in golden berry the present findings are important for obtaining the optimum benefits of mycorrhizal association under unfavorable conditions.
Regular Mechanical Transformation of Rotations Into Translations: Part 1. Kinematic Analysis and Definition of the Basic Characteristics
Authors: Abadjieva Emilia , Abadjiev Valentin
Published: July 2017

The science that study the processes of motions transformation upon a preliminary defined law between non-coplanar axes (in general case) axes of rotations or axis of rotation and direction of rectilinear translation by three-link mechanisms, equipped with high kinematic joints, can be treated as an independent branch of Applied Mechanics. It deals with mechanical behaviour of these multibody systems in relation to the kinematic and geometric characteristics of the elements of the high kinematic joints, which form them. The object of study here is the process of regular transformation of rotation into translation. The developed mathematical model is subjected to the defined task for studying the sliding velocity vector function at the contact point from the surfaces elements of arbitrary high kinematic joints. The main kinematic characteristics of the studied type motions transformation (kinematic cylinders on level, kinematic relative helices (helical conoids) and kinematic pitch configurations) are defined on the bases of the realized analysis. These features expand the theoretical knowledge, which is the objective of the gearing theory. They also complement the system of kinematic and geometric primitives, that form the mathematical model for synthesis of spatial rack mechanisms.